There are many diversity book lists to be found online these days. We have just included a few choices.
Just google diversity books for children and start exploring...
Below, we've just listed a few along with some other personal recommendations.
Just google diversity books for children and start exploring...
Below, we've just listed a few along with some other personal recommendations.
Asian and Pacific & Asian American Children's Books
www.leeandlow.com/cultures/asian-asian-american-interest
Lee & Low Books is the top publisher of Asian American children's books. Find award-winning books for young readers featuring Chinese, Korean, Indian, Japanese, Filipino, and Hmong cultures. Our collections offer a wide range of genres, including nonfiction biographies of important figures in Asian history and culture such as Su Dongpo, Sammy Lee, Anna May Wong, Bruce Lee, Soichiro Honda, Isamu Noguchi, and many more; page-turning fiction featuring Asian American main characters; and poetry. Jump in and find the perfect book for every reader!
Epic Black History Month Children's Book Collection
double click: Discover Epic Children's Books, Audiobooks, Videos & More (getepic.com)
30 Children's Books About Diversity That Celebrate our Differences
https://bookriot.com/childrens-books-about-diversity/
WHERE CAN YOU FIND DIVERSE BOOKS?
https://diversebooks.org/resources-old/where-to-find-diverse-books/
THE 2020 ULTIMATE LIST OF DIVERSE CHILDREN’S BOOKS
http://hereweeread.com/2019/11/the-2020-ultimate-list-of-diverse-childrens-books.html
double click: Discover Epic Children's Books, Audiobooks, Videos & More (getepic.com)
30 Children's Books About Diversity That Celebrate our Differences
https://bookriot.com/childrens-books-about-diversity/
WHERE CAN YOU FIND DIVERSE BOOKS?
https://diversebooks.org/resources-old/where-to-find-diverse-books/
THE 2020 ULTIMATE LIST OF DIVERSE CHILDREN’S BOOKS
http://hereweeread.com/2019/11/the-2020-ultimate-list-of-diverse-childrens-books.html
Diversity Committee Book & Film Club Selections
- Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue (an MTW parent)
- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
- Red at the Bone: A Novel by Jacqueline Woodson
- Wonder by R.J Palacio
- Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family by Amy Ellis Nutt
- Drita, My Homegirl by Jenny Lombard
- Nice White People - New York Times Documentary
- The 1619 Project - New York Times Documentary
- Miss Buchanan’s Period of Adjustment podcast from Malcolm Gladwell about desegregation and its aftermath
- The Ground on Which I Stand - Essay by playwright, August Wilson
Children's Books That Celebrate Diversity
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Sulwe
by Lupita Nyongo and Illustrated by Vashti Harrison From Academy Award–winning actress Lupita Nyong’o comes a powerful, moving picture book about colorism, self-esteem, and learning that true beauty comes from within. Sulwe has skin the color of midnight. She is darker than everyone in her family. She is darker than anyone in her school. Sulwe just wants to be beautiful and bright, like her mother and sister. Then a magical journey in the night sky opens her eyes and changes everything. In this stunning debut picture book, actress Lupita Wyong’o creates a whimsical and heartwarming story to inspire children to see their own unique beauty differently. |
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Whoever You Are
by Mem Fox -- Illustrated by Leslie Staub A celebration of diverse childhoods, and the essential things that make us all the same.\ Every day all over the world, children are laughing and crying, playing and learning, eating and sleeping. They may not look the same. They may not speak the same language. Their lives may be quite different from each other. But inside, they are all alike. Stirring words and bold paintings weave their way around our earth, across cultures and generations and remind children to accept differences, to recognize similarities, and--most importantly--to rejoice in both. (Ages 4 - 7) |
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The Color of Us
by Karen Katz -- Illustraded by Karen Katz A positive and affirming look at skin color, from an artist's perspective. Seven-year-old Lena is going to paint a picture of herself. She wants to use brown paint for her skin. But when she and her mother take a walk through the neighborhood, Lena learns that brown comes in many different shades. Through the eyes of a little girl who begins to see her familiar world in a new way, this book celebrates the differences and similarities that connect all people. Karen Katz created this book for her daughter, Lena, whom she and her husband adopted from Guatemala six years ago. (Ages 4 - 8) |
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Happy In Our Skin
by Fran Manushkin -- Illustrated by Lauren Tobia This book celebrates the skin—not just in its variety of colors, but also in how it serves the body, how it keeps us together. It's a lesson in the beauty and power of the skin, and teaching kids to love the skin they're in will teach them to love the skin of others, as well as give them confidence when their body makes them feel different (whether that's because of color, acne, body type, or ability level). (Ages 4 - 6) |
