Black history is worth more than one month, so we’ve created this giant-sized book list to keep young readers exploring Black history all year long. This list features all kinds of books, including biographies, illustrated poems, definitive guides, graphic novels, memoirs, fiction inspired by true historical events, and more! There’s a Black history book for every reader.
For Little Readers
A Likkle Miss Lou: How Jamaican Poet Louise Bennett Coverley Found Her Voice
Written by Nadia L. Hohn
Illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes
Owlkids Books Inc, 2019
IL: Ages 4-8 RL: Grades K-5
Louise Bennett Coverley, better known as Miss Lou, was an iconic poet and entertainer known for popularizing the use of patois in music and poetry internationally—helping to pave the way for artists like Harry Belafonte and Bob Marley. This picture book tells the story of Miss Lou’s early years, when she was a young girl growing up in Jamaica.
End matter includes a glossary of Jamaican patois terms, a note about the author’s perspective as a Jamaican-Canadian writer, and a brief biography of Miss Lou and her connection to Canada, where she lived for 20 years.
Explore activities in the free guide for teachers.
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Africville
Written by Shauntay Grant
Illustrated by Eva Campbell
Groundwood Books Ltd, 2018
IL: Ages 4-7 RL: Grades K-2
When a young girl visits the site of Africville, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the stories she's heard from her family come to mind. She imagines what the community was once like—the brightly painted houses nestled into the hillside, the field where boys played football, the pond where all the kids went rafting, the bountiful fishing, the huge bonfires. Coming out of her reverie, she visits the present-day park and the sundial where her great-grandmother's name is carved in stone, and celebrates a summer day at the annual Africville Reunion/Festival.
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Black Boy, Black Boy
Written by Ali Kamanda & Jorge Redmond
Illustrated by Ken Daley
Sourcebooks, 2022
IL: Ages 3-7 RL: Grades P-2
From athlete and activist Colin Kaepernick to musician Sam Cooke, inventor Elijah McCoy and writer Chinua Achebe, there are so many inspirational men in Black history. This lyrical, rhythmic text encourages boys to imagine everything they can be and the great things they can do, drawing on the strength of people throughout history that paved the way for Black boys today.
Black Boy, Black Boy tells today's boys: you have the courage, you are the light. It's a new day! Be inspired and motivated by drawing on the history of the role models that came before you.
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Howdy, I’m John Ware
Written by Ayesha Clough
Illustrated by Hugh Rookwood
Red Barn Books, 2020
IL: Ages 7-12 RL: Grades 2-7
A picture book about Canada's legendary Black cowboy, John Ware. Despite experiencing enslavement, war and discrimination, this gifted horseman blazed a trail of kindness, becoming one of Alberta’s most loved and respected pioneer ranchers. This 48-page full-colour illustrated biography includes a timeline, maps and educators' notes.
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I, Too, Am Here
Written by Morgan Christie
Illustrated by Marley Berot
Second Story Press, 2024
IL: Ages 6-8 RL: Grades 1-3
A colourfully illustrated multigenerational story of immigration, racism, and what it truly means to belong. Inspired by Langston Hughes’ poem, “I, Too.”
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Oscar Lives Next Door: A Story Inspired by Oscar Peterson’s Childhood
Written by Bonnie Farmer
Illustrated by Marie Lafrance
Owlkids Books Inc, 2016
IL: Ages 4-8 RL: Grades K-4
A fictional story inspired by the childhood of international jazz sensation Oscar Peterson. Set in Oscar’s true childhood neighborhood of St-Henri — now known as Little Burgundy — the book provides a wonderful sense of this 1930s neighborhood where most of Montreal’s Black working class population lived.
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The Possible Lives of W.H. Sailor
Written & illustrated by Bushra Junaid
Running the Goat, 2022
IL: Ages 6-8 RL: Grades 1-3
In this powerful and deeply moving poetic narrative, author/artist Bushra Junaid gives presence to W.H., a mysterious nineteenth-century sailor whose remains were discovered in Labrador in the late 1980s. What little can be deduced about W.H. archaeologically is that he was of African heritage, and buried alone in a stark landscape. Junaid’s poem embraces the mystery of W.H., ponders his life — who he might have been, how he might have lived.
