Nikki Grimes Books in Order

After her father dies, Pump struggles with grief and a move to a new neighborhood. Unable to confide in her mother, she faces the class bully alone, only to discover an unexpected friendship that helps her begin again.

Zuri Jackson celebrates her best friend Danitra Brown through a linked collection of poems. Their shared games, confidences and responses to teasing reveal the ways friendship can provide comfort, confidence and support in ordinary childhood experiences.

Paired with Tom Feelings’s portraits of children, these poems explore the emotional world of growing up. Hopes, fears, happiness and sorrow appear through young voices, connecting individual experiences with feelings shared across childhood.

Flying in their airplane, Mickey and Goofy spot an unexpected sight: a car traveling through the air. Following the vehicle leads them toward a mysterious island suspended in the sky.

While vacationing in Sweden, Mickey and Minnie become involved in pursuing a jewel thief. Their trip turns into a mystery as they help catch the criminal behind the theft.

Minnie shares the hopes, worries and everyday adventures of a little girl in this illustrated children’s book. Her experiences bring familiar childhood feelings into the world of Disney characters, giving young readers moments of recognition and enjoyment.

This biography follows Malcolm X from childhood poverty and criminal activity through his discovery of Islam in prison and emergence as a public leader. It examines his challenge to American racism and the continuing influence of his ideas.

A wooden puppet’s nose grows whenever he lies. This illustrated adaptation follows Pinocchio’s adventures, using the consequences of dishonesty to shape a story for young readers.

Children’s prayers for friendship, freedom and small everyday wishes become the subjects of these illustrated poems. The collection gives voice to their worries and hopes, presenting faith through experiences familiar to young readers.

Mistreated by her stepmother and stepsisters, Cinderella receives unexpected help from a fairy godmother. The magic allows her to attend a palace ball, where meeting a prince opens a possibility far beyond her daily life as a servant.

Mary’s life is retold through the daily labor, physical hardship and emotional struggles behind the familiar biblical figure. Grounded in scriptural events, the narrative presents her faith alongside the human experiences of motherhood in her historical and cultural setting.

Rhyming verses guide readers through city life one letter at a time, from skating rinks to the opera. Detailed illustrations invite children to search for alphabet-related objects, with an answer key supporting the exploration.

LaTasha experiences a Sunday full of music, movement and shared worship at church. Through poems following her day, a young girl’s excitement captures both the playful moments and the serious meaning of her congregation’s traditions.

These poems explore childhood through teasing, tickling, friendship and everyday discoveries. Playing music, spending time in a garden and adjusting to new glasses become occasions for humor, reflection and recognizing the feelings that accompany growing up.

Tisa dreads Mondays because combing and braiding her thick hair means a routine she would rather avoid. Once her mother finishes, however, Tisa’s resistance turns to delight, and she can barely pull herself away from the mirror.

Twenty-eight poems explore the world of a creative child through family relationships, cultural identity and the desire to write. The collection brings everyday experiences and personal aspirations together, examining how imagination develops within a young person's surroundings.

Fourteen-year-old Jazmin records life in 1960s Harlem from her neighborhood stoop. Her notebook captures anger, humor, temptation and ambition, while her older sister’s steady support helps her imagine possibilities beyond the difficulties surrounding them.

Thirteen connected poems follow Aneesa Lee and the craft of weaving. The process of bringing separate threads into a finished piece becomes a way to explore patient work, creativity, love and the bonds that bring people together.

This retelling of the biblical creation story imagines Jesus beside God as the world takes shape. Together they create the earth, its creatures and the first people before resting at the completion of the seventh day.

A sleepy baby settles down with help from Mommy and Daddy in this board book. Simple scenes follow an African American family’s bedtime routine, offering a familiar picture of parents caring for their young child.

Twenty-two poems explore love in African American families and communities, moving between affectionate humor and tender feeling. Together they present different ages and experiences, inviting readers to recognize the many forms that caring for others can take.

Damon considers himself the man of his household, but friendship with Blue offers support he did not expect. Having lost a son to the streets, Blue becomes a steady presence in the boy’s life through a story told in poems.

Thirteen poems offer glimpses of Tanzania through mountains, wildlife, crowded transport and family life. Illustrated scenes of lions, passengers and homecomings bring together the landscape’s sounds and sights with the experiences of the people who live there.

New to town, third-grader Dyamonde Daniel quickly sets out to find her place in the neighborhood. A grouchy new classmate puzzles her, but she is determined to understand his behavior and turn their uneasy acquaintance into friendship.

Shoes become a way of imagining the lives children might lead, from dancers on Broadway to athletes on a field and caregivers in hospitals. Poems connect familiar footwear with ambitions, work and the possibilities of growing up.