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The Boy Who Grew Flowers by Jen Wojtowicz -- Illustrated by Steve Adams -- Illustrated by Steve Adams
If your children are struggling to fit in at school for whatever reason, this is the book for you. Rick, a school-aged boy, grows flowers all over his body when the moon is full, and even though no one knows his secret, he doesn't fit in with his peers. When new girl Angelina shows up with differences of her own, Rick's empathy towards her creates a great friendship and teaches kids to celebrate our differences—and even how our differences can complement one another and build us up. (Ages 4 - 8) |
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Mae Among The Stars by Roda Ahmeda -- Illustrated by Stasia Burrington A beautiful picture book for sharing, inspired by the life of the first African American woman to travel in space, Mae Jemison. When Little Mae was a child, she dreamed of dancing in space. She imagined herself surrounded by billions of stars, floating, gliding, and discovering. She wanted to be an astronaut. Her mom told her, "If you believe it, and work hard for it, anything is possible.” Little Mae’s curiosity, intelligence, and determination, matched with her parents' encouraging words, paved the way for her incredible success at NASA as the first African American woman to travel in space. This book will inspire other young girls to reach for the stars, to aspire for the impossible, and to persist with childlike imagination. |
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Same, Same But Different by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw
Elliot lives in America, and his best friend Kailash lives in India. They're pen pals, and as they share about their lives and their day-to-day events, they see so many similarities (like owning pets and going to school) and they are genuinely curious about and excited by their differences. Maybe this book will inspire your child to have a pen pal of their own! |
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I Am Enough
by Grace Byers -- Illustrated by Keturah A. Bobo A lyrical ode to loving who you are, respecting others, and being kind to one another. This beautiful poem should just be required reading for everyone. Our natural-haired protagonist compares herself to nature — "like the sun, I'm here to shine" — and tells readers that she —and WE — are complete and enough, as-is. Close this book feeling empowered and knowing your kids are getting the message that all humans are lovely and valuable. We are all here for a purpose. We are more than enough. We just need to believe it. (Ages 4 - 8) |
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Good People Everywhere
by Lynea Gillen -- Illustrated by Kristina Swarner Our world is scary. There are some very bad people out there, and those people make it into our news feeds and our fears very easily, especially for children who are learning to build schemas of how to interpret the world. This book reminds us that there are wonderful, good, caring people everywhere we turn—and that it's important to strive to be a good, caring person as they grow up. It's a great reminder for us, too, as parents to look for the good people, because they're always there, no matter how bad it gets. (Ages 4 - 8) |
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We're Different, We're the Same (Sesame Street)
by Bobbl Kates -- Illustrated by Joe Mathieu Nothing like Sesame Street to teach us the big lessons. Elmo and friends teach us that our insides—feelings, needs, desires—are the same for all of us, even if we look differently on the outside. The tag of this book rings true: "We're All Wonderful!" |
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Julian Is A Mermaid
by Jessica Love -- Illustrated by Julian loves mermaids, and after seeing some women dressed fabulously like mermaids, he recreates their style for himself—but what will his Abuela say about his new look and how he views himself? This spectacularly illustrated book celebrates individuality and the magic of creativity and self-love. |
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Everybody Cooks Rice
by Norah Dooley -- Illustrated by Peter J. Thornton Food is a great way to expand your child's palette and cultural understanding—just like the main character in this book. He travels to many different households and sees that they all use rice in their meals in a variety of ways. Try reading this book and then cooking a few different meals with your kids that all include rice. They'll learn that something so simple can be appreciated in a myriad of different ways. (Ages 5 - 9) |
MTW Diversity Book List - Parent Recommendations
The beginning recommendations have been made by MTW parents and staff members from their personal reading lists. Later suggestions have come from various online sites that our committee has gathered. Although the later books have not all been read by everyone on our diversity committee most seem to speak to a goal of finding books that simply reflect a diverse sample of faces and life experiences but are not necessarily about “being a minority with stereotypical themes.”
