Natalie Labossierie, a teacher and the child of Haitian immigrants to the United States, says that the only thing her teachers taught her about Haiti is that it’s the poorest country in the western hemisphere. Labossierie has written a moving essay for educators about all the things she wished she had learned about Haiti in school.

Do you want to help children understand Haiti’s proud history and all of its present day life (not just poverty)? In this post, you’ll find children’s books that bust stereotypes and share history that kids often don’t learn in school. I’ve also found children’s activities, crafts, and fun facts to learn even more about Haiti.

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 review copy of My Day with the Panye from Candlewick Press in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. You can read my full disclosure policy here. 

9 Inspiring Children’s Books about Haiti

My Day with the Panye by Tami Charles and Sara Palacios

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When Fallon’s Manman (mother) was a girl, her own Manman told her “little by little, the bird builds its nest.” Manman wants Fallon to understand that not everything can be learned quickly, but Fallon wants so badly to be able to carry the panye on her head the graceful way that Manman does.

As they walk to the market, Manman teaches Fallon the many things that carrying the panye means, while they take in the bustling sights and sounds of Port-au-Prince. When Manman is finally ready to let her try carrying the panye, will Fallon be up to the task? This book is both a beautiful celebration of Haitian culture and of mother-daughter relationships. (Recommended for ages 4 – 8)

Janjak and Freda Go To The Iron Market by Elizabeth Turnbull, Wally Turnbull, and Mark Jones

The Iron Market is one of the most famous sites in Port-au-Prince, and we get to tag along as cousins Janjak and Freda explore it. After a long and dusty ride on the tap-tap bus, the children’s godmother knows the first stop they need to make is at the tasty fruit fresco station. The children also learn about the power of community when a runaway goat causes disaster in the market. (Bilingual English-Creole, recommended for ages 6 – 10)

Running the Road to ABC by Denizé Lauture and Reynold Ruffins

Both the vibrant artwork and poetic text of this book capture just how excited a group of six Haitian children are to get to school. They leave before dawn, outrunning neighbors on their way to work, and jumping past frogs as well. Just before they head into town, they check whether the son has begun to rise. That’s how they know if they’re still on time or need to speed up even more. (Recommended for ages 4 – 8)

Related Post: Best Children’s Books about North and Central America

Aunt Luce’s Talking Paintings by Francie Latour and Ken Daley

Each winter, a little girl leaves the United States to go visit her aunt in Haiti. While she waits for those visits, she talks to her aunt’s paintings, and they always talk back. (As I felt the gorgeous illustrations of this book talking to me!)

Aunt Luce worries that her sister is not teaching her niece enough about Haiti, so she gives her lots of lessons on their visits. Luce lets her know that the truth about Haiti “is a hard thing to untangle,” and that to understand it “you have to look at its strong, powerful neighbor…America.” As Luce teaches her about famous Haitian liberators and members of her own family, she tells her that to paint Haiti, one needs “the darkest colors and the brightest ones, and all the colors in between.” (Recommended for ages 6 – 10)

Eight Days: A Story of Haiti by Edwidge Danticat and Alix Delinois

Through moving illustrations and simple text, this book tells the story of a child trapped during the 2010 earthquake. It’s not an easy task to talk to children about this disaster, but Danticat does so with compassion and respect, without making children feel overwhelmed.

Junior describes to reporters how he made it through the eight days he and his best friend Oscar spent underground. Each day they did something different in his imagination. The boys played marbles one day, and Junior played hide and seek with his parents on the second day. Because illustrations are from Oscar’s imagination, they show the beauty of life in Haiti rather than destruction. (Recommended for ages 5 – 8)

Freedom Soup by Tami Charles and Jacqueline Alcántara

Purchase from Bookshop (supports independent bookstores)

As Ti Gran teaches her granddaughter Belle how to make Freedom Soup for New Year’s Day, their celebrations almost seem to leap off the pages of this fantastic book. They dance to Haitian kompa as they cook, surrounded by the smells of pumpkin and garlic.

