Picture Books
An empowering follow-up to New York Times bestselling picture book All Because You Matter that celebrates the rich history of Black and brown men and women throughout history with soaring language and stunning illustration.
Honors
Kirkus, STARRED REVIEW
Publisher's Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
Horn Book, STARRED REVIEW
New York Times Review, by Nikole Hannah-Jones
Amazon's Editor Pick, January 2023
Amazon #1 Best seller
Amazon #1 New Release
Barnes & Noble's Most Anticipated Books for January
Kirkus "20 Best Books to Read in January 2023"
SLJ's Best Books of 2023
Amazon Top 20 Children's Books of 2023
Kirkus Reviews, Best Books of 2023
Horn Book Magazine, Best Books of 2023
"Stunning. Powerful. Timely." Horn Book, STARRED REVIEW
Honors
New York Times Bestseller!
Barnes & Noble Most Anticipated New Kids’ Book Releases of October 2020
Amazon Best Book of the Month (October)
Amazon #1 Best Children's Book of 2020
School Library Journal Best Books of 2020
NPR Best Books of 2020
100 Best Books for Kids by NYPL
Today Show 25 Best Books for Kids
Buzzfeed 15 Picture Books to Gift Friends
ALA Notable Book 2021
SCBWI Golden Kite Award 2021
Barnes& Noble, Children's Book Award shortlist
Every year, Haitians all over the world ring in the new year by eating a special soup, a tradition dating back to the Haitian Revolution. This year, Ti Gran is teaching Belle how to make the soup — Freedom Soup — just like she was taught when she was a little girl.
Honors
Kirkus Best Books, 2019
#1 New Release, Amazon (3 categories)
Apple Books, December "Must Listen"
Four starred reviews, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, School Library Journal, Shelf Awareness
Parents' Choice Award, silver recognition
Featured on the Today Show
Jane Addams Children's Book Award, Finalist
Amazon Best Book, ages 6-8
Featured title, Read Across America 2021
“To carry the panye, we move gracefully, even under the weight of the sun and the moon.”
A young girl in Haiti is eager to learn how to carry a basket to market in an exuberant picture book with universal appeal.
Honors
School Library Journal--STARRED REVIEW
"Spotlighting a preservation of matrilineal skills and a compassionate parent-child relationship, this rich portrait of a tight-knit, resilient community simultaneously serves as warm encouragement to persevere when learning a new skill."--Publishers Weekly
Discover the incredible story of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who followed her childhood dream of becoming a lawyer and eventually became the first Black woman to sit on the US Supreme Court in this picture book biography.
After 232 years and 115 appointments, Ketanji Onyika Brown Jackson became the first Black woman appointed to serve on the US Supreme Court. With Tami Charles’s sweeping lyricism and Jemma Skidmore’s unforgettable illustrations, readers learn about the narratives that have shaped the Justice’s life, and how this historic moment will be impressed upon the minds of the young dreamers of the future.
Honors
A School Library Journal Best Book of 2023
An Orbis Pictus Honor title
ALA Rise: A Feminist Book Project List Selection
Kansas NEA Reading Circle List Primary Title
Meet Zuri Ray. She’s always willing to go the extra mile for family and friends and is up for any challenge. At least, that was before her best friend, Jessie, asked her to join a ballet camp.
Now Zuri isn’t sure if she’s up for everything. While Jessie can’t wait to chassé and plié while wearing tight hair buns and frilly tutus, that doesn’t sound like Zuri at all! But she can’t let her friend down. Maybe classical ballet just needs a new spin . . .
Perfect for fans of Fancy Nancy and Fresh Princess, Zuri Ray Tries Ballet encourages kids to follow their hearts and stay true to themselves!
From New York Times bestselling author Tami Charles and rising star illustrator Sharon Sordo comes the second book in a charming picture book series about a fun, spunky girl with strong opinions, big ideas, and a huge heart!
Zuri Ray is back! And this time, she's got a party to plan. With summer coming to an end, a backyard bash is an absolute must, and Zuri's not letting her parents' questionable tastes anywhere near the details. The food, the decorations, the entertainment—everything has to be perfect. Good thing her friends are ready to help!
But when the party doesn't go exactly according to plan, will Zuri be able to let loose and improvise? Or will the chaos be too much to handle?
Perfect for fans of Fancy Nancy and Fresh Princess, Zuri Ray and the Backyard Bash highlights how much fun can be had even when plans fall apart.
Black history meets the American West in this inspiring story of a woman who became a legend.
