After our post on raising race-conscious children, we wanted to share some books for kids featuring characters of different races and ethnicities. Some talk about race directly (like A Piece of Home), and some are simply about children’s everyday adventures (such as Airport). Here are 18 we like…
Do you have any other recommendations? We’d love to hear.
P.S. Children’s books with female characters, and books to teach kids kindness.
(Top image from the beautiful book Max and the Tag-Along Moon.)
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Sunday Shopping is a fun read.
Twenty Yawns features a biracial child and is so cute.
Raindrop Plop is another fun read (you can also sing it to the tune of “five little ducks”!) and the girl is rather ambiguous racially.
Mary Englebright has diverse illustrations. Her fairy tale anthologies are huge favorites at our home.
Ada Twist, Scientist is also so great for encouraging girls to go into STEM! Love this selection.
This one! It was one of our favourites when my son was little.
It’s by an Australian author and was given as a gift to Prince George from the UK when he was born.
It’s a lovely book to read and look at, with lots of different children.
http://memfox.com/gossip-behind-mems-books/ten-little-fingers-and-ten-little-toes-illustrated-by-helen-oxenbury/
http://Www.goodreads.com/author/show/192819.Sally_Derby
Thank you so much for this post. We adopted from The Marshall Islands and our daughter has gorgeous coco-skin. I just went to our bookshelves to see what might be there and couldn’t find enough colour! It is a timely reminder that I need to boost the colour scheme of our bookshelves. I went to Amazon and even found a book about The Marshall Islands that I need to order right away.
In order of preference by my 4.5yr old daughter, here’s a few from our recent library run: Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts, Emma and Julia Love Ballet by Barbara McClintock, The Invisible Boy by Patrice Barton.
Beautiful, thank you!
Courdoroy!
My kids loved The Bake Shop Ghost by Jacqueline Ogburn as well as One Grain of Rice by Demi.
Great list, thank you! We also love Whistle For Willie and Peter’s Chair, by Ezra Jack Keats. My son refers to them as his “Peter Books.”
Thank you for generating this list and conversation, Joanna.
One title we are loving is
Little Kunoichi, The Ninja Girl by Sanae Ishida
https://www.amazon.com/Little-Kunoichi-Ninja-Sanae-Ishida/dp/1570619549
This is such a great list! And next year you can maybe add mine to it! “Jabari Jumps!” Candlewick May 2017. (About a little boy who’s afraid to jump off the diving board. It features his father and baby sister as well.)
I live with boys so my contribution is Walter the Farting Dog by William Kotzwinkle https://www.amazon.com/Walter-Farting-Dog-William-Kotzwinkle/dp/1583940537
Oh my goodness! YES! We die laughing reading the Walter books.
What a thoughtful selection of books to read. I will be collecting these books and reading them to my grandchildren. I do own a few of them.
My bright, pretty, blond white girl moved into chapter books very quickly and I was appalled at how hard it was to find ones she liked that DIDN’T involve the main character being just like her! In the quest to find books to help her learn that being bright, pretty, blond and white DIDN’T make her any more special than anyone else, here are some we enjoyed. You might consider a follow-up chapter book post?
– Sassy: https://www.amazon.com/Sassy-Little-Sister-Not-Name/dp/0545071518 Sharon Draper please write more!
– Nikki & Deja: https://www.amazon.com/Nikki-Deja-Karen-English/dp/0547133626
– Alvin Ho: https://www.amazon.com/Alvin-Ho-Allergic-School-Things/dp/0375849300 (we love you Alvin!)
– Bobby Ellis-Chan: https://www.amazon.com/Bobby-Brave-Sometimes-Vs-Girls
– Zapato Power: https://www.amazon.com/Freddie-Ramos-Takes-Zapato-Power/dp/0807594792
– Get Ready for Gabi: https://www.amazon.com/Get-Ready-Gabi-Marisa-Montes/dp/0439475198
Ten, Nine, Eight is one of my favorite board books for little ones.
This is a great post! As a Chinese American and mother of 2 little girls, it becomes clearer to me every day how important it is to have them surrounded by and exposed to diverse stories.
And for everyone here who may be interested in getting more suggestions like these or simply supporting initiatives that will help increase awareness of diverse children’s lit, I have had the absolute pleasure of working with We Need Diverse Books (www.weneeddiversebooks.org), a nonprofit dedicated to advocating for essential changes to the children’s publishing industry to produce and promote literature that better reflects and recognizes diverse backgrounds and experiences. I know they’ve put out some really comprehensive reading list recommendations for a wide range of age groups and much like this one around the holidays the last couple of years! Hopefully some of you will feel compelled to check them out!
YES they are so great! I especially like their “If you’ve read ____, you’ll like this book” feature.
