My children are drawn to stories of real-life creators fueled by passion, purpose, resilience, and imagination. We read books on all sorts of people, but it seems that they always want to return to the work of visual artists. I’m certain that the combination of engaging illustrations and top-notch storytelling in these picture books featuring Black artists drives my kids’ hunger for more, but at the core, it’s the lives of the artists that compel us to return to the same pages again and again. African American photographer Roy DeCarava said, “The artist creates the material that we look back upon as part of history,” and this is what motivates me to share these stories with my children more than anything else.

If you want a quick glimpse inside the books or an easy view of pricing, you can check out these titles in the Heritage Mom Amazon Shop. Otherwise, scroll below to enjoy learning a little more about each book as you make your library list or decide what to add to your home collection.

Most of these books have a wonderful Author’s Note at the end that will tell you more about the artist’s life. In many cases, the note is as valuable as the story itself so be sure to read all the way to the end of each book.

*** I’ve prepared artist study lesson plans for these select artists.

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• It Jes’ Happened: When Bill Traylor Started to Draw – This book is a story of resilience and wonder that tells about the life of self-taught American folk artist Bill Traylor and how he began exploring his art on the streets of Montgomery, Alabama after years of enslavement and sharecropping. Traylor was in his 80’s when he began telling his story through art while working out on the sidewalks of the city. HIs work was exhibited on a small scale before he passed but didn’t really capture the attention of others in a major way until decades later. There has been plenty to study because Traylor left behind more than one thousand works of art when he died in 1949. See photos and learn more about Bill Traylor’s work on the Smithsonian’s website.
• Stitchin’ and Pullin’: A Gee’s Bend Quilt – This collection of poems about the quilt-making community in Gee’s Bend, Alabama was written by one of my family’s favorite authors, Patricia C. McKissack, who traveled to Alabama to learn their stories. “For generations, the women of Gee’s Bend have made quilts to keep a family warm, as a pastime accompanied by sharing and singing, or to memorialize loved ones. Today, the same quilts hang on museum walls as modern masterpieces of color and design…The lyrical rite-of-passage narrative that is the result of her journey seamlessly weaves together the familial, cultural, spiritual, and historical strands of life in this community.” This was a sweet read for my family as my oldest daughter is working on her first quilt and could connect her work to that of the women in this book.
• Dream Builder: The Story of Architect Philip Freelon – This is a contemporary story about Philip Freelon, an architect whose team won a commission to design Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. It was really fun to read this story alongside photos of my children standing in front of this iconic building because they were able to connect the museum we visited to Freelon and his work. One thing that stood out to us is that Freelon chose not to use his talent to build casinos or prisons, instead concentrating on schools, libraries, and museums – buildings that connect people with heritage and fill hearts with joy.
• Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave – David Drake, aka “Dave the Potter,” was an artist who carved poetry into his pots, defying the limitations he faced as an enslaved man. He produced alkaline-glazed stoneware jugs between the 1820s and the 1870s and is recognized as the first enslaved potter to inscribe his work, during a time when most enslaved people were forbidden to read and write, leaving their work entirely anonymous. The text in this book is sparse but, combined with the beautiful illustrations, it tells a compelling story that really connected my children to the artist when I took them to see his work. One of Drake’s unique storage jars is on display at the Atlanta History Center, our favorite local museum. It’s housed in the ceramics collection alongside other outstanding works by Southern craftspeople in the Shaping Traditions: Folk Arts in a Changing South exhibit.

• *** In Her Hands: The Story of Sculptor Augusta Savage – This book tells the story of a woman who overcome many obstacles, including overt racism and her own father’s distaste for her craft, to launch a career as a sculptor amid the Harlem Renaissance. My younger daughter has really taken to clay modeling this year and was inspired to find that Augusta Savage began exploring her artistic talent by making little animal figures out of the clay found on her family’s land. You can find much more info on her in this artist study post I wrote: African American Picture Study: Augusta Savage | Heritage Mom

• Fancy Party Gowns: The Story of Fashion Designer Ann Cole Lowe – Fashion designer Ann Cole Lowe was rarely credited for her work despite the fact that she made clothing for some of America’s most famous women, including Jackie Kennedy’s wedding dress and Olivia de Havilland’s dress at the Oscars when she won for Best Actress. Raised in Alabama in the early 1900s, Lowe endured many struggles including the loss of her mother at a young age and the racism encountered at her design school where she had to learn alone, segregated from the rest of the class. This book puts a face and a name to “society’s best kept secret.” with a spotlight on a “little-known visionary who persevered in times of hardship, always doing what she was passionate about: making elegant gowns for the women who loved to wear them.”
• Gordon Parks: How the Photographer Captured Black and White America – Told in verse, this story on Gordon Parks tells how he went from teaching himself to take pictures to becoming the first black director in Hollywood through his career as a photographer. He started in fashion but soon found his camera pointed towards segregation and the lives it affected. My family went to see Gordon Park’s work at the High Museum of Art when our children were very young. They don’t remember the exhibit, but I distinctly recall my oldest daughter asking why the girls couldn’t go inside the playground when she saw his photo entitled Outside Looking In, Mobile, Alabama 1956. Her question launched the first of many conversations we’ve had about segregation, and it also taught me that children are always paying attention, even when they seem too young to notice or care.
• Draw What You See: The Life and Art of Benny Andrews – I was first introduced to Benny Andrews as the illustrator of a poetry book my family enjoys, Poetry for Young People: Langston Hughes, but I soon found out that he is considered one of the finest African American artists of the twentieth century. This book tells of his childhood in Georgia, where I’m raising my family, and his career as a working artist, activist, and educator. This book is not at our local library and was not available as a new purchase for a long time. It took me months to hunt down a reasonably priced used copy, but I see that it’s back in stock (reprinted?), so I recommend that you snag a copy while you can, if you’re interested.

