craft · Craft Moves · mentor texts · picture book

10 Books Celebrating Black Joy and Daily Life

Stacey Shubitz
Leave a comment on the bottom of this blog post for a chance to win all ten of these books.  

Like many Americans, I was horrified to see — yet again — the video of Jacob Blake, an unarmed Black man, shot seven times in the back this past Sunday. What shook me, even more than the video, was the knowledge that Blake’s three young sons watched their father’s body get riddled with bullets. You cannot undo that kind of trauma.

In the wake of George Floyd’s death over Memorial Day Weekend, many educators realized they needed to take greater steps to eradicate systems that oppress BIPOC students and to dismantling systemic racism in our communities. Antiracist book lists circulated around internet. As a co-author team, we read How to Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi’s along with some of our blog’s readers. However, “book clubs” alone are ineffective mechanisms for change. (Read more in Tre Johnson’s 6/11/2020 Washington Post piece.) Rather, our team’s goal was to learn through Kendi’s book, as well as to commit to actionable steps with support and accountability.

On June 8th, I read a piece by Nic Stone who stated, “As we read all the race and racism books, we must also read books about Black people—especially Black children—just…living.” As an American Jew and a literacy specialist, this resonated with me since I often worry that the majority of literature non-Jewish kids read about Judaism revolves around anti-Semitism and the Holocaust. While the Holocaust is crucial to study, I want books in children’s hands about all aspects of the Jewish experience. Similarly, this is why I am intentional about buying series books with characters from different races, religions, and cultures for my daughter. She needs to read about all kinds of kids living life. (In case you’re interested, some of Isabelle’s favorite series books, which she’s read this year, that have Black main characters have been the Molly Mac Series by Marty Kelley, the Saddiq Series by Siman Nuurali and Annan Sarkar and the King & Kayla Series by Dori Hillestaf Butler and Nancy Meyers.)

While books about oppression, struggle, and suffering are of critical importance to read and discuss with children, so are books about Black joy and about the daily lives of Black children. I’ve curated a list of ten new (i.e., published in 2019 and 2020) texts that focus on Black people living life. Depending on who your students are, these books can serve as mirrors, windows, and/or sliding glass doors.

Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors

The list of picture books that follows are mostly fiction. You can use them to help all students see Black children living life, being proud of who they are, and experiencing joy. In addition to sharing a synopsis of each book, I’ve included several craft moves you can teach students from each of these books so they can become beloved mentor texts in your writing workshop too. (All of the craft moves listed below are explained in the glossary of Craft Moves: Lesson Sets for Teaching Writing with Mentor Texts.)

A Girl Like Me written by Angela Johnson and illustrated by Nina Crews (Millbrook/Lerner, 2020)

Publisher’s Summary: Empower young readers to embrace their individuality, reject societal limitations, and follow their dreams. This inspiring picture book brings together a poem by acclaimed author Angela Johnson and Nina Crews’s distinctive photocollage illustrations to celebrate girls of color.

A Few Craft Moves You Can Teach Young Writers: Back Matter; Commas; Connecting with the Reader Ending; Dialogue; Imagine Lead; Turning Point.

Double Bass Blues written by Andrea J. Loney and illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez (Knopf, 2019)

Publisher’s Summary: Nic is an aspiring musician whose life spans two different worlds–his suburban school where he wows his friends in orchestra, and the busy city streets of his home where he’s jostled by the crowd. Nic makes his way home from a busy day at school with a double bass on his back, the symphony of his surroundings in his heart, and a sweet surprise for the reader at the end of his journey. This is a sweet, melodious picture book about how dedication, music, and family can overcome any obstacle.

A Few Craft Moves You Can Teach Young Writers: Dialogue; Ending Punctuation; Movement of Time and Place; Power of Three; Repetition; Vocative Case.

I Am Brown written by Ashok Banker and illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat (Lantana, 2020)

Publisher’s Summary: I am brown. I am beautiful. I am perfect. I designed this computer. I ran this race. I won this prize. I wrote this book. A joyful celebration of the skin you’re in – of being brown, of being amazing, of being you.

A Few Craft Moves You Can Teach Young Writers: Meeting the Characters Lead; Print Layout; Repetition; Technical Language (explained through illustrations); The Way We Are Known Ending; Types of Print; Vivid Verbs.

Jabari Tries by Gaia Cornwall (Candlewick Press, 2020)

Publisher’s Summary: Jabari is making a flying machine in his backyard! “It’ll be easy. I don’t need any help,” he declares. But it doesn’t work! Jabari is frustrated. Good thing Dad is there for a pep talk and his little sister, Nika, is there to assist, fairy wings and all. With the endearing father-child dynamic of Jabari Jumps and engaging mixed-media illustrations, Gaia Cornwall’s tale shows that through perseverance and flexibility, an inventive thought can become a brilliant reality.