I have always been an avid reader. My parents always encourage my love of literature, and whether on purpose of not gave me a huge assortment of children’s books with people of color from all over the globe.
One of my favorites was this one:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9632.Switch_on_the_Night
I’m also mixed, and grew up as one of the only people of color in my school. My hair has always been a huge issue, as no one ever had hair as wild as me. All my friends were white. Then once I met black girls, they all got their hair braided. My mom is white and didn’t know where to start with all of my textures and curls. This book was one of the first times I saw someone depicted with big, beautiful, black hair. Its something I think everyone should be exposed to more. Beauty has many forms.
Hi Joanna!
I wrote “Lailah’s Lunchbox” , an ALA Notable Book, which was published last year! Other stories we enjoy are “My Name is Bilal,” “One Green Apple,” “White Nights of Ramadan,” “golden domes and silver lanterns” and more:)
It may have been mentioned, but Most Loved in All the World by Tonya Cherie Hegamin Is lovely. Slavery + family from the perspective of a little girl. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0618419039/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_yeg9xbVFM9ACE
We love Leo: A Ghost Story. It is the same illustrator as Last Stop on Market Street.
Love this- a beautiful board book (safe for babies!) to add with an Aboriginal author and illustrator is “We Sang You Home” https://www.amazon.ca/Sang-You-Home-Richard-Camp/dp/145981178X
Great post and the one before it on this topic.
Tracks in the Snow by Wong Herbert Yee is the winter volume in a super-cute, four book series about the seasons. They are not about race, but the main character is a little Asian girl. My son loved these books.
https://www.amazon.com/Tracks-Snow-Wong-Herbert-Yee/dp/0312371349
As a child I loved “The Patchwork Quilt” by Valerie Flournoy.
This new book Juana & Lucas by Juana Medina about a little girl from Bogota, Colombia is adorable, exposes the kids to cultural differences and, bonus, another language! We love it. https://www.amazon.com/Juana-Lucas-Medina/dp/0763672084
Juana also illustrated her amazing story about trying to become an American citizen in the WaPo recently if you want to know more behind her story. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2016/04/08/gifted-artist-juana-medina-draws-powerfully-upon-her-long-saga-as-an-immigrant-in-america/
The arrival by Shaun Tan – it’s a graphic novel so not specifically for kids, but I am sure kids would love it as well. There are no words, so you make up the story as you go and there are wonderful illustrations and funny animals to point out while you read it. My mother who never reads comics saw it ob my bookshelf and couldn’t put it down and started talking about her own immigration story
Corduroy! Also a wonderful story about not having to be perfect to be a friend.
Joanna, thank you so much for writing posts about this. It’s so important and easy to overlook. While I have no kids myself, but I will definitely be referring back to this post (and comments) for gift ideas for my friends’ children!
Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/765193.Amazing_Grace
Robert Munsch is an excellent children’s writer, and several of his books feature children of different ethnicities. Some that come to mind are: A Promise is a Promise, Angela’s Airplane, and David’s Father. Those were all from my childhood, so he may have others now.
We love Last Stop on Market Street! Have you read author Matt de la Peña’s Newbery acceptance speech? Seriously, have tissues handy. http://www.hbook.com/2016/06/news/awards/2016-newbery-acceptance-by-matt-de-la-pena/#_
thank you, amy!
I haven’t read all the comments (so these may be repeats) but a few favorites of ours include (other than the very good list above): Precious Sleepyhead, Interstellar Cinderella, A is for Activist, Girl of Mine, and Abuela.
I would love to see more posts about raising aware, conscientious children (with age-appropriate things parents can do).
I LOVE A is for Activist! Concur on the recs and second the request for posts related to how to raise aware children.
I was so happy to see this post and the post before. I don’t have children (yet) but have always worked with children or on products for children. I often think that parents/adults underestimate how much their children are picking up about the world around them and the necessity of enriching and discussing the more complicated parts of our daily lives.
In highschool I worked for a toy store and after college when I was looking for a job in NYC one company jumped to mind. I always sold their games and products because they were one of the few toy companies that a. featured children of different races and b. specifically made a product about diversity. Now, after working here for 4 years I am happy to work for a company that puts diversity in the forefront. Believe it or not I once worked a trade show where a store buyer asked me if we had any paper dolls that we “less diverse”. All of our paper dolls have 2 “thoughtful” girls of different races. I was proud that the answer was no! It is truly astonishing how “white washed” a lot of the children’s industry is AND how much that really shapes the way children think about the world.
Thanks for bringing this issue up on your blog and providing such a resources to parents.
Eat up, Gemma by Jan Oremerod
Jan Ormerod has so many good ones! We also love “Grandfather and I.”
