Teaching my children about other cultures and the importance of diversity in our world has always been important to me. The past few months, I’ve been even more focused on these topics and on finding good children’s books to read with them. Here I’m sharing 20 of our favorite children’s books with diverse characters and cultures.
Reading books about historical events and heroes who have fought for equality is a great way to introduce heavy and difficult topics to little ones. It is equally as important to read books showcasing People of Color (POC) as the heroes and heroines. Not only should we read historical books about those who have changed the world, we should also show children that POC are good, strong, smart, and heroic, BECAUSE they’re different from us. We can certainly all do a better job of seeing diversity and celebrating it; and what better way than when kids are young and impressionable?
Book List of 75 Diverse Books for Kids
Check out my list on Amazon, of 75 Diverse Books for Kids. Some of these books are classics, that we’ve read for years like Corduroy, Whistle for Willie, Snow Day, Princess Truly, and Strictly No Elephants. Others have been more recent discoveries that we’ve checked out from the library and fallen in love with like Sulwe, The Sandwich Swap, Parker Looks Up, I Like Myself, and Say Anything.
Another brand new series that’s one of our favorites, is The Magic of Me books by Becky Cummings. We have loved every book that she’s written. Of course the beautiful messages and diverse characters make them even more meaningful. You can find all four of these books on Amazon, as well.
Additional Resources for Teaching Children about Diversity
Last month, I also had the chance to be interviewed on my sister’s podcast, For the Love of Literacy. We shared tips and information about how to diversify our home libraries. It was such a great chance to work together, so if you get a chance make sure to listen to it here.
I hope you’ll check out some of these amazing books with diverse characters to read with your little ones. It’s been so good for us to focus on how we can change the narrative surrounding POC. Right now my children are innocent, but they’re also smart. They understand these topics better than I expected them too. It brings me great joy knowing I’m helping change the world, by the way I teach my children.
If you’re interested in additional resources for raising anti-racist children, here’s a blog post loaded with incredible information.
And if you’re looking for adult book recommendations, here are 20 Books for your 2020 Summer Reading List, I put together a few months ago. As always, thank you for following along, and I hope you’ll find these recommendations and resources helpful.
Sincerely,
