Bros - by Carole Boston Weatherford (Hardcover)

About the Book

"From sunrise to sunset, a group of young Black boys joyously spend the day together as they live their best lives freely in their community. With confidence and a touch of swag, these friends do everything with one another: build a time machine, tend to the community garden, roleplay in the park, read, take a group selfie, and play basketball"--

Book Synopsis

A celebration of childhood from an award-winning author, this upbeat day-in-the-life of a bunch of friends was inspired by the #BlackBoyJoy meme that spurred a movement.

From sunrise to sunset, a group of young Black boys joyously spend the day together as they live their best lives freely in their community. ­With confidence and a touch of swag, these friends do everything with one another: build a time machine, tend to the community garden, roleplay in the park, read, take a group selfie, and play basketball. With simple, spare text from celebrated author Carole Boston Weatherford and colorful, playful art from Reggie Brown capturing the pleasures of boyhood and friendship, Bros affirms the truth that Black boys deserve and are worthy of a childhood full of joy and free of risk, just as much as anyone. Timely and buoyant, it's a story sure to be enjoyed by anyone who knows what it is to be surrounded by friends with a day of adventure ahead of you.

Review Quotes

Brown's soft but textured illustrations feel fresh and open, with all the energy of cartoon callbacks and the spontaneity of playground fun. . . . The text lends itself to rhythmic storytimes, first-time forays into solo reading, and even some sight-word practice. But more than this, this book's significance is the simple, uninterrupted joy and shared belonging present in each of the spaces the group of five chooses to be--a liberation that Black boys can't always find outside (or indeed within) a book's pages. Delightful.
--Kirkus Reviews

Using spare rhyming lines, Boston Weatherford pens an engaging, affirmation-filled ode in this communally focused picture book inspired by the #BlackBoyJoy meme. . . . Brown's vivid digital art depicts the three with enthusiasm to spare on the playground, where they're soon joined by another two, the group shown with varied abilities, body types, and skin tones. . . . A closing shot spotlights the group's affection and confidence, compelling readers to "RECOGNIZE!" the significance of brotherhood and friendship.
--Publishers Weekly

Weatherford's heartwarming text is complemented by vivid, cozy illustrations in this picture book that follows a group of close-knit friends as they spend time together in their favorite spots. . . . Amid a soothing palette, Brown depicts and celebrates a diverse group of Black boys defying harmful and hateful stereotypes and showcases them in times of joy, friendship, and brotherhood. . . . The love and care that each of these unnamed characters has for one another is palpable in these gorgeously and thoughtfully illustrated pages.
--Booklist

Employing simple but engaging rhyme schemes and action words, Weatherford celebrates Black boys in all their variety and richness. Reggie Brown's joyful and colorful illustrations capture the wide range of youthful experiences penned so skillfully by the author. This is a much-needed addition to books that center Black boys.
--Wade Hudson, cofounder of Just Us Books and anthology coeditor of The Talk: Conversations about Race, Love & Truth, a New York Times Book Review Best Children's Book of the Year

Spilling with joy! You'll want to share this with anyone and everyone!
--Tami Charles, New York Times best-selling author of All Because You Matter

Immediately engaging. Simple words show Black Boy Joy at its best.
--Charles R. Smith Jr., author of Twelve Rounds to Glory, a Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book

Bros rhymes and shines and soars and scores!
Bros is exactly the kind of book I would have loved to buy for my sons when they were younger!
Funny, silly, and warm--you should definitely hang out with these Bros!
Bros is like a group hug from all your besties!
--Jerry Craft, author-illustrator of the Newbery Medal winner New Kid

A beautiful story about a day filled with Black Boy Joy.
Weatherford and Brown are giving us Black Boy Joy at its best.
--Varian Johnson, author of The Parker Inheritance, a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book

About the Author

Carole Boston Weatherford, a New York Times best-selling author and poet, was named the 2025 Children's Literature Legacy Award winner. She was also named the 2019 Washington Post Children's Book Guild Nonfiction Award winner. Her numerous books for children include the Newbery Honor Book Box: Henry Box Brown Mails Himself to Freedom, illustrated by Michele Wood; the Coretta Scott King Author Award winner Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre, illustrated by Floyd Cooper; the Robert F. Sibert Honor Book Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement, illustrated by Ekua Holmes; and the critically acclaimed Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library and Outspoken: Paul Robeson, Ahead of His Time, both illustrated by Eric Velasquez. Carole Boston Weatherford lives in Maryland.

Reggie Brown is the illustrator of several books for children, including Tacko Fall: To New Heights by Tacko Fall and Justin Haynes, the New York Times best-selling Who Are Your People? by Bakari Sellers, the Magnificent Makers series by Theanne Griffith, and Baseball Baby and Soccer Baby by Laura Gehl. He lives in San Diego.