2019 ADDITIONS:
(* MTW Diversity Committee Book Club pick)
At the age of fourteen, Francisco Jiménez, together with his older brother Roberto and his mother, are caught by la migra. Forced to leave their home in California, the entire family travels all night for twenty hours by bus, arriving at the U.S. and Mexican border in Nogales, Arizona. In the months and years that follow during the late 1950s-early 1960s, Francisco, his mother and father, and his seven brothers and sister not only struggle to keep their family together, but also face crushing poverty, long hours of labor, and blatant prejudice. How they sustain their hope, their good-heartedness, and tenacity is revealed in this moving, Pura Belpré Honor-winning sequel to The Circuit. Without bitterness or sentimentality, Francisco Jiménez finishes telling the story of his youth.
Grades 5-8
The story works through themes of race, sexuality, poverty, and an unconventional path to a children's and YA literary career. It recently won a National Book Award and is a novelization of Woodson's fraught Brownsville, NY and South Carolina upbringing during the Vietnam era and how her dreams beget a writer.
"'La frontera' ... I heard it for the first time back in the late 1940s when Papa and Mama told me and Roberto, my older brother, that someday we would take a long trip north, cross la frontera, enter California, and leave our poverty behind." So begins this honest and powerful account of a family's journey to the fields of California -- to a life of constant moving, from strawberry fields to cotton fields, from tent cities to one-room shacks, from picking grapes to topping carrots and thinning lettuce. Seen through the eyes of a boy who longs for an education and the right to call one palce home, this is a story of survival, faith, and hope. It is a journey that will open readers' hearts and minds.
Grades 5-8
When Drita and her family come to America from Kosovo, all she wants to do is fit in. But how can she find her place when she doesn’t speak any English? Meanwhile, Maxie and her group of friends are popular in their fourth-grade class. But Maxie has a secret she hasn’t shared with anyone. Then, when Maxie and Drita are paired up for a class project, they don’t know what to do. What could they possibly have in common? But sometimes when you least expect it, friendship can bloom and overcome two very different cultures.
Grades 3-5
Zora and Langston. Billie and Bessie. Eubie and Duke. If the Harlem Renaissance had a court, they were its kings and queens. But there were other, lesser known individuals whose contributions were just as impactful, such as Florence Mills. Born to parents who were former-slaves Florence knew early on that she loved to sing. And that people really responded to her sweet, bird-like voice. Her dancing and singing catapulted her all the way to the stages of 1920s Broadway where she inspired songs and even entire plays! Yet with all this success, she knew firsthand how bigotry shaped her world. And when she was offered the role of a lifetime from Ziegfeld himself, she chose to support all-black musicals instead.
To one young narrator, it's the simple things that mean the most, like sharing laughter with a friend, taking family rides in the country, and kissing her mama's arm.
When this poem was first published in 1978 in Honey, I Love and Other Love Poems, Eloise Greenfield reminded us that love can be found just about anywhere. Now, twenty-five years later, she and celebrated children's book artist Jan Spivey Gilchrist present a stunning, newly illustrated anniversary edition that invites readers to celebrate the simple joys of loving and living.
Grades K-2
The words can come from a memory, or a dream, or something I see or hear or wonder about or imagine. . . . Maybe there's a place where words live, where our minds and hearts can go and find them when we want to write or read. I like to imagine that there is such a place. I call it "The Land of Words."