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The Stone Thrower
Written by Jael Richardson
Illustrated by Matt James
Groundwood Books Ltd, 2016
IL: Ages 5-9 RL: Grades P-4
CFL football player Chuck Ealey grew up in a segregated neighborhood of Portsmouth, Ohio. Against all odds, he became an incredible quarterback. But despite his unbeaten record in high school and university, he would never play professional football in the United States. This inspirational story is told by Chuck Ealey’s daughter, author and educator Jael Richardson.
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Up Home: 15th-anniversary Edition
Written by Shauntay Grant
Illustrated by Susan Tooke
Nimbus Publishing, 2023
IL: Ages 4-8 RL: Grades P-3
Happy memories sparkle in this journey through poet Shauntay Grant's childhood visits to North Preston, Nova Scotia. Her words bring to life the sights, sounds, rhythms, and people of a joyful place, while Susan Tooke's vibrant illustrations capture the warmth of one of Canada's most important Black communities. Up Home celebrates the magic of growing up, and the power in remembering our roots, now in a new softcover edition celebrating its fifteenth anniversary.
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Viola Desmond Won't Be Budged!
Written by Jody Nyasha Warner
Illustrated by Richard Rudnicki
Groundwood Books Ltd, 2010
IL: Ages 5-9 RL: Grades K-4
In Nova Scotia, in 1946, an usher in a movie theatre told Viola Desmond to move from her main floor seat up to the balcony. She refused to budge. Viola knew she was being asked to move because she was black. After all, she was the only black person downstairs. All the other black people were up in the balcony. In no time at all, the police arrived and took Viola to jail. The next day she was charged and fined, but she vowed to continue her struggle against such unfair rules. She refused to accept that being black meant she couldn't sit where she wanted.
For Junior and Intermediate Readers
Amazing Black Atlantic Canadians: Inspiring Stories of Courage and Achievement
Written by Lindsay Ruck
Illustrated by James Bentley
Nimbus Publishing, 2021
IL: Ages 8-12 RL Grades 3-7
This fascinating, full-colour illustrated book features over 50 amazing Black people from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador, sharing their incredible stories and accomplishments, past and present.
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Black Women Who Dared
Written by Naomi M. Moyer
Second Story Press, 2018
IL: Ages 9-13 RL: Grades 5-8
Inspirational stories of ten Black women and women’s collectives from Canadian and American history. Included are leaders and groundbreakers who were anti-slavery activists, business women, health-care activists, civic organizers and educators. Celebrate these remarkable women, some of whom you may be hearing about for the first time, and the profound impacts they've made.
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The Halifax Explosion: 6 December 1917 at 9:05 in the Morning
Written by Afua Cooper
Illustrated by Rebecca Bender
Plumleaf Press, 2023
IL: Ages 9-12 RL Grades 4-7
This poem, written by Halifax’s seventh poet laureate, Dr. Afua Cooper, reveals what happened on 6 December 1917 at 9:05 when two ships carrying munitions and war supplies collided in the Halifax Harbour. The poem shows the tragic toll the resulting explosion and fire took on the residents of Halifax and the surrounding area, which stretched all the way north to Africville. Dr. Cooper commemorates the Halifax Explosion through verse and highlights the experiences of the Black Haligonians in this disaster.
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The Journey of Little Charlie
(Scholastic Gold)
Written by Christopher Paul Curtis
Scholastic Inc, 2021
IL: Ages 8-12 RL: Grades 3-7
In this historical fiction novel for middle readers, twelve-year-old Charlie is down on his luck: His sharecropper father just died and Cap'n Buck -- the most fearsome man in Possum Moan, South Carolina -- has come to collect a debt. Fearing for his life, Charlie strikes a deal with Cap'n Buck and agrees to track down some folks accused of stealing from the cap'n and his boss. It's not too bad of a bargain for Charlie... until he comes face-to-face with the fugitives and discovers their true identities.
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The Kids Book of Black History in Canada
Written by Rosemary Sadlier
Illustrated by Arden Taylor
Kids Can Press, 2024
IL: Ages 8-12 RL: Grades 3-7
The definitive children's guide to Black history in Canada, this book is an essential update to the bestselling and award-winning The Kids Book of Black Canadian History, which was first published in 2003. With informative and engaging text, author Rosemary Sadlier honors the proud history of Black Canadians on every page. Sidebars with interesting facts, quotations and profiles of historical figures appear throughout the book, making this a perfect fit for social studies lessons on Canadian heritage and history.
