I love books about Black history, including biographies and historical fiction. It’s important for our children to learn about the past tragedies and joys of Black people in Africa, the United States, and across the African diaspora. However, those are not the only important stories. It’s also imperative that kids have plenty of opportunities to read about Black kids having FUN. All children enjoy going on adventures, spending time with adoring family members, rescuing animals, and playing on the beach.

If we’re not careful about our bookshelves, it can become easy for our children to get the wrong ideas about themselves and others. If all the Black characters and stories are steeped in trauma while the sweet, carefree stories of childhood romps and silly scenarios feature white characters, we are inadvertently sending a message that most of us don’t intend to communicate.

To prevent this, we can introduce fun-loving Black characters to our children at a young age. These three early chapter book series are ideal choices for getting started or building upon what you may have already started with picture books. You can find ideas for slightly older or more advanced readers in my post on Chapter Books: Black Girls Just Being Kids.

Between Lolo, Lulu, and Anna – the stars of the books that I’m sharing today – your kids are sure to enjoy hours of sweet storytelling on your lap or by your side as you read aloud, tag-team read, or listen to them reading to you. These books are also quality, safe reads that you can confidently hand to an independent reader without worrying about inappropriate content or overly-mature topics.

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I may earn commissions from qualifying purchases using these links to early chapter books featuring Black girls at no additional cost to you.

Lolo Series by Niki Daly

This series features an adventurous little girl named Lolo who lives with her mom and grandmother in South Africa. Plenty of black-and-white illustrations are sprinkled throughout, and with larger print and simpler (but not at all babyish) vocabulary, this book is perfect for beginner readers. In the first book, Lolo longs for a cute floppy hat, finds a missing ring, and helps to rescue a dog. I love the innocent meanderings of Lolo’s world! It’s a perfect series for kids to dive into, and another one of this author’s books is featured in my Amazing Africa! Heritage Pack.

Lulu Series by Hilary McKay

ln this series for transitional readers, Lulu the animal lover and her best friend & cousin, Mellie, navigate all types of mishaps and fun adventures while finding creative ways to save the day. With slightly smaller text and more words per page, this book could be for a bit more mature reader than the Lolo series. Book 1 was the very first book we read in the Heritage Book Club years ago when my oldest was only seven years old.

Anna Hibiscus Series by Atinuke

Anna Hibiscus lives in a big white house with a beautiful garden in Africa with her parents, her twin baby brothers, and several other family members. The house is in a compound in the city, and each book takes readers along on Anna’s adventures with cousins or others in tow. The Anna Hibiscus books have the densest text and richest vocabulary of the books presented in this post, so it’s ripe for reading aloud or for meeting the needs of a maturing young reader. Below you’ll find a handful of the 10-book series, and you can read more about Anna Hibiscus in my post on African and African-American Culture: Early Elementary Books.

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