20 books that inspire Black girls to strive toward greatness

This article has been edited and was first published on April 01, 2018.

When I saw this picture, I thought it was a dramatic illustration of the importance of little Black girls seeing themselves in children’s books! This picture of Michelle Obama is telling this girl that she can be anything she wants to be!

Over past few months, I had the opportunity to review some interesting books featuring Black females as the protagonist characters. Reading these books are extremely important because they show Black women and girls from multiple vantage points.

These stories present children of different races and gender the chance to develop an in-depth appreciation of Black women and girls. For Black girls, these books offer them an opportunity to identify with characters who look just like them. These books are organized in themes that allow Black girls to look in the mirror after reading them and speak words that affirm their humanity and individual genius.

Lastly, the books in this article will make the young women in your life say, “I am a loved princess, I am a smart girl, I am a hero, and I am a creator and innovator! In sum, I hope these reviews inspire the young girls in your life to strive towards greatness!!!!

Uncle Jed’s Barbershop by Margaree King Mitchell is a book about familial sacrifice and dreams. Uncle Jed was a traveling barber who had a beloved niece. His dream was to one day open up his own barbershop. Through his travels he earns enough money to open his dream barbershop, but his beloved niece falls ill. He decides to pay for his niece’s medical bill and delay his dream. This book shows children that the road toward their dreams will have barriers, but with the powerful tool of resilience dreams can be accomplished.

Big Hair Don’t Care by Crystal Swain-Bates is a fun and empowering read for girls of Africana descent. The book is a celebration of Black girls’ hair and the many ways they wear it. The author does an amazing job at integrating playful rhyming and great metaphors to show the beauty of Black textured hair. The author’s message is clear: love the things that make you who are. This book serves a tool to assist girls in developing a positive self-identity. This is a must read!

Homemade Love by bell hooks is a great read. This book focuses on a loving relationship between a girl and her parents. Using words of affirmation, hooks teaches parents that thru the ups and downs of daily life, children need to feel loved. The book has beautiful images that show Black family in a positive light.

You Should Meet Katherine Johnson by Thea Feldman is a great book. This book tells an amazing story of a STEM Hero whose love of math & intellectual curiosity propelled her to solve one of the world’s most complex problems. Her also story shows the resilience needed to pursue a dream regardless of the societal barriers. Mrs. Johnson is an exemplar for kids who dare to dream of becoming STEM heroes.

The Chicken Chasing Queen of Lamar County is a magnificent story empathy. This book tells the story of a young girl who chases chicken against the wishes of grandmother. The author walks us through the young girls thinking and planning on how she is going to capture Ms. Hen, who is the fastest and most beautiful chicken on the farm. When the Queen enacts her plan, she comes close to capturing Ms. Hen, but decides not to after discovering an important piece of information. With this information, she develops empathy for the Ms. Hen, which makes her rethink chasing chickens. The descriptive words and matching illustrations allow the reader to actively follow the storyline. This is a great to teach children about empathy.

Mae Among the Stars is about an Africana Hero Mae Jamison. The book tells the story of Mae as a girl who had a dream that was nearly abandoned. The book shows the importance of parental encouragement in children pursuing their dreams. The book also teaches readers that a library is a place that serves as a foundation for dream development and advancement. The author does an amazing job at running a great moto through the book that should be written on hearts and minds of all children.

Michelle is a biography about the amazing former first lady of the United States of America Michele Obama. This inspirational book shows the role that parental love and educational excellence played in Michelle Obama’s life. The book tells the story of how Mrs. Obama stay-at-home mother who taught her and her brother to read at when they were very young. Her parents both promoted the importance of educational excellence over material things of the world. Her story teaches parents that love and excellence are essential elements to that all dreams are built upon!

Who will I be, Lord? by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson is about a little girl dreaming out loud about of her future. The author takes the reader on a journey through this young girl’s family as she explores her potential career. The book provides beautiful illustrations of Black family and provides readers with the opportunity to understand the complexity of Black life. The book serves as a tool for parents and teachers to invite a playful conversation with children about their future career aspirations. This is a must read!