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The Trailblazing Life of Viola Desmond: A Civil Rights Icon
Written by Rachel Kehoe with Wanda Robson
Illustrated by Chelsea Charles
Orca Book Publishers, 2023
IL: Ages 9-12 RL: Grades 4-7
On November 8, 1946, Viola Desmond was arrested for refusing to move from the "whites-only" section of a movie theater. Her heroic act inspired Black community leaders and made her a symbol of courage in the fight against inequality. This story of Viola's life is based on rare interviews with her sister Wanda Robson, who spent her life championing her sister's story and was successful in getting Viola a posthumous pardon that recognized she was innocent of any crime.
Read a sample chapter.
For Teen and Young Adult Readers
#BlackInSchool
Written by Habiba Cooper Diallo
University of Regina Press, 2021
IL: Ages 16-18 RL: Grades 11-12
#BlackInSchool is Habiba Cooper Diallo’s high school journal, in which she documents, processes, and resists the systemic racism, microaggressions, stereotypes, and outright racism she experienced while being Black in school in Canada.
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No Reason to Apologize: The Resilient Legacy of Viola Desmond
Written by Andrea Scott
Adapted by W.L. Liberman
Illustrated by Tajliya Jamal
TEACH Magazine, 2022
IL: Ages 12-18 RL: Grades 6-12
This colourfully illustrated graphic novel adaptation of the play written by Andrea Scott explores the life of Viola Desmond, an enduring icon who embodies the fight for racial equality and human rights.
Read the interactive novel and access classroom resources.
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Righting Canada’s Wrongs: Africville
Written by Gloria Ann Wesley
James Lorimer & Company Ltd., 2021
IL: Ages 13-18 RL: Grades 8-12
In the 1800s, a small Black community had developed just north of Halifax on the shores of the Bedford Basin. The community became known as Africville and grew to about 400 people. Its residents fished, farmed, operated small retail stores and found work in the city.
In the 1960s, city planners developed urban renewal plans and city politicians agreed to demolish the community. Residents strongly opposed relocation, but city officials ignored their protests and began to seize and bulldoze the homes.
In the 1970s, some community members organized and began working for an apology and compensation. In 2010, Halifax’s mayor made a public apology for the community’s suffering and mistreatment.
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Stay Up: racism, resistance, and reclaiming Black freedom
Written by Khodi Dill
Illustrated by Stylo Starr
Annick Press, 2023
IL: Ages 14-18 RL: Grades 8-12
Racism is a real and present danger. But how can you fight it if you don’t know how it works or where it comes from? Using a compelling mix of memoir, cultural criticism, and anti-oppressive theory, Khodi Dill breaks down how white supremacy functions in North America and gives readers tools to understand how racism impacts their lives. From dismantling internalized racism, decolonizing schools, joining social justice movements and more, Dill lays out paths to personal liberation and social transformation.
Take a look inside and explore the educator's guide.
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The Queen’s Spade
Written by Sarah Raughley
HarperCollins, 2025
IL: Ages 14-18 RL: Grades 9-12
A riveting historical thriller inspired by true-life events. The year is 1862 and murderous desires are simmering in England. Nineteen-year-old Sarah Bonetta Forbes (Sally), once a princess of the Egbado Clan, desires one thing above all else: revenge against the British Crown and its system of colonial "humanitarianism," which stole her dignity and transformed her into royal property. From military men to political leaders, she’s vowed to ruin all who’ve had a hand in her afflictions. The top of her list? Her godmother, Britain’s mighty monarch, Queen Victoria herself.
Read a sample.
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The Underground Railroad: Next Stop, Toronto!
Written by Adrienne Shadd, Afua Cooper & Karolyn Smardz Frost
Dundurn Press, 2022
IL: Ages 12-15 RL: Grades 7-10
Based entirely on original research, The Underground Railroad offers fresh insights into the rich heritage of African Americans who became African Canadians and helped build Toronto as we know the city today.
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Book list curated by Spencer Miller