#Lemonade for Girls: In Formation
When a home-schooling Black mother asked me for a #Lemonade syllabus for her girls, I immediately reached out to my peers and asked them to help me compile three age-appropriate lists for young readers. Our selections reflect some of the themes in Beyoncé’s visual album: self-love, African roots, spirituality, Louisiana, the history and culture(s) of the South, Black women’s activism, police brutality, and “Daddy Lessons.” If we’ve missed a title that would empower Black girls and teens, please leave your recommendation in the comments section. You can download a PDF: Lemonade for Girls.
Picture Books (age 0-7)
- Asim, Jabari. Girl of Mine.
- Atinuke, Anna Hibiscus.
- Copeland, Misty. Firebird.
- De Leon, Aya. Puffy: People Whose Hair Defies Gravity.
- Elliott, Zetta. A Hand to Hold.
- Greenfield, Eloise. Honey, I Love.
- Hegamin, Tonya. Most Loved in All the World.
- Pinkney, Andrea Davis. Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters.
- Tarpley, Natasha Anastasia. I Love My Hair.
- Watson, Renee. A Place Where Hurricanes Happen.
Middle Grade (age 8-12)
- Allen, Crystal. The Laura Line.
- Bolden, Tonya. Maritcha: A Nineteenth Century American Girl.
- DePrince, Michaela and Elaine. Ballerina Dreams: From Orphan to Dancer.
- Engle, Margarita. Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl’s Courage Changed Music.
- Grimes, Nikki. Words with Wings.
- Nelson, Marilyn. A Wreath for Emmett Till
- Okorafor, Nnedi. Akata Witch.
- Pinkney, Andrea Davis. Rhythm Ride: A Road Trip through the Motown Sound.
- Rhodes, Jewell Parker. Ninth Ward.
- Schatz, Kate. Illustrated by Miriam Klein Stahl. Rad American Women A-Z: Rebels, Trailblazers, and Revolutionaries Who Shaped Our History… And Our Future!
- Taylor, Mildred T. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.
- Weatherford, Carol Boston. Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer: The Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement.
- Whitley, Jeremy and M. Godwin. Princeless.
- Williams-Garcia, Rita. One Crazy Summer.
- Woodson, Jacqueline. Brown Girl Dreaming.
Young Adult (age 13+)
- Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi, Purple Hibiscus.
- Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
- Davis, Kiri. A Girl Like Me. (short film)
- Draper, Sharon. Copper Sun.
- Edwards, Sue Bradford and Duchess Harris. Black Lives Matter.
- Elliott, Zetta. A Wish After Midnight.
- Getz, Trevor R. and Liz Clarke. Abina and the Important Men.
- Gibney, Shannon. See No Color.
- Hopkinson, Nalo. Brown Girl in the Ring.
- Magoon, Kekla. How It Went Down.
- Nelson, Marilyn. How I Discovered Poetry.
- Rees, Dee. Pariah. (film)
- Simpson, Karen. Act of Grace.
- Woodson, Jacqueline. The House You Pass on the Way.
Reading List Contributors
EDITH CAMPBELL, M.L.S.
Reference/Instruction Librarian, Indiana State University
@Crazyquilts
SARAH PARK DAHLEN, PH.D.
Assistant Professor of Master of Library & Information Science Program, St. Catherine University
@readingspark
ZETTA ELLIOTT, PH.D.
Author/Educator
@zettaelliott
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