An introduction to one of the defining issues of our time, with a focus on the involvement of young people in the Civil Rights Movement.
Compiled by:
Children's Services Staff
Picture Books and Younger Elementary
(Juvenile Nonfiction – J 323.1196 Pin)
10 year old activist, Tybre Faw, is determined to meet John Lewis after learning of his march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in the fight for the right to vote. Soon after, his two grandmothers drive him to Selma, Alabama to meet John Lewis himself, and that begins a beautiful friendship between the two! For ages 4-8.
(Juvenile Picture Books – Ej Tay)
Follow along as a close knit community of enslaved African Americans as they process the news of their freedom, and how they celebrate together by creating a community flag. Recommended for ages 4-8.
(Juvenile Nonfiction – J 921 Nash Wal)
Learn about the activist in charge of the Nashville Movement and how she eventually convinced the city's mayor to integrate lunch counters. Recommended for ages 4-8.
(Juvenile Fiction - J America Realsto Bad)
Learn about the civil right movement through learning about key people and events that led to this historic movement. Additionally, American Girl Melody as she shares her own experiences with the civil rights movement and discrimination.
(Juvenile Nonfiction – J 780.92 Simone Tod)
As the Civil Rights Movement gained steam, Nina's voice soon became a thunderous roar as she raised her voice in powerful protest in the fight against racial inequality and discrimination. Recommended for ages 4-8.
(Juvenile Picture Books – Ej Lyo)
In Jacksonville, Florida, two brothers wrote the song "Lift Every Voice and Sing." The song provided inspiration and solace for generations of Black families. Recommended for ages 6–9.
(Juvenile Nonfiction – J 323.1196 Wal)
Could the teacher and principal, Reverend F.D. Reese, convince his teachers to risk their jobs—and perhaps their lives—by organizing a march to demand their right to vote? Recommended for ages 6–9.
(Juvenile Picture Books– Ej Ale)
Originally performed for ESPN's The Undefeated, this poem highlights the unspeakable trauma of slavery, the faith and fire of the civil rights movement, and the grit, passion, and perseverance of some of the world's greatest heroes. Recommended for ages 5-10.
(Juvenile Nonfiction – J 323.1196 Smi)
Relive the moments when African Americans fought for equal rights, and made history through momentous events and stories of people who were on the frontlines of the civil rights movement. Recommended for ages 8-12.
(Juvenile Picture Books – Ej Hen)
A daughter, mother and grandmother walk through their neighborhood on their way to vote. They come across obstacles on their way, but overcome them and show the importance of raising your voice to vote. Recommended for ages 4-8.
Older Elementary
(Juvenile Nonfiction – J 323.1196 Tyn)
Black Lives Matter has become one of the most significant protest movements of our time and depicts the continuing struggle of the civil rights movement. Recommended for ages 8-12.
(Juvenile Nonfiction – J 920 Rus)
Features 12 biographies of underrepresented black women and the major contributions they made to the Civil Rights Movement. Recommended for ages 7–12.
(Juvenile Nonfiction – J 323. 34 Dio)
The story of Black women as a force in the suffrage movement--when fellow suffragists did not accept them as equal partners in the struggle. Recommended for ages 8-12+
(Juvenile Nonfiction – J 975.3041 Are)
Series: The Story of the Civil Rights Movement in Photographs
Discusses the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963. Recommended for ages 8-12.
(Juvenile Nonfiction – J 323.1196 Par)
This book focuses on the children who faced terrifying violence in order to walk alongside Martin Luther King Jr. in their fight for freedom and the right to vote. Recommended for ages 8-12.
(Juvenile Graphic Novels – J-GN 920 Bap)
Get to know two brave Black women who stood up against segregation, setting in motion the Montgomery Bus Boycott and showing the nation how positive change can start with a single defiant act. Recommended for ages 8-12.
(Juvenile Nonfiction – J 921 Bridges Bri)
Ruby Bridges recounts the story of her involvement, as a six-year-old, in the integration of her school in 1960. Recommended for ages 8-12.
(Juvenile Nonfiction – J 323.1196 Low)
This is the story of the youngest person to complete the Selma to Montgomery March. Recommended for ages 8–12+.
(Juvenile Fiction – J Curtis)
The everyday routines of the Watsons, an African American family, are drastically changed after they go to visit Grandma in Alabama in the summer of 1963. Recommended for ages 8-12.
(Juvenile Nonfiction – J 303.61 Has)
In an age when armies are stronger than ever before––when guns seem to be everywhere––how can people confront their adversaries without resorting to violence themselves? Recommended for ages 8–12.