Creativity

Are You My Cutie Patootie? (Author: Monique Aiken) A great book for little ones. Can your cutie patootie find some of the endearments you may use each day? Or, can your cutie patootie draw a picture for what you may say?

Grace and Box. (Author: Kim Howard) We don’t need fancy toys to be creative. Grace shows us that sometimes all we need is a box. One of my favorite projects with my daughter was when we created a dragon out of a box.

African Nursery Rhymes. (Author: Liz Mills) How are these nursery rhymes similar to ones that your child knows? How are they different?

African Proverbs. (Author: Johnetta Betsch Cole) By selecting photos to go with the African proverbs, children engage with the proverbs and determine their meanings.

Let’s Clap, Jump, Sing & Shout; Dance, Spin & Turn it Out. (Author: Patricia C. McKissack) Pass down classic African-American games, songs, and stories to the next generation.

Black Creatives. Enjoy this word search with black writers, painters, sculptors, and more.

African Proverbs for Kids. (Author: Teslim T.)  Teach children African proverbs with their meanings.

Create Your Bright Ideas. (Author: Jess Ekstrom) Targeting tweens and teens, this book helps children explore their creative ideas to achieve their dreams and create change.

Art

Time to Make Art. (Author: Jeff Mack) This is a great book to help introduce children to different artistic styles and well-known artists so that young ones can figure out how they want to create art.

Aaron Slater’s Big Project Book for Astonishing Artists. This book introduces children to important art concepts and provides kid-friendly art activities.

The Artivist. (Author: Nikkolas Smith) Use this book to think about how art and activism intersect. How can your child think about ways to use art to advocate for change?

We Can: Portraits of Power. (Author: Tyler Gordon) Tyler had a stutter while growing up and began to sketch icons. In this book, he shares his portraits and how he feels connected to these icons. Children can sketch or make a collage of icons and describe why these icons are important to the children.

How to Draw Faces and Natural African Hairstyles. (Author: Merry Blossoms Press) Step-by-step instructions on how to draw black faces and hairstyles.

Fashion Coloring Book for African American Girls. (Author: Tamara Brown) This coloring book shows fashionable girls with African-American hairstyles.

African American Hair Styles Colouring Book. Great book to help children explore new natural hairstyles.

Come Look with Me. (Author: James Haywood Rolling, Jr.) This interactive book introduces children to key African-American paintings 

Dance

The Color of Dance. (Author: Takiyah Wallace McMillan) Beautiful lines of dancing forms combined with athleticism make this a perfect book to inspire the ballet dancers in your life.

Firebird (Author: Misty Copeland) Misty Copeland shows a young girl the work that it takes to be able to dance like the Firebird.

Music

These books help introduce children to different genres of music important to African-American culture.

A Child’s Introduction to Hip-Hop. (Author: Jordannah Elizabeth) This excellent primer on the influences and history of hip-hop introduces readers to hip-hop icons and culture.

Hip Hop Speaks to Children. (Author: Nikki Giovanni) Learn about poetry with a beat by reading and listening to poems and songs by artists such as Queen Latifah, Maya Angelou, Tupac Shakur, and more.

All Night, All Day. (Selected & Illustrated: Ashley Bryan) An introduction to twenty beloved African-American spirituals, this book can help children learn more about how such spirituals have comforted and inspired African-Americans for generations.

Clap Your Hands. (Author: Toyomi Igus) Through poetry, art, and music, this book tells the history of Gospel music.

Hip-Hop: The Beat of America. (Author: Jarrett Wiliams) For comic lovers, this book introduces the history of hip-hop music and culture. 

A Child’s Introduction to Jazz. (Author: Jabari Asim) This excellent primer introduces readers to jazz’s early influences, icons, and its global impact.

Timbaland (Author: Christopher Myers) A young boy listens to the sounds of the city and hears music. What music does your little one hear when listening outside?

Architecture

Maybe I’ll be an Architect. (Author: Tenille Bettenhausen) As a little girl explores what she can be when she grows up, she sees architecture in everything. Explore how architecture plays a role in our lives. What skills do we use every day that also contribute to architecture?

Storytelling and Writing

How to Write a Story. (Author: Kate Messner) This book helps walk children through the steps of writing a story. It encourages taking time to find the right idea and to build the story. This is a great book to show children starting to write their own stories.

Zora, the Story Keeper. (Author: Ebony Joy Wilkins) Use this book about a young girl learning her family’s stories from her aunt to pass down family stories to the children in your life and to discuss the importance of genealogy. 

Dear Ruby, hear our hearts. (Author: Ruby Bridges) Help children tell their stories to activists and community leaders to help children learn how to advocate for change.

One Last Word. (Author: Nikki Grimes) Nikki Grimes writes poems inspired by the works of Harlem Renaissance masters such as Langston Hughes. How can such Harlem Renaissance masters inspire your child’s poetry, artwork, music, or stories?

Culinary Arts

Sankofa. (Author: Eric Adjepong) When trying to figure out what Ghanaian dish to share with his American classmates, Kofi learns that the story of food is the story of who we are. Can you host a potluck? What stories will your family share and learn from others?

Grandma’s Tiny House. (Author: JaNay Brown-Wood) A little girl counts with her grandmother as the neighborhood comes together for a potluck meal. 

A Feast for Joseph. (Author: Terry Farish & OD Bonny) We tell many stories and connect through food.  Joseph remembers families coming together to eat when he and his mom lived in the refugee camp, but families eat alone in his new home.  He longs to have a feast and connect with members of families in his new community.

Soul Food Word Search. (Author: Mosaic Mix) Enjoy soul food-focused word search puzzles.

Soul Food Word Search Enjoy more soul food-focused word search puzzles.