The Girl Who Buried Her Dreams in a Can by Dr. Tererai Trent is an amazing autobiography that details the importance and power of education. As a child growing up in Zimbabwe, Dr. Trent is prevented from attending school because of her gender. The book tells how she successfully tore down the aforementioned barrier and used her education to serve her community. This book is a powerful tool for parents and teachers to teach children about the importance of education and responsibility of educated individuals to assist in the development of a better world.
I am a hero

Ida B Wells: Let the Truth Be Told is a biography of a teacher turned social justice advocate. As a child, Ida was one of my heroes because she used journalism to confront racist oppression in the Jim Crow South. Her courage to use her pen as a weapon to fight was inspirational to me as a young journalist in high school. Reading this story to my sons reminded me why I loved Ida so much as a child. This book serves a great tool to get students to imagine how they can use their talents to become active citizens.

Wangari Maathi: The Woman who Planted Millions of Trees is a biography of an Africana STEM Hero. This book tells her humble beginnings and love of nature. The book describes the importance of her education in bringing about environmental change in Kenya. This story informs young readers that change does not occur until people develop courage to act. This is a great book to teach young people how STEM can be used to have a lasting impact on society.

Mama Africa is a book about an Africana Hero from South Africa named Miriam Makeba. The book tells a story of a girl who grew up to be a woman who transformed her nation. This amazing story begins with her discovering her talent to sing and ends with her using it to defeat the racist apartheid government. This book teaches children the importance of using their talents to develop dreams of individual fulfilment and social impact.

The Youngest Marcher by Cynthia Levinson is a biography of Africana Hero named Audrey Faye Hendricks. The book tells the story of an African-American girl’s experience living in an unjust Jim Crow America. This book does an awesome job at capturing the thought process of a child who answered a heroic call to struggle to end a system that prevented African-Americans from enacting their God giving the right to be free. This book is a reminder that courage is not just an adult act.

Moses is about the Africana Hero Harriet Tubman. This book tells the amazing story the conductor of the underground railroad. The book describes the role her faith had in liberating herself and others from enslavement. The book also details the mental, emotional, and physical difficulty of the underground railroad journey. The beautiful pictures capture Tubman as both liberator and humble servant leader.

The Water Princess is a compelling story based on the childhood experiences of Georgie Rachiel. The story begins with the young girl imagining she is the princess of the African sky. The author takes the reader on the daily journey she takes to gather water for drinking, cooking and cleaning. The story does an amazing job showing the beauty and innocence of childhood, while using Rachiel’s life to discuss an important issue—access to clean water. Accessing clean water is an issue that affects children throughout the world. This book serves as a tool to pose questions to children on the importance of access to clean water and how they could imagine ways to solve the problem.

Nina is a story about Africana Hero Nina Simone. The poetic words allow the reader to engage with story amazing content. The beautiful illustrations guide the reader through Nina’s childhood experiences. This amazing story shows her dreaming in spite of the racism in society. This is a must-read for children during Black History Month and beyond.

Shaking Things Up is a collection of biographies of women of all colors who sought to assist in the development of a better world. These women answered the call of duty, dreamed in spite of the societal barriers placed in front of them, and acted courageously to become trailblazers. Readers will enjoy engaging with this book because it shows women as active agents of change. This book is a must-read for both girls and boys who want to study SHEROES who made the world better.
I am a creator and innovator

Violet’s Music by Angela Johnson is a beautiful story about pursuing dreams. From the time she was a few hours old, Violet developed a loved for music, but not everyone in her life shared that same love. She goes through life searching for people who share her love of music, but at first, she is unable to find them. Her inability to find fellow music lovers does not stop her from making music. She works on her dream and eventually meets up with fellow music lovers. When she meets them, she is able to fulfil her dream and maximize her talent. This is a great book to teaching children about pursuing their dream.

Fancy Party Gown by Deborah Blumenthal is the biography of Africana Entrepreneurial Hero Ann Cole Lowe. This inspirational story begins with Lowe recognizing her talent as a child to a woman who made dresses for prominent women of her time. Parents looking to teach their kids how to become entrepreneurial will see this book as a value tool. The author does a masterful job at showing how Lowe used an entrepreneurial mindset to move beyond barriers that sought to rob her of the chance at accomplishing her dream. In an age where traditional employment is rapidly evaporating, we must teach our children to develop an entrepreneurial mindset and spirit needed to thrive. This book enables children to begin the process of the developing the aforementioned abilities.

Lily Brown’s Paintings is a book that focuses on creativity and imagination. This book presents the story of a girl who uses art to reimagine her world. The amazing artwork provides children with a fun to opportunity learn how to use their imaginations. For parents, this books serves a tool pose questions about why its important for their children to use their imaginations.