4th-5th Grade

Berkeley Unified School District's Black Lives Matter Resolution is intended to highlight, uplift and affirm the rich history and contributions of the Black community; to cultivate in Black students a sense of pride, self-worth, and self-love; and to develop a widespread acknowledgement and appreciation for the contributions of Black people to our community.

These reading lists, organized by grade level, represent books published within the last three years that are devoted to cultivating Black joy, pride and love, and celebrating the incredible contributions and history of the Black community.

How do I read these books?

Many of these books are available through Berkeley school libraries as a physical and/or ebook. For more information about any of these books, or to check one of them out, ask your school librarian.

• 3-12 graders can find hundreds of great options on Sora. For Sora ebooks, you will be prompted to log in through Clever. More information on how to access Sora is available here.

• TK-2 graders can find great ebooks and read-alouds through Tumblebooks or the Berkeley Public Library.

• You will need a Berkeley Public Library card to order books through the Berkeley Public Library catalog. If you need a Berkeley Public Library card, click here. 

For more information and instructions on accessing ebooks and audiobooks, visit our Digital Books page.

At a time when so many small businesses are struggling to keep their doors open, we also encourage folks to support our local bookstores: 

Ashay by the Bay, Bandung Books, Eastwind Books, Marcus Books, Moe’s Books, Mr. Mopps, Books Inc., Pegasus Books and Mrs. Dalloways.