Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem. What Color Is My World? The Lost History of African-American Inventors. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2012. [Grades 3-7] Did you know that James West invented the microphone in your cell phone? That Fred Jones invented the refrigerated truck that makes supermarkets possible? Or that Dr. Percy Julian synthesized cortisone from soy, easing untold people’s pain? These are just some of the black inventors and innovators scoring big points in this dynamic look at several unsung heroes who shared a desire to improve people’s lives.

Alexander, Kwame: The Playbook: 52 Rules to Aim, Shoot and Score in This Game Called Life. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017. [Grades 5-7] You gotta know the rules to play the game. Ball is life. Take it to the hoop. Soar. What can we imagine for our lives? What if we were the star players, moving and grooving through the game of life? What if we had our own rules of the game to help us get what we want, what we aspire to, what will enrich our lives? Illustrated with photographs by Thai Neave, “The Playbook” is intended to provide inspiration on the court of life. Each rule contains wisdom from inspiring athletes and role models such as Nelson Mandela, Serena Williams, LeBron James, Carli Lloyd, Steph Curry and Michelle Obama.

Giovanni, NIki. I Am Loved. New York, NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2018. [Preschool-grade 4] There is nothing more important to a child than to feel loved, and this gorgeous gathering of poems written by Nikki Giovanni celebrates exactly that. Hand-selected by Newbery honoree Ashley Bryan, he has, with his masterful flourish of color, shape, and movement, added a visual layering that drums the most impartant message of all to young, old, parent, child, grandparent, and friend alike: You are loved.

Harrison, Vashti. Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History. New York, NY: Little, Brown Books for Youth Readers, 2017. [Grade level 3-7] Featuring forty trailblazing black women in American history, Little Leaders educates and inspires as it relates true stories of breaking boundaries and achieving beyond expectations.