A little-known but fascinating and larger-than-life character, Mary Fields is one of the unsung, trailblazing African American women who helped settle the American West. Fields became the first African American woman stagecoach driver in 1895, when, in her 60s, she beat out all the cowboys applying for the job by being the fastest to hitch a team of six horses. She won the dangerous and challenging job, and for many years traveled the badlands with her pet eagle, protecting her from outlaws and wild animals, never losing a single horse or package. Fields helped pave the way for other women and people of color to become stagecoach drivers and postal workers.
2021-2022 Arkansas Diamond Primary Book Award Master List
Young Debbie Allen is destined for fame and everyone will know her name! A poetic, uplifting biography of a Black icon for kids ages 5-8. Young Debbie Allen was blocked from the local dance school in the 1950s Jim Crow American South. In order to allow Debbie to pursue her dream, Debbie's mother moved with her to Mexico where Debbie studied at the Ballet Nacional de Mexico. When they returned to Texas, Debbie was admitted to the Houston Ballet Foundation as the company’s first Black dancer, and a legendary career began.
Inspired by award-winning and NYT best-selling author Tami Charles’s interview with living legend and dancer/actor Debbie Allen, this is an ode to creativity and perseverance, as well as an amazing history of a pivotal time in Debbie's life. Out February 10, 2026!
Novels
“Like Vanessa has it all and then some! Gritty, poetic, emotionally true, Tami Charles wrings out every hope, every stumble and every triumph of a girl on an uneasy road to possessing her self, her strength and her own beauty. An unforgettable debut.” –Rita Williams-Garcia, Newbery Medalist
Honors
Three starred reviews (Kirkus, Booklist, Foreword)
SCBWI Book Launch Award
Indies Introduce Top 10 List
Kids' Indie Next Top 10 List
Project Lit Top 10 Middle Grade List
We Need Diverse Books/ Goodreads "Must Read" of 2018 List
Junior Library Guild Selection
Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Silver Award 2018
2020 Sequoyah Award Finalist
Readers of Tami Charles’s debut novel, Like Vanessa, will remember neighborhood mean girl, Beatriz Mendez. Beatriz bullied and betrayed Vanessa as they competed for Miss King Middle School, but is she really bad? Beatriz dreams of a life spent dancing–until tragedy on the day of her quinceañera changes everything. . .
Honors
Junior Library Guild Selection
STARRED reviews, Kirkus & Shelf Awareness
Endorsed by Debbie Allen, actress, director, choreographer, iconic star of FAME
#1 New Release: Teen/YA Dance Fiction, Amazon
Kirkus Best Books, 2019
One Book Baltimore 2021 Selection
"Highly anticipated...groundbreaking." Entertainment Weekly
Inspired by true events, Muted is a fearless exploration of the dark side of the music industry, the business of exploitation, how a girl's dreams can be used against her - and what it takes to fight back.
Honors:
ALA Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
2021 Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best List – Best Teen Fiction
Buzzfeed, Top 40 YA Novels in 2021
Essence Magazine feature: On How Black Women Can Find Their Voice Through Poetry
Marie Claire Magazine: 35 Must-Read 2021 Book Releases by Black Authors
Audiofile Magazine: Earphones Award Winner
Audible #1 New Release, Teen & Young Adult Fiction about Abuse
Amazon #1 Bestseller, eBook
Woman's Day: 30 Best Beach Books To Read This Summer
Buzzfeed: YA Books That Will Make You Cry
Nerdy Book Novel-in-Verse Award for 2021
Rise 2021 Booklist
G.O.A.T. is an acronym that stands for Greatest Of All Time—and it takes lifelong dedication, nonstop hard work, and undeniable, unbelievable talent even to be considered for that honor. Serena Williams is the most decorated female tennis player of all time. She’s been ranked #1 by the Women’s Tennis Association countless times since 2002, and no one holds more Grand Slam titles—not just as a single’s player, but also, with her sister Venus, in women’s doubles. Find out all about this powerhouse player and her dozens of amazing victories in this entertaining book that’s packed with stats, sidebars, and details about the athlete’s journey.
Sports-crazed kids will love it!
By day, Annabelle Louis is a seventh-grade super geek and the new kid—again. But online, she’s Daphne, a rising vlog star known for hilariously roasting things she “doesn’t” do. When her mom gets deployed to Afghanistan, Annabelle’s therapist urges her to break out of her comfort zone IRL. But as Daphne’s fame grows and Annabelle stays invisible at school, her double life gets harder to juggle. Can she keep pretending forever?