Grades PreK - 3
In this collection of twenty-one poems, National Council of Teachers of English Excellence in Poetry for Children Award winner Eloise Greenfield journeys to a place where words, creativity, and imagination abound. Featuring the poems "In the Land of Words," "Books," and "Poem," as well as favorites such as "Nathaniel's Rap" and "Way Down in the Music," this tribute to the written word invites readers to look within themselves and discover what inspires them.
The Karem family is anxiously awaiting their relatives from Syria to celebrate Laila’s wedding. The Aunt and Uncle are bringing a cherished family heirloom from Lebanon as a wedding gift. The family celebrates a traditional Arab wedding. This book is part of a series called “Multicultural Celebrations” that includes other titles, Carnival, Chinese New Year’s Dragon, Dara’s Cambodian New Year, Fiesta, A First Passover and more developed by the Children’s Museum of Boston.
Grades 2+
A Mexican boy tells of his journey to the U.S. with his family. They must face many dangers to cross the border, only to experience the uncertainty felt by all illegal immigrants. The narrative is accompanied by one long, beautifully vivid illustration reminiscent of pre-Hispanic codices, packaged as an accordion-style foldout frieze.
Ages 6-8+
Archie has the perfect pet to enter in the neighborhood pet show: the stray cat that followed him home. It’s sure to win him a prize. But now it’s missing! What will he do if the cat doesn’t come back? Quick-thinking Archie has a solution for everything – even a surprise last-minute entry for the pet show!
Grades K-1
This book could be used as a catapult for discussion about how having something different about you could be a great asset.
The longest dachshund in the world, Pretzel is admired by all and the winner of a blue ribbon at the dog show. Only Greta, the little dachshund across the street, doesn't care for long dogs. At least not until she gets into a jam out of which only a long dog can help her. This classic story of puppy love will win the hearts of both old and new Pretzel fans.
Twelve-year-old Catherine has conflicting feelings about her younger brother, David, who is autistic. While she loves him, she is also embarrassed by his behavior and feels neglected by their parents. In an effort to keep life on an even keel, Catherine creates rules for him (It's okay to hug Mom but not the clerk at the video store). Each chapter title is also a rule, and lots more are interspersed throughout the book. When Kristi moves in next door, Catherine hopes that the girl will become a friend, but is anxious about her reaction to David. Then Catherine meets and befriends Jason, a nonverbal paraplegic who uses a book of pictures to communicate, she begins to understand that normal is difficult, and perhaps unnecessary, to define. Rules of behavior are less important than acceptance of others. Catherine is an endearing narrator who tells her story with both humor and heartbreak. Her love for her brother is as real as are her frustrations with him. Lord has candidly captured the delicate dynamics in a family that revolves around a child's disability. Set in coastal Maine, this sensitive story is about being different, feeling different, and finding acceptance. A lovely, warm read, and a great discussion starter.-Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME
Grades 4-7
Peter wants to learn how to whistle for his dog, Willie. He practices all day while playing in the neighborhood and finally learns. He is proud to finally master this new skill and happily whistles everywhere he goes with Willie tagging along.
Grades K-1
August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school – until now. He’s about to enter fifth grade at Beecher Prep. And if you’ve ever been the new kid, then you know how hard that can be. The thing is Auggie’s just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he’s just like them, despite appearances? #1 NY Times Bestseller.
Grades 3-5.
Shorty and his family, along with thousands of Japanese Americans, are sent to an internment camp after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Fighting the heat and dust of the desert, Shorty and his father decide to build a baseball diamond and form a league in order to boost the spirits of the internees. Shorty quickly learns that he is playing not only to win, but to gain dignity and self-respect as well. Baseball Saved Us is the ultimate rite of passage story. It will appeal again and again to readers who enjoy cheering for the underdog.
The beginning recommendations have been made by MTW parents and staff members from their personal reading lists. Later suggestions have come from various online sites that our committee has gathered. Although the later books have not all been read by everyone on our diversity committee most seem to speak to a goal of finding books that simply reflect a diverse sample of faces and life experiences but are not necessarily about “being a minority with stereotypical themes.”
