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Last week I told my husband it was time to purchase some new books for the kids. Our home is already a library, and with five kids, there no shortage of books for them to read.

We both decided that we wanted to do something different. I was tired of the same “I love you so much, you mean the world to me” type of books. Been there, done that. I wanted something that I could relate to, and that was genuinely a lot of fun to read.

Needless to say, my husband felt the same way.

So when he told me that he ordered a book, I was like okay, great. Then this one came in the mail.

Not only was I shocked, but I was more than thrilled to have this. We love hip-hop. So this book was right on time. There are plenty of child/baby friendly books about hip-hop, so I thought it would be fun to create a list for other Millennial parents like us who may want to know what they are.

Now you may notice one book missing. I know the AB to Jay Z book was all of the rage two years ago, and before the controversy broke out, I was sent a copy by the writer. But I cannot in conscience support or promote a book due to the circumstances surrounding the creators. If you want to know more, just click the highlighted link above or this one. I just thought I’d add that before anyone asks.

The Roots of Rap: 16 Bars on the 4 Pillars of Hip-Hop

The Roots of Rap: 16 Bars on the 4 Pillars of Hip-Hop

The roots of rap and the history of hip-hop have origins that precede DJ Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash. Kids will learn about how it evolved from folktales, spirituals, and poetry, to the showmanship of James Brown, to the culture of graffiti art and break dancing that formed around the art form and gave birth to the musical artists we know today. Written in lyrical rhythm by award-winning author and poet Carole Boston Weatherford and complete with flowing, vibrant illustrations by Frank Morrison, this book beautifully illustrates how hip-hop is a language spoken the whole world ’round, it and features a foreward by Swizz Beatz, a Grammy Award winning American hip-hop rapper, DJ, and record producer.

Hip Hop Speaks to Children: A Celebration of Poetry with a Beat (A Poetry Speaks Experience)

Hip Hop Speaks to Children: A Celebration of Poetry with a Beat (A Poetry Speaks Experience)

Hip Hop Speaks to Children is a celebration of poetry with a beat.

Poetry can have both a rhyme and a rhythm. Sometimes it is obvious; sometimes it is hidden. But either way, make no mistake, poetry is as vibrant and exciting as it gets. And when you find yourself clapping your hands or tapping your feet, you know you’ve found poetry with a beat!

Like Poetry Speaks to Children, the New York Times Bestselling classic poetry book and CD that started it all, Hip Hop Speaks to Children is meant to be the beginning of a journey of discovery.

When the Beat Was Born: DJ Kool Herc and the Creation of Hip Hop 

When the Beat Was Born: DJ Kool Herc and the Creation of Hip Hop 

Before there was hip hop, there was DJ Kool Herc. 
On a hot day at the end of summer in 1973 Cindy Campbell threw a back-to-school party at a park in the South Bronx. Her brother, Clive Campbell, spun the records. He had a new way of playing the music to make the breaks—the musical interludes between verses—longer for dancing. He called himself DJ Kool Herc and this is When the Beat Was Born. From his childhood in Jamaica to his youth in the Bronx, Laban Carrick Hill’s book tells how Kool Herc came to be a DJ, how kids in gangs stopped fighting in order to breakdance, and how the music he invented went on to define a culture and transform the world.

Story of Rap (The Story of)

Story of Rap (The Story of)

From Grandmaster Flash to Kendrick Lamar, rap has shaped generations and brought a voice to the voiceless. Bop along with the greats in this adorable baby book that introduces little ones to the rappers that started it all!
Parental Advisory: May cause toddlers to develop excessive amounts of swagger.