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Diverse Children's Literature



This has taken me much longer than I anticipated to get a book list together from my libraries' archives, type out, and fill out with links. The links are primarily from Massy Books, an Indigenous-owned bookstore in Vancouver, BC, but when they couldn't be found there they are on amazon. 

I didn't give any descriptions of these books because you can click on them to know more, and there are  so many listed. Each and every one of these picture books and young adult (YA)  books,  have been read by my family. Yes, some of them are about political figures or events during the civil rights, but most are about black or people of color who have done amazing things: art, science, inventions, history makers or  fiction books with diverse characters. 

 With the Black Lives Matter movement happening right now in the US, I thought I'd share some that stood out to us in the past two years of our reading. Diverse books are important in any home, and every single one of these we were able to check out at the library. Look them up, read them to your kids or family members, and celebrate these joyful, funny, and unique stories! 

If you have recommendations you don't see here, please leave the title and author in the comments. 

What Do You Do With a Voice Like That? by Chris Barton 


Boonoonoonous Hair by Olive Senior 


Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrik Barnes 


Counting on Katherine by Helaine Becker 


The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson 


Magic Trash: A Story of Tyree Guyton and His Art by JH Shapiro 


Dear President Obama by Bruce Kluger 


When's My Birthday? by Julie Fogliano 


When God Made You by Matthew Paul Turner  


Anna Hibiscus series and picture book by Atinuke 


We Are the Change: Words of Inspiration by Civil Rights Leaders by Harry Belafonte 


Step Right Up: How Doc and Jim Key Taught the World About Kindness  by Donna Janelle Bowman


The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles 


Thank You, Omu by Oge Mora 


We March by Shane W Evans 


Freedom in Congo Square by Carole Boston Weatherford 


Crossing Bok Chitto by Tim Tingle  (Indigenous)


The Vanderbeekers of 141st St by Karina Yan Glaser (YA)


Chains (The Seeds of America) by Laurie Halse Anderson (YA)


Crossover by Kwame Alexander (YA), Poetry, Series


Ice Breaker: How Mabel Fairbanks Changed Ice Skating  by Rose Vina 


A Likkle Miss Lou: How Jamacian Poet Louise Bennett Coverly Found Her Voice  by Nadia L Hohn


So Tall Within: Sojourner Truth's Long Walk Toward Freedom by Gary D Schmidt


Nina by Alice Briere Haquet 


Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy US Marshall by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson

Hector: A Boy, A Protest, and the Photograph that Changed Apartheid by Adrienne Wright 


Look Up With Me: Neil deGrasse Tyson and a Life Among the Stars  by Jennifer Berne 


Crazy Horse's Vision by National Geo Learning (Indigenous)


Sisters and Champions: The True Story of Venus and Serena Williams by Howard Bryant  


Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table by Jacqueline Briggs Martin  


The Golden Girls of Rio by Nikkolas Smith  


Summer Jackson Grown Up by Teresa Harris 


When the Beat Was Born: DJ Kool Herc and the Creation of Hip Hop  by Laban Carrick Hill 


Just A Lucky So-and-So: The Story of Louis Armstrong  by Lesa Cline-Ransome 


Trailblazers Simone Biles  by  Sally J Morgan 


The Girl Who Buried Her Dreams in a Can: A True Story by Trerari Trent


Lillian's Right to Vote: A Celebration of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by Jonah Winter 


Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library by Carole Boston Weatherford


With Books and Bricks: How Booker T Washington Built a School  by Nicole Tadgell 


A Spy Called James: The True Story of James Lafayette, Revolutionary War Double Agent by Anne Rockwell


Take a Picture of Me, James Van Der Zee! by Andrea J Loney 


Paiute Princess: The Story of Sarah  Winnemucca  by Deborah Kogan Ray (Indigenous)


Leontyne Price: Voice of A Century by Carole Boston Weatherford 


Fancy Party Gowns: The Story of Fashion Designer Ann Cole Lowe by Deborah Blumenthal 


Muhammad Ali: A Champion is Born by Gene Barretta 


Lift Your Light a Little Higher: The Story of Steven Bishop, Slave Explorer by Heather Henson 


Frederick's Journey: The Life of Frederick Douglass by Doreen Rappaport 


Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat by Javaka Steptoe 
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