Skip to main content

Five Faves: Black Girl Magic

As we look back and remember the many brillant black women creators and advocates during this Black History month, it's essential to also keep looking forward to the future and to the amazing potential inherent in upcoming generations --to look to that special spark that is known as black girl magic.

Written by Gwendolyn Wallace
Illustrated by Olivia Duchess
Naperville, Illinois: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2023. Picture Book. 

Maya learns to utilize her glow (whether it's produced from seeing injustice, sadness, or joy) by looking back at past black women pioneers to rally her community and bring people together. 

Written by MzVee
Illustrated by Lisbeth Checo
New York: Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2024. Picture Book.

A message of empowerment meant to encourage young girls to love themselves just as they are. 


Written by Dominique Furukawa
Illustrated by Erika Lynne Jones
New York: Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2023. Picture Book.

With charming illustrations, Black Girls, is an engaging celebration of the diversity of black girlhood while also creating a link between everday life and those who led the way in the past. 

Written by Brynne Barnes
Illustrated by Tatyana Fazlalizadeh
San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2022. Picture Book.

A lyrical journey that reveals the gamut of emotions and experiences of past generations, Black Girl Rising will leave you hopeful for the future. 

Written by Kirby Howell-Baptiste
Illustrated by Paul Davey
New York: Nancy Paulsen Books, 2022. Picture Book.

Follow along as one young black girl pursues her dream of a future in robotics, while being sensitive and uplifting in the face of potential struggle. 










Comments

Popular posts from this blog

If You Like...KPop Demon Hunters

KPop Demon Hunters has been one of the most talked-about movies of the summer. If you loved this movie as much as I did, you don't want the magic (or the music) to stop. Try reading these books that touch on some of the same topics and themes as the animated hit! Brick Dust and Bones By M. R. Fournet New York: Feiwel and Friends, 2023. Fiction. 247 pages. Orphaned Marius works in the family business--as their cemetery's ghost caretaker. However, Marius also moonlights as a monster hunter in order to earn the costly Mystic currency he needs to bring his mother back from the dead. As the window to bring his mother back begins to close, Marius's exploits get more and more dangerous, and he may have set his sights on a monster too big to handle on his own. Like Mira, Marius longs for familial connection, and his work as a monster hunter will satisfy the thrill of demon hunting for fans the movie. Where's Halmoni? By Julie J. Kim Seattle, WA: Little Bigfoot, 2017. Comics. W...

Review: I Hate Everything!

  I Hate Everything! By Sophy Henn  New York: Beach Lane Books, 2025. Picture Book.  Two ghosts are floating atop a solid colored background. The first one yells, “I HATE EVERYTHING!” The second ghost responds, “Really?” Thus, begins the conversation which helps the first ghost realize that they don’t actually hate everything. This is a great picture book that is all about feelings and ghosts. The simple speech bubbles will allow even young preschoolers to understand what is happening. The illustrations though simple, have clever bits that readers will laugh out loud at. Basically, this is a brilliant book that every young reader who is mad at the world (or who knows someone who seems to be mad at the world) should read.

Review: The Library in the Woods

  The Library in the Woods Written by Calvin Alexander Ramsey Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie Minneapolis, MN : Carolrhoda Books, 2025. Picture Book. I am always intrigued by picture books that tell stories from the past in beautiful and meaningful ways, leaving the reader educated, and also hopeful and inspired. This book definitely did that for me! The cover is a beautiful peek into the story waiting on the pages. Junior and his family have lived on a farm that is having a hard time producing what it needs to for the family to survive economically. The parents make the hard decision to move away from the farm and into the city. Junior misses a lot of things about his life in the country. However, when Junior's friends tell him about a library in the woods, things change for him in the best way! He is amazed by the seemingly endless collection of books, and is eager to check some out for his family. Junior excitedly borrows a few books, including one about a farmer for his dad ...