African American Picture Book Biographies

1.
Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad
Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad 4.49 avg rating — 16,555 ratings
2.
Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 4.33 avg rating — 12,819 ratings
3.
Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom
Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom 4.36 avg rating — 6,000 ratings
4.
Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave
Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave 4.13 avg rating — 5,534 ratings
5.
Rosa
Rosa 4.36 avg rating — 6,842 ratings
6.
Through My Eyes
Through My Eyes 4.47 avg rating — 5,951 ratings
7.
If A Bus Could Talk: The Story of Rosa Parks
If A Bus Could Talk: The Story of Rosa Parks 4.01 avg rating — 408 ratings
8.
Yours for Justice, Ida B. Wells: The Daring Life of a Crusading Journalist
Yours for Justice, Ida B. Wells: The Daring Life of a Crusading Journalist 4.24 avg rating — 161 ratings
9.
Ron's Big Mission
Ron's Big Mission
by: Rose Blue
4.40 avg rating — 1,235 ratings
10.
Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U. S. Marshal
Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U. S. Marshal 4.05 avg rating — 3,511 ratings
11.
Salt in His Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream
Salt in His Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream 4.26 avg rating — 1,708 ratings
12.
Sojourner Truth's Step-Stomp Stride
Sojourner Truth's Step-Stomp Stride 4.20 avg rating — 470 ratings
13.
Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman
Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman 4.31 avg rating — 2,227 ratings
14.
The Little Piano Girl: The Story of Mary Lou Williams, Jazz Legend
The Little Piano Girl: The Story of Mary Lou Williams, Jazz Legend 3.99 avg rating — 145 ratings
15.
Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker (Illustrated Biographies by Chronicle Books)
Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker (Illustrated Biographies by Chronicle Books) 3.87 avg rating — 4,491 ratings
16.
When Marian Sang: The True Recital of Marian Anderson
When Marian Sang: The True Recital of Marian Anderson 4.34 avg rating — 4,224 ratings
17.
When Harriet Met Sojourner
When Harriet Met Sojourner 3.97 avg rating — 139 ratings
18.
A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin
A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin 3.88 avg rating — 5,302 ratings
19.
She Loved Baseball: The Effa Manley Story
She Loved Baseball: The Effa Manley Story 4.27 avg rating — 370 ratings
20.
Before John Was a Jazz Giant: A Song of John Coltrane
Before John Was a Jazz Giant: A Song of John Coltrane 4.12 avg rating — 556 ratings
21.
The Story of Ruby Bridges
The Story of Ruby Bridges 4.44 avg rating — 12,960 ratings
22.
Alvin Ailey
Alvin Ailey 3.97 avg rating — 151 ratings
23.
As Good as Anybody: Martin Luther King and Abraham Joshua Heschel's Amazing March Toward Freedom
As Good as Anybody: Martin Luther King and Abraham Joshua Heschel's Amazing March Toward Freedom 4.42 avg rating — 373 ratings
24.
I Have a Dream
I Have a Dream 4.50 avg rating — 3,706 ratings
25.
Little Melba and Her Big Trombone
Little Melba and Her Big Trombone 4.17 avg rating — 1,541 ratings
26.
George Washington Carver
George Washington Carver 4.18 avg rating — 256 ratings
27.
Dizzy
Dizzy 4.06 avg rating — 343 ratings
28.
The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist
The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist 4.44 avg rating — 1,712 ratings
29.
Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13
Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13 4.50 avg rating — 1,553 ratings
30.
Testing the Ice: A True Story About Jackie Robinson
Testing the Ice: A True Story About Jackie Robinson 4.25 avg rating — 938 ratings
31.
Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra
Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra 4.16 avg rating — 3,428 ratings
32.
Muddy: The Story of Blues Legend Muddy Waters
Muddy: The Story of Blues Legend Muddy Waters 4.34 avg rating — 628 ratings
33.
I am Rosa Parks
I am Rosa Parks 4.51 avg rating — 1,724 ratings
34.
Coretta Scott
Coretta Scott 4.21 avg rating — 1,167 ratings
35.
A Nation's Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis
A Nation's Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis 4.07 avg rating — 1,197 ratings
36.
In the Garden with Dr. Carver
In the Garden with Dr. Carver 4.19 avg rating — 199 ratings
37.
Whoosh!: Lonnie Johnson's Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions
Whoosh!: Lonnie Johnson's Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions 4.24 avg rating — 2,233 ratings
38.
When the Beat Was Born: DJ Kool Herc and the Creation of Hip Hop
When the Beat Was Born: DJ Kool Herc and the Creation of Hip Hop 4.01 avg rating — 1,620 ratings
39.
