12 Picture Book Biographies to Look Forward to in January 2023
Updated: Jan 22
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Black History Month is right around the corner and these new picture book biographies, written by Black authors, are perfect for celebrating the accomplishments of Black people. (Complete with publisher's descriptions)
This autobiographical picture book by the multiple Grammy Award-winning singer Roberta Flack recounts her childhood in a home surrounded by music and love: it all started with a beat-up piano that her father found in a junkyard, repaired, and painted green.
Growing up in a Blue Ridge mountain town, little Roberta didn't have fancy clothes or expensive toys...but she did have music. And she dreamed of having her own piano.
When her daddy spies an old, beat-up upright piano in a junkyard, he knows he can make his daughter's dream come true. He brings it home, cleans and tunes it, and paints it a grassy green. And soon the little girl has an instrument to practice on, and a new dream to reach for--one that will make her become a legend in the music industry.
Here is a lyrical picture book--perfect for aspiring piano players and singers--that shares an intimate look at Roberta Flack's family and her special connection to music.
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Created in partnership with Ebony Jr., this captivating Little Golden Book biography celebrates Beyoncé's rise from a shy little girl to a world-famous superstar.
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Beyoncé performed in various singing and dancing competitions as a child. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of Destiny's Child, one of the best-selling girl groups of all time. Beyoncé continues to inspire and demonstrate that dreams--no matter how big--can be achieved through hard work and determination. Michelle Obama has called her a role model for us all. Since 1945, Ebony magazine has shined a spotlight on the worlds of Black people in America and worldwide, telling their stories. Ebony Jr! was created in 1973 to give Black children a magazine that was all their own. The magazine included stories, comics, puzzles, and cartoons centering Black children. Its mission was to ignite a love of reading and a love of self in Black kids, and we're continuing that with our branded LGB program.
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Created in partnership with Ebony Jr., this Little Golden Book biography celebrates the life and legacy of singer, performer, and activist Harry Belafonte.
When Harry Belafonte was a little boy, he moved from Harlem, New York, to live with his grandmother in Jamaica. There, Harry fell in love with Calypso music. It was the seed that blossomed into a life dedicated to inspiring people through music. This moving biography chronicles his life and career--as an actor, a singer, and a civil rights activist who has always sought to make a difference while encouraging people to treat each other with respect and kindness. Since 1945, Ebony magazine has shined a spotlight on the worlds of Black people in America and worldwide, telling their stories. Ebony Jr! was created in 1973 to give Black children a magazine that was all their own. The magazine included stories, comics, puzzles, and cartoons centering Black children. Its mission was to ignite a love of reading and a love of self in Black kids, and we're continuing that with our branded LGB program.
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A celebration of twelve Black women who were pivotal to the civil rights movement and the fight for justice and equal rights in America.
You've heard the names Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King, but what about the many other women who were crucial to the civil rights movement?
Told through twelve short biographies, this book celebrates just some of the many Black women--each of whom has been largely underrepresented until now--who were instrumental to the nation's fight for civil rights and the contributions they made in driving the Movement forward.
An empowering, eye-opening look at how one person can impact greater change, this book is both a conversation starter and much-needed history lesson for our modern world.
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A picture book biography about the barber shop of woodcarver Elijah Pierce, recipient of the highest folk-art honor in the United States.
Creeeeak! goes the screen door to self-taught artist Elijah Pierce's barbershop art studio. A young boy walks in for an ordinary haircut and walks out having discovered a lifetime of art.
Mr. Pierce's wood carvings are in every corner of the small studio. There are animals, scenes from his life, and those detailing the socio-political world around him. It's this collection of work that will eventually win Elijah the National Heritage Fellowship in 1982 just two years before his death. But the young boy visiting the shop in the 1970s doesn't know that yet. All he knows is: You gotta meet Mr. Pierce!
Based on the true story of Elijah Pierce and his community barber shop in Columbus, Ohio, this picture book includes cleverly collaged museum-sourced photos of his art and informative backmatter about his life. With engaging text by Pierce to the Soul! playwright Chiquita Mullins-Lee and Christopher Award-winning author Carmella Van Vleet, it's illustrated with striking Japanese woodblock by Jennifer Mack-Watkins. A new addition to vital Black art history!
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Perfect for fans of Hidden Figures and Mae Among the Stars! To Boldly Go tells the true story of Nichelle Nichols and how she used her platform on Star Trek to inspire and recruit a new generation of diverse astronauts and many others in the space and STEM fields.
As Lieutenant Uhura on the iconic prime-time television show Star Trek, Nichelle Nichols played the first Black female astronaut anyone had ever seen on screen. A smart, strong, independent Black woman aboard the starship Enterprise was revolutionary in the 1960s when only white men had traveled to outer space in real life and most Black characters on TV were servants.
Nichelle not only inspired a generation to pursue their dreams, but also opened the door for the real-life pioneering astronaut Sally Ride, Dr. Mae Jemison, and more.
This empowering tribute to the trailblazing pop culture icon reminds us of the importance of perseverance and the power of representation in storytelling. You just might be inspired to boldly go where no one like you has ever gone before!
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