We study Black History year-round in our homeschool but we’re always looking for Homeschool Ideas For Black History Month. This Black History Month we decided to focus on books written by black authors. Reese is an avid reader and can go through 3-4 books a week so I’m always on the lookout for new books to add to our collection. If you have an avid reader on your hands and are looking for homeschool ideas for Black History Month, check out this list of nine books by black authors your kids will love.
Nine Books By Black Authors To Add To Your Homeschool Reading List
“Sulwe” – Lupita Nyong’o
About the Author
Known to most casual movie-goers as Nakia in the MCU movie, Black Panther, Lupita Nyong’o is an accomplished actress. From her first role in 12 Years a Slave, which earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, to such films as Queen of Katwe, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and critically acclaimed Us, Nyongo’o has shown what an amazing artist she is. The world has taken notice as well. She’s received multiple awards including the Screen Actors Guild, Critics’ Choice, Independent Spirit, and NAACP awards. Now, she steps into a new artistic role as a writer with the children’s book, “Sulwe”.
About the Book
A picture book aimed at helping young children, especially those of color, learn that true beauty comes from within. Sulwe, the title character, is a young girl with skin the color of midnight. She is the darkest-skinned person in her family and in her school. She longs to be lighter-skinned like her mother and sister. That’s when she’s taken on a magical journey through the night sky that shows her how beautiful she is and that that beauty comes from within, not without. This book addresses powerful themes like colorism, self-esteem, and the ability to love one’s self for who they are.
“The Undefeated” – Kwame Alexander
About the Author
Kwame Alexander is a poet, educator, and prolific author with 28 books under his belt. Most notably, he is the author of “Rebound”, the follow-up to his Newbery Medal-winning middle-grade novel, “The Crossover”. In addition, he has written several other works, including “Booked”, which was longlisted for the National Book Award, “The Playbook: 52 Rules to Help You Aim, Shoot, and Score in this Game of Life”, and the picture books, “Out of Wonder” and “The Undefeated”.
He’s the recipient of several awards, including The Coretta Scott King Author Honor, The NCTE/Charlotte Huck Honor, and the 2017 Inaugural Pat Conroy Legacy Award, along with three NAACP Image Award Nominations. A strong believer in the power of poetry to change the world, Kwame created The Write Thing, a K-12 writing workshop aimed at empowering young people through poetry.
About the Book
Dubbed “an ode to black American triumph and tribulation”, “The Undefeated” is an epic poem about – or more accurately, a love letter to – black life in the US. Highlighting the unspeakable trauma of slavery, the challenges of the civil rights movement, and the spirit of some of the world’s greatest heroes, “The Undefeated” offers a deeper understanding of the accomplishments of past African-American trailblazers, with references to the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, and others.
“The Skin I’m In” – Sharon G. Flake
About the Author
A two-time Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book winner, Sharon G. Flake won the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award for “The Skin I’m In”. An author much beloved by children, adults, critics, booksellers, and educators, she is the author of one middle-grade novel and five young adult books that have sold over half a million copies.
About the Book
A realistic fiction novel, “The Skin I’m In” follows the story of Maleeka, a seventh-grader who struggles with her body image due to her dark skin color. A novel focusing heavily on self-love, self-esteem, body image, and the power of friendship, “The Skin I’m In” tells a tale of grappling with the teasing and bullying that Maleeka faces due to her skin color, as well as the pressure and judgments society puts on her dark skin.
“Sisters & Champions: The True Story of Venus and Serena Williams” – Howard Bryant
About the Author
Howard Bryant is a senior writer for ESPN.com and ESPN the Magazine and a regular guest on ESPN’s The Sports Reporters, ESPN First Take, and Outside the Lines, as well as a sports correspondent for NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday. He is the author of “Shut Out: A Story of Race and Baseball in Boston”, a finalist for the Society of American Baseball Research’s 2003 Seymour Medal, and “Juicing the Game: Drugs, Power, and the Fight for the Soul of Major League Baseball”.
About the Book
“Sisters & Champions: The True Story of Venus and Serena Williams” is a picture book sports biography about Venus and Serena Williams, two of the greatest female tennis players of all time. It chronicles the real-life story of two sisters who make their way from a run-down tennis court in Compton, CA to becoming Olympic gold medalists and the #1 ranked women in tennis.
