Top 10: Our Current Favorite Books for Black Kids

We have well over 100 children's books right now that Kyle and Owen actively love (we have many more than 100 books, but about 100 that we are currently regularly reading). That is not an exaggeration. I'm kind of embarrassed to admit it. But, K & O adore books -- have right from the start. And don't forget, they have two book-loving doctorate-degreed parents. We cycle through these current favorite books over and over, reading all of them regularly enough to warrant the excessive book collection (and the constant growth of the collection). K & O love the excitement of new books, but they love to read the same books over and over and over again too. One whole category of our books are books which are geared specifically for black kids and/or books with black characters in them. These books would be great for any/all kids but they are especially wonderful for our kids. Many of you have asked for a list of these books. Here are our Top 10 Current Favorite Books for Black Kids.

note: this list is in no particular order

note #2: I'm not including children's books about adoption here. I'm also not including children's books about twins here. Maybe another time I'll do a list of those books. They are not on this list.

note #3: I'm not including board books here because K & O have generally outgrown them -- but when they were younger we had well over 100 board books, many with black themes/characters, and if anyone is interested I can give you a list of those sometime too.

note also: If you click on each book title you'll see that I've linked each book to Amazon.com. I hate to endorse Amazon.com - such a huge corporate capitalist book dealer - but it was the easiest/quickest way for me to do it. Of course these books are available many places other than Amazon.com!

another note: Anyone who has been to our house knows that I'm fond of making my own books for K & O and you'll probably wonder why I haven't included those books on this list (especially since K & O are so fond of them). I'll post about that another time.

last note: I cheated a little, as you'll see... but it was very, very hard to limit this list to just 10!

really last note: If there's a book you love in your family, leave a comment here to share it with us!

the very last note, I promise!: Remember, K & O are just three years old. There are tons of really great books out there for/about black kids that are geared toward kids starting around age 6/first-grade (some of which are sitting up on one of the higher shelves in Kyle's room). This list is specifically for the 3-and-Under-Set!

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Top 10: Our Current Favorite Books for Black Kids (& Every Other Kid Too!!!)

1. The Skin You Live In - Michael Tyler, Author / David Lee Csicsko, Illustrator
2. Sing Along Song - JoAnn Early Macken, Author / Leuyen Pham, Illustrator
3. Anything by Bell Hooks, Author / Chris Raschka, Illustrator ~~ such as: Be Boy Buzz & Happy To Be Nappy
4. Anything by Rachel Isadora (Author & Illustrator) ~~ such as: Caribbean Dream & Peekaboo Morning
5. Please, Baby, Please & Please, Puppy, Please - both by Spike Lee & Tonya Lewis Lee, Authors / Kadir Nelson, Illustrator
6. Black All Around - Patricia Hubbell, Author / Don Tate, Illustrator & Shades of Black: A Celebration of Our Children - Sandra L. Pinkney, Author / Myles Pinkney, Photographer (both of which I've blogged about before -- click here and click here).
7. Anything by Debbie Harter (Illustrator & sometimes Author too) ~~ such as The Animal Boogie & The Creepy Crawly Calypso & Bear On A Bike
8. Queen of the Scene - Queen Latifah, Author / Frank Morrison, Illustrator
9. Anything by Molly Bang (Author & Illustrator) ~~ such as In My Heart (note: this book is awesome for 2-career-families!!!) & Ten, Nine, Eight
10. We All Went on Safari: A Counting Journey Through Tanzania - Laurie Krebs, Author / Julia Cairns, Illustrator