Black Children’s Book Week is a global celebration of Black children and the people who ensure Black children are represented in books and other children’s media. The first celebration took place in 2022, when founder Veronica N. Chapman, a children’s author with a background in educational programs for children, created a vision board with one simple goal: “I want to make the world better for Black children.”
Champman started with Black Baby Books, a website to make it easier to discover children’s books with Black characters. To empower and affirm Black children. To show a world of love, through books.
Because if you grew up Black any time before 2020, and loved reading, you were hard pressed to find books with characters that looked like you. Books with Black children doing things like getting dropped off for that first day of kindergarten, going to the zoo, playing basketball, swimming, reading at the library, just being with family and friends. Today there are more Black authors being published, more books about Black children – celebrating our hair, our many skin tones, our big beautiful blended families, our culture and holidays like Juneteenth and Kwanzaa, Black children as genius scientists, playing with a dog, jumping off the high dive, encountering a portrait of Michelle Obama at the museum. Blazing trails in politics, ballet, tennis.
Contra Costa County is proud to celebrate Black Children's Book Week with games and prizes for you to enjoy at all our branches. Have fun with your little ones with “I Spy”, and search for some of our favorite Black children’s book covers hidden throughout the library. Join the check-out challenge, where checking out five (5) books by Black authors and illustrators enters you into a giveaway contest. Grab a joyful coloring page and bookmark featuring fantastic Black authors and illustrators.
Black Children’s Book Week is all about celebrating Black children and making sure they feel our love. We hope you join us.
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