I super duper love this post! Last Stop on Market Street is such a great book. It won the 2016 Newbery Medal, a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor, and a Caldecott Honor. The Newbery Award is usually for a chapter book, so it was really thrilling for Children’s Librarians to witness this. We all kinda freaked out! Here’s a link the Free Library of Philadelphia put together https://libwww.freelibrary.org/explore/topic/black-lives-matter
“The Stories Julian Tells”! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00570A2B0/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
I taught it to second-graders one summer and it’s great. Some of the language in it is so magical. In one story the dad is making lemon pudding their mom and says, “It will taste like a whole raft of lemons, it will taste like a night on the sea.”
Corduroy by Don Freeman!
Ganesha’s Sweet Tooth is a great one
Love this one too! Just got it from the library last week! My kids LOVED the illustrations on that one.
I am so Brave by Stephen Kerensky.
It’s very simple, and our one-year-old loves it.
Zetta Elliott writes and self-publishes a huge variety of children’s books. And I love supporting her because she refuses to let the homogeneity of traditional publishing slow her down/prevent her from getting books about kids of color written by authors of color out in the hands of readers. Her book BIRD is beautiful. And though it’s a picture book, it’s really for middle/high readers.
More More More Said the Baby by Vera B. Williams was a favorite of ours.
This is a favorite of ours too!
It is really great that the blog is tackling race conversations with children and features a diverse array of women for the beauty uniforms every month. I love reading the blog but I think I would love to a see a woman of color on your staff as well.
Yes, I agree with you, Alyssa. Thank you! We are working on this, please stay tuned. xoxo
This is a great point and I am so glad you mentioned this Alyssa. I absolutely LOVE Cup of Jo! I do find that sometimes when I look at the staff and/or contributors page of my favorite lifestyle blogs that the team lacks diversity. Thanks for all you do in the space Jo Goddard, you rock and inspire!! (I live vicariously through you on Instagram as well;)
A great post. “Same Same but Different” is a wonderful book between two boys (?penpals) who write each other between NYC and India.
Thank you for tapping into this important conversation – I would love to see more posts like this!
The Hello Goodbye Window is a beautiful book (in which the main character comes from a mixed race family). It wonderfully captures a child’s voice, perspective and ability to celebrate the ordinary.
We also love Water in the Park which is a great portrait of an urban park, filled with diverse characters… we spend a lot of time looking at the pictures and talking about the different kids of people and families represented.
You Were The First https://www.amazon.com/You-Were-First-Patricia-MacLachlan/dp/0316185337
and Ten, Nine, Eight
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0688149014/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1475594228&sr=8-1&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=ten+nine+eight+by+molly+bang&dpPl=1&dpID=61ecp0UXzwL&ref=plSrch
I just saw a great piece on Martellus Bennett, who plays football in the NFL for the Patriots. In addition to being a football player, Martellus is a creative artist, entrepreneur and founder of the Imagination Agency. He has a young daughter and noticed that there weren’t many children books featuring young girls of color, so he wrote one for her! He named the main character after his daughter AJ and it’s titled “Hey AJ it’s Saturday!” – and has since released an accompanying app (both are ADORABLE and have rave reviews). The book/app follows his daughter AJ on Saturday mornings making breakfast – and is absolutely adorable! Martellus’ creativity is truly inspiring and I found myself in tears watching him talk about why he wrote this book for his daughter.
Information on his books and his full story can be found on his website ( https://www.heyaj.com/author/admin/ ).
As a primary school teacher, this list is so useful! Thank you very much for putting it together. The Snowy Day has been a favourite of mine from a child :) Miranda xxx http://mirandasnotebook.com/
I LOVED Snowy Day when I was a kid. And then when I was a little older… The Toothpaste Millionaire was really inspiring! https://www.amazon.com/Toothpaste-Millionaire-Jean-Merrill/dp/0618759255/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1475591861&sr=8-1&keywords=toothpaste+millionaire
Love the Toothpaste millionaire too! I rec it for the math in it too!
Rainbow Stew by Cathryn Falwell and Hush! By Mingfong Ho
Both are delightful!
11 year old Marley Dias is trying to bring attention to the lack of children of color in children’s books. She’s beat her goal of collecting 1,000 books about black girls and is now up to 4,000 books and counting. You can see her list of favorite books here.
http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/02/26/467969663/wheres-the-color-in-kids-lit-ask-the-girl-with-1-000-books-and-counting
We love “Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes” by Mem Fox, “Every Little Thing” by Cedella Marley, and “The Girl Who Got out of Bed” by Betsy Childs (which I also recommend if your child has trouble staying in bed).
Also, I just ordered “Monster Trouble!” My daughter’s staying in bed issues are partially motivated by a fear of monsters, and her name is Winifred! So excited to read it to her!
I love “Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes”!
Meet Danitra Brown and Yesterday I Had the Blues are stories my students LOVED.
