Exploring Diversity through Children’s Literature – School-Age Book Suggestions

Below is a list of books that will add diversity to your bookshelves. These were pulled from a variety of “best books to celebrate diversity” lists. There are many, many other books available. Some authors listed have written multiple books exploring diversity. Reach out to your local librarian for even more suggestions.

1. I, Too, Am America by Langston Hughes
2. I Have a Dream by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
3. I am Jazz by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings
4. Donovan’s Double Trouble by Melissa DeGross
5. Cool Salsa: Bilingual Poems on Growing Up Latino in the United States edited by Lori M. Carlson
6. Emmanuel’s Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah by Laurie Ann Thompson
7. The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes
8. 10,000 Dresses by Marcus Ewert
9. The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses by Paul Goble
10. El Deafo by CeCe Bell
11. Drop by Drop by US Conference of Catholic Bishops
12. Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez by Kathleen Krull
13. I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark by Debbie Levy
14. Malala’s Magic Pencil by Malala Yousafzai
15. This is How We Do It: One Day in the Lives of Seven Kids from Around the World by Matt Lamothe
16. The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig
17. We are All Born Free by Amnesty International
18. Be the Change: A Grandfather Gandhi Story by Arun Gandhi and Bethany Hegedus
19. The Diwali Gift by Shweta Chopra
20. A Different Pond by Bao Phi