Young, Gifted and Black: Meet 52 Black Heroes from Past and Present

Esperanza Spalding taught herself to play violin at age five, performed with the Chamber Music Society of Oregon until she was 15, then won a scholarship to Northwest Academy to study oboe and clarinet. In 2011, she won the Best New Artist Grammy.

Simone Biles, born in 1997, has earned more Olympic and World Championship medals than any other American gymnast.

British film director Steve McQueen, a gifted artist as a child, struggled to find support for his talent at school. He went on to direct 12 Years a Slave, a historic memoir about a free man who was sold into slavery.

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. Many of the accounts detail great hardship and prejudice, and in the wake of the #Blacklivesmatter movement, this collection’s focus is very timely and necessary – and an ideal book to share with children who have questions about what’s happening in the world today.

It’s important that all children see themselves in books, and also recognise the struggles that have been – and continue to be a part of – daily life for many.