5 books for Black History Month (and beyond!)

Author Kandace Chimbiri shares five of her favourite Black history books for a variety of ages. 

Kandace Chimbiri and The Story of Britain's Black Nurses 

Since her book Wonderful Adventures of Mrs Seacole in Many Lands was brought back into print in 1984, Mary Seacole has been increasingly included in history books for children. However, it’s still rare to find other Black nurses mentioned in British history. In my latest book The Story of Britain’s Black Nurses, readers will discover that there is in fact a long tradition of Black nursing and that there were other Black nurses in British history prior to the creation of the NHS. I’m honoured to highlight this legacy through my book. 

I’m thrilled to suggest five books which I think should be included in every home or school library’s Black history collection: 

The History of the African & Caribbean Communities in Britain by Professor Hakim Adi  

First published in 2005, if I had to buy just one book on Black British history for children, it would still be this one. Easy to read, well-researched and illustrated with photos, newspaper and book clippings, this book includes case studies of people of African and Caribbean origin and their contributions to Britain.   

A History of Africa from Prehistory to Today by Robin Walker  

Spanning thousands of years of history from prehistory to modern Africa’s challenges and successes, this is a well-laid out introduction to African history for readers aged 9+.  The sections on what is African history, the timeline and the suggestions on how to teach African history make the book useful to teachers as well as the readers which it’s aimed at.

Illustration: Vashti Harrison  

The Story of Afro Hair: 5,000 Years of History, Fashion and Styles by K.N. Chimbiri (that’s me!) 

I took a bit of a gamble deciding to tell 5,000 years of Black history through popular (and sometimes unpopular!) hairstyles worn in the past. It can be read straight through to gain an understanding of historical events or just dipped into by individual chapters of interest. It includes a chapter with a brief explanation of the characteristics of Afro-textured hair type. 

Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison  

This beautiful book by author/illustrator Vashti Harrison features 40, mainly African-American, women’s achievements. The short biographies include some less-well-known figures as well as more famous ones. I first learned of chemist Alice Ball from this book. This is the kind of book I would have absolutely cherished when I was growing up.  

Timelines From Black History: Leaders, Legends, Legacies by DK 

DK produce some of most visually stunning non-fiction books for children. This book includes some content from two of their previously published titles: Timelines of Everything and Timelines of Everyone combined with new stories and images. This format is particularly helpful for visual learners or as a quick ‘at a glance’ guide to the featured 30 people and events in the book.  

The Story of Britain’s Black Nurses by K. N. Chimbiri and illustrated by Jael Umerah-Makelemi is out now.