Black Brilliance Youth Books

"A little boy has to step up and be a 'little big man' while his dad is at work over the weekend"--

"When a girl's confidence is shaken and she begins to shrink, her grandmother is there to remind her of who she is in this empowering picture book about self-esteem."--Provided by publisher.

"Girls are strong and powerful alone, but even stronger when they work to uplift one another. In this galvanizing original poem by presidential inaugural poet Amanda Gorman, girls and girlhood are celebrated in their many forms, all beautiful, not for how they look but for how they look into the face of fear."--Provided by publisher.

"Before there was Mufasa--before there was Darth Vader--there was a young boy names James Earl Jones, who spoke with a stutter and dreaded having to talk in class. Whenever James tried to voice his thoughts, his words got stuck in his throat. But James figured out a solution for his shame: if he didn't speak, he wouldn't stutter. And so he was silent--until he wrote his own poem, Ode to Grapefruit, and found a love for poetry. ...Text, ... art, and...

4 stars

"A little boy is excited to work alongside his Papa as they collect eggs, plums, peppers and pumpkins to sell at their stand in the farmer's market, but when Papa cannot make it to the stand, his community gathers around him, with dishes made of his own produce."--

"In his sophomore picture book, NBA superstar Stephen Curry encourages kids to embrace the differences that make them extraordinary! It's the first day of school for Zoe, a young girl with hearing loss who dreams of playing on her school's soccer team. But self-conscious of her hearing aids, Zoe is too nervous to try out. With the help of and perspectives from new friends, what begins as a bumpy, anxiety-filled start for Zoe, soon transitions into...

Follows two children as they grow a garden from seeds. The children quickly learn that things rarely go as planned in the garden. Plants will droop without enough sun and wilt without enough water. Suddenly, "OH NO!" becomes the children's repeated refrain. Eventually, the pair come to see that nature itself provides everything a magnificent garden needs to flourish.

"... picture book about a curious student who finds herself in trouble for talking in class--even though she just wants to share all that she's learned."--Provided by publisher.

"There once was a young boy who had trouble with words. He paused and stuttered and stammered, which made school really tough. But with encouragement from his mom and a paintbrush in hand, he learns that finding your voice isn't about being perfect--it's about being true to yourself."--Provided by publisher.

Illustrations and rhyming text encourage Black girls to learn about the accomplishments of famous women in Black history and then forge their own paths.