Books make great gifts. I think it’s particularly important to buy Black books for the children in our lives because they deserve to see children who look like them playing the lead role in stories .
I’ve compiled 22 book suggestions you can use as a starting point for gifts. I’ve separated my recommendations into: picture books, middle grade chapter books and teen/YA.
Black book gift ideas for children.
Light by Ruth Forman, illustrated by Katura Gaines
A boy visits a planetarium with his father and brother for a night of stargazing that opens him to the infinitely bright universe.
Age 0-2
The Best Jollof Rice Ever by Oyinye Iwu
Heartwarming story about two best friends who try their hand at making jellof rice.
Age 3-5
Granny’s Kitchen: A Jamaican Story of Food and Family by Sade Smith, illustrated by Ken Daley
Grandma steadily teaches Shelly-Ann how to cook her favourite recipes in this upbeat story about learning independence.
Age 3-5
100 Goats and Granny! By Atinuke, Illustrated by Lauren Hinds
Grandma’s collection of mischievous goats jumps from 1 to 100 and then they start to escape! Fun-filled, counting story.
Age 3-5
Rocket Says Look Up! By Nathan Bryon, illustrated by Dapo Adeola Space-loving Rocket is on a mission to see the incredible meteor shower that will zoom across the sky over her town.
Age 3-5
The Gathering Table by Antwan Eady, illustrated by London Ladd
A joyful picture book about a Southern family that gathers around a special table for celebrations all year round.
Age 6-8
One Day at the Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea by Daniel Bernstrom, illustrated by Brandon James Scott
A clever little girl “with a net for catching pearls” outwits a shark determined to eat her for dinner.
Age 6-8
The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Rafael López
A poignant, yet heartening book about finding courage to connect, even when you feel scared and alone.
Age 6-8
Too small Tola by Atinuke, illustrated by Onyinye Iwu
Tola lives in Lagos, with her clever sister, her fast brother, and bossy grandma. Tola may be small but she is very capable.
Age 6-8yrs
(Get the four-book set! Too Small Tola and the Three Fine Girls, Too Small Tola Gets Tough, Too Small Tola Makes It Count)
Wild Magic: Legend of the Black Lion by Abiola Bello and illustrated by Emma McCann
Misha and Ziggy are no ordinary twins. Misha can speak to animals and Ziggy can shapeshift into them! The siblings are excited to join their wildlife presenter father on a trip to Ethiopia. When the legendary Black Lion goes missing, they discover they aren’t the only ones on the rare animal’s trail.
Age 6+
The last last-day-of-summer by Lamar Giles, Illustrated by Dapo Adeola
Two adventurous cousins in Virginia accidentally freeze time on the last day of summer. They must put aside their differences to save their town and each other before time stops for good.
Age 9-12yrs
(The Legendary Alston Boys series also includes: The Last Mirror on the Left and The Last Chance for Logan County)
Gamerville by Johnnie Christmas
Max Lightning’s hopes of competing in the Gamerville championships are dashed when his parents send him to Camp Reset, where electronics are forbidden. Can he escape and make it to the championship?
Age 9-12yrs
The Good Turn by Sharna Jackson
When 11-year-old Josie camps out for a night with her friends, they discover a mystery at the nearby abandoned factory that they must solve.
Age 9+
Future Hero by Remi Blackwood
A boy finds a portal to a legendary world in his local barbershop, a place where everyone believes he is the hero they’ve been waiting for.
Age 9-12yrs
From Here To Timbuktu by Milton J Davis, illustrated by Marcellus Jackson, edited by Rebecca Kyle
It is 1870 and Freedonia is preparing to celebrate its 50th year. A young bounty hunter is hired to find to find a valuable book. In Mali a veteran warrior has been assigned the same task, while in Germany, a Prussian officer is also on the hunt. This action-packed, steam-funk novel unfolds in an imaginative, alternate timeline.
Darwen Arkwright and the Peregrine Pact by A.J. Hartley
11-year-old Darwen Arkwright has spent his whole life in a tiny town in England. After being sent to live with his aunt in Atlanta, Georgia, he discovers an enchanting and dangerous world through the old mirror hanging in his closet and becomes entangled in an adventure that threatens the safety of his entire school.
Age 8-12yrs
Emily Knight: I Am…Power by A. Bello
Emily has been chosen to battle the powerful Neci, but with family betrayals and super powers being stolen, everything is falling apart.
Age 9-13yrs
(Book 1 of 4)
Way Off Track by Carl Brundtland, illustrated by Claudia Dávila
Nansi has never lost a race…until snobby Tania beats her in an unofficial event. Nansi is certain that Tania’s flashy shoes gave her an edge and she resolves to get her own pair before the track tryouts. This delightful tale incorporates Jamaican culture and the West African trickster character, Anansi.
Age 9-12yrs
Billions To Burn by Taylor Banks
When twelve-year-old Zeus Jones stumbles on a secret page in grandad’s beloved magazine, Burn, on the day grandad mysteriously disappears, he finally has proof that grandad’s stories about the Harlem Renaissance are true and that the secret page is a treasure map, leading to a prize beyond all imagining.
