There is nothing like the bonding that happens when and adult reads to a child.
We at WatchTheYard have compiled a list of 25 books made specifically for little African-American boys that we believe will help them learn, love, bond and explore. All of these books feature African-American boys as the main characters and are amazing at helping little boys understand their feelings and how special they are.
Whether you are buying these books for your personal library, gifting them to a relative or friend’s children, or bringing them to school, these books will be sure to make that special little boys day!
But before you see the gallery of books, check out these statistics on reading:
- The more types of reading materials there are in the home, the higher students are in reading proficiency, according to the Educational Testing Service.
- Twenty-six percent of children who were read to three or four times in the last week by a family member recognized all letters of the alphabet. This is compared to 14 percent of children who were read to less frequently.
- The NCES1 also reported that children who were read to frequently are also more likely to:
- count to 20, or higher than those who were not (60% vs. 44%)
- write their own names (54% vs. 40%)
- read or pretend to read (77% vs. 57%)
Check out our suggested list of books by clicking on the arrows below!
In this companion book to the bestselling I Love My Hair, a young boy, Miles, makes his first trip to the barbershop with his father. Like most little boys, he is afraid of the sharp scissors, the buzzing razor, and the prospect of picking a new hairstyle. But with the support of his dad, the barber, and the other men in the barbershop, Miles bravely sits through his first haircut. Written in a reassuring tone with a jazzy beat and illustrated with graceful, realistic watercolors, this book captures an important rite of passage for boys and celebrates African-American identity.
Check out our suggested list of books by clicking on the arrows below!
No book has captured the magic and sense of possibility of the first snowfall better than The Snowy Day. Universal in its appeal, the story has become a favorite of millions, as it reveals a child’s wonder at a new world, and the hope of capturing and keeping that wonder forever.
The adventures of a little boy in the city on a very snowy day.
“This poetry book contains several poems written by a variety of authors all focusing on black fathers and father figures. It contains poems that seem to be told by children about why their fathers are important to them. The poems might contain fond thoughts of something a father may do or feelings of comfort and safety that a child might feel when being near his or her father. There are poems that are told by adults explaining how their fathers helped them to be what they are today. . One of my favorite poems entitled ¡°My Granddaddy is My Daddy Too,¡± is told from the point of view of a child that is proud to say that his granddaddy is the only daddy he knows, and that he has been a great one at that. When I read some of these poems to my second grade class, many of my students really identified with this one because so many of them do not even know their fathers.”
-Amazon Review
Apart or together, near or far, day or night, from childhood to adulthood — the never-ending reach and power of a mother’s love touches every moment of every day, even when you least expect it. All you need to do is make sure to notice.
Deloris and Roslyn M. Jordan, mother and sister of basketball superstar Michael Jordan, celebrate family in this reassuring book about the many special ways we cherish those we love.
It is about a boy, Peter, who is disgruntled at the change that is occurring around the house for his new baby sister Susie. Peter sees that his baby items are being painted over in pink. Peter, feeling that everything he has is going to be given to his sister, takes his childhood chair and runs away from home. But he realizes that he isn’t a little boy anymore. He is a boy but not a baby. He has to accept change in the household when a sibling is born. Peter learns a valuable lesson and is willing to help his family any way he can.
No one wants to hear the little boy play his ukelele anymore…Clink, clunk, clonk. And no one wants to watch his father make things disappear…Zoop! Zoop!
Until the day the fearsome giant Abiyoyo suddenly appears in town, and all the townspeople run for their lives and the lives of their children! Nothing can stop the terrible giant Abiyoyo, nothing, that is, except the enchanting sound of the ukelele and the mysterious power of the magic wand.
In this companion book to the bestselling I Love My Hair, a young boy, Miles, makes his first trip to the barbershop with his father. Like most little boys, he is afraid of the sharp scissors, the buzzing razor, and the prospect of picking a new hairstyle. But with the support of his dad, the barber, and the other men in the barbershop, Miles bravely sits through his first haircut. Written in a reassuring tone with a jazzy beat and illustrated with graceful, realistic watercolors, this book captures an important rite of passage for boys and celebrates African-American identity.