2019 ADDITIONS:
- The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas *
- Behold The Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue *
- Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family by Amy Ellis Nutt *
- Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- Far From the Tree: Parents, Children and the Serach for Identity by Andrew Solomon
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
(* MTW Diversity Committee Book Club pick)
- Breaking Though by Francisco Jimenez
At the age of fourteen, Francisco Jiménez, together with his older brother Roberto and his mother, are caught by la migra. Forced to leave their home in California, the entire family travels all night for twenty hours by bus, arriving at the U.S. and Mexican border in Nogales, Arizona. In the months and years that follow during the late 1950s-early 1960s, Francisco, his mother and father, and his seven brothers and sister not only struggle to keep their family together, but also face crushing poverty, long hours of labor, and blatant prejudice. How they sustain their hope, their good-heartedness, and tenacity is revealed in this moving, Pura Belpré Honor-winning sequel to The Circuit. Without bitterness or sentimentality, Francisco Jiménez finishes telling the story of his youth.
Grades 5-8
- Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson.
The story works through themes of race, sexuality, poverty, and an unconventional path to a children's and YA literary career. It recently won a National Book Award and is a novelization of Woodson's fraught Brownsville, NY and South Carolina upbringing during the Vietnam era and how her dreams beget a writer.
- The Circuit by Francisco Jimenez
"'La frontera' ... I heard it for the first time back in the late 1940s when Papa and Mama told me and Roberto, my older brother, that someday we would take a long trip north, cross la frontera, enter California, and leave our poverty behind." So begins this honest and powerful account of a family's journey to the fields of California -- to a life of constant moving, from strawberry fields to cotton fields, from tent cities to one-room shacks, from picking grapes to topping carrots and thinning lettuce. Seen through the eyes of a boy who longs for an education and the right to call one palce home, this is a story of survival, faith, and hope. It is a journey that will open readers' hearts and minds.
Grades 5-8
- Drita, My Homegirl by Jenny Lombard
When Drita and her family come to America from Kosovo, all she wants to do is fit in. But how can she find her place when she doesn’t speak any English? Meanwhile, Maxie and her group of friends are popular in their fourth-grade class. But Maxie has a secret she hasn’t shared with anyone. Then, when Maxie and Drita are paired up for a class project, they don’t know what to do. What could they possibly have in common? But sometimes when you least expect it, friendship can bloom and overcome two very different cultures.
Grades 3-5
- Harlem’s Little Blackbird, The Story of Florence Mills by Renee Watson
Zora and Langston. Billie and Bessie. Eubie and Duke. If the Harlem Renaissance had a court, they were its kings and queens. But there were other, lesser known individuals whose contributions were just as impactful, such as Florence Mills. Born to parents who were former-slaves Florence knew early on that she loved to sing. And that people really responded to her sweet, bird-like voice. Her dancing and singing catapulted her all the way to the stages of 1920s Broadway where she inspired songs and even entire plays! Yet with all this success, she knew firsthand how bigotry shaped her world. And when she was offered the role of a lifetime from Ziegfeld himself, she chose to support all-black musicals instead.
- Honey, I Love by Elloise Greenfield
To one young narrator, it's the simple things that mean the most, like sharing laughter with a friend, taking family rides in the country, and kissing her mama's arm.
When this poem was first published in 1978 in Honey, I Love and Other Love Poems, Eloise Greenfield reminded us that love can be found just about anywhere. Now, twenty-five years later, she and celebrated children's book artist Jan Spivey Gilchrist present a stunning, newly illustrated anniversary edition that invites readers to celebrate the simple joys of loving and living.
Grades K-2
- In The Land Of Words by Eloise Greenfield
The words can come from a memory, or a dream, or something I see or hear or wonder about or imagine. . . . Maybe there's a place where words live, where our minds and hearts can go and find them when we want to write or read. I like to imagine that there is such a place. I call it "The Land of Words."
