5 books for Black History Month

October is the perfect time to check out these books about some heroes.

Young, Gifted and Black by Jamia Wilson.

Illustrated by Andrea Pippins (Wide Eyed Editions)

Meet 52 black icons – including writers, sports stars and political activists – in this colourful illustrated book. The pioneers, trailblazers and change-makers it features include former South African leader Nelson Mandela, civil rights activist Rosa Parks and the 44th US president, Barack Obama.

Little Guides to Great Lives:

Maya Angelou by Jawando Danielle (Laurence King)

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Great Lives series of biographies tells the story of writer Maya Angelou – an inspiring African-American actor, author, campaigner, playwright and poet. As well as writing several books about her life, she also wrote the scripts for a number of films and TV shows.

Walter Tull’s Scrapbook by Michaela Morgan (Frances Lincoln)

Born in 1888, Walter Tull became one of the first black British footballers – and then went on to be the first black officer in the British Army, fighting in the trenches during the First World War. This book tells the story of his life, including his time with Northampton Town FC.

Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison (Puffin Books)

This illustrated book features 40 black women who broke boundaries, from nurse Mary Seacole to mathematician Katherine Johnson. A new Little Leaders book about exceptional men in black history is coming out next month.

Michelle Obama by Anna Doherty (Hachette)

Find out more about a modern-day hero with this book. It promises to tell “The fantastically feminist (and totally true) story of the inspirational activist and campaigner” Michelle Obama, who also spent eight years as First Lady of the US when her husband Barack was the president.