[8] The name of the magazine is derived from the folkloric brownies, creatures who were said to complete household chores at night in exchange for food, alluding to African Americans being used as servants, but the term is used as signification in the "oppressive literary-historical context".

[9] Another goal was to expand the canon of black children's literature, in which fiction and fantasy were rare,[10] and to encourage youth participation in the NAACP.

[11] It also intended to develop The Talented Tenth, capable African Americans in the top decile who could become leaders in the black community.

[7] Illustrations and photographs complemented the varied content, which included poetry, literature, biographies of successful black people, music, games, plays, and current events.

[7] Biographies included those for Phillis Wheatley, the first published African-American woman,[14] Bert Williams, a popular entertainer of the Vaudeville era, and Sojourner Truth, an abolitionist and women's rights activist that had been born into slavery.

Common elements in each issue were the column "As the Crow Flies", written by Du Bois to relate current events to the children, an advice column by Fauset titled "The Judge", a reader's letters section named "The Jury", and "Little People of the Month" featuring photographs and the artistic and academic achievements of children submitted by its readers.

[16] The inaugural issue contained a photo of African-American children protesting violence against blacks by marching in the Silent Parade of 1917 in New York City.

Among notable authors to have material published in The Brownies' Book were Langston Hughes, Nella Larsen, Winifred Davidson,[15] Effie Lee Newsome[12] and Georgia Douglas Johnson.

[18][19] Although Fauset was the literary editor, she was also likely responsible for most of the managing editorial work, a role by which she was officially recognized in the second year of the magazine's publication.