Books for Black Children

Reading is FUN!!!
The love of reading can begin as soon as your child is born. Reading to your infant is a great way to spend time with your baby and baby will certainly enjoy hearing the soothing sound of a parent's voice. Reading aloud is very important to the development of your child's hearing and his/her eventual recognition of the basic phonetic sounds. This will later assist in language development.

How Reading Helps Your Child
As your child gets older, hearing a more experienced reader pronounce words assists them in learning new words. In addition, hearing a storyline can help children identify with a particular situation or character. In turn, this can lead to discussion about what the child would/would not do in that particular situation. Even if you don't get an answer that you quite understand, the questioning helps the child develop critical thinking skills.

Book Recommendations
Here are some recommendations for books for assorted grade levels, which will be indicated next to the book. I've read all of these books - either to my many classes or to my own children. Remember, you also have to set and example by reading yourself. In fact buy (or borrow) two copies of your chosen book - especially in grades 4 and up - and you and your child can enjoy it together.

Let's Count Baby
Level: Infant/Toddler/Preschool
Author: Cheryl Willis Hudson
Illustrator: George Ford Now who doesn't like a counting book? In this book an adorable girl baby counts socks, cars and stars and at the end, wants to start again. My children read the book to me now.

Golden Bear
Level: Infant/Toddler/Preschool
Author: Ruth Young
Illustrator: Rachel Isadora
My 5 year old really enjoyed this story about a boy and his stuffed teddy bear. This lovely story will help children to recognize that everyone has a favorite toy or doll. The vibrant illustrations are perfect for the little ones and all children will love the depiction of familiar situations.

Peekaboo Morning
Level: Infant/Toddler/Preschool
Author/Illustrator: Rachel Isadora
In this cute, simple book A little boy plays "peekaboo" with various toys and people around his house. Ms. Isadora brings her vibrant artistry and created beautiful illustrations. The little boy is just too adorable, with his mini-dreads.

Uncle Jed's Barbershop
Level: 4th grade -up
Author: Margaree King Mitchell
Illustrator: James Ransome
This book begins in the 1920s, where Uncle Jed's (the only black barber in his county) dream is to have his own barbershop. He saves towards his dream but life often interfered and he experienced many setbacks. Told from the point of view of his niece, the story teaches children about working towards your dream and never giving up. The illustrations are excellent. I recommend that you preview the book to see if the story is a good match with your child's temperament. Some may view the ending of the book differently, and that is an excellent starting point of discussion.

Amazing Grace
Level: 3rd - 6th grade
Author: Mary Hoffman
Illustrator: Caroline Binch
I can't recommend this book any more enthusiastically! This was my personal favorite to read to my fourth grade class. Grace, a young Jamaican girl, wants to play Peter Pan in the school play! But she's not white and she's not a boy. Hmmmmmm. What a great book to use to open children's mind to the fact that they can do and be anything they want to be.

Vroomaloom Zoom
Level: Toddler/Preschool/K-4th grade
Author: John Coy
Illustrator: Joe Cepeda
Ever take a car ride? How about on a night that is "cake-bake hot"? This story is about a little girl whose father loves to drive. So she takes her blanket, hops in the back of the car with her pajamas, and Daddy takes her on a driving adventure. Rhyming lines and fun language make this a great bedtime read.

I tried to give you a bit of an overview of books that can be read to our younger children.

Most of these books are available either from a local bookstore or of course can be ordered online at major book retailers.