“Hidden Figures” – Margot Lee Shetterly
About the Author
Margot Lee Shetterly grew up in Hampton, Virginia, and knew many of the women in her book, “Hidden Figures”. An Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellow and Virginia Foundation for the Humanities grant recipient for her research on women in computing, Margot Lee Shetterly brought to light the unsung women of color who played a crucial role in the success of NASA’s space program.
About the Book
“Hidden Figures” tells the true story of NASA’s African-American female mathematicians who played a vital role in America’s space program. These unsung heroes of the space program were “human computers” calculating the flight paths that allowed a man to walk on the moon. But while these women played a crucial role, they were segregated from their white counterparts. The book moves through World War II to NASA’s golden age, touching on the civil rights movement, and chronicles how segregation and institutional racism hid away some of the most impressive women in modern history.
“Juneteenth for Mazie” – Floyd Cooper
About the Author
An award-winning author and illustrator, Floyd Cooper received the Coretta Scott King Award for his illustrations in “The Blacker the Berry” and a Coretta Scott King Honor for his illustrations in “Brown Honey in Broomwheat Tea” and “I Have Heard of a Land”. His book, “Juneteenth for Mazie” combines his illustrative and writing talents into one book that brings the importance of the date of the end of slavery home to all children, black or white.
About the Book
“Juneteenth for Mazie” is a children’s book that focuses on the incredibly important Juneteenth, the date when slavery was ended in America. It follows the story of Mazie, who celebrates liberty and freedom by celebrating Juneteenth, the day her ancestors were no longer slaves. Throughout the book, she remembers the struggles and triumphs of those who came before her as they worked towards their freedom.
“Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry” – Mildred D. Taylor
About the Author
Mildred D. Taylor is the author of nine novels, including “The Road to Memphis”, “Let the Circle Be Unbroken”, “The Land, and “Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry”. She has won multiple awards for her work, including a Newbery Medal, four Coretta Scott King Awards, and a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. Her book, “The Land” received the L.A. Times Book Prize and the PEN Award for Children’s Literature. She was named First Laureate of the NSK Neustadt Prize for Children’s Literature in 2003.
About the Book
“Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry” tells the tale of Cassie and her family as they struggle through the harsh impact of the Great Depression, a time only made harder by racism and social injustice. As the family struggles to maintain its integrity, pride, and independence over the course of a year, Cassie learns why having land of their own is crucial to her family.
“Brown Girl Dreaming” – Jacqueline Woodson
About the Author
Jacqueline Woodson is the author of over 30 books for children and young adults, including “From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun”, “Miracle’s Boys”, “Hush”, “Locomotion”, “Coming Home”, and “Brown Girl Dreaming”. She has won multiple awards for her work, including the Coretta Scott King Honor, the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award, the Coretta Scott King Award, the Newbery Honor, and more. The Poetry Foundation’s Young People’s Poet Laureate from 2015 to 2017, she brings powerful messages to children and young adults through her poetry.
About the Book
“Brown Girl Dreaming” tells the story of Jacqueline Woodson’s childhood through verse. This collection of poems chronicle what it was like to grow up in the 60s and 70s when the remnants of Jim Crow were still very much a part of life for African-Americans. It’s a recounting of the trials, tribulations, hopes, and dreams of an African-American girl in a time when civil rights were just barely there for people of color.
“What Color is My World? The Lost History of African-American Inventors” – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Raymond Obstfeld
About the Author
We all know Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is one of the greatest basketball players to ever grace the court, with the NBA’s all-time leading score record. What many may not know is that he is also the author of a kid-friendly book designed to highlight the achievements of African-American inventors. Along with Raymond Obstfeld, a prolific writer of poetry, non-fiction, fiction, and screenplays, as well as a professor of English at Orange Coast College, Kareem created a book determined to show all children the inventive heroes of the African-American community.
About the Book
“What Color is My World? The Lost History of African-American Inventors” is a middle-grade book that brings the history of African-American inventors to children in a lively, approachable way. Profiles and fast facts framed by a funny, contemporary story featuring two feisty twins make the information fun to learn and leaves children wanting more information. The book is a tribute to black inventors whose ingenuity, imagination, and perseverance against harsh odds made our world a better place.
If you are looking for other Homeschool Ideas For Black History Month, check out this list of Amazing Places to Visit with Kids to Learn More about Black History.
