Even though Martin Luther King Jr. Day is just around the corner, these books on slavery for kids are appropriate and really should be read throughout the year.
Slavery can be one of those hot topic buttons for families. How do you start the conversation with your children? How do you start educating them about our past and helping them understand the long-term ramifications of slavery on our culture, our society and our citizens?
These must-read children’s books on slavery are the place to start.
Be sure to check out even more age-appropriate Black History Month books about the African American experience.
You can find these books on slavery for kids at your local library or purchase through the affiliate links provided for your convenience.
History of Slavery
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries people were kidnapped from the continent of Africa, forced into slavery in the American colonies and exploited to work as indentured servants and labor in the production of crops such as tobacco and cotton.
Four hundred years after enslaved Africans were first brought to Virginia, most Americans still don’t know the full story of slavery.
Students deserve a truthful, age-appropriate account of slavery and our past.
MUST-READ CHILDREN’S Books on Slavery for Kids
Today I’m sharing my must-read children’s books on slavery.
And when I say children, I don’t just mean tots… I mean your children — no matter their age.
So I’m also sharing chapter books worthy of your kid’s time.
A stirring, dramatic story of a slave who mails himself to freedom by a Jane Addams Peace Award-winning author and a Coretta Scott King Award-winning artist.
Newbery Honor Book; Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book * Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book
Using original slave auction and plantation estate documents, Ashley Bryan offers a moving and powerful picture book that contrasts the monetary value of a person with the priceless value of life experiences and dreams that a slave owner could never take away.
Caldecott Honor and a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor * A Kirkus Reviews Best Book * A School Library Journal Best Book
This poetic, nonfiction story about a little-known piece of African American history captures a human's capacity to find hope and joy in difficult circumstances and demonstrates how New Orleans' Congo Square was truly freedom's heart.
An inspiring tale of creativity and determination on the Underground Railroad from Coretta Scott King Award winner James Ransome and acclaimed author Deborah Hopkinson.
This fictional tale of the Underground Railroad continues to inspire young readers 25 years after its original publication.
With compassion and respect for the enslaved, this book answers questions children might have about this dismal era in American history.
It is hard to imagine that, once, a person in America could be “owned” by another person.
From the time the colonies were settled in the 1600s until the end of the Civil War in 1865, millions of black people were bought and sold like goods.
Where did the slaves come from? Where did they live when they were brought to this country? What kind of work did they do?
A young girl describes how she once heard the sound of warning drums in Africa signaling the coming of horror.
Kidnapped, made to march while chained, and taken to America to be sold at an auction, she undergoes the brutalities of slavery in this tale of a strong-willed girl who lives in harsh surroundings.
William Miller follows up his critically acclaimed Zora Hurston and the Chinaberry Tree with a timeless reminder to readers of all ages and backgrounds that freedom is something to never be taken for granted.
In his picture book debut, fine artist Cedric Lucas a hauntingly realistic portrait of a cruel era.
The compelling true story behind the building of the White House, a powerful part of history rarely taught. From Coretta Scott King Award winners Charles R. Smith Jr. and Floyd Cooper.
Stirring and emotional, Floyd Cooper's stunning illustrations bring to life the faces of those who endured hard, brutal work when the profit of their labor was paid to the master, not the slave.
An ALA Best Book for Young Adults * A Booklist Editors' Choice Book
Rod Brown and Julius Lester bring history to life in this profoundly moving exploration of the slave experience.
From the Middle Passage to the auction block, from the whipping post to the fight for freedom, this book presents not just historical facts, but the raw emotions of the people who lived them.
MUST-READ CHAPTER BOOKS ABOUT SLAVERY
From acclaimed author Laurie Halse Anderson comes this compelling first novel in the historical middle grade The Seeds of America trilogy that shows the lengths we can go to cast off our chains, both physical and spiritual.
Born in a Virginia slave hut, Booker T. Washington (1856-1915) rose to become the most influential spokesman for African-Americans of his day.
In this eloquently written book, he describes events in a remarkable life that began in bondage and culminated in worldwide recognition for his many accomplishments.
Inspired by a true story, the riveting novel of a young slave girl’s harrowing escape to freedom on the Underground Railroad.
The story of America and African Americans is a story of hope and inspiration and unwavering courage.
This is the story of the men, women and children who toiled in the hot sun picking cotton for their masters; it’s about the America ripped in two by Jim Crow laws; it’s about the brothers and sisters of all colors who rallied against those who would dare bar a child from an education.
Through Emily Edmonson’s journey from enslaved person to teacher at a school for African American young women, Conkling illuminates the daily lives of enslaved people, the often changing laws affecting them, and the high cost of a failed escape.
The page-turning, heart-wrenching true story of one young woman willing to risk her safety and even her life for a chance at freedom in the largest slave escape attempt in American history.
This story of Thomas Jefferson’s children by one of his slaves, Sally Hemings, tells a darker piece of America’s history from an often unseen perspective-that of three of Jefferson’s slaves-including two of his own children.
As each child grows up and tells his story, the contradiction between slavery and freedom becomes starker, calling into question the real meaning of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
This poignant story sheds light on what life was like as one of Jefferson’s invisible offspring.
When this award-winning husband-and-wife team discovered that they each had sugar in their family history, they were inspired to trace the globe-spanning story of the sweet substance and to seek out the voices of those who led bitter sugar lives.
With songs, oral histories, maps, and over 80 archival illustrations, here is the story of how one product allows us to see the grand currents of world history in new ways.
Welcome to our third annual blog hop on Martin Luther King Day for Kids! Find great ideas for commemorating MLK Day with kids and don’t miss our series from last year and 2015! For even more, be sure to follow our Black History Pinterest board!
WOW!!!
I learned a lot just from reading the book blurbs! Great job.
Full Spectrum Mama
Aw thanks! I hope you sit down with your own kiddos and read some of the books with them. I sprinkle them throughout the year so my kids get a better understanding. And it creates a LOT of interesting discussions.
We’ve studied slavery a few times, reading a lot of great picture books each time and yet I don’t think we’ve ever read any of these! Thanks for suggestions. Pinned.
So glad to be able to share some new titles with you 🙂 We’ve had some amazing conversations (at all age levels) thanks to a lot of these books. Happy reading!
These are so important for our children to read!
Fantastic post! I hope lots of folks find this. I like to give books like these for gifts.
I agree with most of the titles. I’m not too keen on the book entitled If Lived in the Time When There Was Slavery in America. It could be perceived as insensitive.