Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Golden Serpent | 1980 | Walter Dean Myers | Buy |
| 2 | Mr. Monkey and the Gotcha Bird | 1984 | Walter Dean Myers | Buy |
| 3 | The Dragon Takes a Wife | 1995 | Walter Dean Myers | Buy |
| 4 | How Mr. Monkey Saw the Whole World | 1996 | Walter Dean Myers | Buy |
| 5 | Jazz | 2008 | Walter Dean Myers | Buy |
| 6 | Amiri & Odette: A Love Story | 2009 | Walter Dean Myers | Buy |
| 7 | Looking Like Me | 2009 | Walter Dean Myers | Buy |
| 8 | Looking for the Easy Life | 2011 | Walter Dean Myers | Buy |
| 9 | Frederick Douglass | 2017 | Walter Dean Myers | Buy |
Walter Dean Myers’ picture books bring his storytelling to the youngest readers. The nine titles published between 1980 and 2017 cover folklore, poetry, biography, and the everyday experiences of Black children, often with illustrations by his son Christopher Myers.
Books like Jazz and Looking Like Me use rhythm and visual energy to create reading experiences that work on the page and read aloud. Myers brought the same authenticity to his picture books that he brought to his novels, creating stories where young Black readers could see themselves reflected.