Tiana carries a pocketful of words that inspire paired poems in free verse and haiku. Her observations of city life and the world around her introduce different poetic forms, accompanied by collages assembled from an assortment of everyday materials.

One student’s poem inspires classmates to begin sharing their own work aloud. Through the voices of eighteen teenagers, these classroom sessions uncover private fears, grief and hopes, allowing students to see the people beneath familiar assumptions.

When Danitra leaves the city for a summer visit with family, her best friend Zuri feels abandoned. Letters and poems keep them connected as each discovers seasonal adventures, from reunions and fireflies to neighborhood games and celebrations.

A ten-year-old girl describes her strong-willed grandmother through lively poems. Grandma Mac has little interest in conventional grandmotherly activities, but her sharp tongue, insistence on education and enduring love offer lessons the girl cannot find in books.

Poems and photographs explore the dreams that fill waking life as well as sleep. Daydreams, nighttime imaginings and hopes for the future appear together, inviting young readers to consider the different ways people picture possibilities.

Twenty-three poems explore Christmas through family meals, neighborhood play, music and seasonal decorations. Accompanied by paintings, the collection gathers both public celebrations and small private moments to portray the sights, sounds and feelings of the holiday.

A young boy watches his father turn to prayer throughout daily family life. Through poems and paintings, he begins to understand how faith offers his father guidance and gives the household a shared source of strength.

A boy spends a special day with his father, sharing park games, french fries and a trip to the movies. Their time together celebrates everyday closeness, with accompanying activity ideas inviting families to create similar experiences.

Poems inspired by a visit to China record the sensations and uncertainties of an African American traveler encountering unfamiliar places. Paired with Ed Young’s drawings, the collection places an outsider’s observations beside an artist’s return to his homeland.

After their older brother dies, Jerilyn and Jesse respond to grief in different ways. Alternating poems follow a year of anger, guilt and pain as the siblings learn to live within a family changed by loss.

The first Easter unfolds through poems voiced by people who witnessed Jesus's arrival in Jerusalem and the events that followed. Brief introductions and David Frampton's woodcut illustrations accompany perspectives on the Last Supper, suffering, death and resurrection.

A new school year brings Zuri worries about her teacher, mathematics and her mother's health. Her spirited friend Danitra responds with humor and support, helping both girls navigate changing expectations while remaining true to their different personalities.

The parallel voices of a modern teenager and the biblical Ishmael explore what happens when fathers form new families. Both boys struggle with abandonment, shaken faith and resentment while searching for a way to understand their changing place.

Poems in varied forms explore gratitude through family, friendship and community relationships. Letters, haiku, riddles and other approaches invite children to recognize the people and moments that connect them to others and give them reasons to offer thanks.

Separated from her brother, Paris enters another foster home expecting disappointment. As she grows closer to the Lincoln family, being a biracial child in a mostly white town complicates her search for belonging and a difficult decision about her future.

A newborn is welcomed into the sights, sounds, tastes and affectionate embraces of family life. Nikki Grimes's verse and Bryan Collier's illustrations follow the small discoveries through which a baby begins to experience the surrounding world.

Xavier resents sharing his room and mother’s attention with his new stepbrother Chris, whose apparent perfection only deepens the rivalry. Twenty poems follow the boys’ struggles as two strangers begin learning how to become a family.

Cecilia’s cat Gorilla is affectionate, jealous and constantly ready to play. A sequence of poems follows the unusual pet’s behavior and the bond between cat and child, finding humor and warmth in the routines they share.

This picture-book biography traces Barack Obama’s journey from childhood in Hawaii and Indonesia toward public life. Presented through the theme of hope, it follows how his experiences across communities shaped an ambition to bring people together.

Grimes reflects on her experience as a writer, sharing her perspective on creating books and developing a writing practice. Her account considers both the difficulties and the satisfactions of the process, offering readers insight into an author’s work.

Dyamonde and Free imagine what they could buy with the prize from a library poetry contest. Discovering that their classmate Damaris lives in a homeless shelter challenges their assumptions about money and what it means to be rich.

The Nativity unfolds through imagined voices of its witnesses, from Gabriel preparing his message to Mary to Joseph, the shepherds and the magi. Their varied responses bring fear, uncertainty and joy into the familiar Christmas story.

After a relationship changes her life, teenager Mary Rudine, called Mister, struggles with guilt and her religious commitments. Poems written from the biblical Mary’s perspective help her reconsider faith, forgiveness and possibilities she cannot yet see in her own future.

Dyamonde demands expensive sneakers after accepting a classmate's advice about what parents owe their children. Her mother's response teaches an unexpected lesson about necessities, and a friend's more serious difficulties prompt her to think beyond her own wants.