Ti Gran wants to make sure Belle knows why Haitians eat freedom soup on New Year’s Day. She tells the story of how hard they fought to win their freedom from enslavement. Finally instead of cooking soup for their enslavers on New Year’s Day, they could cook it for themselves! (Recommended for ages 4 – 9)

The Deep Past of Haiti by the Jubilee students 5th and 6th grade students

I am so impressed with the work of 5th and 6th grade students at the Jubilee School who created this history of Haiti. They share their reasons for writing it in the introduction. “We, the young Black representatives protest about how history is taught. We believe that children should know all of their history.” In addition to writing the text, the students also illustrated it.

In researching the United States’ 1915 invasion of Haiti, the students realized they also needed to go back much further. The first half  of the book shares how the U.S. military forced Haitian leaders to sign a treaty allowing the U.S. to declare martial law in 1915. The second half goes back to the first invasion of Haiti by Christopher Columbus, the history of enslavement in Haiti, and the only successful slave revolt in the western hemisphere. (Recommended for ages 10+)

Related Post: 60+ Children’s Books and Resources for Learning Black History Year Round

Toussaint L’Ouverture: The Fight for Haiti’s Freedom by Walter Dean Myers and Jacob Lawrence

Groundbreaking artist Jacob Lawrence’s career was launched by this series of paintings of Haitian liberator Toussaint L’Ouverture. To accompany the paintings, Walter Dean Myers has written a detailed but accessible history of Haitians’ overthrow of their French colonizers that’s suited for ages 10+. Few Americans are aware of just how much L’Ouverture’s success in overthrowing slavery frightened the United States, but Myers make sure to mention this. (Recommended for ages 10+)

Related Post: How Should We Talk with Children about Slavery?

Mama’s Nightingale: A Story of Immigration and Separation by Edwidge Danticat and Leslie Staub

This is actually a story of a Haitian American family’s struggle with the U.S. immigration system, rather than a book that takes place in Haiti. When Saya’s mother is taken to immigration detention, Saya misses her voice so much that she listens to the answering machine message she leaves in Creole.

Once they’re able to have visits, Mama sings her the song of the wosiyol, a Haitian nightingale. When Saya becomes distraught after one of the visits, Mama mails Papa a tape of a bedtime story she’s told for Saya. As Saya and her Papa fight for justice for Mama, Saya is comforted by the weekly tapes that Mama sends. (Recommended for ages 4 – 9)

Related Post: Helping Kids Understand Immigration

Activities and Resources to Help Kids Learn about Haiti

Taino History and Culture

The first inhabitants of Haiti were the Taino people, who referred to the land as Ayiti. You can find out more about Taino history and culture in these posts from Multicultural Kid Blogs and Kiddle.

Haiti-inspired Collage Art Cards

Art teacher Cheryl Trowbridge came up with this card making activity after seeing the beautiful collage artwork that some Haitians make out of natural materials.

Make Ji Papaye (papaya drink) 

Kids can make this easy recipe for Ji Papaye, a papaya juice flavored drink that will likely remind you of a smoothie.

Take a dance break with “Dekole”

Related Post: Best children’s books and activities for learning about Brazil

Interesting Facts about Haiti

• Haiti is home to the solenodon, one of the rarest mammals in the world. This strange looking rodent is one of just a few venomous mammals in the world.
• Haitian kids have been playing the game of osselets (small bones) for centuries. Somewhat similar to jacks, children used to use sheep or goats’ knuckles to play. Today children play with store bought plastic pieces.
• Haiti’s unofficial flower is the hibiscus. The flowers are edible and are used in homemade medicines, teas, and cooked dishes.
• Haiti’s revolution, led by Toussaint L’Ouverture and others, was the only successful slave revolt in the western hemisphere.
• Sanité Bélair was the most famous woman revolutionary in Haiti. She is featured on the ten-gourde banknote.
• Legend says Catherine Fion, goddaughter of rebel leader Jean-Jacques Dessalines, designed the Haitian flag during the middle of the country’s revolution. People say that Dessalines took the French flag and ripped the band of white cloth off. Fion sewed the remaining blue and red strips together to create a new flag for revolutionary troops.
• Haiti has the largest fortress in the western hemisphere, Citadelle Lafarrière. President Henri Christophe ordered its construction from 1805 to 1820, to protect president’s family and army in case France ever tried to invade Haiti again.
• Some people use tap-tap buses to travel in Haiti’s cities. Tap-taps are pick up trucks with benches on the back that take customers on particular routes. Owners paint them in bright colors to get the attention of potential customers.