“Until black people are free, no one is fully free. Because the issues that affect black people the most affect everyone. Everyone.” A recent post from the official Black Lives Matter movement website brought this truth home.

Children are not too young to learn about the principles and issues that guide this movement, though what they learn  will be different at each age and developmental stage.

That’s why teachers across the country are holding a Black Lives Matter Week of Action at School from February 3rd – 7th. As children learn what Black Lives Matter means, educators and students will also be calling on schools to hire more Black teachers, mandate Black history and ethnic studies, and end zero tolerance discipline policies.

In this post, I’m sharing 15 books for children and teens that uplift the beauty and strength of Black children and communities, as well as those that exemplify the principles of the Black Lives Matter movement. All the books in this post are authored or co-authored by Black writers.

Interested in how to share the movement’s principles with young kids in ways that are age appropriate? Read this helpful article by teacher Laleña Garcia. 

You can find a free curriculum guide for Black Lives Matter Week at School here.

15 books for children and teens for exploring the principles of the Black Lives Matter movement

Disclosure: For your convenience, this post includes affiliate links. If you purchase items through these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I received a complimentary copy of When We Say Black Lives Matter from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. You can read my full disclosure policy here.

Hands Up! by Breanna J. McDaniel and Shane W. Evans

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When race conscious adults hear the phrase “hands up,” we likely also think of the words “don’t shoot,” chanted at so many Black Lives Matter rallies.

Author Breanna McDaniel thinks of how “hands up” signals activism, but also many daily activities in a young Black girl’s life. When she plays peek-a-boo, when she stretches up to the kitchen sink, and when she begs her siblings to choose her in a game, her hands go up.

The final scene of the book shows her declaring “hands up!” at a rally, where marchers hold their signs high, covered in slogans that remind us to raise our hands and voices for justice. (Recommended for ages 4 – 7. Black author.)

Related Post: 15 picture books filled with Black joy

I Am Enough by Grace Byers and Keturah A. Bobo

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This moving, thoughtful book celebrates and centers Black girls, who too often receive messages from society at young ages that they are not enough. As Black girls are shown playing, learning, and challenging themselves, they remind us of who they are and what they can do.

The range of emotions and experiences that are included in the simple rhyming text is strengthened by beautiful, realistic illustrations. (Recommended for ages 3 – 7. Black author.)

Related post:  18 powerful books for kids & teens about race and racism

Hey Black Child by Useni Eugene Perkins and Bryan Collier

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Useni Eugene Perkins wrote the poem “Hey Black Child” in the 1970s for a children’s musical, and it has been recited by countless children since. Bryan Collier’s stunning collage illustrations bring the poem to life in a new way.

The poems calls Black children to realize who they really are, and what they can be. When they do this, they can transform  their own lives, and also move their nation to become the country they want it to be.

I love the way the illustrations include elements from the civil rights and Black Lives Matter movements to remind children of what they are capable of. (Recommended for ages 4 – 8. Black author. )

Related Post: 15 books about white privilege for kids and teens

When We Say Black Lives Matter by Maxine Beneba Clarke

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This powerful poem, accompanied by bold artwork, unpacks the many meanings of the phrase “Black Lives Matter” for children. The phrase is sometimes sobbed because “trouble still stalks us to this day.” Other times it’s said as a reminder that “Black people are wonderful-strong.” Black Lives Matter can even be laughed, the phrase activated by ancestors who encourage with thundering djembe drums. Above all, the book reminds Black children that their “Black-child-magic, your radiant Black shine” is seen! (Recommended for ages 5 – 9. Black author.)

Related post: Talking to kids about police violence and race resource hub

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Something Happened In Our Town: A Child’s Story about Racial Injustice by Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, and Ann Hazzard

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This engaging and important book was written by three child psychologists. It’s an excellent resource that helps caregivers talk to children about police shootings. The story follows two children, one white and one Black, who are in the same class at school. All the adults in town have been talking about a police shooting of a Black man. Kids have overheard their conversations, and have questions.

The children’s questions prompt responses from their parents that unpack the legacy of racism in the United States, as well as Black resistance to racism. The story has a variety of levels, and children will experience it differently at different ages. The book also includes extensive notes for parents on countering racism, including resources specifically designed for Black families. (Recommended for ages 6 – 10. Black co-author.)

