The following childrens books not only provide an introduction to the lives of African-American freedom fighters your children should know about, but among them they also provide a historical overview of the fight for civil rights in the last several centuries up to the present, including the eras of slavery and the civil rights movement. All would be enhanced by family or classroom discussion about them. These books should be shared year round, not just during Black History Month. Please keep scrolling down to find information about all 11 books.

Andrea Davis Pinkneys award-winning book is written for 9-12 year olds. It presents the dramatic stories of 10 women, including Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Mary McLeod Bethune, Ella Josephine Baker, Rosa Parks, and Shirley Chisholm. The first page of each biography faces a stunning portrait, with striking allegorical images, by artist Stephen Alcorn.  (Harcourt, 2000. ISBN: 015201005X) Read my review of Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters.

This large picture book biography of Martin Luther King, Jr. was written by Doreen Rappaport, with dramatic and moving cut paper collage and watercolor artwork by Bryan Collier. Quotations by the civil rights leader are highlighted throughout the book, which also includes helpful authors and illustrators notes, a timeline, and other resources. (Jump at the Sun, Hyperion Books, 2001. ISBN: 9780786807147) Read my review of .

Courage Has No Color: The True Story of the Triple Nickles, America’s First Black Paratroopers is a fascinating nonfiction book about an elite group of African American soldiers during World War II.  Author Tanya Lee Stone details the experiences and achievements of the group of soldiers known as the Triple Nickels as they overcame prejudice and broke down barriers.  (Candlewick Press, 2013. ISBN: 9780763665487) Read librarian Jennifer Kendalls book review of .

The narrator of Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-Ins is a