Search Our Database of Nearly 2,000 Diverse Picture Books

Our collection of picture books featuring Black and Indigenous people and People of Color (BIPOC) is available to the public. *Inclusion of a title in the collection DOES NOT EQUAL a recommendation.* Click here for more on book evaluation.

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Trailblazer

2018

by Leda Schubert and Theodore Taylor III

"This beautiful picture book tells the little-known story of Raven Wilkinson, the first African American woman to dance for a major classical ballet company and an inspiration to Misty Copeland. When she was only five years old, her parents took her to see the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. Raven perched on her crushed velvet seat, heard the tympani, and cried with delight even before the curtain lifted. From that moment on, her passion for dance only grew deeper inside of her. No black ballerina had ever danced with a major touring troupe before. Raven would be the first. Raven Wilkinson was born on February 2, 1935, in New York City. From the time she was a little girl, all she wanted to do was dance. On Raven's ninth birthday, her uncle gifted her with ballet lessons, and she completely fell in love with dance. While she was a student at Columbia University, Raven auditioned for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and was finally accepted on her third try, even after being told she couldn't dance with them because of her skin color. When she started touring with her troupe in the United States in 1955, Raven encountered much racism in the South, but the applause, alongside the opportunity to dance, made all the hardship worth it. Several years later she would dance for royalty with the Dutch National Ballet and regularly performed with the New York City Opera until she was fifty. This beautiful picture book tells the uplifting story of the first African American woman to dance for a major classical ballet company and how she became a huge inspiration for Misty Copeland. Theodore Taylor III's unique, heavy line style of illustration brings a deeper level of fluidity and life to the work, and Misty Copeland's beautifully written foreword will delight ballet and dance fans of all ages"--Provided by publisher

The United States v. Jackie Robinson

2018

by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen and R. Gregory Christie

Tells the true story of Jackie Robinson's battle against prejudice while serving in the military during World War II, covering his court-martial for refusing to move to the back of an integrated bus.

The youngest marcher

2017

by Cynthia Levinson and Vanessa Brantley-Newton

Meet the youngest known child to be arrested for a civil rights protest in Birmingham, Alabama, 1963, in this picture book that proves you're never too little to make a difference. Nine-year-old Audrey Faye Hendricks intended to go places and do things like anybody else. So when she heard grown-ups talk about wiping out Birmingham's segregation laws, she spoke up. --publisher

As good as anybody

2008

by Richard Michelson and Raúl Colón

Martin Luther King, Jr. and Abraham Joshua Heschel. Their names stand for the quest for justice and equality.Martin grew up in a loving family in the American South, at a time when this country was plagued by racial discrimination. He aimed to put a stop to it. He became a minister like his daddy, and he preached and marched for his cause.Abraham grew up in a loving family many years earlier, in a Europe that did not welcome Jews. He found a new home in America, where he became a respected rabbi like his father, carrying a message of peace and acceptance.Here is the story of two icons for social justice, how they formed a remarkable friendship and turned their personal experiences of discrimination into a message of love and equality for all.

Rachel’s story

2018

by Andy Glynne and Salvador Maldonado

This is the real-life story of Eurasian refugee Rachel, who was forced to flee her home country because of her mother's religion. Told in Rachel's own words, the story describes the feelings of fear and anxiety immigrant children face as they try to rebuild their lives in a new country.

John Lewis in the lead

2006

by James Haskins and Kathleen. Benson

"A biography of John Lewis, Georgia Congressman and one of the 'Big Six' civil rights leaders of the 1960s, focusing on his youth and culminating in the voter registration drives that sparked 'Bloody Sunday,' as hundreds of people walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. Includes a note by Congressman Lewis and a timeline"-- Provided by publisher

Summer of 1969

2017

by Sara W. Berry, Juanita G. Floyd and Tracy Applewhite

It was the summer of 1969, and things were about to change in the life of Cozett Juanita Gambrel. Integration of public schools had begun, and she would be the only black child in her new class. Her wise mother spent the summer laying the foundation of strength and love which would be needed to face the changes. "Bring forth the heart of a child, dear Lord," her mother prayed each night, for she knew the pure heart of a child did not see race but only love and friendship. ... based on the real life account of Juanita Gambrel Floyd.--Cover page 4

Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom

2006

by Carole Boston Weatherford and Kadir Nelson

Describes Tubman's spiritual journey as she hears the voice of God guiding her north to freedom on that very first trip to escape the brutal practice of forced servitude. Tubman would make nineteen subsequent trips back south, never being caught, but none as profound as this first one