Hi. This link lists books with Muslim characters and traditions such as Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns, Four Feet Two Sandals, The Sandwich Swap, Under the Ramadan Moon, to name a few.
http://www.aquila-style.com/lifestyle/10-must-have-books-for-muslim-children/45518/
All of Ezra Jack Keats’s books featuring Peter are excellent, and Keats’s autobiography is interesting as well. He was a Jewish kid who experienced discrimination and it influenced his work as an author. Keats had been illustrating books that had no black characters in them and Keats realized he wanted to write a book with a black child as its hero. About creating Peter, the main character in The Snowy Day, Keats said: “My book would have him there simply because he should have been there all along.”
http://www.ezra-jack-keats.org/ezras-life/
Grace Lin has wonderful picture books, early readers, and chapter books. My kids also loved “Please, Baby, Please” by Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee when they were younger. A couple of others we like are “Mama’s Saris” by Pooja Makhijani, “Flower Garden” by Eve Bunting, “Suki’s Kimono” by Chieri Uegaki.
Faith Ringgold–Tar Beach
Thank you so very much for sharing these! Our family is very diverse and we embrace it. I am German-Irish, my husband is Cuban-American, and we adopted our twin daughters from Japan. We teach our girls to embrace and celebrate their uniqueness as well as ours. We have many Japanese children’s books write in English to share their culture with them. We hope to find a Japanese tutor so they may learn the language too. Have a lovely day.
XOXO, Amy @ Jeans and a Tea
http://www.jeansandatea.com
Hey Amy, I’m Japanese American and growing up I really loved Allen Say’s books, especially Tea with Milk and Allison which both feature mixed race/ethnic identity issues for younger people, (Allison is especially on the mark with adoption). You may have heard of them already but I thought you’d might like the rec. https://www.amazon.com/Allison-Allen-Say/dp/0618495371/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476252715&sr=1-1&keywords=allison
Corduroy!! A classic!
I love this list and would definitely add “The Other Side” by Jacqueline Woodson. She’s better known for her beautiful YA books, but this picture book is wonderful and a great conversation about how people may treat others of different races differently.
https://www.amazon.com/Puente-Mambo-Belpre-Honor-Books/dp/0061227838/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1475585682&sr=8-6&keywords=tito+puente
Monica Brown’s books are great because they’re about historical figures, feature people of different races, and are bilingual.
Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes. Another favorite… Ten, Nine, Eight.
Yes this! Ten, nine, eight melts my heart every time. It is the sweetest bedtime story!!!
Both of these books are great! In case anyone wants to look them up, “Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes” is by Mem Fox, “Ten, Nine, Eight” is by Molly Bang.
Mrs Katz and Tush. Makes me cry every time
Baby Dance by Ann Taylor. One of my favorite books to sing to my kids. Keeping that one in the future grandparent pile!
“Tibetan Tales for Little Buddhas” by Naomi C. Rose. With a forward by the Dalai Lama, original paintings, and both English and Tibetan script, its a magical, colorful book. I used to develop and teach Tibetan language classes for pre-school-aged children, and my tiny students (and their parents, too!) loved this one!
“Do Like Kyla” by Angela Johnson is also a favorite!
These are great – there are a few more Ezra Jack Keats ones, and Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold.
Thank you so much for this!! I like for my kids to know about diversity and it’s nice to read books with people who look like them in it. Thank you a million times over!!
Thank you for posting this, and also for your honesty and humility in self-reflection.
At The Hardware Store by Anne Rockwell features a family with a white dad and an Asian mom. And in one illustration she just happens to be breastfeeding one of the kids and it’s so not a big deal that it isn’t even mentioned.
One Little, Two Little, Three Little Children is gorgeous for very young children. Shows families of all different structures, backgrounds, races, means etc.
We have so many! Lila and the Secret of Rain, Chirchir is singing, and For You are a Kenyan Child are all lovely books about childhood in Kenya. Plus these are our favorite books featuring diverse characters: http://mamamgeni.com/2015/07/27/what-were-reading-empowering-childrens-books-with-black-characters/. Snowy Day is one of our faves!
Hi Joanna,
Well recommended books indeed. :) I much appreciate you for including the name of these meaningful and useful books for children. Reading a books comes with kids featuring character is always awesome.
I remember, when I was child, my father used to bring a books named as “Champak” and I was so excited to read such inspirational books. As I was child, I have learned many good books and these are highly informative to develop the knowledge and skill in child. I must suggest to have these books to others too.
I have tweeted this article to my followers because I found the informative on myselves.
Love your choice and wonderful selection, Joanna.
With best wishes.
– Ravi.
Not quite a picture book, but if you have older readers (7-10), the ‘Squishy Taylor’ chapter book series by Alisa Wild is fantastic. Stories of everyday mysteries of a super energetic kid, in a blended, mixed-race family, and set in Australia. My nieces love them. Great illustrations too.
