My youngest son is obsessed with making things. He’s built a working fishing pole, a wobble racer, and even a 3-D paper basketball playset, complete with players who actually shoot the ball into the hoop.
We’ve always encouraged our kids to learn about their history, so I thought it would be cool for him to read some books about black inventors and scientists. That way, he learns about history and he finds out that other people like him have had big ideas that they turned into real things that helped society.
Talk about a self-esteem boost!
I wanted to share these storybooks with all of you because we’ve enjoyed reading them. (Some are even in our home library.) But they’d also make excellent choices for a STEM unit or a Black History Month lesson. In our family, we like to read about them all year.
Read on to see these inspiring black inventor books for kids. And for more black history lessons, don’t miss our We Got Jazz unit study! It’s packed with over 120 pages of black history for elementary grades!
20 Fascinating Books about Black Inventors and Scientists
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1. Garrett Morgan: Historically by Maria Mas
2. What Color Is My World? The Lost History of African-American Inventors by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
3. Katharine Johnson (You Should Meet) by Thea Feldman
4. Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super Soaking Stream of Inventions by Chris Barton
5. What Are You Figuring Now? A Story about Benjamin Banneker by Jeri Ferris
6. Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed
7. National Geographic Readers: George Washington Carver by Kitson Jazynka
8. Vision of Beauty: The Story of Sarah Breedlove Walker by Kathyrn Lasky
9. What If There Were No Black Folks? A Story About African-American Inventors and Pioneers by Toni Abasi Hill
10. Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly
11. The Man Who Invented the Lawn Mower: And Other Inspirational Black American Inventors and Their Inventions by Christopher Davis, Jr
12. All Aboard! Elijah McCoy’s Steam Engine by Monica Kulling
13. The Doctor With an Eye for Eyes: The Story of Dr. Patricia Bath by Julia Finley Mosca
14. Lewis Latimer: Black Americans of Achievement by Winifred Latimer Norman
15. Great Black Heroes: Five Brilliant Scientists by Lynda Jones
16. The Woman Who Invented Weaving by Christopher Davis, Jr
17. Gary and the Great Inventors: It’s Laundry Day! by Akura Marshall
18. Black Pioneers of Science and Invention by Louis Haber
19. Look What Brown Can Do! by T. Marie Harris
20. Have You Thanked an Inventor Today? by Patrice McLaurin
Did you like this list of books about black inventors and scientists? Check out these other history learning ideas!
See even more activities on my Living History for Kids Pinterest board!
Sister, Thank you so much for this empowering material for our children… I am a homeschool mom who is always searching for resources in which I can use to teach my children about themselves and our history. Thanks again for taking your time to disseminate this Power!!! And May you be blessed to continue with your work…it is making a difference!