Warm, welcoming illustrations spice up this rhythmical ode to the joys of family and food – full, full, full of pleasures for all.
For the youngest member of an exuberant extended family, Sunday dinner
at Grannie’s can be full indeed – full of hugs and kisses, full of tasty dishes, full to the brim with happy faces, and full, full, full of love. With a special focus on the bond between little Jay Jay and his grannie, Trish Cooke introduces us to a gregarious family we are sure to want more, more, more of.
Alex is a marvelous little boy who is just like other people in some ways, such as getting angry sometimes, but also unique because of his special laugh, his grizzly hugs, and his own interesting thoughts. Includes activities.
If you ran for president, you would have to do a lot of hard work. You would study the nation’s problems, tell the American people about your platform, select a running mate, and debate your opponents on live television.
Max loves his grandpa. When they must say good-bye after a visit, Grandpa reminds Max that the moon above them at Grandpa’s house is the same moon that will follow him all the way home. And on that swervy-curvy car ride back home Max smiles as the moon tags along, thinking of Grandpa. But when the sky darkens and the moon disappears behind clouds, Max worries that it did not follow him home after all. Yet when the clouds part and light streams through his window, he realizes that Grandpa was right—the moon was with him all along.
This is a great childrens book written by Jabari Asim, the editor-in-chief of Crisis magazine, a preeminent journal of politics, ideas and culture published by the NAACP and founded by W.E.B. Du Bois in 1910. He spent 11 years at the Washington Post, where he served as deputy editor of the book review section. For three years he also wrote a syndicated column on political and social issues for the Post.
The book takes a loving look at knees from the vantage point of a mother’s lap.
This picture-book biography is an excellent and accessible introduction for young readers to learn about one of the world’s most influential leaders, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Doreen Rappaport weaves the immortal words of Dr. King into a captivating narrative to tell the story of his life. With stunning art by acclaimed illustrator Bryan Collier, Martin’s Big Words is an unforgettable portrait of a man whose dream changed America-and the world-forever.
“A small child imagines a future when he will be old with his Granddaddy and will sit beside him in a rocking chair and talk about everything…The poignant reality that time will never allow these two to coexist at the same age is softened by the fact that they do not have to be the same age in order to share happy times…The African American child and grandfather are…recognizable to anyone who has ever shared the bond of family love across generations.” – School Library Journal, starred review
“A sweet story that could be used as a springboard to discussion of the pitfalls of making snap judgments about pets — or people.” — SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
Norman the goldfish isn’t what this little boy had in mind. He wanted a different kind of pet — one that could run and catch, or chase string and climb trees, a soft furry pet to sleep on his bed at night. Definitely not Norman. But when he tries to trade Norman for a “good pet,” things don’t go as he planned. Could it be that Norman is a better pet than he thought? With wry humor and lighthearted affection, author Kelly Bennett and illustrator Noah Z. Jones tell an unexpected — and positively fishy — tale about finding the good in something you didn’t know
you wanted.
Malcolm X grew to be one of America’s most influential figures. But first, he was a boy named Malcolm Little. Written by his daughter, this inspiring picture book biography celebrates a vision of freedom and justice.
Bolstered by the love and wisdom of his large, warm family, young Malcolm Little was a natural born leader. But when confronted with intolerance and a series of tragedies, Malcolm’s optimism and faith were threatened. He had to learn how to be strong and how to hold on to his individuality. He had to learn self-reliance.
Together with acclaimed illustrator AG Ford, Ilyasah Shabazz gives us a unique glimpse into the childhood of her father, Malcolm X, with a lyrical story that carries a message that resonates still today—that we must all strive to live to our highest potential.
The mere mention of the name conjures up visions of basketball played at its absolute best. But as a child, Michael almost gave up on his hoop dreams, all because he feared he’d never grow tall enough to play the game that would one day make him famous.
That’s when his mother and father stepped in and shared the invaluable lesson of what really goes into the making of a champion — patience, determination, and hard work.