Before She was Harriet (Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Books)
Before She was Harriet (Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Books) 4.49 avg rating — 2,373 ratings
40.
Gordon Parks: How the Photographer Captured Black and White America
Gordon Parks: How the Photographer Captured Black and White America 4.16 avg rating — 945 ratings
41.
Dear Benjamin Banneker
Dear Benjamin Banneker 4.19 avg rating — 264 ratings
42.
Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library
Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library 4.13 avg rating — 1,417 ratings
43.
Trombone Shorty
Trombone Shorty 4.29 avg rating — 4,908 ratings
44.
I, Matthew Henson: Polar Explorer
I, Matthew Henson: Polar Explorer 3.71 avg rating — 187 ratings
45.
The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read
The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read 4.60 avg rating — 3,629 ratings
46.
Vision of Beauty: The Story of Sarah Breedlove Walker
Vision of Beauty: The Story of Sarah Breedlove Walker 4.38 avg rating — 343 ratings
46.
Skit-Scat Raggedy Cat: Ella Fitzgerald
Skit-Scat Raggedy Cat: Ella Fitzgerald 3.93 avg rating — 274 ratings
48.
Nobody Owns the Sky: The Story of "Brave Bessie" Coleman
Nobody Owns the Sky: The Story of "Brave Bessie" Coleman 4.17 avg rating — 150 ratings
49.
It Jes' Happened: When Bill Traylor Started to Draw
It Jes' Happened: When Bill Traylor Started to Draw
by: Don Tate
4.07 avg rating — 431 ratings
50.
Show Way
Show Way 4.26 avg rating — 3,478 ratings
51.
A Voice of Her Own: The Story of Phillis Wheatley, Slave Poet
A Voice of Her Own: The Story of Phillis Wheatley, Slave Poet 4.10 avg rating — 248 ratings
52.
Mumbet's Declaration of Independence
Mumbet's Declaration of Independence 4.28 avg rating — 282 ratings
53.
A Dance Like Starlight: One Ballerina's Dream
A Dance Like Starlight: One Ballerina's Dream 4.16 avg rating — 968 ratings
54.
Frederick Douglass: The Lion Who Wrote History
Frederick Douglass: The Lion Who Wrote History 4.33 avg rating — 371 ratings
54.
Nina: A Story of Nina Simone
Nina: A Story of Nina Simone 4.50 avg rating — 1,210 ratings
56.
Emmanuel's Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah
Emmanuel's Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah 4.37 avg rating — 3,244 ratings
57.
Twelve Rounds to Glory (12 Rounds to Glory): The Story of Muhammad Ali
Twelve Rounds to Glory (12 Rounds to Glory): The Story of Muhammad Ali 4.25 avg rating — 246 ratings
58.
Molly, by Golly!: The Legend of Molly Williams, America's First Female Firefighter
Molly, by Golly!: The Legend of Molly Williams, America's First Female Firefighter 3.97 avg rating — 306 ratings
59.
Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman
Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman 4.24 avg rating — 662 ratings
60.
Jazz Age Josephine
Jazz Age Josephine 3.76 avg rating — 370 ratings
61.
Harlem's Little Blackbird: The Story of Florence Mills
Harlem's Little Blackbird: The Story of Florence Mills 4.28 avg rating — 1,052 ratings
62.
An Apple for Harriet Tubman
An Apple for Harriet Tubman 4.26 avg rating — 103 ratings
63.
My Name Is Truth: The Life of Sojourner Truth
My Name Is Truth: The Life of Sojourner Truth 3.97 avg rating — 439 ratings
64.
Fifty Cents and a Dream: Young Booker T. Washington
Fifty Cents and a Dream: Young Booker T. Washington 4.26 avg rating — 774 ratings
65.
I Am Rosa Parks (Penguin Young Readers, Level 4)
I Am Rosa Parks (Penguin Young Readers, Level 4) 4.03 avg rating — 306 ratings
65.
Bessie Smith and the Night Riders
Bessie Smith and the Night Riders 4.01 avg rating — 103 ratings
67.
Priscilla and the Hollyhocks
Priscilla and the Hollyhocks 4.05 avg rating — 95 ratings
68.
Hank Aaron: Brave in Every Way
Hank Aaron: Brave in Every Way 3.94 avg rating — 98 ratings
69.
The Story of Stagecoach Mary Fields
The Story of Stagecoach Mary Fields 4.05 avg rating — 19 ratings
70.
Pink and Say
Pink and Say 4.49 avg rating — 11,657 ratings
71.
