Find the perfect read aloud children’s books releasing in June 2021!
This particular list of read aloud books for kids are children’s books with black characters. If you are looking for children’s books by black authors, this list is for you! We will also share links so you can find these children’s books online.
Find the list of Black Children’s Books below:
Hugo by Atinuke
Summary: What happens when a pigeon who looks after all the visitors in the park finds himself in need? Help comes from a surprising source in a touching story of unexpected connection.
Hugo the pigeon has a very important job. He is a park warden: he tends to his small Parisian park and all the people who live around it. Hugo helps the park neighbors all year long: keeping Madame Grande company as she sits in the sun, discussing the news with Monsieur Occupé, entertaining little Bébé and Coquine so their mothers can take a rest, and flying from one apartment to the next during the winter to remind everyone that spring is coming. But one set of windows never opens for Hugo’s visits. Hugo knows that Somebody is there behind the curtains, but whoever they are, they hide whenever he knocks.
What will it take for the mysterious Somebody to be coaxed out to enjoy the park—and perhaps make a few friends? Award-winning author Atinuke teams up with acclaimed illustrator Birgitta Sif for a charming, joyful story of friendship, bravery, and community.
Find in Amazon Children’s Books | Find on Bookshop
Becoming Vanessa by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
Summary: For readers of Alma and How She Got Her Name and The King of Kindergarten, this story will help kids just starting school transform from timid caterpillars into beautiful butterflies so they can love who they are.
On Vanessa’s first day of school, her parents tell her it will be easy to make friends. Vanessa isn’t so sure. She wears her fanciest outfit so her new classmates will notice her right away. They notice, but the attention isn’t what she’d hoped for. As the day goes on, she feels more self-conscious. Her clothes are too bright, her feather boa has way too many feathers, and even her name is too hard to write.
The next day, she picks out a plain outfit, and tells her mom that her name is too long. She just wants to blend in, with a simple name like the other girls–why couldn’t her parents have named her Megan or Bella? But when her mother tells her the meaning behind her name, it gives her the confidence she needs to introduce her classmates to the real Vanessa.
Find in Amazon Children’s Books | Find on Bookshop
Shhh! The Baby’s Asleep by JaNay Brown-Wood
Summary: From a dedicated author of casual diversity titles, this story asks whether one big, boisterous family can stay quiet while baby sleeps!
Baby is finally asleep. But everyone is much too noisy! Can Mom, Daddy, Grammy, Pop Pop, Shae, Dante, Rover the dog, and even the neighbor keep quiet? Of course Baby is eventually awakened. But one savvy little narrator knows just the way to make his baby sister fall back asleep: by reading a good book to her, of course. A hilarious cast of characters will keep readers laughing throughout this amusing celebration of early literacy and intergenerational family relationships.
Find in Amazon Children’s Books | Find on Bookshop
Zuri Ray Tries Ballet by Tami Charles
Summary: From New York Times bestselling author Tami Charles and rising star illustrator Sharon Sordo comes the first book in a charming picture book series about a fun, spunky girl with a huge heart!
Meet Zuri Ray. She’s always willing to go the extra mile for family and friends and is up for any challenge. At least, that was before her best friend, Jessie, asked her to join a ballet camp.
Now Zuri isn’t sure if she’s up for everything. While Jessie can’t wait to chassé and plié while wearing tight hair buns and frilly tutus, that doesn’t sound like Zuri at all! But she can’t let her friend down. Maybe classical ballet just needs a new spin . . .
Perfect for fans of Fancy Nancy and Fresh Princess, Zuri Ray Tries Ballet encourages kids to follow their hearts and stay true to themselves!
Find in Amazon Children’s Books | Find on Bookshop
The McClure Twins: Make It Fashion
Summary: Introducing your new favorite children’s book stars: The McClure Twins! This adorable and fun story about embracing differences is perfect for fans of Juno Valentineand Fancy Nancy.
Introducing your new favorite children’s book stars: The McClure Twins! This adorable and fun story about embracing differences is perfect for fans of Juno Valentineand Fancy Nancy.
Ava and Alexis are twins. So when they find out they were born a whole minute apart and that they don’t agree on what to wear for their fashion show, the girls start to wonder…
Can twins be “mismatched”?!
Just in time, Ava and Alexis remember their twinship pinky promise to “strut together and make it fashion” as they mix and match their unique styles to create one twintastic outfit.
Written by and based on everyone’s favorite YouTube kid-fluencers, The McClure Twins, The McClure Twins: Make It Fashion drives home the very important lesson of embracing what makes us similar and different.
Find in Amazon Children’s Books | Find on Bookshop
The Bench by Meghan The Duchess of Sussex
Summary: Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex’s first children’s book, The Bench, beautifully captures the special relationship between father and son, as seen through a mother’s eyes. The book’s storytelling and illustration give us snapshots of shared moments that evoke a deep sense of warmth, connection, and compassion.
This is your bench
Where you’ll witness great joy.
From here you will rest
See the growth of our boy.
In The Bench, Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, touchingly captures the evolving and expanding relationship between father and son and reminds us of the many ways that love can take shape and be expressed in a modern family.
Evoking a deep sense of warmth, connection, and compassion, The Bench gives readers a window into shared and enduring moments between a diverse group of fathers and sons—moments of peace and reflection, trust and belief, discovery and learning, and lasting comfort.
Working in watercolor for the first time, Caldecott-winning, bestselling illustrator Christian Robinson expands on his signature style to bring joy and softness to the pages, reflecting the beauty of a father’s love through a mother’s eyes.
With a universal message, this thoughtful and heartwarming read-aloud is destined to be treasured by families for generations to come.
Find in Amazon Children’s Books | Find on Bookshop
Seasonal Adventures by Johnny Ray Moore
Summary: As the reader experiences the sights, sounds, and activities of each season through the author’s poetic words, the illustrations celebrate the joys of fatherhood by showing African American dads and their kids enjoying the year together.
Find in Amazon Children’s Books | Find on Bookshop
Shirley Chisholm Dared: The Story of the First Black Woman in Congress by Alicia D. Williams
Summary: Discover the inspiring story of the first black woman elected to Congress and to run for president in this picture book biography from a Newbery Honor-winning author and a Coretta Scott King-John Steptoe New Talent Award-winning illustrator.
Meet Shirley, a little girl who asks way too many questions! After spending her early years on her grandparents’ farm in Barbados, she returns home to Brooklyn and immediately makes herself known. Shirley kicks butt in school; she breaks her mother’s curfew; she plays jazz piano instead of classical. And as a young adult, she fights against the injustice she sees around her, against women and black people. Soon she is running for state assembly…and winning in a landslide. Three years later, she is on the campaign trail again, as the first black woman to run for Congress. Her slogan? “Fighting Shirley Chisholm–Unbought and Unbossed!” Does she win? You bet she does.
Find in Amazon Children’s Books | Find on Bookshop
Wow! So many awesome read aloud books for summer! Which ones would you consider adding to your shelf? Let us know in the comments!
Are you still trying to find time in your day to read-aloud with your children? Check out this blog post for actionable tips.
Want to see the Black children’s books released in May 2021? Check here.
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