Nana's Bookshelf

Nana's Bookshelf Nana's Bookshelf is a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization supporting K-3 literacy by expanding home libraries and promoting diverse children's books.

Founded by a daughter and her mom in memory of one terrific nana. Nana’s Bookshelf is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving children's literacy in kindergarten through the third grade. Founded by a daughter and her mom in memory of one terrific nana, Nana’s Bookshelf donates inclusive children's books to students, teachers, schools, pediatrician's offices and literacy organizations within Mecklenburg county.

03/04/2026

Before Louis Armstrong became one of the greatest jazz musicians of all time, he was just a boy in New Orleans who dreamed of having his own horn. “If I Only Had a Horn” draws upon one of the many stories Armstrong told about the moment a cornet first found its way into his hands.

Written by Roxanne Orgill. Illustrated by Leonard Jenkins


03/03/2026

“Colin Powell” celebrates the military leader and diplomat whose excellence, dedication to service, and integrity propelled him through the ranks to become the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the first Black U.S. Secretary of State.

Written by Frank Berrios. Illustrated by Kristin Sorra

03/01/2026

“Who was Shirley Chisholm?” introduces readers to the educator and community activist who became the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress and the first to run for president.

Written by Lisbeth Kaiser. Art by Geraldine Sy

02/28/2026

As a lawyer, teacher, and poet, James Weldon Johnson was known for using his words effectively. But when violence was directed against members of his community in 1917, he suggested silence. What resulted was one of the largest protest gatherings of its time and the first mass march for civil rights in the U.S., a march down 5th Avenue in New York City. “Let Us March On: James Weldon Johnson and the Silent Protest Parade” captures this bit of history for the early independent reader.

Written by Yohuru Williams and Michael G. Long. Art by Xia Gordon

02/27/2026

From picking cotton in Mississippi to becoming music royalty as the acknowledged “King of the Blues”, B.B. King’s journey is chronicled in the very first children’s book about him, “Blues Boy: The B.B. King Story”.

Written by Alice Faye Duncan. Art by Carl Joe Williams.

02/26/2026

“Gordon Parks: How the Photographer Captured Black and White America” celebrates an artist who created iconic images that changed how the nation viewed itself. Working as the first Black photographer for the popular national publication, Life magazine, Gordon Parks used his camera as a tool for social change.

Written by Carole Boston Weatherford. Illustrated by Jamey Christoph.

02/25/2026

At just six years old, Ruby Bridges walked through angry mobs to attend school, satisfying a court order to integrate her New Orleans public elementary school. Facing crowds repeatedly for months, and under armed escorts, she demonstrated incredible courage, and according to her mother, “lead us nearer to knowing each other.

“The Story of Ruby Bridges” is written by Robert Coles and Illustrated by George Ford.

02/24/2026

Long regarded as the wealthiest man who ever lived, Mansa Musa built schools to educate young people. Scholars studied the Quran, in addition to botany, grammar, logic, history, geography, astronomy, astrology, calculus, geometry, music, medicine, and surgery. They transcribed texts as read aloud to them by their teachers so that they, like their teachers, could have their own extensive libraries. Mansa Musa, along with other wise men, queens, warriors, a playwright, a diplomat, and a military strategist, is featured in “African Icons: Ten People Who Shaped History”.

Written by Tracey Baptiste. Illustrated by Hillary D. Wilson.

02/23/2026

“After the Clotilda: Africatown’s Hidden History” honors the resilience of survivors who arrived in the U.S. on the last known slave ship from Africa, and their descendants, who rebuilt their lives in Alabama, preserving their heritage and community in Africatown after enduring the unimaginable. Recommended for ages 8+

Written by Anitra Butler-Ngugi

02/22/2026

“She Persisted: Opal Lee” celebrates the “Grandmother of Juneteenth” whose lifetime of community service and activism led to the adoption of a nation-wide Juneteenth holiday.

Written by Sheila P. Moses for the early chapter reader.

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11220 Elm Lane Suite 200
Charlotte, NC
28277

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