Just as Good: How Larry Doby Changed America's Game
Just as Good: How Larry Doby Changed America's Game 4.02 avg rating — 166 ratings
71.
Thurgood Marshall: First Black Supreme Court Justice (Rookies Biographies Series)
Thurgood Marshall: First Black Supreme Court Justice (Rookies Biographies Series) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 3 ratings
73.
Fly High!: The Story of Bessie Coleman
Fly High!: The Story of Bessie Coleman 4.14 avg rating — 245 ratings
74.
Counting the Stars: The Story of Katherine Johnson, NASA Mathematician
Counting the Stars: The Story of Katherine Johnson, NASA Mathematician 4.19 avg rating — 359 ratings
75.
Viola Desmond Won't Be Budged!
Viola Desmond Won't Be Budged! 4.05 avg rating — 248 ratings
76.
Story Painter: The Life of Jacob Lawrence
Story Painter: The Life of Jacob Lawrence 4.50 avg rating — 86 ratings
77.
My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers Growing Up with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers Growing Up with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 4.31 avg rating — 2,038 ratings
78.
Before She Was Harriet
Before She Was Harriet 4.49 avg rating — 2,373 ratings
79.
Ella Fitzgerald: The Tale of a Vocal Virtuosa (Great Black Performers, 3)
Ella Fitzgerald: The Tale of a Vocal Virtuosa (Great Black Performers, 3) 4.01 avg rating — 433 ratings
79.
The Cosmobiography of Sun Ra: The Sound of Joy is Enlightening
The Cosmobiography of Sun Ra: The Sound of Joy is Enlightening 3.97 avg rating — 375 ratings
81.
Strange Fruit: Billie Holiday and the Power of a Protest Song
Strange Fruit: Billie Holiday and the Power of a Protest Song 4.23 avg rating — 554 ratings
82.
Fort Mose: And the Story of the Man Who Built the First Free Black Settlement in Colonial America
Fort Mose: And the Story of the Man Who Built the First Free Black Settlement in Colonial America 3.78 avg rating — 60 ratings
83.
Spirit Seeker: John Coltrane's Musical Journey
Spirit Seeker: John Coltrane's Musical Journey 3.98 avg rating — 109 ratings
84.
Barack
Barack 3.89 avg rating — 197 ratings
84.
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela 4.27 avg rating — 3,615 ratings
86.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s American Heroes: Robert Smalls, the Boat Thief
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s American Heroes: Robert Smalls, the Boat Thief 4.09 avg rating — 47 ratings
87.
Catching the Moon: The Story of a Young Girl's Baseball Dream
Catching the Moon: The Story of a Young Girl's Baseball Dream 4.36 avg rating — 512 ratings
87.
Oprah: The Little Speaker
Oprah: The Little Speaker 3.78 avg rating — 116 ratings
89.
God Bless the Child
God Bless the Child 3.93 avg rating — 126 ratings
90.
Midnight Teacher: Lilly Ann Granderson and Her Secret School
Midnight Teacher: Lilly Ann Granderson and Her Secret School 4.26 avg rating — 288 ratings
91.
Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grew Up to Become Malcolm X
Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grew Up to Become Malcolm X 4.17 avg rating — 435 ratings
92.
Game Changers: The Story of Venus and Serena Williams
Game Changers: The Story of Venus and Serena Williams 4.27 avg rating — 747 ratings
93.
The Legendary Miss Lena Horne
The Legendary Miss Lena Horne 4.15 avg rating — 441 ratings
94.
Malcolm X: A Fire Burning Brightly
Malcolm X: A Fire Burning Brightly 4.07 avg rating — 261 ratings
95.
The Escape of Oney Judge: Martha Washington’s Slave Finds Freedom
The Escape of Oney Judge: Martha Washington’s Slave Finds Freedom 3.85 avg rating — 129 ratings
96.
Tiny Stitches: The Life of Medical Pioneer Vivien Thomas
Tiny Stitches: The Life of Medical Pioneer Vivien Thomas 4.29 avg rating — 406 ratings
97.
Preaching to the Chickens: The Story of Young John Lewis
Preaching to the Chickens: The Story of Young John Lewis 4.08 avg rating — 915 ratings
98.
Ray Charles
Ray Charles 4.06 avg rating — 53 ratings
99.
Lift Your Light a Little Higher: The Story of Stephen Bishop: Slave-Explorer
Lift Your Light a Little Higher: The Story of Stephen Bishop: Slave-Explorer 4.25 avg rating — 506 ratings
99.
A Voice Named Aretha
A Voice Named Aretha 4.11 avg rating — 276 ratings
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