Black History Month Book Recommendations 2019

February 16, 2019

In honor of Black History Month, I thought it would be fun to again recommend some favorite books that deal with civil rights and famous African Americans. Each Wednesday throughout the month of February I shared a selected book on our Build Your Library Facebook page. Here is the recap:

2/6/2019: My first Black History Month book recommendation this year is If a Bus Could Talk by Faith Ringgold. I adore Ringgold’s art style and this story is a wonderful introduction to the life of Rosa Parks. With paragraphs of text per page rather than a sentence or two, this picture book is perfect for ages 6 and up.

2/13/2019: For today’s Black History Month book recommendation, I want to share This is the Rope: A Story from the Great Migration by Jacqueline Woodson. In this story, we follow a piece of rope as it journeys with a family from South Carolina to New York City. In repetitive and poetic prose, we see three generations of the same family use that rope as a jump rope, to secure luggage to a car, to hang their laundry, and so on. This gorgeously illustrated picture book is a great jumping off point to further discuss the Great Migration of the 1900s.

2/20/2019:  Today’s Black History Month book recommendation is The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth, and Harlem’s Greatest Bookstore by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson. This gorgeous non-fiction picture book tells the story of the author’s great uncle, Lewis Micheaux, who started the National Memorial African Bookstore in Harlem. How can I resist a book about books and the power of words! This story will inspire your children and help them to understand the importance of books!

2/27/2019: My last Black History Month book recommendation this month is Jefferson’s Sons by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. I adore Bradley’s books and I recently picked this one up to read with my daughter. Jefferson’s Sons is middle-grade historical fiction following Thomas Jefferson’s sons by his slave, Sally Hemmings. This story allows us to see the perspective of Jefferson’s invisible children and asks us to contemplate how a seemingly great person could participate in the evils of slavery.

Honorable Mentions: Here are a couple final bonus recommendations:

  • Trailblazer: The Story of Ballerina Raven Wilkinson – This beautifully illustrated picture book tells the story of Raven Wilkinson, the first African American woman to dance for a major classical ballet company.
  • Midnight Without a Moon and A Sky Full of Stars – this middle-grade duology is historical fiction based around the murder of Emmett Till. Rose Lee Carter see’s the inustice in his murder and decides to fight for civil rights.
  • On the Come Up – In Angie Thomas’ follow up to The Hate U Give, she writes about sixteen year old Bri and her fight to become the next big rap star.

I hope your family enjoys these recommendations and can use some of them into your Black History Month homeschool studies. What are some of your favorites? I’d love for you to share them in the comments below.  🙂

Related Article(s):
Black History Month Book Recommendations 2018
Black History Month Book Recommendations 2017
Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day


Emily Cook is the author and creator of the secular homeschool curriculum Build Your Library, a literature-based K-12 program infused with the teachings of Charlotte Mason. She writes full year lesson plans as well as shorter topical unit studies. Emily has been homeschooling her four children in Southern NH for 21 years. She is passionate about reading aloud to children of all ages and loves to share her love of literature with others. She and her family also makes incredibly dorky videos about homeschooling, books and more on Youtube at ARRRGH! Schooling. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. You can also check out her author page on Amazon.

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