A Few Craft Moves You Can Teach Young Writers: Accomplishments/Discovery Ending; Combination Lead (i.e., Dialogue/Meeting the Characters); Dialogue; Heart of the Story; Internal Thinking; Print Layout; Repetition; Show, Don’t Tell; Varied Sentence Lengths; Vivid Verbs.

Kamala Harris: Rooted in Justice by Nikki Grimes and Laura Freeman (Simon & Schuster, 2020)

Publisher’s Summary: When Kamala Harris was young, she often accompanied her parents to civil rights marches—so many, in fact, that when her mother asked a frustrated Kamala what she wanted, the young girl responded with: “Freedom!”As Kamala grew from a small girl in Oakland to a senator running for president, it was this long-fostered belief in freedom and justice for all people that shaped her into the inspiring figure she is today. From fighting for the use of a soccer field in middle school to fighting for the people of her home state in Congress, Senator Harris used her voice to speak up for what she believed in and for those who were otherwise unheard. Her dedication led to her being selected as the Democratic vice presidential nominee in the 2020 election.

A Few Craft Moves You Can Teach Young Writers: Commas (e.g., introductory phrases, in lists) Em Dashes; Narrative Inserts (between a fictionalized girl and her mother); Pacing; Source List; Text Features (e.g., map, different types of print; timeline); Varied Sentence Lengths; Wraparound Ending.

Love Is Powerful by Heather Dean Brewer and LeUyen Pham (Candlewick Press, 2020)

Publisher’s Summary: Mari is getting ready to make a sign with crayon as the streets below her fill up with people. “What are we making, Mama?” she asks. “A message for the world,” Mama says. “How will the whole world hear?” Mari wonders. “They’ll hear,” says Mama, “because love is powerful.” Inspired by a girl who participated in the January 2017 Women’s March in New York City, Heather Dean Brewer’s simple and uplifting story, delightfully illustrated by LeUyen Pham, is a reminder of what young people can do to promote change and equality at a time when our country is divided by politics, race, gender, and religion.

A Few Craft Moves You Can Teach Young Writers: Back Matter (a note from the real-life Mari); Commas (e.g., in lists, introductory phrases; Dialogue; Internal Thinking; Print Layout; Sensory Details; Varied Sentence Lengths; Vivid Verbs.

Magnificent Homespun Brown: A Celebration written by Samara Cole Doyon and illustrated by Kaylani Juanita (Tilbury House Publishers, 2020)

Publisher’s Summary: Told by a succession of exuberant young narrators, Magnificent Homespun Brown is a story — a song, a poem, a celebration — about feeling at home in one’s own beloved skin.

A Few Craft Moves You Can Teach Young Writers: Appeal to the Senses Lead; Compound Adjectives; Ellipsis Points; Precise Words; Show, Don’t Tell; The Way We Are Known Ending; Varied Sentence Lengths; Vivid Verbs.

Norman One Amazing Goldfish by Kelly Bennett and Noah Z. Jones (Candlewick Press, 2020)

Publisher’s Summary: Norman is one amazing goldfish! His owner knows Norman is sure to dazzle the crowd at Pet-O-Rama with his circles, bubbles, and flips—even though some kids don’t think a goldfish is a good pet. But when Norman is finally on stage, he freezes up and hides behind his plant. Poor Norman! Luckily, his owner plays a familiar song on the tuba, helping Norman to relax and show the crowd how amazing he really is. The popular stars of Not Norman return in a warm and wryly funny new story about being there for your fishy friend when he needs you most.

A Few Craft Moves You Can Teach Young Writers: Character Snapshot Lead; Circular Ending; Dialogue; Ellipsis Points; Heart of the Story; Print Layout; Punctuation to Create Voice; Varied Sentence Lengths.

The Biggest Story by Sarah Coyle and Dan Taylor (Kane Miller, 2019)

Publisher’s Summary: Errol’s mom is too busy to tell him a story so she tells him he should try to make one up himself, but as soon as he starts, all the creatures in the garden – and beyond! – overhear and all want to be the hero! A celebration of imagination, packed full of humor, energy, and adventure.

A Few Craft Moves You Can Teach Young Writers: Back Matter; Commas (e.g., introductory phrases, to add details); Dialogue; Ellipsis Points; Graphic Style (for Errol’s story); Varied Sentence Lengths; Vivid Verbs.

