18 Must Read Books on Dreaming
Are you looking for a book to help a child in your life dream out loud? Well, this is the book list for you!
In my work with children, one of the most powerful questions I can ask is: what do you want to be when you grow up ? Asking this question provides children an opportunity to discuss their dreams. The question offers them an opportunity to discuss who they want to be and what they want to do. Books selected for this list are tools I’ve used to help children dream out loud! This list rang from biographies to fictional stories. Enjoy the reviews below!
For more thematically organized booklists check out the following link: https://www.dreamocracylab.org/the-book-club/book-lists.
I Dream to Be by Rebecca Clarke is an inspirational book. This book has the potential to open children’s hearts and minds to the endless possibilities of creating their dreams. The author uses an African-American girl name Jersey to introduce children what they can grow up to be. The vibrant illustrations and encouraging words serve as a great foundation for young dreamers. This book is a tool for parents and teachers seeking to motivate kids to dream with their eyes open! This is a must buy the book.
Of Thee I Sing by former President Barack Obama is an inspirational book that parents to affirm their children’s gifts and talents. Pres. Obama masterfully connects the talents and gifts his daughters embody to leaders of the past. The pictures illustrate a powerful narrative: all children have the power to be great. For parents, the book teaches us that we have to see and affirm the best in our children.
Happy Dreamer by Peter H Reynolds is a must-read book. This book does a great job at capturing the emotional highs and lows of dreaming. It also provides readers with an opportunity to understand dreaming as a holistic process requiring unconventional thinking and acting. The amazing illustrations allow young dreamers to follow the storyline with ease. Happy Dreamer is a parental tool to begin the discussion about what it means to be a dreamer. I love this book!
Who will I be, Lord? by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson is about a little girl dreaming out loud about of her future. The author takes the reader on a journey through this young girl’s family as she explores her potential career. The book provides beautiful illustrations of Black family and provides readers with the opportunity to understand the complexity of Black life. The book serves as a tool for parents and teachers to invite a playful conversation with children about their future career aspirations. This is a must read!
Hey Black Child is a fun and inspirational book. The author does a great job integrating affirmative words and fascinating pictures depicting Black kids striving towards excellence. Reading this book allows Black children know that their dreams possible. This is a must read!
Dad Who Will I Be by Todd Taylor inspirational book for young Black boys. The book connects a boy’s dreams to Black heroes who dared to strive towards and achieve greatness. The book displays powerful images of an active father who uses affirmative words to guide his son in imagining possibilities for his life. This book is a reflective tool to aid Black boys in realizing their dreams are possible.
Trombone Shorty by Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews is a story about developing the courage to dream. The richness of New Orleans’ musical and cultural heritage inspired the main character to dream of becoming a musician. With familial encouragement and personal drive, he’s able to take practical steps towards accomplishing his dream. The book’s message: It is never too early for kids to create and enact their dreams. This is a great book to read to your young dreamer over the holiday break.
Riley Can Be Anything by Davina Hamilton is about dream exploration. In a playful dialogue with his cousin, the Riley imagines himself in the career paths through Black men in his life. The author’s skillful rhyming and joyful illustrations allow kids to follow each page with ease. This is a great book because it allows children to begin dreaming of who they want to become in the future.
Dream On is a practical book about what it means to be a dreamer. The author provides relevant examples and steps children can use to develop the mindset and behaviors to accomplish their dreams. The beautiful pictures allow the readers to follow the flow of the story with ease. This is a tool for parents to encourage children to use each day as an opportunity to enact their dream.
The Magician’s Hat is a book that will inspire your young dreamer to love books. The story is set during a library’s family fun day. The author brilliantly uses a magician to teach children that books are magical keys that opens ups doors to their dreams. This book serves as a tool for parents and teachers to ask children a key question: what do you want to be when you grow up? The amazing illustrations and diverse characters will allow your young dreamer to follow and be inspired by the storyline with ease. This is a must read!
Gordon Parks: How the Photographer Captured Black and White America is an interesting biography for kids. This book describes the ups and downs of Park’s life and how he entered the field of photography. The book highlights the racial barriers that prevented African-Americans from maximizing their human potential. It also describes how Parks used photography to tell the struggle of Black people in America. This is an amazing book that illuminates the power of art in capturing the human experience.
Take a Picture of Me James Vanderzee is a triumph portrayal of a world-class photographer. Reading this book illuminates the patience needed for creating and advancing a dream. It also shows how the main character was inspired to develop his dream by accident. Nonetheless, he was able to use his dream to reach Blk ppl from all socioeconomic statuses. Reading this book will aid kids imagining how they can transform their interests into a life long dream.
Look What Brown Can Do! By T. Marie Harris is an amazing book about the many accomplishments of individuals of the Africana community. The book highlights the achievements in various career fields such as arts, politics, business, medicine, literature, innovation, and sports. The brief biographies of these amazing Africana heroes provide children with exemplars to aspire to be like when they grow up. I highly recommend this book for parents and teachers who look to teach children how to strive towards greatness!
Young Gifted & Black by is a collection of inspirational biographies of Black sheroes and heroes. These biographies show children the barriers these heroes and sheroes experience, while also detailing how they created pathways through their barriers towards their dreams. I especially like this book because it exposes children to popular and unsung Black leaders from across the world. For parents and educators, this book is a tool to inspire children to create and build their dreams. This is a must buy book!
The Five O’Clock Band by Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews takes children on a journey on what it takes to live their dreams. When the main character comes late to an opportunity to play with his band, he begins reflecting on whether he can accomplish his dream. Through the many interactions with elders in his community, they impart wisdom that serves as a building blocks for his dream. This story ends with the main character understanding what it takes to accomplish his dream. The beautiful illustrations by Bryan Collier allow readers to experience the character’s journey. This book serves as a tool to motivate students to use everyday as an opportunity to build their dreams.
Jerry Pinkney by Lisa Bolt Simons is a biography of the legendary author and illustrator. The book details the role of parental support in aiding him in realizing the possibility of accomplishing his dream. His story shows the importance of finding what you love and developing a life’s work out of it. This book is a great tool to use for children who might have academic struggles because it shows the possibility of accomplishing dreams regardless of one’s situation or condition.
Preaching to the Chickens by Jabari Asim is biography of the Africana Hero John Lewis. This book tells the amazing story of Lewis as a child who used play to practice his potential vocation. Pretending that the chickens were members of his church, he would care for and give sermons to his flock. The amazing pictures reinforce an important message to parents and children: play serves as a tool to aid children in developing and advancing their future dreams. This is a must-read book about a Civil Rights Icon!
Austin’s Reading Adventure by Rebecca Clark is a must-read book. The author presents reading as a journey where kids find their personal interests and develop their dreams. She also informs the reader that reading can happen anywhere. The illustrations by Chris House capture the main character enthusiastically engaging in the reading process. The author’s insightful words along with the joyful illustrations serves as a powerful combination to inspire your young dreamer’s love of reading. For parents, this book can spark the conversation about what your son is interested in reading.
