Reading List: Picture Books about Diversity

This is a list of picture books celebrating diversity. There is a growing list of wonderful books that celebrate different skin colors. Some titles on the list also celebrate different cultures and religions, but I kept most of these off of this list since some of the titles are already on my Immigrant Experience list. For additional book options, check out We Need Diverse Books as well as online searches for books within the #ownvoices movement.

The books I chose for my list are ones the celebrate and demonstrate diversity. Since they are written for a younger audience, they may not necessarily address racism, intolerance, bigotry, etc. But these books will certainly set the stage for future conversations as your child grows. I have also included, below the list of books, some resources about how and when to have the conversation about race with your children.

Picture Books Celebrating Diversity:

Ahmed, Roda - Mae Among the Stars

Atinuke - B is for Baby

Barnes, Derrick - Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut

Barnes, Derrick - I Am Every Good Thing

Brantley-Newton, Vanessa - Just Like Me

Britt, Paige - Why Am I Me?

Brown, Karamo - I Am Perfectly Designed

Brown, Tameka Fryer - Brown Baby Lullaby

Browne, Mahogany L. - Woke Baby

Byers, Grace - I Am Enough

Cherry, Matthew A. - Hair Love

Cornwell, Gaia - Jabari Jumps

Curry, Parker - Parker Looks Up: An Extraordinary Moment

DiPucchio, Kelly - Grace for President

Franklin, Ashley - Not Quite Snow White

Grimes, Nikki - Bedtime for Sweet Creatures

Harrison, Daisy R. - My Grandmother Lives in a Shotgun House

Joy, Angela - Black Is a Rainbow Color

Kendi, Ibram X - Antiracist Baby

Khan, Hena - Under My Hijab

Levinson, Cynthia - The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist

McDaniel, Breanna J. - Hands Up!

Meltzer, Brad - I am Jackie Robinson

Miller, Sharee - Princess Hair

Nyong'o, Lupita - Sulwe

Robinson, Christian - You Matter

Rose, Tiffany - M Is for Melanin: A Celebration of the Black Child

Thompkins-Bigelow, Jamilah - Mommy's Khimar

Timbaland - Nighttime Symphony

Tools for Parents to Start the Conversation:

• The Longest Shortest Time Podcast, Episode #116: "How to Not (Accidentally) Raise a Racist"
• NPR's "Talking Race With Young Children"
• PBS for Parents: Talking to Young Children About Race and Racism
• Today's Parent article on "How to Talk to Kids About Racism: An Age-by-Age Guide"

Tools for White Parents & Educators, to Learn More About the Topic:

• Bill Ferriter's blogpost "Second Guessing My Kids of Color?" 
• Crash Course on "Racial/Ethnic Prejudice & Discrimination"
• Dr. Joy DeGruy Leary's speech and research on "Post Traumatic Slave Disorder"
• John H. Bracey, Jr.'s lecture "How Racism Harms White Americans"
• Media Education Foundations documentary, "White Like Me: Race, Racism, & White Privilege in America"
• Read "Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You" by Jason Reynolds and Dr. Ibram X. Kendi (Dr. Kendi has many other great antiracist reads to checkout!)
• PBS's special, "The Talk - Race in America"
• School Library Journal's 2020 Day of Dialog Keynote Speech with Jason Reynolds and Dr. Ibram Kendi. 
• Van Explains it All: "Implicit Bias - The Van Jones Show"