When Aidan Became a Brother by Kyle Lukoff and Kaylani Juanita (Lee & Low Books, 2019)

Publisher’s Summary: When Aidan was born, everyone thought he was a girl. His parents gave him a pretty name, his room looked like a girl’s room, and he wore clothes that other girls liked wearing. After he realized he was a trans boy, Aidan and his parents fixed the parts of his life that didn’t fit anymore, and he settled happily into his new life.Then Mom and Dad announce that they’re going to have another baby, and Aidan wants to do everything he can to make things right for his new sibling from the beginning–from choosing the perfect name to creating a beautiful room to picking out the cutest onesie. But what does “making things right” actually mean? And what happens if he messes up? With a little help, Aidan comes to understand that mistakes can be fixed with honesty and communication, and that he already knows the most important thing about being a big brother: how to love with his whole self.

A Few Craft Moves You Can Teach Young Writers: Author’s Note; Compound Adjectives; Dialogue That Advances the Story; Lesson Learned Ending; Meeting the Characters Lead; Movement of Time and Place; Strong Character Details.

Looking for more titles?

Here are some past reviews of mentor texts I’ve done about picture books that include Black children just…living.

Teaching remotely this fall?

Learn more about how publishers are extending permissions for virtual read alouds in this article from School Library Journal.

Are you looking for resources to help you with anti-racist work in your school or local community?

Here are a variety of articles, books, organizations, podcasts, videos, and websites some of the participants from our summer discussion of How to Be An Antiracist compiled:

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Giveaway Information

  • This giveaway is for a copy of each of the above-mentioned books. Many thanks to Candlewick, Kane Miller, Knopf, Lantana, Lee & Low, Millbrook/Lerner, Simon & Schuster, and Tilbury House for donating a copy of each of these books for one lucky reader.
  • For a chance to win these ten books, please leave a comment about this post by Wednesday, September 2nd at 11:59 p.m. EDT. I’ll use a random number generator to pick the winners, whose names I will announce at the bottom of this post, by Friday, September 4th. NOTE: YOU MUST HAVE A U.S. MAILING ADDRESS TO ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY. (Sorry, no FPOs.)
    • Please be sure to leave a valid e-mail address when you post your comment, so I can contact you to obtain your mailing address if you win. From there, my contacts at each of the above-mentioned publishers will ship your books out to you. (NOTE: Your e-mail address will not be published online if you leave it in the e-mail field only.)
  • If you are the winner of the book, I will email you with the subject line of TWO WRITING TEACHERS – JUST LIVING. Please respond to my e-mail with your mailing address within five days of receipt. Unfortunately, a new winner will be chosen if a response isn’t received within five days of the giveaway announcement.

Citations:

Comments are now closed.

Judith Cullen’s commenter number came up so she’ll receive the books.

Published by Stacey Shubitz

I am a literacy consultant who focuses on writing workshop. I've been working with K-6 teachers and students since 2009. Prior to that, I was a fourth and fifth-grade teacher in New York City and Rhode Island. I'm the author of Craft Moves (Stenhouse Publishers, 2016) and the co-author of Jump Into Writing (Zaner-Bloser, 2021), Welcome to Writing Workshop (Stenhouse Publishers, 2019), and Day By Day (Stenhouse, 2010). I live in Central Pennsylvania with my husband and children. In my free time, I enjoy swimming, doing Pilates, cooking, baking, making ice cream, and reading novels.

71 thoughts on “10 Books Celebrating Black Joy and Daily Life”

  2. All of these books sound amazing! My current administration is controlling with the books we read and I would love to just rebel and not ask before reading and read all of these books with my students!

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  4. Thanks so much for sharing this list of books plus the craft moves opportunities associated with each book. I am so happy to see that some of my favorite books now have another story to tell.

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  10. Thank you for this great resource! I am trying to collect more picture books with different characters that look like our students in our diverse classrooms. I can’t wait to dive into these books and use them for read-alouds, and as mentor texts! Thank you!

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  11. This post, unsurprisingly, is a gold mine. Teachers usually have good intentions when choosing literature to share with their students however, we need to be mindful of the impact. What message will the students carry away? As Stacey said, stories of struggle and hardship carry immense importance, but they’re not the only stories of the lives we wish to understand.

    Liked by 1 person

  13. AMAZING list! Thank you so much for all of the resources, the discussions, and the space for us to feel like we are all in this together! So excited about another Jabari story!!! Thank you!

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  15. I’ve always treasured the insights and resources shared via Two Writing Teachers. Although I’m no longer on a campus, I continue to follow and share your posts with teachers in the classroom while continuing to nurture the literacy learner within myself.

