Exploring Empowering Children's Books About Darkness
At Kids on the Wise, we created the groundbreaking children's science book Nature's Dark Treasures because we believe that embracing darkness and blackness can empower young minds, regardless of their cultural background. Too often, children's books and movies portray black and darkness as symbols of danger, discomfort, or villainy, reinforcing negative stereotypes.
In this post, we explore the fascinating world of children's literature where darkness is not something to fear, but a rich canvas upon which incredible stories are painted. Change starts with the books you choose!
God's Holy Darkness by Sharei Green
From the darkness at the beginning of creation to the blackness of the sky on the day when Christ's birth was announced to the shepherds, children learn that blackness is something to celebrate as an important element of the life of faith. Lush and vibrant illustrations by artist Nikki Faison underscore the mystery and beauty of these wondrous acts of God's holy darkness.
Nature's Dark Treasures by Kids on the Wise
Come on a wonderful science journey and discover how Nature expresses its beauty through darkness and dark things. Touch on subjects like geology, astrology, chemistry, physics, biology and even philosophy to get a closer look.
Sulwe by Lupita Nyong'o
Sulwe has skin the color of midnight. She is darker than everyone in her family. She is darker than anyone in her school. Sulwe just wants to be beautiful and bright, like her mother and sister. Then a magical journey in the night sky opens her eyes and changes everything. In this stunning debut picture book, actress Lupita Nyong’o creates a whimsical and heartwarming story to inspire children to see their own unique beauty.
You So Black by Theresa tha S.O.N.G.B.I.R.D.
Black is everywhere, and in everything, and in everyone—in the night sky and the fertile soil below. Black is good. Accompanied by powerful yet tender illustrations by award-winning illustrator London Ladd, Theresa tha S.O.N.G.B.I.R.D. has adapted her poem, full of gorgeous lyricism and imagery, to show readers the love, joy, resilience, and universality in the beauty of Blackness.
Orion and the Dark by Emma Yarlett
Orion is very scared of the dark—until Dark decides to pay him a visit! Orion is scared of a lot of things, but most of all he’s scared of the dark. So one night the Dark decides to take Orion on an adventure. Emma Yarlett’s second picture book combines her incredible storytelling and artwork with die-cut pages that bring the Dark to life.
What Color Is Night? by Grant Snider
Look closer. Grant Snider's beautiful debut picture book explores the wonders—and colors—of nighttime. For night is not just black and white. Ending in colors yet unseen, and a night of sweet dreams, this lilting lullaby is sure to comfort those drifting off to sleep. With luminous art as spare and glowing as the moon, and lyrical text that reads like a friend leading the way through the wilderness, What Color Is Night? is a rich and timeless look at a topic of endless fascination, and a perfect bedtime read-aloud.
The Black Book of Colors by Menena Cottin
Living with the use of one's eyes can make imagining blindness difficult, but this innovative title invites readers to imagine living without sight through remarkable illustrations done with raised lines and descriptions of colors based on imagery. Braille letters accompany the illustrations and a full Braille alphabet offers sighted readers help reading along with their fingers. This extraordinary title gives young readers the ability to experience the world in a new way.
Black Gold by Laura Obuobi
When the Universe decides to create a child, she draws from the earth—rich, dark, and full of everything that gives life, including eyes like black star sapphires and full lips to speak the truth. With help from the Sun and the Moon, they create a child of the Universe: beautiful, powerful, and boundless with the brilliance of Black Gold. Laura Obuobi’s empowering, whimsical text and London Ladd’s lustrous, captivating illustrations will inspire children to love themselves exactly as they are.
Black All Around by Patricia Hubbell
In this lively, poetic celebration of the color black, a young girl experiences the wonder and joy of all the black objects she finds around her. The letters and words on the pages of a book, a limousine, a big workhorse, beetles, firefighter's boots, piano keys, and more all capture the young girl's attention in joyously illustrated spreads that combine seemingly unrelated objects in imaginative interactions.
Brown Is Warm, And Black Is Bright by Sarah L. Thomson
A long overdue book that lyrically celebrates and teaches positive associations with two of the most important colors on Earth, black and brown. Have you ever paused to savor the power and beauty of brown and black? Brown is strong as a tree and sweet as honey in tea; black is the hopeful promise of a seed and the grace of a bird in flight... and the quiet space where dreams begin.
Black Is a Rainbow Color by Angela Joy
A child reflects on the meaning of being Black in this moving and powerful anthem about a people, a culture, a history, and a legacy that lives on. Red is a rainbow color. Green sits next to blue. Yellow, orange, violet, indigo, They are rainbow colors, too, but My color is black . . . And there’s no BLACK in rainbows. From the wheels of a bicycle to the robe on Thurgood Marshall's back, Black surrounds our lives. It is a color to simply describe some of our favorite things, but it also evokes a deeper sentiment about the incredible people who helped change the world and a community that continues to grow and thrive.
The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson
Inside the house are nighttime things both comforting and intriguing—a bed, many books—and outside, too, there are sources of light and joy—the moon, the sky—that reveal a reassuring order in the universe. This timeless bedtime tale takes readers through the house in the night, up into the sky, and back home again, all while presenting us with the most intriguing illustrations, etched into a black canvas!
The Stuff of Stars by Marion Dane Bauer
In an astonishing unfurling of our universe, Newbery Honor winner Marion Dane Bauer and Caldecott Honor winner Ekua Holmes celebrate the birth of every child .A seamless blend of science and art, this picture book reveals the composition of our world and beyond — and how we are all the stuff of stars.
Hello Dark! by Wai Mei Wong
In a reassuring bedtime book perfectly pitched to ease sleep anxiety, a little boy overcomes his worries by befriending the darkness
A little boy faces his fear of the dark by engaging in a conversation with it. Imagining the dark as a friendly shadow creature, the boy comes to the realization that the dark is not only a necessary part of life, but that it can be fun as well! The boy and his new friend play make believe, meditate, and listen to music until it's finally time to fall asleep.