Black History Month

Learn about African-American boxer Muhammad Ali in this accessible picture book biography for young children. This title builds on the inspiring Little People, Big Dreams series, which has expanded to include books about extraordinary men. 

The Little People, Big Dreams series does it again: this book about Rosa Parks is yet another astounding and eye-welling read that will make you cheer on a historical icon.

This inspiring biography for young readers focusses on writer, speaker and civil rights activist Maya Angelou.

This insightful and uplifting picture book recounts the life of Nelson Mandela through the eyes of his great-grandchildren, Zazi and Ziwelene, as they ask their grandmother (Mandela’s daughter) a series of questions about him.

This beautiful and profound book chronicles the struggles and achievements of historic and contemporary black women. Not just for girls, this is an inspiring book for any child as it shows how determination, ambition and hard work can bring important change.

A perfectly pitched story of Black history that brings it back to the personal for a little girl.

Looking back at the life of Josephine Baker, this book captures a bubbly personality but also shows another side to this public figure, away from the jazz and razzmatazz. As ever, the Little People, Big Dreams series both educates and inspires. 

A perfect book for young children interested in their cultural heritage or for those with a passion for travel and geography, this would also make a gorgeous gift for anyone interested in Africa.

This wonderful celebration of a wide range of LGBTQ+ heroes – both famous and less well-known – is a beautiful book and highlights the lives of some truly inspirational people.

This beautiful and eye-catching hardback celebrates a selection of black icons from history and the present day to inspire all children to discover what they can achieve. 

Twelve-year-old Ted discovers he has roots in the circus and must join his father’s company for the first time to discover his own talent! Great for history buffs and those looking for historical fiction featuring people of colour.

This fabulous non-fiction book showcases the achievements of an array of remarkable Black Britons, from the Roman Empire to the twentieth century. While some names may be familiar, many are not, demonstrating that people of colour are woefully under-represented in the history books. This volume seeks to redress the balance, and readers will learn about extraordinary figures, including John Blanke, a talented musician in the court of King Henry VIII; eighteenth-century poet, Phillis Wheatley; and Pablo Fanque, a Victorian circus owner.

This is a thrilling tale, with the expertly described Tudor world brought to hideous, harsh life with the same verve as Patrice Lawrence’s award winning teen books Indigo Donut and Orangeboy. 

Olaudah is just 11 years old when he is kidnapped from his lovely family in Essaka, Africa in 1745, sold into brutal slavery and renamed Gustavus. This is the story of how he grew up, serving several masters at sea, becoming an experienced sailor and living all over the world including England’s multicultural capital London, where he eventually returned as a free man.

This is the story of Leonard, who travels with his mother from Jamaica to England after the Second World War. Benjamin Zephaniah shares his story right up to 2018 and the Windrush scandal – when Leonard, as an old man, is denied citizenship in the country he has lived in his entire life. 

A moving story of love, loss and discovering your identity, inspired by the true story of Walter Tull, the first black officer in the British army

David Olusoga’s latest edition of Black and British has been revised and rewritten especially for secondary school children, and explains and illustrates the much-overlooked history of Black peoples in Britain and beyond.

Set in Jamaica in the 1720s, this is the incredible true story of Queen Nanny, leader of the Maroons, a community of escaped slaves who have settled high up in the Blue Mountains. 

Inspired by the tragic true story of the youngest American ever to be executed, this ambitious novel weaves together family drama with an unflinching look at racism and prejudice in 1940s South Carolina.

A thrilling adventure, where two Black children battle Elemental spirits to save Georgian London from a sleeping sickness. Inventive and packed with adventure and accessible historical detail.

Encompassing British human history from the very first homo sapiens migrants (who were Black!), up to the present day, this beautiful book is informative, eye-opening and a must-have in a school library.

An essential and fascinating book which follows black history across many centuries to today’s contemporary world.

An accessible, compelling and inspiring biography of Katherine Johnson: a brilliant, black, female mathematician who helped make NASA’s space programme and moon landing possible.

This is a brilliant adventure story that manages to give young readers a really important insight into slavery without being so upsetting that it’s impossible to read: a very fine balance, masterfully achieved.

This accessible narrative non-fiction book tells the true story of dancer, actress and war hero Josephine Baker. She was born into a life of poverty and segregation in America in 1906 before eventually becoming one of the biggest Black stars of the time.

In 18th century London, 16-year-old Ezra is working as apprentice to a highly respected surgeon, William McAdam. 

Penniless and shoeless, 11-year-old Matt leaves home and walks to Washington DC in search of a new life. Taken in by the kindly Janey, he helps in her café. But, entranced by a customer’s tales of adventure on the high seas, Matt starts to dream of sailing the world. 

A concise and passionate exploration of Modern Black British history through 28 songs that changed British culture forever.

Coram Boy is the story of Toby, saved from an African ship as a child, and Aaron, the illegitimate son of the heir to a great estate.

This must-have anthology featuring stories and poems from 12 black, Asian and minority ethnic authors deals with the subject of change with wit, emotion and moments that will make you stop in your tracks.

A moving, gritty and convincing teenage historical drama where love and loyalty take on prejudice and greed.

This story is inspired by a real life rebellion in British-owned slave plantations in Jamaica in 1760. Moa has spent his entire life on the slave plantation in horrific conditions – but a charismatic leader offers the chance to seize freedom.

In the 1600s, 14 year old Kemosha escapes a life of slavery at the hands of the cruel Mr Powell and finds herself aboard the pirate ship The Satisfaction – armed with a sword and determined to save her family.