    The ways in which you’ve stepped up and shone a bright light onto racial injustice is a beautiful thing. THANK YOU for helping educators help shift the narrative. You are enablers in the very best possible way. God bless!

    Liked by 1 person

  16. Wonderful books, I have always had books that reflect students in my class but am seeing how important it is to have books reflecting students that my students may not encounter until they are older. Thanks for the great list!

    Liked by 1 person

  18. So immensely important to have books spreading black joy on our classroom shelves and being shared with students…thank you for curating this list!

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  25. Thanks Stacey! Love this post. After being a part of the book group this summer, one of my actionable steps was about sharing authentic stories about black and brown children and this list is so helpful. I also love the craft moves to add more to our read alouds. I also appreciate the updated list of read alouds that publishers have shared.

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  29. I received a grant some years ago to do the same thing for our Native American students. I wanted books that depicted them in their everyday lives. This list is great – I will use these titles with my pre-service education majors. Thank you.

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  34. This list is incredibly important, especially in these impossibly challenging times. I love the writing connections offered with each book. I’d be honored to share these texts! Thank you!

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  37. Stacey thank you so much for sharing these books. It is so important for students to see themselves in books. I have added Jabari Tries, Love is Powerful, and The Biggest Story to my wishlist.

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  38. Thank you so much for the list and thank you to the TWT team for leading the book study this summer. There are so many things in the world right now to distract us, but it is really important to keep thinking about the books we are choosing and using with students right now. I’m passing along this list to those teachers I mentor!

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  39. Such a wonderful list and so excited to see a new Jabari book. It is so important for children to see themselves reflected in the books they read. I appreciate your thoughtful book list and the opportunity to received these special books.

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  44. What a great list! Thanks for including craft moves as well. I wonder when the day will come that the senseless violence of racism will stop. Teachers, like us, must be intentional in how we teach so the seeds for change are sown. Thanks for being a part of that change.

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    1. I had this post set and ready to go last week. (Except for the title. You know how I struggle with titling things!) When Blake’s shooting happened, I knew I needed to create a new introduction. It sickens me that Black people have to constantly worry about their safety. Things must change.

      Liked by 1 person

  46. Thank you for sharing the books and possible craft moves to go with the books. Some of these titles are new to me and I love when new titles come my way.

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  47. I SO enjoyed this resource as we begin a new school year. No matter if kids are learning from home or school, it is vital that they are reading diverse books with characters of all identities. I am SO excited to use this book list as interactive read alouds!

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  48. Being part of our summer reading of How to Be An Antiracist was good work, now time to get started at school. I don’t want to lose focus of this important work with all of he chaos that is our new learning model. Feel proud of the books be added to my mentor texts and gotta-read-this bag this year, I appreciate you pointing me to some titles I don’t know.

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    1. I worry about losing focus, which is why I wrote this post today. Teachers have so much on their plates this year with trying to stay safe amidst the threat of COVID-19. Taking time for all the discussions around race and equity still needs to happen this year. It cannot wait.

      Liked by 1 person

  50. I love this list! I immediately sent it to colleagues and to my sister, whose beautiful brown boy is growing up with love and rich, rich literature.

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  53. Thank you for addressing such important topics and providing a list of resources that will enrich the lives of my students. I can’t wait to add these books to my classroom library.

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  57. Thank you so much for sharing these titles. I made a note of some I was not familiar with that I will use with my students this year. I think it’s so important for our students to see themselves in the titles of the books for reading to them. I’ve seen with my own eyes students gravitate towards choosing books with characters who look like them. Thank you again!

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  58. This article and this giveaway make my heart happy. As a teacher of mostly BIPOC students, I strive to get books in their hands written by authors who look like them, and with characters that represent them. These books would bee a great addition to our growing, diverse classroom library.

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  59. What a rich post! Thanks for sharing all these wonderful titles celebrating black joy and the ideas for highlighting craft moves for each one. You’ve compiled a wonderful resource for all of us!

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  60. Thank you for this resource- these titles and ideas for how to use them. It’s so important to have books like these available to children.

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  61. All of these texts are such important stories that need to be told, for our kids…all of our kids! Beyonce said (yes, I know… THAT Beyonce) in her recent film, Black is King, something along the lines of people going so long without seeing themselves reflected makes them wonder if they ever even existed. These texts will help kids see themselves– through skin color and through shared life experiences.

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    2. Thank you for this list of beautiful books Stacey! As well thank you for the ideas for craft moves to accompany these titles. Every title looks amazing and will certainly add joy to every classroom library

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