Deloris Jordan, mother of the basketball phenomenon, teams up with his sister Roslyn to tell this heartwarming and inspirational story that only the members of the Jordan family could tell. It’s a tale about faith and hope and how any family working together can help a child make his or her dreams come true.
“I like this story about George Washington Carver. Bought it for my little kids who are scheduled to take a class on peanuts at a local nursery after having used it in a cyber school with my older kids. Great starting point for a unit study on peanuts we are doing.
It is also a great story and introduction to another great American scientist and historical figure. The uses for this book are many – use it when highlighting African American figures in history, use it during units on slavery and the reconstruction, and touches on the Tuskegee institute, another important American institution – so it could also be worked into units on the great depression and WWII. The character studies are also important – can be used to highlight determination and perseverance, hardworking spirit, scientific investigation, helpful personality, and many others.
I would recommend this book to anyone with young children but esp school age home schoolers.” -Amazon reviewer
From the author of FRIDA comes a jangly, jumpy, beboping book about Dizzy Gillespie, the clown prince of jazz.
This is the story of Dizzy Gillespie, a real cool cat who must have been born with a horn in his hands, judging from the way he played the trumpet. Jazz was his ticket on a train to better days, and he left his hard life in a small town for New York City and the hottest band around. But did Dizzy stand straight and play right? NO! He was a clown. He hit high notes, low notes, never-been-heard notes, and before he knew it, Dizzy created a whole new music: BEBOP.
This is a story about a boy who breaks all the rules — and finds his own personal heaven along the way.
Before there was hip hop, there was DJ Kool Herc.
On a hot day at the end of summer in 1973 Cindy Campbell threw a back-to-school party at a park in the South Bronx. Her brother, Clive Campbell, spun the records. He had a new way of playing the music to make the breaks―the musical interludes between verses―longer for dancing. He called himself DJ Kool Herc and this is When the Beat Was Born. From his childhood in Jamaica to his youth in the Bronx, Laban Carrick Hill’s book tells how Kool Herc came to be a DJ, how kids in gangs stopped fighting in order to breakdance, and how the music he invented went on to define a culture and transform the world.
Jackie Robinson always loved sports, especially baseball. But he lived at a time before the Civil Rights Movement, when the rules weren’t fair to African Americans. Even though Jackie was a great athlete, he wasn’t allowed on the best teams just because of the color of his skin. Jackie knew that sports were best when everyone, of every color, played together. He became the first black player in Major League Baseball, and his bravery changed African-American history and led the way to equality in all sports in America.
This engaging series is the perfect way to bring American history to life for young children, providing them with the right role models, supplementing Common Core learning in the classroom, and best of all, inspiring them to strive and dream.
Part of the popular Afro-Bets series, the 123 book includes playful illustrations with a twist that make learning the numbers 1 through 10 fun and engaging for early-readers.
The Afro-Bets kids, Langston, Nandi, Glo, Stef, Tura, and Robo, are a fun and flexible group. Children will enjoy learning the numbers 1 through 10 as the Afro-Bets take turns stretching and bending into numbers. Every page includes colorful pictures and words to help reinforce each number.
How will Gregory find his way back to Dad? Swish-swoosh . . . Gregory draws a lion in the sand. “Don’t go in the water, and don’t leave Sandy,” warns Dad. But the sandy lion grows a tail that gets longer and longer—and soon Gregory is lost on the beach. This wonderful read-aloud book brings to life a summer experience that is all too familiar for young children. Karen Williams’s rhythmic text has been paired with Floyd Cooper’s brilliant illustrations, revealing the trip down the beach entirely from a child’s point of view. A gentle father-son bond is shown in both text and art, reassuring young readers even as they share in Greg’s moment of worry at finding himself lost and alone.
No toddler will be able to resist joining in with this toe-tapping, finger-snapping, sing-it-out-loud story! From a robin chirping in the morning, to a lazy dog snoozing on the kitchen floor, to the sound of Daddy’s home-at-last footsteps in the evening, the whole day rings with its own kind of music. Lively illustrations of a loving family punctuate a rollicking text where the everyday sounds in a young child’s world inspire the sweetest melodies.
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