February is Black History Month, and the New Orleans Public Library has tons of great reads to help your family go beyond the basics this year.
Children:
In Greatness by Regis and Kahran Bethencourt, a grandmother introduces her grandchildren – and readers – to famous Black figures and important snapshots in Black history. As they learn more, the children start to imagine themselves as Tuskegee airmen, Althena Gibson, Jean Michel Basquiat, and more.
Young readers can learn about Black innovators in Dana Marie Miroballi & Sawyer Cloud’s Inventions to Count On: A Celebration of Black Inventors. Both a clever counting book and a celebration of Black history, Inventions to Count On shines a light on forgotten pioneers and famous inventors like James West, who developed the tiny microphones used in cell phone technology.
How Sweet the Sound by Kwame Alexander & Charly Palmer shares the history of Black music in America through vibrant illustrations. Featuring artists ranging from Miles Davis to Kendrick Lamar, this book is a celebration of the sounds of survival, courage, and democracy.
Middle Grade:
Celebrated local author Clint Smith’s young readers adaptation of How the Word Is Passed: Remembering Slavery and How It Shaped America is essential reading for Black History Month.
Beginning in his own hometown of New Orleans, Smith leads young readers through an unforgettable and honest tour of monuments, offering an intergenerational story of how slavery has been central in shaping the nation’s collective history.
Bold Words from Black Men: Insights and Reflections from 50 Notable Trailblazers Who Influenced the World by Tamara Pizzoli immerses readers in words of affirmation, truth, beauty, and wonder. Featuring icons like basketball player LeBron James, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, and former president Barack Obama, this book offers advice from inspirational Black men throughout history
Black Lives: Great Minds of Science by Tonya Bolden & David Wilderson is a fun and accessible graphic novel about the lives of great but lesser-known Black scientists. Great Minds of Science is a kid-friendly introduction to some of the greatest scientists in history, including doctors, engineers, mathematicians, and biologists.
Teens:
With sparkling wit, humor, and lots of fun pop culture references, digital content creator Taylor Cassidy takes readers on a journey through the Black history that she wishes she was taught in school in Black History Is Your History. Weaving together research and personal anecdotes that illuminate each trailblazer’s impact on her own life, Taylor paints a vibrant picture of twelve figures from Black history whose groundbreaking contributions shaped America as we know it today.
Champion: A Graphic Novel by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Raymond Obstfeld, & Ed Laroche tells the story of a high school student whose promising basketball career is in jeopardy discovers the triumphs and hardships of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s life as a social justice advocate in this stunningly illustrated graphic novel.
Flamboyants: The Queer Harlem Renaissance I Wish I’d Known by George M. Johnson & Charly Palmer celebrates Black writers, performers, and activists from the 1920s, whose sexualities have been obscured throughout history.