Book list · Ages 3–8
Diverse children's books
Picture books where kids of different races, cultures, families and bodies are the main characters, and the story is about something else: hair, a bus ride, a garden, a name. Picked by Ken Yeung, author of The Rummage Crew.
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Our bookThe Secret of the Squeaky Wagon
Two East Asian sisters, a Black boy with a clipboard, a boy with tan skin and red glasses, a freckled detective, and Leo, who uses a wheelchair and finds the wagon first. Nobody's difference is the plot; the wagon is. Ours, so take the top spot with a grain of salt.
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Last Stop on Market Street
CJ and his grandmother ride the bus across town after church. Winner of the Newbery Medal and a Caldecott Honor.
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Hair Love
A dad learns to style his daughter Zuri's hair for a special day. Also an Oscar-winning short film.
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Eyes That Kiss in the Corners
A girl notices her eyes are different from her friends' and learns to see their beauty through her mother, grandmother and little sister.
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Julián Is a Mermaid
Julián sees three women dressed as mermaids and wants to be one too. His abuela's reaction is the heart of the book.
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We Move Together
A picture book about disability and access in everyday life, with kids who use wheelchairs, canes, sign language and more. Includes a glossary for grown-ups.
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Just Ask! Be Different, Be Brave, Be You
Kids with diabetes, asthma, autism, Tourette's and other conditions build a garden together and explain what makes each of them different.
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All Are Welcome
A day at a school where every kind of family and kid is welcome. A go-to first-day-of-school read-aloud.
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The Name Jar
Unhei has just moved from Korea and wonders whether to pick an "easier" American name. Her classmates fill a jar with suggestions.
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Sulwe
Sulwe has skin the colour of midnight and wishes it were lighter, until a night journey shows her a different way to see herself.
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Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story
What fry bread is and what it means to a family. Winner of the Sibert Medal, with an author's note that is worth reading aloud too.
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Dim Sum for Everyone!
A family picks their favourite dishes from the dim sum carts. Simple enough for toddlers; the end note explains dim sum.
More lists: books about kindness and recycling books for kids.
Diverse books: questions
What makes a children's book diverse?
Characters whose race, culture, family, language, body or ability reflect the real range of kids, told without making the difference the only point of the story. The best ones are simply good stories where kids see themselves and others.
Are there picture books with a character in a wheelchair?
Yes. We Move Together by Kelly Fritsch and Anne McGuire and Just Ask! by Sonia Sotomayor both include wheelchair users. In The Rummage Crew, Leo uses a wheelchair with rainbow spokes and is the crew's gardener and builder.
What are good diverse books for kindergarten?
All Are Welcome, Hair Love, Dim Sum for Everyone! and Last Stop on Market Street all work as kindergarten read-alouds.
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