A Likkle Miss Lou
Nadia L. Hohn; illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes · 2019
A picture-book portrait of the young Louise Bennett Coverley, who grew up to celebrate Jamaican language in poetry and performance.
Books by topic
History & Biography
Historical fiction and biography let children see the past through the eyes of someone their own age or through a single remarkable life. They can also raise hard subjects — racism, war, displacement — that children deserve to have explained honestly and at the right level.
We note sensitive content on each book page. For younger readers, a book read together with time to talk is often the right way in.
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30 books
Sorted from youngest suggested age. Age ranges are editorial estimates.
Planting Stories
Anika Aldamuy Denise; illustrated by Paola Escobar · 2019
The story of Pura Belpré, the first Puerto Rican librarian in the New York Public Library, who brought bilingual storytelling to children.
The Lonely Phone Booth
Peter Ackerman; illustrated by Max Dalton · 2010
A phone booth on a New York City street corner, ignored in the age of cell phones, gets a chance to show its worth when the power goes out.
A Picture Book of Martin Luther King, Jr.
David A. Adler; illustrated by Robert Casilla · 1989
A straightforward picture-book biography of Dr. King covering his childhood, work, and legacy.
Be a King
Carole Boston Weatherford; illustrated by James E. Ransome · 2018
Readers are encouraged to carry Dr. King's lessons into their own lives and classrooms, paired with scenes from his life.
I Dissent
Debbie Levy; illustrated by Elizabeth Baddeley · 2016
A picture-book biography of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, framed around moments when she disagreed and acted.
I Have a Dream
Martin Luther King Jr.; illustrated by Kadir Nelson · 2012
The text of Dr. King's 1963 speech at the March on Washington, illustrated with paintings by Kadir Nelson.
Little Melba and Her Big Trombone
Katheryn Russell-Brown; illustrated by Frank Morrison · 2014
The story of jazz trombonist and composer Melba Liston, who taught herself to play as a child and went on to tour and arrange music in a male-dominated field.
Martin's Big Words
Doreen Rappaport; illustrated by Bryan Collier · 2001
A picture-book biography of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that weaves his own words into the narrative.
Snowflake Bentley
Jacqueline Briggs Martin; illustrated by Mary Azarian · 1998
The life of Wilson Bentley, a Vermont farmer who photographed snowflakes and showed that no two are alike.
The Watcher
Jeanette Winter · 2011
A picture-book biography of Jane Goodall, from childhood animal-watching to her chimpanzee research and advocacy.
Let the Children March
Monica Clark-Robinson; illustrated by Frank Morrison · 2018
A fictionalized account of the 1963 Children's Crusade in Birmingham, Alabama, when young people marched for civil rights.
Mario and the Hole in the Sky
Elizabeth Rusch; illustrated by Teresa Martinez · 2019
The story of Mexican chemist Mario Molina, whose research on CFCs helped lead to action to protect the ozone layer.
My Brother Martin
Christine King Farris; illustrated by Chris Soentpiet · 2003
Dr. King's older sister recalls their childhood in Atlanta and the experiences that shaped his commitment to justice.
Separate Is Never Equal
Duncan Tonatiuh · 2014
The story of Sylvia Mendez and her family's legal fight to end school segregation of Mexican-American children in California in the 1940s.
The Golden Flower
Nina Jaffe; illustrated by Enrique O. Sánchez · 1996
A retelling of a Taíno creation story from Puerto Rico about how the island and its sea came to be.
Who Was Martin Luther King, Jr.?
Bonnie Bader; illustrated by Elizabeth Wolf · 2007
A short illustrated biography in the "Who Was" series covering King's life and the civil rights movement.
Esperanza Rising
Pam Muñoz Ryan · 2000
Esperanza and her mother leave a privileged life in Mexico for a farm labor camp in California during the Great Depression.
Hidden Figures Young Readers' Edition
Margot Lee Shetterly · 2016
The true story of Black women mathematicians who worked at NASA's Langley center and contributed to the U.S. space program.
Inside Out & Back Again
Thanhha Lai · 2011
A verse novel about ten-year-old Hà, who flees Vietnam with her family in 1975 and resettles in Alabama.
Number the Stars
Lois Lowry · 1989
In occupied Denmark in 1943, Annemarie's family helps her Jewish best friend Ellen escape to safety.
One Crazy Summer
Rita Williams-Garcia · 2010
In 1968, three sisters travel to Oakland to spend the summer with the mother who left them, and attend a Black Panther summer camp.
Brown Girl Dreaming
Jacqueline Woodson · 2014
Jacqueline Woodson's memoir in verse about growing up in South Carolina and Brooklyn in the 1960s and 1970s and finding her voice as a writer.
Echo
Pam Muñoz Ryan · 2015
A magical harmonica connects three children in Germany, Pennsylvania, and California before and during World War II.
Okay for Now
Gary D. Schmidt · 2011
In 1968, eighth-grader Doug Swieteck moves to a small town and finds new purpose through Audubon's bird paintings at the local library.
The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963
Christopher Paul Curtis · 1995
A funny family road trip from Michigan to Alabama turns serious when the family witnesses the aftermath of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing.
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Mildred D. Taylor · 1976
Cassie Logan's family fights to keep their land and dignity in Depression-era Mississippi amid racism and violence.
The Iliad
Gareth Hinds · 2019
Gareth Hinds's graphic-novel adaptation of Homer's epic of the Trojan War.
March: Book One
John Lewis, Andrew Aydin; illustrated by Nate Powell · 2013
The first volume of Congressman John Lewis's graphic memoir about his life and the civil rights movement.
The Book Thief
Markus Zusak · 2005
Narrated by Death, the story of Liesel, a foster girl in Nazi Germany who steals books and shares them during the war.
Related guides
Civil Rights Picture Book Unit for Grades 2–5: A Two-Week Plan with Primary Sources
A 1–2 week civil rights unit built on picture books, with a daily plan, National Archives primary sources, vocabulary, assessment and guidance on hard history.
Talking About Hard Topics Through Books: Grief, Separation, Racism, War and More
How to use books to talk with children about grief, separation, illness, racism and war: preview first, follow their questions, be honest, and know when to get help.