Related Post: Talking about racial injustice with my 6 year old

Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o and Vashti Harrison 

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I have been eagerly waiting for  Sulwe‘s publication. Now that the book is in my hands, I can say without a doubt it was worth the wait! Sulwe’s skin is “the color of midnight,” but she longs to have the light brown skin of her sister Mich. Children at school give Sulwe cruel nicknames, and she does everything she can think of to lighten her skin.

Sulwe’s mother tries to convince her of her beauty, but it’s not until a star appears in her window that things begin to shift. The star tells her the story of the sisters Day and Night, who were also treated differently because of their colors. After Night runs away, both she and Day discover how needed and beautiful she is. (Recommended for ages 4 – 8. Black author. )

Related Post: Antiracism at school: 9 examples to inspire educators

Daddy, There’s a Noise Outside by Kenneth Braswell, Joe Dent, and Julie Anderson

This short graphic novel explores what protests are, and why people use them. When two children ask their father what the sounds they heard the night before were, he explains the community was protesting.

Drawing on examples from Martin Luther King to the Million Man March, their parents explain that people in the neighborhood are protesting how their community is treated by the police. This is a good first book for talking about why and how groups like Black Lives Matter protest. (Recommended for ages 5 – 9. Black author.)

Related Post: 7 inspiring kid activists challenging racism

Shades of Black: A Celebration of our Children by Sandra L. Pinkney and Myles C. Pinkney

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The photographs and text in this picture book celebrate the uniqueness of each Black child. Challenging the stereotype that there’s only one way to be Black, the children explore their many skin tones, hair textures, and eye colors.

My favorite page is the last, when a group of children declare “I am Black. I am unique. I come from ancient Kings and Queens. When you look at me, what do you see? I am Black. I am proud to be me.” (Recommended for ages 3 – 7. Black author.)

Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes and Gordon C. James

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Reading Derrick Barnes’ author’s note brought tears to my eyes. He writes about the way that the barbershop is a rare place where black and brown boys are affirmed. When they look in the mirror at the barbershop, he says, “they wish that everyone could see what they see: a real life, breathing, compassionate, thoughtful, brilliant, limitless soul that matters – that desperately matters.”

The story and illustrations themselves are filled with joy, showing how the barbershop is a place where Black boys are treated like royalty, where they receive their crowns. The child in the chair sees not only all he is, but the majesty of the other people in the shop as well. (Recommended for ages 6 – 10. Black author.)

The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander and Kadir Nelson

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The Undefeated is Alexander’s tribute to all the Black leaders, everyday people, and the movements who are too often left out of history textbooks. He seamlessly connects the civil rights and Black Lives Matter movements. Each page is dedicated to a different group from “the unflappable” to “the righteous marching ones who sang we shall not be moved because black lives matter.”

Because of the way the book is structured, it can be experienced in different ways by different age children. For example, on the page “this is for the unspeakable,” children see candles, flowers, and pictures of Sandra Bland, Tamir Rice, and others who died at the hands of police officers. For older children who want to talk more, there are extensive notes at the end of the book describing who each person in Nelson’s flawless illustrations is. (Recommended for ages 7 – 12. Black author.)

Related Post: Children’s books and resources for learning about Black history all year round

The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth, and Harlem’s Greatest Bookstore by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson and R. Gregory Christie

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Lewis Micheaux’s National Memorial African Bookstore was legendary in Harlem from the 1930’s til it closed in the 1970’s. A self-educated man, Micheaux knew that books were the key to both knowledge and liberation. “Don’t get took! Read a book!” he often told people when he was still selling books from a pushcart on the street. The bookstore even became a gathering place for activists like Malcolm X, who held a rally in front of the store.

Michaeux’s clever, rhyming sayings about books, knowledge, and power are sprinkled throughout the story, which explores the bookstore through the eyes of Micheaux’s young son. (Recommended for ages 8 – 12. Black author.)

Related Post: 17 children’s books about systemic racism

A Child’s Introduction to African American History by Jabari Asim and Lynn Gaines

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This illustrated encyclopedia is a useful resource for any home or classroom. Asim helps older children understand the truth that African American history is American history. The scope of the events, people, and movements that he includes goes far beyond what children are typically taught in school.