Joylin’s comfortable world of basketball and easy friendships changes when adolescence brings crushes and unfamiliar tensions. Trying to attract a boy’s attention, she wrestles with who she wants to become without losing the person she already is.

When classmates' comments about weight cause Damaris to worry about eating, Dyamonde notices the change. Determined to help her friend, she challenges the idea that appearance determines worth and encourages confidence in what makes each person unique.

Gabby retreats into daydreams to escape her parents’ arguments, but imagination soon begins to disrupt her everyday life. A perceptive teacher helps her channel those visions into writing, offering a new way to understand herself and connect with others.

An imagined conversation over tea brings Harriet Tubman and Susan B. Anthony together to reflect on their lives. Drawing on historical events, the story explores their struggles against slavery and inequality and the causes that shaped their work.

A girl discovers poems her mother wrote while growing up in a military family that moved around the world. Reading them inspires her own writing and deepens their connection as two generations preserve memories of home and childhood.

Garvey prefers books, astronomy and science fiction to the sports his father loves, leaving him feeling misunderstood. Joining the school chorus helps him discover his voice, build confidence and find a musical connection with his father.

Nikki Grimes places new poems in conversation with the work of Harlem Renaissance writers. Accompanied by illustrations from contemporary Black artists, the collection connects past and present through reflections on identity, resilience, injustice and hope.

Jordan fears the class bully Tanya, unaware that she carries worries of her own. Inspired by Psalm 121 and written through a poetic form built from its words, their story explores how faith and compassion can change a hostile relationship.

Aspiring journalist Darrian Lopez joins Mr. Ward's class to develop his writing through poetry and open-mic readings. As classmates share experiences of family difficulties, prejudice and personal struggle, their work reveals connections beneath the differences that first separate them.

Nikki Grimes recounts a childhood marked by an absent father, her mother’s mental illness and instability in foster care. Written in verse, the memoir explores how notebooks and poetry became sources of continuity, expression and strength amid repeated betrayals.

A mother tries to guide her energetic child toward bedtime as he imagines himself through a parade of animals. Growling, hiding and asking questions delay sleep, turning an ordinary evening routine into a playful journey toward rest.

This illustrated biography follows Kamala Harris from a childhood shaped by civil-rights activism into public service. It connects her early experiences of injustice with a developing commitment to using her voice on behalf of people too often unheard.

Newly arrived in New Mexico, Jayden cannot imagine the unfamiliar landscape becoming home. Exploring outside introduces him to flowers, animals, red rocks and open sky, gradually revealing a beauty that changes how he sees his new surroundings.

Drawing on her work as a church poet, Nikki Grimes responds to scripture and weekly sermons through verse. Her reflections approach faith from her experiences as a Black woman, finding spiritual meaning in lives and perspectives often pushed to the margins.

Nikki Grimes uses the Golden Shovel poetic form to create new work inspired by women poets of the Harlem Renaissance. Historical poems, contemporary illustrations and biographical material introduce writers whose contributions have often received less attention than those of their male contemporaries.

A reluctant child’s bath becomes an imaginary ocean adventure with help from both parents. Waterfalls, sea creatures and splashing waves transform familiar bathtub objects, allowing the family to play their way through washing and toward bedtime.

Garvey's growing confidence and closer relationship with his father are disrupted by pandemic lockdowns. When his father becomes ill, he turns to music to offer comfort, seeking ways to sustain hope for his family and himself.

A parent and child greet the day through imaginative play, finding adventures in puddles, leaves and the wide sky. Rhythmic language follows their shared discoveries, celebrating the movement, curiosity and affection that fill an ordinary day together.

After his father’s death, a boy discovers a map directing him to a place in their familiar woods. Following it alone opens a path through grief and toward an unexpected understanding of the father he thought he knew.

Animals travel across the landscape toward Bethlehem, carrying gifts for the newborn Jesus. Their journey ends in a shared lullaby, joining poetry and illustrations in an imagined celebration of the Christmas story.

This collection responds to the scriptures read throughout the church year, bringing poetry into conversation with worship and daily experience. Nikki Grimes explores grace, hope, redemption and divine love through reflections shaped by the changing spiritual seasons.

Stories told in verse follow objects as they pass between owners through yard sales. Nikki Grimes considers the memories attached to used possessions and the possibilities for connection, renewed purpose and healing that emerge when people let them go.

A young mermaid longs to join the human world and win the love of a prince. Giving up her tail for legs brings her closer to that dream, but requires a choice that changes her life.

Through a series of imagined monologues, this account follows Bessie Coleman’s determination to become an aviator. Her pursuit of flight confronts poverty, racial segregation and discrimination against women, revealing the persistence behind her place in aviation history.