Books about Black joy for 5-8s

Can twins Austin and Alanna find the treasure chest before the sneaky pirates do? A fun young series sprinkled with magic.

Destiny feels nervous about going to her first sleepover. When she meets a friendly monster, the two of them conquer their fears together and have loads of fun on the way! 

A stunning collection of poetry for children by poet Valerie Bloom, as fun to read aloud together as it is poignant and powerful.

This accessible collection of poems is fun and thoughtful and an ideal resource for teachers. The focus here is on poems that sound great read aloud, so be sure to sing them, chant them and enjoy the way they sound.

Joseph Coelho has written the brilliant poems in this book to help children spread happiness. 

Can Frankie cover her first breaking news story, like her journalist mama? Heartwarming and charming, with cute illustrations, ideal for newly confident readers or for reading together. 

In this lovely collection of short stories, a young Nigerian girl – tired of the nickname ​‘Too Small Tola’- proves that, despite her small stature, she has a mighty personality and a big heart.

Keisha wants to be like her inspiring Great Aunt Bee and stand up for what’s right. Her first cause is the price of bunnies in the pet shop. Funny and packed with brilliant illustrations, this will have young readers coming back for more in the series.

Ellie gets magically swapped into the body of her pet cat, Jolly. In order to become human again, Ellie must complete a special task before sunset the next day. A magical and gently comic tale of friendship and thinking of others. 

Marvin, a secret superhero with a robot sidekick named Pixel, is super excited because he’s going on a school trip to the Natural History Museum to see some REAL dinosaur bones. But he’ll need all his superhero skills when the bones come to life!

Aziza and her brother Otis visit fairyland, where a mischievous puppy steals the magical hands of the town clock. The siblings must fix the clock before sunset, or time will stand still. An enchanting adventure which features Black main characters.

When best friends Aisha and Jayden become members of the Secret Beast Club, their first magical mission is to rescue a lost unicorn foal before he falls into the wrong hands. An exciting fantasy adventure for confident young readers.

Twins Misha and Ziggy have secret superpowers! Misha can talk to animals and Ziggy can shapeshift into them. But can they save a black lion without their dad finding out? Fun magical adventure. 

A humorous, heart-warming story about the special relationship between a girl and her granny and how they team up to make an unbeatable double act.