Age 9-12yrs
Rapunzella, or, Don’t Touch My Hair by Ella McLeod
Fifteen-year-old Zella splits her time between school and Val’s hair salon, a place of safety and possibility. Yet whenever she dreams she finds herself imprisoned in an enchanted forest made of her own Afro, threatened by the evil King Charming. When she wakes her memories of the dreams vanish, but is it possible they are more real than they seem?
Age 9-12yrs
The Gatekeeper’s Staff: An Old Gods Story by Antoine Bandele
When his powerful sister dies mysteriously in Nigeria, fourteen-year-old TJ commits himself to unlocking the magical heritage that has always eluded him. He enrolls in Camp Olosa – a remedial magic school for the divinely less-than-gifted in the humid swamps of New Orleans.
He has no idea he is destined to cross paths with old, powerful spirits: the orishas.
(Part of the series: Tj Young & the Orishas)
The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter
The Omehi people have been fighting an unwinnable war for almost two hundred years. Young, gift-less Tau plans to fake an injury to escape the battle and live a quiet life. But when those closest to him are brutally murdered, his grief turns to anger and he vows to become the greatest swordsman to ever live in order to kill the three who betrayed him.
Game of Thrones meets Gladiator in this blockbuster epic fantasy.
The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe
A witty, Black, French-Canadian teen moves to Austin, Texas, and experiences the highs and lows of the American high school experience—including falling in love.
The Great Misfortune of Stella Sedgwick by S. Isabelle
It is the 1860s and Stella Sedgwick is in contention to inherit a valuable estate that would give her more choices than marriage and servitude. While she fights the legal battle for the estate, she tries to survive London society as a young Black woman, navigating the city’s fashion and balls, insults and stares, and reconnecting with Nathaniel, her childhood best friend with a rakish reputation.
Bridgerton meets The Davenports in this entertaining romance.
‘Til Death by Busayo Matuluko
True-crime-obsessed Lara Oyinlola is heading to Lagos for her favourite cousin, Dérin’s, wedding. But everything isn’t perfect in Dérin’s world. She’s been receiving anonymous threats telling her to cancel the wedding or face dire consequences. Sleuth-in-training Lara is just the person to find the culprit responsible.
Firstborn of the Sun by Marvellous Michael Anson
In Oru L’ore is the only one without agbára – the ability to harness power from the sun. She must conceal this lack from everyone, including her best friend, Alawani. When events take a turn and the two are forced to go on the run, they discover L’ore has a power of her own and learn of a secret that could bring the Kingdom to its knees.
Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi
Not only is Òdòdó’s hometown of Timbuktu conquered by the warrior king of Yorùbáland, but she is abducted and whisked across the Sahara to become the Yoruba king’s wife. The leap from lowly blacksmith to royalty is heady and the proximity to power enticing. She soon begins to reforge the shaky loyalties of the court in her favor in defiance of the king.
Loosely based on the myth of Persephone and set in a reimagined 15th century West Africa.
Ruin Road by Lamar Giles
After high school football player Cade Webster buys a ring in a pawn shop, his wish that people stop acting scared of him seems to come true. Alarming, people seem to have lost their fear of everything! It’s then that he remembers the ring came with a warning…
Goddess Crown by Shade Lapite
A girl raised in secret is forced to go on the run after her home is attacked by mercenaries. She finds her way to the royal court where she searches for the truth about her parents and her own identity. She quickly learns there are powerful people who would rather see her dead than accept a women on the throne.
A Song of Legends Lost by M. H. Ayinde
The Nine Lands has endured thousands of years of bloodshed as warring groups have battled for control. A new conscription of fighters, called in hopes of defeating the rebels decisively, leads to Temi, a female commoner, invoking a powerful spirit to join the battle. Unfortunately it turns out not every spirit invoked is a supportive ancestor, and some spirits are more dangerous than anyone could imagine.
(Book one in the Invoker trilogy that includes A Dance of Burning Blades)
The Reaper by Jackson P. Brown
Amy is an empath, able to sense the auras of the supernatural creatures that stalk London at night. Gerald is a Reaper – a weapon for hire – on the verge of his Awakening. Gerald offers to make Amy his partner, in return he will introduce her to a world she has only ever felt. Their first mission is to find a girl who murdered her own parents
Imagine Me Stories – Black activity packs and monthly book boxes
As an additional gift idea, consider Imagine Me Stories. They offer subscriptions (6 and 12 months) for Black book boxes for children divided by age. You can choose to receive 1, 3 or 5 books a month. They also offer Black History activity packs that teach children about Black history, culture and inspiring figures. I like to purchase a pack for my young nieces, print and bind, then post them to complete over the Christmas holidays.
Support
The end of the year is a great time to support Black authors and independent/Black-owned bookstores, so if you can, take your shopping book list to your nearest indie bookshop.
Coffee Bookshelves 