This February, we are thrilled to celebrate Black History Month by participating in the African-American Read-In organized by the Oakland Education Fund. Tandem staff visited and read to children in Lockwood Elementary, Community United Elementary School, Futures Elementary, Lincoln Elementary, and Markham Elementary. 

Here is a list of the books written by African American authors and/or featuring African-American characters that we shared with OUSD students — check them out or even better, read them with a child in your life!  

Jabari Jumps  by Gaia Cornwall

This wonderful read is all about facing our fears. It follows the story of Jabari, who will be jumping off the diving board for the very first time and is a bit nervous/frightened. With the help of his dad and sister he is able to conquer his fear of the diving board and perform an amazing jump; resulting in a great big SPLASH!

 My City is Oakland  by Kamaria Lofton

A beautiful book written by local Oakland author, Kamaria Lofton, showcases all the popular and colorful sites in Oakland. This is a great way for children to see both new and familiar places that they can visit in their hometown.

Furqan’s First Flat Top  by Robert Liu-Trujillo (Bilingual)

This book follows Furqan in his  first experience with getting a flat top. Although he is excited about his new haircut, he becomes nervous while sitting in the barber’s chair as his imagination runs away with him but the reassuring words of his father calm him down. He ends up loving the look of his flat top and feeling happy he gained the courage to go outside his comfort zone and try something new. 

Grace for President  by Kelly DiPucchio

Grace for President is about an African-American girl, Grace, who reacts to the fact that American presidents have all been men by deciding to run for president herself, starting with the school’s mock election. It’s a fun, accessible introduction to the American electoral system but it is also a book about hard work, courage, and independent thought. 

Princess Hair  by Sharee Miller

This delightful book highlights the diverse hairstyles of a group of young African-American girls while they play dress-up, wearing their princess crowns. Celebrating Black hair in all its forms, including twist-outs, blow-outs, dreadlocks, curls, Bantu knots, Afros, and headwraps, Miller takes the narrative beyond hair, portraying girls as young artists, thinkers, bakers, and even rock stars sporting a wide array of frohawks.

Other Tandem favorites that you can share with the small children in your life at any time of the year, and especially during Black History Month:

Hair Love  by Matthew A Cherry 

A beautiful book that showcases the bond between a father and daughter. They work together to make sure dad creates the most perfect hairstyle. There are a few hiccups but father and daughter ultimately come up with something beautiful.

If you look up to the sky  by Angela Dalton 

A magical read with stunning pictures, this is a story about looking up to the sky and noticing all the different weather types and realizing how we are all connected under the same sky. This book brings the heartwarming message of facing the weather without fear and reminds us about the importance of small things like smelling the flowers or looking at the stars.

I Got the Rhythm  by Connie Schofield-Morrison

This great story follows a young girl on her adventure to discover different rhythms. On the way she encounters a man playing the drums, butterflies, a cupcake stand and her friends. Once she meets her friends, they proceed to have a dance party at the park. More people join in on the fun and march down the park while dancing and creating different rhythms. 

When you buy your copies of these books through our Amazon Affiliate links, a small portion of your purchase supports Tandem. We feature only the books that we genuinely love and want to share, and this is an arrangement between Amazon and Tandem (you never pay more for these books). Get your shopping done while supporting Tandem all at the same time!

This post was compiled by Tandem staff members: Des Michel, Tania Camacho-Pineda, and Sara Rizik-Baer.