Great Books to Diversify Your Library
A list of books featuring diverse characters that touch on every day aspects of life or positive messages for children. These are the books that may not lead to family discussions. However, you’ll find your family reading them over and over again because of how they warm your heart.
Follow Kiko as she shares the fruits & vegetables of her garden. With each item she shares, Kiko experiences the joys of sharing & kindness.
Join Ruby as she travels to surprise her grandmother; meeting a host of adorable animals along the way. An endearing introduction to the celebration of Chinese New Year.
Mia & Tayja take the reader on a journey as they play pretend. However, the one thing they do not need to pretend is that they are real sisters united as a family through adoption.
This delightful story follows Dona Flor, a giant woman, as she looks after her community with gentleness and generosity. The book features Spanish words & phrases alongside beautiful illustrations.
Learn about some of the winners of the Nobel Peace Prize and how their work changed the world. You’ll be inspired to not just learn more, but to create you own ideas of what Peace means & how you can help make a difference.
This story thoughtfully illustrates the worries & fears that come with being a child who has immigrated to a new country. It shows the emotional challenges that come with feeling different. It also beautifully shows the positive impacts that come from forming connections, even to one other child.
This book sends the reader on a journey around the world to learn about the daily lives of children. The diversityThis word simply means differences. It generally refers to differences in things like race, gender, religion, language, culture, or appearance. More invites you to learn about the beauty in difference as well as the commonalities that connect us all.
Beautifully illustrated, this book tells the story of a girl who learns about her family’s heritage and history through her visits to Haiti; especially her aunt’s paintings & the time she sits for her portrait to be done.
A young girl wakes up excited about getting all dressed up to go to a fancy event. But even more importantly, she’s excited to spend time with her Mama.
A biography of New York’s first Puerto Rican librarian who believed in bilingual books. She used her story telling skills to plant seeds of stories that inspired children and expanded the kinds of books housed within a library.
A wonderful book about celebrating the love between a father & son and the ways they are “perfectly designed” for one another.
This book is full of beautiful illustrations and diverse characters. It reminds us that no matter who you are or what you are experiencing…“you matter.”
This simple but meaningful story reminds us that while there are ways in which we are different, there are more important ways in which all humans are alike “whoever they are, wherever they are, all over the world.”
One of my favorite books! The endearing tale of a little girl sharing all the ways in which she is great just as she is. “I like it all. It all is me. And me is who I want to be.”
A collection of poetry about girls of all kinds and their myriad of feelings and experiences. This book does a wonderful job of honoring the value in every girl. “All of these feelings live inside of me. All of them are who I am. Are you feeling me?”
In this story we are invited on Jabari’s journey to conquer his fears & jump off the diving board. His father is patient & supportive; reminding Jabari, “It’s okay to feel a little scared.”
This book gives the reader a glimpse into Michael Jordan’s childhood & how he was always “chasing a dream.” With the support of his loving family, Michael learns the value of practice & patience in achieving your goals.
A charming story of a little girl whose “one true desire” is to get a giraffe for her birthday. Read all about her presentations and pie charts in an attempt to get her family on board.
When Max has to say goodbye to his granpa, he’s comforted by learning “That ol’ moon will always shine for you…on and on.” He tracks the moon the drive home and from the comfort of his bed as he falls asleep.
Violet’s Music is a great story about staying confident in who you are and what makes you happy. Violet is born with a love of music that grows with her. Despite sometimes having to play her music “all alone;” Violet never wavers in knowing that someday she will find other kids just like her.
Aria is proud of her beautiful, curly hair. She likes that others love her hair but “some love it so much they want to touch it. I don’t like this.” Follow Aria as she finds her power and voice in telling people whether or not they can touch her hair. A helpful lesson for any child who needs to learn the power of setting limits with others.
The sweetest story of 2 boys who become penpals and share the many ways in which their lives are the same, even if some of the details are different.
This book has a diverse group of girls who share a genuine sense of friendship. Cece has has struggled to earn a merit badge, but thanks to a camping trip she “could finally put science to work.” Read how Cece & her friends navigate a camping trip using STEM & teamwork.
