16 Children’s Books That Foster Acceptance

Great list there, Joanna! Loved the one with mermaids! I would love it if you included another book in the list. You can check it out by the link: https://aliciaortego.com/acceptance-is-my-superpower/

FAMILIES, FAMILIES, FAMILIES by Suzanne & Max Lang! Fabulous book with great message and great illustrations. (Disclaimer, I know them, but still).

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/241133/families-families-families-by-suzanne-lang-illustrated-by-max-lang/

Hug Time – the sweetest little book you’ll ever read.

I may have just requested every one of these books (including those in the comments) from my library. Thanks, everyone.

Another book I love is Ferdinand the Bull. The main character stays true to who he is (kind and gentle) and that’s wonderful, but there’s a short bit about his mother that always gets me. At one point towards the beginning Ferdinand’s mom is worried that he is lonely sitting under the treat all by himself so she suggests that he run and play with the other bulls. He says he doesn’t want to, and then there’s a line about how, because his mom is a understanding mother, she realizes that he’s not lonely and is actually very happy sitting by himself under the tree. As a very-extroverted mom of a very-introverted child, I always appreciate the gentle reminder in the book.

Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress! This book literally changed my gender non-conforming child’s life via his self-perception. I love it all – Morris loves to wear a dress (the color reminds him of his mother’s hair, the swishy sound reminds him of the jungle…), he gets picked on, he works through it with love from his momma, a dream, and artwork, and eventually gains acceptance. It looks at some of these issues without overtly talking about gay/trans/etc. – for little kids it is often just about a dress (for now).

I love this post – and all children’s book posts here. This is a bit off topic, but we are raising our 1.5 year old with both English and Spanish, and I have been having a hard time finding Spanish language children’s books that we love. Right now, we have Tren de Invierno and A que sabe la Luna? (both of which are great but bit long for her right now) as well as some translations of American children’s books, but we are looking for more. I am so frustrated when I look at Instagrams of Spanish toy stores that have such lovely books – they are just not available here. I know that there are so many great books written by native Spanish speakers for kids, I just am having trouble searching for them or purchasing them in the United States (for a reasonable price!). Wondering if anyone has encountered this problem or has a great resource for nice Spanish language picture books. TIA!

A great Instagram account that I follow is @hereweeread … she has great suggestions and reviews of diverse books for kids!

Oh my gosh, so excited to check out these books! I would love to recommend “Each Kindness” by Jacqueline Woodson. I was moved to tears reading it. It reminded me a little of “The 100 Dresses” by Eleanor Estes, which I read and loved as a child, and promptly re-read after “Each Kindness”

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0399246525/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1526393237&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=each+kindness

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0152052607/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1526393355&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=the+100+dresses&dpPl=1&dpID=51D19adrnlL&ref=plSrch

As a child I loved “Yo! Yes?” which is about two lonely boys, one African-American and one white, who meet on the street and through a series of two word exchanges form a tentative friendship that is sealed by the end of the book. I can’t wait to share it with my son.

Those illustrations are so flowy and beautiful! I don’t think my 1 year old will get any of it’s underlying message but I bet she’d love the book for it :)

10,000 dresses by Marcus Ewert

I love seeing El Deafo on this list! I work in an elementary classroom for kids with severe disabilities. The author’s approach to explaining what deafness is like to the hearing is so well done. I ended up donating a copy to my son’s 5th grade classroom. Weeks later he told me “oh yeah everyone’s read El deafo.” Helping kids to become inclusive in small ways makes such a huge impact. Thank you!

Well as a (retired) school nurse, I would have every single one in my sanctuary nurse office. I was a sanctuary for all those beings that had physical reverberations because they were trying to figure out just who they were growing into as they grew. Adults were stopped at the door. Every day our little people grow up with amazing beautiful adults around them, so of course they want to try out all our beauty/power secrets and our strengths. They figure it out best if we don’t judge or control, and just love them. Brilliant list, and may we grow brilliant humans by letting them read the books and we remain quietly there and watch them grow.

Patricia Polacko!! My FAVORITE book growing up was by her – it was called ‘Babushka Baba Yaga.’ I am 31 years old and still have the most vivid memories of my mother taking us to the library to ‘get some books.’ I remember every tiny detail of the library (stone, built by the Carnegies, overlooking the Maumee river), the smell (books and nice old ladies), the bag my mother brought to fill with books (cream canvas), the little sculpture on the staircase leading down to the children’s room (a frog touched by a million tiny hands), and the bookshelf in the left bottom corner where Babushka Baba Yaga lived. I never ceased to be amazed by the power of nostalgia to punch you in the gut when you least expect it <3

I’d have to add “Captain Starfish” to this list – it’s about a little boy who wants to dress up for a school event but is overcome by shyness. It has a lovely message about accepting kids’ different levels of “readiness” to embrace certain things. And the illustrations are just lovely.

https://www.amazon.com/Captain-Starfish-Davina-Bell/dp/1419728377

It’s published under the name “The Underwater Fancy-Dress Parade” in Australia and the UK.

https://www.amazon.com/The-Underwater-Fancy-Dress-Parade/dp/1925106209/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1526352284&sr=1-1&keywords=the+underwater+fancy-dress+parade&dpID=51ugljqq4wL&preST=_SX218_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch

Thanks for these recommendations!

We recently checked out I Love My Purse by Belle DeMont from the library. Great story, fantastic illustrations!

The Great Big Book of Families by Mary Hoffman is one recommended by a librarian when my son was asking why his best friend didn’t have a daddy. The book talks about all kinds of families with 2 mommies or 2 daddies or single parents; or how we celebrate different holidays; or live in houses or apartments.