Stronger Than - Black Native American stories by author Stacy Wells

Stronger Than

Picture Book | Co-written with Nikki Grimes | Illustrated by E.B. Lewis

This book follows a Black Choctaw boy who struggles with nightmares, but finds strength in the example and history of his ancestors.

Coming 2026 from Heartdrum, an imprint of HarperCollins.

Sundrop Books
Green Feather Books
Barnes & Noble
Amazon

"A powerful picture book about a Black Choctaw child discovering who he is."

Booklist, starred review

"Dante finds his way toward sound sleep, and the understanding that ‘we come from people stronger than fear’ in this thoughtful picture book."

Publishers Weekly

"There is warmth and beauty here, and readers learn not only about the tragedy in Dante’s family history, but also the joyful cultural elements they revel in, like devouring fruity walakshi dumplings together and playing Choctaw stickball."

The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books