‘Squishy Taylor and the Bonus Sisters’ is the first, and there’s seven out at the moment.
Sonya’s chickens by phoebe wahl is a great book!
https://www.amazon.com/Sonyas-Chickens-Phoebe-Wahl/dp/1770497897
I remember liking :
Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters
Anansi the spider
Anything by Faith Ringgold ( I was mesmerized by Tar Beach as a child)
and other’s I can’t remember at the moment. Love that list though!
The Hello, Goodbye Window is a sweet book about a little girl who visits her grandparents. And what about Tomie DePaola? He is such a favorite around here!
Dancing in the wings by Debbie Allen
My parents are huge Sherman Alexi fans and just gave my daughter “Thunder Boy Jr.” for her birthday. She loves it, and have read it over Skype with my parents. Older (13ish?) kids should be encouraged to check out “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian.”
Thank you for this! We make a special effort to buy books with children of color as main characters (we are white). One recent edition to our library has become a very fast favorite: Squeak, Rumble, Whomp! Whomp! Whomp!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0763639915/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain, Verna Aardema
Dave the Potter, Laban Carrik Hill
Both favorites on our shelf
For more books with Native American characters, check out Debbie Reese’s blog, https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/. Debbie reviews kids and young adult literature, and goes into why it’s recommended or not.
I love all these recommendations and would add Please, Baby, Please to the list. Such a wonderful and charming story. My boys loved it!!
There are many beautiful books featuring Maori kids here http://www.mcleodsbooks.co.nz/c/children-s-maori-books.
“What are you doing?”, by Elisa Amado, a Guatemalan-born author and translator. She has written Barrilete: A Kite for the Day of the Dead / Un barrilete para el Día de los muertos, Cousins (Primas) and Tricycle (El triciclo), which is on the Américas Award Commended List and is a USBBY Outstanding International Book. She is also the author of Why Are You Doing That?. She lives in Toronto.
My 6 month old likes (I think) the Global Babies books — there is the original, Global Baby Boys, Global Baby Girls, and Global Baby Bedtimes. They are board books full of beautiful pictures of babies from all over the world.
Oh! Funny you should ask. I’m a Library Science student who just so happens to be taking Children’s Lit this semester. We covered picture books with diverse subjects last week- and here are some that I love and would love to recommend:
Knock Knock: My Dad’s Dream for Me by: Bryan Collier
Mango, Abuela, and Me by: Meg Medina
My Pen by: Christopher Myers
Hana Hashimoto, Sixth Violin by: Chieri Uegaki
Each Kindness by: Jacqueline Woodson
We also reviewed several on your list. I love Last Stop On Market Street- and think Christian Robinson is brilliant!
Thanks for this great feature!
I love this post. I don’t have children now, but I tutor elementary school children at a predominately black school and they never seem to have any books with characters who look like them when we read together. I bought my mentee a book called “President of the Whole 5th Grade” by Sherri Winston, as she was preparing to be promoted from 4th to 5th grade earlier this year. It seems to be a great read! It features an African American leading character who wants to become president of her grade, despite the odds.
Keshia
http://www.queenlifeblog.com
I agree with Catherine and Susan – Vera Williams’s “Cherries and Cherry Pits” and “A Chair for my Mother” are both literary and artistic pieces of perfection. I remember being little and feeling so captivated by the story and the illustrations that, almost 30 years later, their details in my mind are so fresh. I still have both my copies in my book shelf of my home.
I love all of these book suggestions, and I feel it’s so important that children are aware and understand the beauty of having differences♡
The Hello Goodbye Window by Norton Juster is a favorite in my Kindergarten Classroom. I also love Those Shoes by Marybeth Boelts.
This is not a picture book. It’s for grade three but I have loved this book since the first time I read it. “Jackie Robinson and the Year of the Boar” by Bette Bao Lord tells the story of a young Chinese American girl and her experience as a immigrant trying to find her way and becoming assimilated. I felt like I was reliving my own childhood. It is written with sensitivity as well as humor.
I would highly recommend “Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes” by Mem Fox and Helen Oxenbury.
My daughter loved it.
I’d love to see a round up of children’s books with characters who have disabilities – specifically visible disabilities. When my second daughter, Lily, was born this past spring, I became aware of how media is supremely lacking in displaying this type of diversity. Lily has Down syndrome. I want to read her books with characters that look like her, and other people who look “differently”! She is beautiful, and I want her to know others think so too.
One book that I would recommend is “My Travelin’ Eye” by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw. This book features a girl with a “lazy” eye. It focuses on how this helps Jenny Sue (the character) to see the world in a different way.
Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt (Reading Rainbow Books) by Deborah Hopkinson. Deborah Hopkinson has written so many great historical books for young readers. I would always start crying reading this book to my boys at night.
Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox! It’s a wonderful baby book about all different ethnicities…and a great way to start right off the bat showing your baby there are many different kinds of babies in the world yet they all have some things in common!
The Barefoot Books line of books is incredible for it’s diversity of characters in cultures. It has books that are both culture specific (based in different geographic areas, etc), and they take classics such as Wheels on the Bus and revamp it with really diverse illustrations, such that each reader can find a character that is just like them!
https://www.barefootbooks.com/Sheetal-Kakarala
Their newest book, The Barefoot Book of Children is especially poignant given the political and racial climate in our country right now. As a family of colour, we have been using this a lot with our little one in understanding diversity:
http://store.barefootbooks.com/the-barefoot-book-of-children.html/?bf_affiliate_code=000-25lu
Ten little fingers, and ten little toes. By Mem Fox. About babies who come from all different places but are all the same. Comes in board books for babies too.
Corduroy, Whistle for Willie (also by Ezra Jack Keats)- my son loves this book!, and I agree with the other poster- the Highlights High Five magazine for pre-schoolers is awesome and features truly diverse characters.
You have to check out Barefoot Books if you haven’t seen them before!
https://www.barefootbooks.com/Sheetal-Kakarala
Their newest book, The Barefoot Book of Children, is SO fantastic in showing a diversity of characters in terms of physical characteristics and lifestyles!!
http://store.barefootbooks.com/the-barefoot-book-of-children.html/?bf_affiliate_code=000-25lu
“All the World,” by Liz Garton Scanlon; “Ten Nine Eight,” by Molly Bang; “Tar Beach,” by Faith Ringgold. All lovely. (And “Everywhere Babies” is a nightly read in our house.)
“The Sound of Silence” by Katrina Goldsaito
Whimsical and meditative, with a Japanese boy as its protagonist. It just came out a couple of months ago and it is really lovely:
https://www.amazon.com/Sound-Silence-Katrina-Goldsaito-ebook/dp/B01922I29W/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1475543823&sr=1-1&keywords=the+sound+of+silence
Corduroy!
A feast for 10 by Cathryn Falwell was one of my kids absolute favorite counting board books. Also Hush, a Thai lullaby, by Ho and Meade was another favorite. I especially loved the animal sounds, and how tired the mother gets trying to quiet the world so her baby can finally fall asleep!!
Whoa whoa whoa. Why the heck are multiple people saying that Corduroy, WHO IS A BEAR, should be added to a list for children’s books featuring KIDS of color? What is happening.
The little girl who takes Corduroy home is black.
Ashley at Hither & Thither just did a post on this same subject. Here are her recommendations (and more in the comments): http://hitherandthither.net/2016/09/finding-characters-color.html
thank you so much!
the new york times also did a great round-up, including a bunch for older kids:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/09/22/books/23racebooks.html
and here are some for younger kids: http://sleepingshouldbeeasy.com/2013/07/12/books-diversity/
also, a really smart post from slate:
http://www.slate.com/blogs/nightlight/2016/08/02/ezra_jack_keats_the_snowy_day_is_a_model_for_treating_black_characters_in.html
I treasured “Not Yet, Yvette” when I was little! Beautiful book for your cake-loving boys!
Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes, by Mem Fox, such a sweet book to read with babies and toddlers. Has babies from all different races and countries.
Peter’s Chair, also by Ezra Keats. Very sweet book about a family welcoming a new baby, with the same characters as in A Snowy Day
I follow author/illustrator Bob Staake on Facebook and was heartened to read his post on his upcoming book, “I Love Cats”, and his success in featuring an African American girl as a lead character (after receiving pushback from publishers on previous attempts). He writes, in part: “Change occurs slowly — but only when people persevere, PUSH, and never give up the fight — no matter how “small”. A picture book for kids may be the ultimate definition of “small”, but it’s a STEP — and I am SO happy that HarperCollins is taking it with me.” Keep an eye out for it – it looks to be a beautiful book!
Rainbow Soup
Sorry! It’s Rainbow Stew (not soup) by Cathryn Falwell. And Blackout by John Rocco. Both show black families doing normal family together things. Also, for older (upper elementary-aged) kids, A Picture Book of Jesse Owens by David Adler and Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges.
My son loves, Thunder Boy Jr. He also enjoys My Name is Yoon by Helen Recorvits.
My first grader just read and loved Emmanuel’s Dream by Laurie Ann Thompson.
Love these! Thanks for sharing!
xx, Hannah
http://www.missharwell.com
Yaay. You included Native Indians – Thunder Boy Jr! Thank you.
I appreciate this post! I work at my county library and always try to put diverse picture books on our Staff Picks display. I also just made a booklist for Hispanic Heritage Month. Love love love this.
