African american children's books ages 3-5

I am the mother of two black sons, and I am always looking for ways to teach them (and my 3 other kids!) about black history. For the past year I have been getting biographies of African-Americans (and Africans) out of the library to read to my kids.

Black history doesn’t have to be constrained to a single month- these pictures books are engaging, have great illustrations and stories, and introduce kids to important figures (women and men!) in our history that are often neglected in class (see all my reasons that multicultural literature is so important!).

If you’re a teacher, pick a few to incorporate in your read-aloud list or on your display; they are categorized by theme and noted if they don’t fit the entire K-5 group. Let’s get black history spread throughout the year instead of just focusing on it during February (Black History Month).

Molly, by Golly!: The Legend of Molly Williams, America’s First Female F