Grades PreK - 3
In this collection of twenty-one poems, National Council of Teachers of English Excellence in Poetry for Children Award winner Eloise Greenfield journeys to a place where words, creativity, and imagination abound. Featuring the poems "In the Land of Words," "Books," and "Poem," as well as favorites such as "Nathaniel's Rap" and "Way Down in the Music," this tribute to the written word invites readers to look within themselves and discover what inspires them.
- Laila’s Wedding by Kaleel Sakakeeny
The Karem family is anxiously awaiting their relatives from Syria to celebrate Laila’s wedding. The Aunt and Uncle are bringing a cherished family heirloom from Lebanon as a wedding gift. The family celebrates a traditional Arab wedding. This book is part of a series called “Multicultural Celebrations” that includes other titles, Carnival, Chinese New Year’s Dragon, Dara’s Cambodian New Year, Fiesta, A First Passover and more developed by the Children’s Museum of Boston.
Grades 2+
- Migrant: The Journey of a Mexican Worker by Jose Manuel Mateo
A Mexican boy tells of his journey to the U.S. with his family. They must face many dangers to cross the border, only to experience the uncertainty felt by all illegal immigrants. The narrative is accompanied by one long, beautifully vivid illustration reminiscent of pre-Hispanic codices, packaged as an accordion-style foldout frieze.
Ages 6-8+
- Pet Show! by Ezra Jack Keats
Archie has the perfect pet to enter in the neighborhood pet show: the stray cat that followed him home. It’s sure to win him a prize. But now it’s missing! What will he do if the cat doesn’t come back? Quick-thinking Archie has a solution for everything – even a surprise last-minute entry for the pet show!
Grades K-1
- Pretzel by H. A. Rey
This book could be used as a catapult for discussion about how having something different about you could be a great asset.
The longest dachshund in the world, Pretzel is admired by all and the winner of a blue ribbon at the dog show. Only Greta, the little dachshund across the street, doesn't care for long dogs. At least not until she gets into a jam out of which only a long dog can help her. This classic story of puppy love will win the hearts of both old and new Pretzel fans.
- Rules by Cynthia Lord
Twelve-year-old Catherine has conflicting feelings about her younger brother, David, who is autistic. While she loves him, she is also embarrassed by his behavior and feels neglected by their parents. In an effort to keep life on an even keel, Catherine creates rules for him (It's okay to hug Mom but not the clerk at the video store). Each chapter title is also a rule, and lots more are interspersed throughout the book. When Kristi moves in next door, Catherine hopes that the girl will become a friend, but is anxious about her reaction to David. Then Catherine meets and befriends Jason, a nonverbal paraplegic who uses a book of pictures to communicate, she begins to understand that normal is difficult, and perhaps unnecessary, to define. Rules of behavior are less important than acceptance of others. Catherine is an endearing narrator who tells her story with both humor and heartbreak. Her love for her brother is as real as are her frustrations with him. Lord has candidly captured the delicate dynamics in a family that revolves around a child's disability. Set in coastal Maine, this sensitive story is about being different, feeling different, and finding acceptance. A lovely, warm read, and a great discussion starter.-Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME
Grades 4-7
- Whistle For Willie by Ezra Jack Keats
Peter wants to learn how to whistle for his dog, Willie. He practices all day while playing in the neighborhood and finally learns. He is proud to finally master this new skill and happily whistles everywhere he goes with Willie tagging along.
Grades K-1
- Wonder by R.J. Palacio
August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school – until now. He’s about to enter fifth grade at Beecher Prep. And if you’ve ever been the new kid, then you know how hard that can be. The thing is Auggie’s just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he’s just like them, despite appearances? #1 NY Times Bestseller.
Grades 3-5.
- Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki & Domm Lee
Shorty and his family, along with thousands of Japanese Americans, are sent to an internment camp after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Fighting the heat and dust of the desert, Shorty and his father decide to build a baseball diamond and form a league in order to boost the spirits of the internees. Shorty quickly learns that he is playing not only to win, but to gain dignity and self-respect as well. Baseball Saved Us is the ultimate rite of passage story. It will appeal again and again to readers who enjoy cheering for the underdog.