Jacqueline Woodson
Selected Picture Books by Jacqueline Woodson
The Day You Begin
Other students laugh when Rigoberto, an immigrant from Venezuela, introduces himself, but when he meets Angelina he finds out that he’s not the only one who feels like an outsider.
Show Way
Quilts once served as secret maps for freedom-seeking slaves. This is the story of seven generations of girls and women who were quilters, artists, and freedom fighters.
Each Kindness
Woodson writes about a young person who misses chances to be kind. “At some point in our lives, we are all unkind. At some point, we are all treated unkindly. I wanted to understand this more.”
The Other Side
Clover and Annie fight against segregation by becoming friends. They don’t believe in the ideas adults have about things so they do what they can to change the world.
This Is the Rope
A fictive memoir that tells the story of how some Black people arrive in New York City.
Other students laugh when Rigoberto, an immigrant from Venezuela, introduces himself, but when he meets Angelina he finds out that he’s not the only one who feels like an outsider.
Show Way
Quilts once served as secret maps for freedom-seeking slaves. This is the story of seven generations of girls and women who were quilters, artists, and freedom fighters.
Each Kindness
Woodson writes about a young person who misses chances to be kind. “At some point in our lives, we are all unkind. At some point, we are all treated unkindly. I wanted to understand this more.”
The Other Side
Clover and Annie fight against segregation by becoming friends. They don’t believe in the ideas adults have about things so they do what they can to change the world.
This Is the Rope
A fictive memoir that tells the story of how some Black people arrive in New York City.
Selected Books for Middle Readers by Jacqueline Woodson
Brown Girl Dreaming
Woodson’s award-winning memoir in verse. Reader’s guide.
Another Brooklyn
Heartbreakingly illuminates the formative period when a child meets adulthood—when precious innocence meets the all-too-real perils of growing up.
Feathers
In the 1970s, a boy walks into a classroom where he is very different from the other kids there. Or maybe he isn’t so different…. A Newbery Honor book.
Locomotion
Lonnie C. Motion has had some tough breaks. But this fall, his fifth grade class is learning to write poetry and he’s finding the words to tell the world his story.
Woodson’s award-winning memoir in verse. Reader’s guide.
Another Brooklyn
Heartbreakingly illuminates the formative period when a child meets adulthood—when precious innocence meets the all-too-real perils of growing up.
Feathers
In the 1970s, a boy walks into a classroom where he is very different from the other kids there. Or maybe he isn’t so different…. A Newbery Honor book.
Locomotion
Lonnie C. Motion has had some tough breaks. But this fall, his fifth grade class is learning to write poetry and he’s finding the words to tell the world his story.
Related Picture Books
A Is for Activist by Innosanto Nagara
Playful images and tongue-twisting rhymes show a world of justice and equal rights.
All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold
Illustrations and simple, rhyming text introduce a school where diversity is celebrated and songs, stories, and talents are shared.
All Because You Matter by Tami Charles
A lyrical, heart-lifting love letter to Black and Brown children everywhere reminds them how much they matter, that they have always mattered and they always will.
Antiracist Baby by Ibram X. Kendi
Illustrations and rhyming text present nine steps to encourage all family members, no matter how young, to see all skin colors and celebrate our differences.
Black Is a Rainbow Color by Angela Joy
A child reflects on the meaning of being Black in this anthem about a people, a culture, a history, and a legacy that lives on.
Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes
A celebration of the feeling of walking out of a barber shop with newly cut hair.
Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry
Dad steps in to help his young daughter arrange her curly, coiling, wild hair into styles that allow her to be her natural, beautiful self.
I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes
An empowering picture book for all children, from the creators of Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut.
Little Legends: Exceptional Men in Black History and
Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison
Based on her popular Instagram posts, debut author/illustrator Vashti Harrison shares the stories of bold African Americans who have shaped history.
Saturday by Oge Mora
When all of their special Saturday plans go awry, Ava and her mother still find a way to appreciate one another and their time together.
Playful images and tongue-twisting rhymes show a world of justice and equal rights.
All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold
Illustrations and simple, rhyming text introduce a school where diversity is celebrated and songs, stories, and talents are shared.
All Because You Matter by Tami Charles
A lyrical, heart-lifting love letter to Black and Brown children everywhere reminds them how much they matter, that they have always mattered and they always will.
Antiracist Baby by Ibram X. Kendi
Illustrations and rhyming text present nine steps to encourage all family members, no matter how young, to see all skin colors and celebrate our differences.
Black Is a Rainbow Color by Angela Joy
A child reflects on the meaning of being Black in this anthem about a people, a culture, a history, and a legacy that lives on.
Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes
A celebration of the feeling of walking out of a barber shop with newly cut hair.
Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry
Dad steps in to help his young daughter arrange her curly, coiling, wild hair into styles that allow her to be her natural, beautiful self.
I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes
An empowering picture book for all children, from the creators of Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut.
Little Legends: Exceptional Men in Black History and
Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison
Based on her popular Instagram posts, debut author/illustrator Vashti Harrison shares the stories of bold African Americans who have shaped history.
Saturday by Oge Mora
When all of their special Saturday plans go awry, Ava and her mother still find a way to appreciate one another and their time together.
Brown Girl Dreaming: Related Reading for Grades 6–8
Books are listed alphabetically by the author's last name.
Fiction
Nonfiction
- The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
- New Kid by Jerry Craft
- Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhhá Lai
- What Lane? by Torrey Maldonado
- Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan
- Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes
- Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson
- Genesis Begins Again by Alicia Williams
- One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
- Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America edited by Ibi Zoboi
Nonfiction
- The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander
- We Are Not Yet Equal: Understanding Our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson
- Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Russell Freedman
- Dark Sky Rising: Reconstruction and the Dawn of Jim Crow by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
- Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip M. Hoose
- We’ve Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children’s March by Cynthia Levinson
- Child of the Dream: A Memoir of 1963 by Sharon Robinson
- The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights by Steve Sheinkin
- They Called Us Enemy by George Takei
- Little Rock Girl 1957: How a Photograph Changed the Fight for Integration by Shelley Tougas
Podcasts
In My Skin
NPR Life Kit
- Episode 6: Centering Race Conversation on Children • March 28, 2019
- Episode 7: Children Are Not Colorblind • April 10, 2019
NPR Life Kit
- Talking Race with Young Children (20-minute listen) • April 26, 2019
- "We Wanted to Show Children Real Life" — Sesame Street’s Sonia Manzano (18-minute listen) • May 31, 2019
- How White Parents Can Talk to Their Kids About Race (10-min. listen) • June 4, 2020
Articles
Chicago Parent
Parents Magazine
University of Michigan Health
- 9 Anti-Racism Resources for Kids and Families • July 7, 2020
- 11 Learning Activities to Help Discuss Race with Kids • July 14, 2020
Parents Magazine
- How to Talk to Your Kids About Race • January 26, 2018
- Anti-Racism for Kids: An Age-by-Age Guide to Fighting Hate • June 2, 2020
University of Michigan Health
Websites
The Conscious Kid
PBS
P.R.I.D.E. / Positive Racial Identity Development in Early Education
UNICEF
PBS
P.R.I.D.E. / Positive Racial Identity Development in Early Education
UNICEF