Thank you for sharing this! At Christmas time I love to collect beautiful nutcrackers to decorate my mantle, and this year I’m looking to add an African American nutcracker to my treasured collection. We don’t have kids yet, but my husband is biracial and I can already see how it may take some effort and extra thought (from me and my side of the family) to incorporate diversity in both toys and decor.
Great post! Our favorites include:
“Ugly Vegetables” by Grace Lin (anything by Grace Lin!)
“New Shoes for Sylvia” illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
“Rain” illustrated by Christian Robinson
“All the World” illustrated by Marla Frazee
“Oh What a Busy Day” by Gyo Fujikawa
“Orlando’s Little While Friends” by Audrey Wood
I almost forgot “Rain Talk” which is so beautiful! It is a great bedtime read. It reminds me of the calming tone of the Snowy Day a lot.
https://www.amazon.com/Rain-Talk-Mary-Serfozo/dp/0689716990
Little Melba and Her Big Trombone, about real-life musician Melba Liston, is wonderful! The illustrations are gorgeous and the writing, so lovely. I’m excited that one of my two year old son’s earliest impressions of instruments will be seeing a black woman play one in this book.
https://www.leeandlow.com/books/2854
We LOVE Melba and her Trombone! Such a great story!
Are you familiar with the “Reading While White” blog? http://readingwhilewhite.blogspot.com
Lots of good ideas and thoughtful discussions about children’s literature. Thanks so much for your last postings. This is important stuff!
thank you so much, meg!
Thank you for sharing. I also love “The Girl who Hated Books” by Manjusha Pewagi.
Amazing Grace is a wonderful book about a girl standing up to what people say she cannot do because a.) she is a girl and b.)
she is black.
Amazing Grace, by Mary Hoffman. I remember one of my teachers from public school reading this story to my class, and it has stuck with me ever since. A wonderful book, and so inspiring for young readers!
https://www.amazon.ca/Amazing-Grace-Mary-Hoffman/dp/1845077490
“Ten, Nine, Eight” by Molly Bang — This is an absolutely beautiful bedtime book, like “Goodnight, Moon” but not as ubiquitous
Two other favorites:
“Grace for President” by Kelly DiPucchio
“Bi-Bim-Bop” by Linda Sue Park — we use the recipe in this book all the time!
I was just about to write in with Ten Nine Eight! Love that one.
Corduroy!
Oooh I forgot how much we loved everywhere babies. What a good one!
i love how the illustrations show all kinds of families and homes and lifestyles — breastfeeding and bottle feeding; dads wearing slings, etc. such a great book!
Thanks for including a book illustrated by Marla Frazee! I am good friends with her son, and her books are beyond lovely. xo
I loved this book as a child: https://www.amazon.com/What-Mary-Shared-Janice-Udry/dp/0153003014
Great list. We like Corduroy and A Pocket for Corduroy too.
Any book by Angela Johnson! I used to teach kindergarten and I used her books in my Writer’s Workshop because they were about the little things that make up a day and the illustrations are beautiful!
I would highly recommend checking out all the books that Bharat Babies has to offer. It’s so difficult to find books with Indian characters, and this company publishes stories that feature children with diverse religious and cultural backgrounds, including Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Muslim, etc. Although I’m not Indian, my husband is, and we were both so excited to find this company. I thought your sister might also be interested to learn about it.
thank you, caitlin, this company sounds wonderful!
I second this recommendation – our friend is the illustrator for the Bharat Babies book Sarla in the Sky about India’s first female pilot. They have so many great titles!
For very young kids Highlights Hello! magazine is great. Lots of different races and ethnicities. Our daughter loves them and you get a new one each month. Another plus, they are super durable!
Corduroy!
I’m half Japanese American and growing up my parents were careful to surround me with books about Japanese and Japanese American characters, which was so important for my own understanding of my cultural identity and race in general.
Rise and Shine, Mariko Chan (a great book about a Japanese little girl that explains some interesting cultural customs)
Yoko (a fun book about different cultural customs, told through the eyes of a little Japanese American cat whose classmates make fun of her for eating Japanese foods)
The Name Jar (A child moves to the US from Korea and feels she has to change her name in order to fit in)
Anything by Alan Say (Grandfather’s Journey, The Favorite Daughter, Tea with Milk) for incredible illustrations and heartwarming stories
Baseball Saved Us (a picture book for older children ready to learn about Japanese American incarceration and social injustice in the US)
In particular I think all these books do an excellent job helping kids to understand that just because someone looks a certain way (Asian, for example), it doesn’t mean they are FROM Asia. These are about the particular experience of generations-removed-offspring of immigrants, and what it means culturally and socially to be a non-immigrant POC in America.
I **love** Grandfather’s Journey!
