Affirming Books for Kids Featuring Black Characters
Lift children’s spirits and build their confidence with these affirming books for kids! What makes this collection even more special is that all of the picture books featured here are #OwnVoices books with Black protagonists. Amongst them are books that uplift with positive messages, draw on the rich cultural heritage of Black Americans, and inspire us with stories of Black role models.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. I received complimentary copies of some of the books below for review purposes; however, all opinions are my own.
Affirming Books for Kids Featuring Black Characters
Share positive messages with these affirming books for kids!
Want to start saying affirmations with your kids? I Love Me! is the perfect place to begin! This sweet book is filled with affirmations for kids, like I am brave! and I am beautiful! The message is even more powerful, as it is delivered by a loving Black father and his children. Young readers are encouraged to say the affirmations along with the characters. Written by the founder of Dope Black Dads, the book includes notes for caregivers on saying affirmations and reading together with kids.
Buy I Love Me! A First Book to Build Confidence on Amazon or Bookshop
Not only has Rhiannon Giddens won multiple Grammy awards and a Pulitzer Prize (!), she is also the artist playing that incredible banjo on Beyoncé’s groundbreaking new country song. Giddens’ new picture book, based on the lyrics of her song “We Could Fly” (co-written with Dirk Powell), pairs her with acclaimed illustrator Briana Mukodiri Uchendu, who won a Coretta Scott King–John Steptoe New Talent Illustrator Award Winner for the book’s gorgeous images of love and spiritual empowerment. Inspired by the classic book The People Could Fly, this uplifting new book draws from Black American folklore and heritage to weave a powerful tale of resilience and freedom.
Buy We Could Fly on Amazon or Bookshop
When Tacko Fall (who now plays for Barcelona) first joined the NBA, he definitely turned heads. He was the tallest player in the league – and one of the tallest humans! But that’s not what he wants kids to know about him. He wants them to know about the hard work and perseverance that took him from Senegal to the US, that when he first started to play basketball he would get tired easily and could barely lift weights. But he stuck with it, kept practicing, and eventually achieved his dreams. This motivational story is now an inspiring picture book, told by Tacko himself and his sports agent, and it is sure to help kids realize the grit and determination behind the basketball phenomenon.
Buy Tacko Fall: To New Heights on Amazon or Bookshop
When Raphael Warnock was a little boy, his father told him to get dressed, get his shoes on, and get ready! And so he did, always careful to put on the shoes that were right for the job he was meant to do. That determination and focus eventually took him all the way to the US Senate, as the first Black senator from Georgia. But he wants children to hear the same message that his father taught him: there is a job that is just right for you, so get your shoes on and get ready for it!
Buy Put Your Shoes On & Get Ready! on Amazon or Bookshop
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Strengthen Your Child’s Self-Esteem and Positive Self Image
