Children's Books Written and Illustrated by People of Color

Following is a curated list of books about food, gardens, farming, and nature that are written and illustrated by authors and artists of color. 

  1. Jayden's Impossible Garden by Melina Mangal
  2. If You Plant a Seed by Kadir Nelson
  3. Michelle's Garden: How the First Lady Planted Seeds for Change 
  4. Amara's Farm: Where in the Garden Series by JaNay Brown-Wood, Samara Hardy
  5. Miguel's Community Garden by JaNay Brown-Wood, Samara Hardy
  6. The Thing About Bees: A Love Letter by Shabazz Larkin
  7. Blue: A History of the Color as Deep as the Sea and as Wide as the Sky by Nana Ekua
  8. Thank You, Omu! by Oge Mora 
  9. Freedom Soup by Tami Charles, Jacqueline Alcantara
  10. Layla's Happiness by Mariahadessa Ekere Tallie, Ashleigh Corrin
  11. The Grasshopper & the Ants by Jerry Pinkney 
  12. Uncle John's City Garden by Bernette Ford, Frank Morrison
  13. Harlem Grown: How One Big Idea Transformed a Neighborhood by Tom Hillery 
  14. Watercress by Andrea Wang
  15. A Day with Yayah by Nicola I. Campbell
  16. We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom, Michaela Goade
  17. Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble Mailla, Juana Martinez-Neal
  18. Tomatoes for Neela by Padma Laksmi
  19. The Empty Pot by Demi
  20. The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin
  21. Grandpa Grumps by Katrina Moore, Xindi Yan
  22. A Different Pond by Bao Phi, Thi Bui
  23. Magic Ramen: The Story of Momofuku Ando by Andrea Wang, Kana Urbanowicz

You can purchase these books from most bookstores, and we recommend checking out BIPOC-owned bookstores, like  Black Garnet Books in St. Paul, MN.

The following books are published by Planting People Growing Justice (A Minnesota-based Black Children's Book Publisher)