The Black Lives Matter movement and the deaths of Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, and other unarmed Black people each have separate entries in the new millennium section of the book.

While the entries in the book are detailed, they’re not so long that older elementary children will lose interest. (Recommended for ages 8 – 14. Black author.)

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A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramée

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This middle grades novel completely engrossed me! Twelve year old Shayla is so different from her older sister Hana. Shay can’t stand to get in trouble (even thinking about it makes her hands itch), while Hana takes part in bold Black Lives Matter protests.

As a new middle schooler, Shay has to deal with changing friendships and her first big crush. On top of  that, she wrestles with how to respond to other kids who say she’s not “Black enough” and a teacher who expects her to speak for her entire race.

All the while, her sister and parents are closely watching the trial of a police officer who shot an unarmed Black man. After Shayla sees Hana participate in a moving protest, she decides she wants to show support too. But is she ready for the trouble she could get in for speaking up? (Recommended for ages 10 – 14. Black author.)

Related Post: 12 engaging chapter books to read during Black History Month

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

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So much is packed into Woodson’s free verse memoir about her childhood in the 1960’s and 1970’s. As she experiences the sorrows and joys of growing up in both South Carolina (during the era of Jim Crow) and Brooklyn, Woodson finds her voice through writing. As she lives through the civil rights and Black power movements, Woodson and her community’s bravery and pride grow.

Surrounded by a tight circle of family love, Woodson also grieves being separated from some of her family for most of her life. While the children live with their grandmother in South Carolina, their mother is earning money in Brooklyn. Once she’s saved enough for the children to join her in New York, they must leave their grandparents behind.

The inspiration for Marley Dias’ #1000BlackGirlBooks campaign, this book is a new American classic that should be required reading in middle school English classes. (Recommended for ages 10 – 14. Black author.)

Say Her Name (Poems to Empower) by Zetta Elliott and Loveis Wise

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In her introduction, Elliott says “I sometimes write poetry, but I’m not a poet.” Even though Elliott is best known for her children’s novels and picture books, I have to disagree! She clearly has a gift for both poetry and prose.

The collection’s name is inspired by the #SayHerName movement of the African American Policy Campaign. It’s designed to draw attention to the violence against Black women and femmes that so often receives little media attention. The poems are both a testament to the bravery, resilience, and creativity of Black women, as well as a cry for justice as they struggle to survive the forces of racism, sexism, and homophobia.

Many of the poems are tributes, including dedications to the three co-founders of  the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as famous poets including Gwendolyn Brooks and Phyllis Wheatley.

When so many high school students wonder what poetry has to do with their  lives, this volume is an excellent addition to classroom libraries. (Recommended for ages 14+. Black author.)

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

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Starr Carter is a teen who’s an expert at code switching. Each day, she puts forward two different versions of herself. One for her the poor Black neighborhood where she lives, and other for the wealthy white school that she attends. Compartmentalizing her life seems to work until her best friend Khalil is shot by the police while Starr sits in the passenger seat.

Starr’s school friends don’t realize that she knew Khalil. When her friend Hailey suggests that Khalil was a thug, Starr can no longer ignore Hailey’s pattern of racist assumptions. As Starr grapples with her relationships at school, she must also deal with the police and with activists who want her to become part of their cause against police brutality.

I can’t recommend this book highly enough for teens and adults alike.

Also, be aware that the movie version, which was adapted by a white screenwriter, distorts key aspects of the book.  (Recommended for ages 13+. Black author.)

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When They Call You a Terrorist (Young Adult edition) by Patrisse Khan-Cullors and asha bandele

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Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Khan-Cullors’ powerful memoir is now available in a young adult edition. The book tells the story of Khan-Cullors’ life, including the heavy police presence in her childhood neighborhood and its personal effects on her. The second part of the book gives the history of the BLM movement. Her accounts demonstrates both the power of the movement and the cruel backlash unleashed against its activists.

The young adult edition is filled with photographs from Khan-Cullors’ life, journal entries written in the margins of the story, and reflection questions for young people.(Recommended for ages 14+. Black authors.)