February is Black History Month, and it is a time of celebrating black culture and history, recognizing the accomplishments of individuals, as well as the Civil Rights movement and other historic moments. Therefore, we should encourage children to learn about more than the same few famous people. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Harriet Tubman are very important historical figures, but I wanted to suggest some lesser known but additionally important and interesting children’s book biographies.

Ona Judge Outwits the Washingtons by Gwendolyn Brooks is the story of Ona Judge, who was born a slave at Mount Vernon, which was owned by George Washington. She was a talented seamstress, and when George Washington was elected President, she moved with the Washingtons as Martha Washington’s personal attendant, first to New York City, and then Philadelphia, as the new country decided on a capital city. Here Ona met free men and women who inspired her to escape her enslavement, eventually escaping to New Hampshire.

Also by Gwendolyn Brooks, Tiny Stitches tells the story of Vivien Thomas, an extraordinary man who developed a life saving medical technique for infants and assisted in the first open heart surgery on a child. Thomas had planned on studying medicine, but lost his savings in the stock market crash of 1929. Still determined to learn, he applied for a job at Vanderbilt University assisting Dr. Alfred Balock. As a black man, he would not have been allowed to study at the all white school, but Dr. Balock saw Thomas’s intelligence and determination, and he entrusted Thomas with work beyond the typical assistant. Vivien Thomas would become a leader in medicine and teach generations of doctors.

What Do You Do with a Voice Like That? by Chris Barton is about Barbara Jordan, the lawyer, educator and civil rights leader who became one of the first black women to serve in Congress. Jordan, with a big voice and commanding presence, was a woman who demanded attention. She used her gifts to become an effective legislator and leader, first in her home state of Texas, and then for the US.

In She Was the First! by Kathryn Russel-Brown, children are introduced to Shirley Chisolm, another larger than life political leader.  Widely known as the first black woman to run for president of the United States, Chisholm was another powerful and persuasive politician. Originally an educator, Chisholm eventually decided to be a change maker, first in New York state, and then in Congress. Shirley Chisholm fought for equality and justice, and was the first black woman (and second woman) to serve on the powerful House Rules Committee.

When Marian Sang by Pam Munoz Ryan is a beautifully illustrated book about Marian Anderson, a famous African American opera singer and civil rights activist. Marian was repeatedly denied opportunities to study and perform music, based on the color of her skin, but her voice and talent could not be contained. She famously performed at the Lincoln Memorial at the invitation of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, where 75,000 people attended. She was the first African American to perform at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.

Radiant Child by Javaka Steptoe is the story of Jean-Michel Basquiat, a revolutionary artist who found fame first in New York, and then the world. Basquiat, born in 1960 in Brooklyn, came of age when the city was reinventing itself through street art, rap, punk and hip hop culture. He first gained fame as a graffiti artist using the tag SAMO, but was later embraced by the art world for his paintings. His art lives on, still challenging the viewer to face issues of inequality, poverty, race, and power.

Pies From Nowhere by Dee Romito introduces readers to Georgia Gilmore, who helped feed and support the Montgomery Bus Boycott. After Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus for a white man, African American community leaders, including Martin Luther King, Jr., instituted a bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama. Gilmore used her kitchen to support the movement; she fed her community at meetings and protests, and used money she raised to help fund the boycott. Knowing that white employers and landlords would punish anyone openly supporting the boycott, Gilmore and other women she recruited to help her, became the “Club from Nowhere.” Gilmore was the only one aware of  who was cooking, and when asked where the money came from, she would reply “nowhere,” protecting her friends and sustaining the protest.

The last book I want to mention is about someone not traditionally “famous,” but whose story is just as powerful. In The Oldest Student by Rita Lorraine Hubbard and Oge Mora, we learn about Mary Walker, a woman who was born a slave, lived through emancipation, and worked her whole life. She cleaned houses and provided childcare. She outlived her husband and children, and at 116 years old, finally accomplished a lifelong goal – to learn to read. Mary Walker’s example of determination to learn is beyond inspiring for all readers.

This is just a small sample of the biographies out there for children and their families. I encourage you to explore what’s out there, whether in medicine, politics, or the arts – there is so much to learn!

Nicole Guerra-Coon is the Assistant Children’s Librarian at the Morrill Memorial Library in Norwood, MA. Look for her article in the February 10, 2022 issue of the Transcript and Bulletin.