• Beautiful Shades of Brown: The Art of Laura Wheeler Waring – “Growing up in the late 19th century, Laura Wheeler Waring didn’t see any artists who looked like her. She didn’t see any paintings of people who looked like her, either. As a young woman studying art in Paris, she found inspiration in the works of Matisse and Gaugin to paint the people she knew best. Back in Philadelphia, the Harmon Foundation commissioned her to paint portraits of accomplished African-Americans. Her portraits still hang in Washington DC’s National Portrait Gallery, where children of all races can admire the beautiful shades of brown she captured.” This book is really well made, and I love that it mentions many of the famous Black people she painted because it ties her work to our history studies in a tangible way.
• Art From Her Heart: Folk Artist Clementine Hunter – “Can you imagine being an artist who isn’t allowed into your own show? That’s what happened to folk artist Clementine Hunter. Her paintings went from hanging on her clothesline to hanging in museums, yet because of the color of her skin, a friend had to sneak her in when the gallery was closed. With lyrical writing and striking illustrations, this picture book biography introduces kids to a self-taught artist whose paintings captured scenes of backbreaking work and joyous celebrations of southern farm life. They preserve a part of American history we rarely see and prove that art can help keep the spirit alive.” I think this is the first picture book on a Black artist that I ever bought for our home library, and it is a colorful read that shares surprising details about Hunter’s life.
• *** Jake Makes a World: Jacob Lawrence, A Young Artist in Harlem – This book focuses on the childhood of Jacob Lawrence and how his art was inspired by the shapes and colors of Harlem. “He brought the African-American experience to life using blacks and browns juxtaposed with vivid colors. He is widely known for his modernist illustrations of everyday life as well as epic narratives of African American history and historical figures.” You can find much more info on him in this artist study post I wrote: African American Picture Study: Jacob Lawrence
• *** A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin – Horace Pippin was a self-taught African-American painter. “He served in Europe during World War I where he lost the use of his right arm after being shot by a sniper (He used his left arm to guide his injured right arm when painting). Pippin’s distinctive paintings captured his childhood memories and war experiences, scenes of everyday life, landscapes, portraits, biblical subjects, and American historical events.  The injustice of slavery and American segregation figure prominently in many of his works.” This vivid picture book tells of his childhood and life, and you can find much more info on him in this artist study post I wrote: African American Picture Study: Horace Pippin

• Magic Trash: A Story of Tyree Guyton and His Art – This is a unique story about community-based Detroit artist Tyree Guyton. It introduces the use of recycled items in art and really focuses on how one person can make a big difference in the lives of the people around them. As an urban environmental artist, Guyton used his artistic talent of transforming everyday junk into “magic trash” to help bring attention and pride to Detroit’s crumbling communities. Eventually his neighbors joined in and the entire community began helping install the recycled art all around their neighborhood.
• *** My Hands Sing the Blues: Romare Bearden’s Childhood Journey – This book focuses on Bearden’s childhood from the perspective of his painting Watching the Good Trains Go By. He was known for capturing the scenes of daily Southern life, and The New York Times described Bearden as “the nation’s foremost collagist” in his 1988 obituary. You can find more books and much more info on him in this artist study post I wrote: African American Picture Study: Romare Bearden
• Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat – I absolutely love this book about a famous Afro-Latino artist for showing children that their creations don’t have to look like everyone else’s to be appreciated. Basquiat started as a graffiti artist on the streets of NYC, and at a Sotheby’s auction in May 2017, Untitled, his 1982 painting depicting a black skull with red and yellow rivulets, sold for $110.5 million, becoming one of the most expensive paintings ever purchased. It also set a new record high for an American artist at auction. Unfortunately, Basquiat passed away from a drug overdose at only 27 years old (not covered in the book). The book does gently touch upon the mental health issues his mother suffered from, and I think the topic is handled well as it expresses the truth of how hard it was for him and also the truth that he continued to love and honor his mother despite her inability to be there for him in the traditional sense.
• Come Look With Me: Discovering African American Art for Children – This book introduces children to 12 pieces of art from twentieth century African American artists, including some of the ones highlighted in the books above (Clementine Hunter, Jacob Lawrence, Romare Bearden, etc.) It includes information about each piece as well as the artist, and I find it to be a great introduction to the study of Black art. The book could be used in many different ways, but I go through it with my younger kiddos the year before they start formal picture study with the big siblings. We just meander through the book reading about one or two pictures a month.
• *** Henry Ossawa Tanner: His Boyhood Dream Comes True – Maybe it’s just out of stock, but it appears that this book is out of print, and that makes me sad because it’s a wonderful story about the first African American painter to gain international acclaim. This book was written and illustrated by the multi-talented Faith Ringgold, and it’s worth owning if you can find one reasonably priced. My family has returned to it multiple times over the last few years. You can find much more info on Tanner in this artist study post I wrote: African American Picture Study: Henry Ossawa Tanner