Allen Say has some great books. My 5 year old picked out The Bicycle Man from the library and that was renewed twice because he loved it so much. The rest of his books are great too. Japanese perspective of being immigrants or traditions. Charming illustrations and captivated my children not to mention sparked conversations.
We love that one too! Beautiful writing and illustrations with a lovely message.
Love this selection! Another beautiful book illustrated by Marla Frazee is All The World. It depicts people of different races, ages, and same sex couples, all in Marla’s beautiful style. Super sweet and cozy book to read snuggled up with little ones.
Check out blackchildbooks.com I have a biracial adopted daughter and was really excited to find this site. Lots of great books
We have loved ‘The Skin You Live in’ by Michael Tyler. Our daughter is just 2 and a half, and this book has been a good jumping off point for talking about race.
https://www.amazon.com/Skin-You-Live-Michael-Tyler/dp/0975958003/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1475532038&sr=8-1&keywords=the+skin+you+live++in
I love you like crazy cakes.
And there was one about a big flowered chair paid for with a jar of tips but I’m not sure of the title
A Chair for My Mother
A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams is the title. I read this book to my students every year.
A Chair for My Mother by Vera Williams?
A Chair for my Mother!
A Chair for My Mother, I think. Wonderful book!
A Chair for my Mother! It’s fantastic!
https://www.google.com/search?q=a+chair+for+my+mother&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari#imgrc=JMeRjXMfOMr_nM%3A
Oh yes! A Chair for My Mother by Vera B Williams.
Makes me cry of sweetness every time.
Thank you so much for this list and for the list that’s growing in the comments. I love this so much.
A Chair For My Mother. Loved that as a little girl.
A chair for my mother by Vera B. Williams. Such gorgeous illustrations!
As a teacher, I’m constantly searching out books which feature diverse characters (race, reversed gender roles, economic status, etc.). I love, love, love Come On, Rain by Karen Hesse. It’s also one of my students’ favorites because the language is so vivid and beautiful and the illustrations are incredible to boot.
I always buy The Snowy Fay for expectant friends. It’s such a beautiful book.
I love this book so much for the urban setting, the silence, and the beautiful illustrations. I always remember the mother’s lovely big arms–I think even as a child I noted that you didn’t see “big” moms in books.
Juana and Lucas by Juana Medina
Corduroy! I loved it as a kid and my kids love it too. This is a great list.
At a conference last year I heard Kaya Thomas speak – she is the totally inspiring founder of *We Read Too* an app that “showcases 600+ children’s and YA books written by authors of color with characters of color” You can watch the talk here if of interest: http://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2016/5/24/we-read-too-opportunities-for-diversity-in-publishing?utm_content=buffer47df4&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
We have ‘Last Stop on Market Street’ and ‘Little You’ and absolutely love them both. Thanks for more suggestions!
We love Last Stop on Market Street too! :-)
One Word from Sophia
By Jim Averback
It’s so cute and smart.
When I was little I remember loving the illustrated collection of poems, “Honey, I Love and Other Poems” by Eloise Greenfield. Perfect for cozying up at bedtime and leaving you feeling all of the warm & fuzzies.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/honey-i-love-and-other-love-poems-eloise-greenfield/1100631949
I also LOVED “Umbrella” by Taro Yashima
https://www.amazon.com/Umbrella-Picture-Puffins-Taro-Yashima/dp/0140502408
We like snowy day of course, and 10 fingers 10 toes. Thanks for this great list, COJ ladies!
10 Little Fingers & Ten Little Toes by Men Fox is a favourite in our house
Thanks so much for these posts! My kiddo loves the book “More, More, More”!
I had saved this link from a while back–lots of additional suggestions. https://medium.com/embrace-race/childrens-books-featuring-kids-of-color-being-themselves-because-that-s-enough-36aa15c94d44#.z8fbjfmqe
Sorry the full title is “More More More (Said the Baby)”!
The New Small Person by Lauren Childs!!! About getting a new sibling. Very funny and fun illustrations too.
I absolutely loved the classics “Cherries and Cherry Pits” and “A Chair for My Mother”… the watercolor illustrations captivated me. As a child who grew up in Chicago it was also fun to read about another family that lived in an apartment building!
https://www.amazon.com/Cherries-Cherry-Pits-Vera-Williams/dp/0688104789
https://www.amazon.com/Chair-Mother-Anniversary-Reading-Rainbow/dp/0688040748/
“A Chair for My Mother” was a favorite of mine when I was young and now my daughter loves it too! I tear up when I read it to her. It is such a sweet story and has lovely illustrations.
My son also loves the cherries book!
Thank you!! I had TOTALLY forgotten about these – two of my absolute favorites as a kid.
I LOVED Cherries & Cherry Pits growing up because it is illustrated so beautifully!