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November 24, 2015 by Betsy Bird

The Diversity List: Picture, Easy, and Early Chapter Books of 2015

November 24, 2015 by Betsy Bird   25 comments

Red-Yellow-Blue1So I’m going to confess something to you.  All year long, from January onward, I’ve been keeping track of any picture book, easy book, or early chapter book I’ve seen containing some kind of diversity.  Have I missed books?  Of course I have!  You cannot make a list like this without missing something.  Books from publishers like Kar-Ben Books and Inhabit Media (amongst others) should be better represented, but I failed to keep proper track early in the year.  There probably isn’t enough Lee & Low or Cinco Punto either.  At the same time, the books that I was able to gather could be potentially useful to folks.  You will find them organized by their publication release dates.

I apologize beforehand that sometimes the notes here do not mention the specific ethnicities of the characters.  Often this is because the book itself has not made it clear.  For these titles, you will need to look at the books individually.

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As ever, if you see something missing here please note it in the comments. Also, if you think I’ve included wrong information about a book, let me know so that I can make the change.

Enjoy!

Title                              Author            Pub Date     Age        Subjects        Type

Families Shelley Rotner & Sheila M. Kelly 1/1/2015 Ages 3-6 family, alternative lifestyles, same sex families Picture Book
3, 2, 1, Go! Emily Arnold McCully 1/1/2015 Ages 4-6 strong girls, science girls, STEM Easy Reader
How to Grow a Friend Sara Gillingham 1/6/2015 Ages 3-6 Multi-ethnic Cast, friendship, nature Picture Book
The Bear Ate Your Sandwich Julia Sarcone-Roach 1/6/2015 Ages 4-6 nature, bears, cities, Diverse Main Character Picture Book
Last Stop on Market Street Matt de la Pena 1/8/2015 Ages 4-6 family, multigenerational, lower income, African-American, Diverse Main Character Picture Book
The Tea Party in the Woods Akiko Miyakoshi 1/8/2015 Ages 3-6 Diverse Main Character, Asian, animals, tea parties Picture Book
Ready, Set, Kindergarten! Paula Ayer 1/9/2015 Ages 4-5 Diverse Main Character, starting school, biracial Picture Book
My Three Best Friends and Me, Zulay Cari Best 1/13/2015 Ages 4-7 Disability, friendship, sports, African-American, Diverse Main Character Picture Book
Freedom’s School Lesa Cline-Ransome 1/13/2015 Ages 4-7 Diverse Main Character, African-American, American history, freedom Picture Book
Juna’s Jar Jane Bank 1/15/2015 Ages 3-6 multi-cultural, moving, Asian-American, friendship, Diverse Main Character Picture Book
Harlem Renaissance Party Faith Ringgold 1/27/2015 Ages 4-7 Diverse Main Character, African-American, American history Picture Book
Sofia Martinez: My Family Adventure Jacqueline Jules 2/1/2015 Ages 6-9 family, Latino-American, Diverse Main Character Chapter Book
Sofia Martinez: The Missing Mouse Jacqueline Jules 2/1/2015 Ages 4-6 family, Latino-American, Diverse Main Character Picture Book
A Dozen Cousins Lori Haskins Houran 2/3/2015 Ages 4-6 family, Multi-ethnic Cast, boys, girls Picture Book
The New Small Person Lauren Child 2/10/2015 Ages 4-7 family, new baby, siblings, jealousy, Diverse Main Character Picture Book
I Had a Favorite Hat Boni Ashburn 2/17/2015 Ages 4-6 Diverse Main Character, Clothing, Imagination Picture Book
The Red Bicycle Jude Isabella 3/1/2015 Ages 4-7 multi-cultural, Africa, bicycles, philanthropy, world culture, Diverse Main Character Picture Book
The Sock Thief Ana Crespo 3/1/2015 Ages 4-7 Latin America, soccer, sports, altruism, Diverse Main Character Picture Book
Jessica’s Box Peter Carnavas 3/1/2015 Ages 4-6 Diverse Main Character, Disability, friendship Picture Book
Party Croc! A Folktale from Zimbabwe Margaret Read McDonald 3/1/2015 Ages 4-7 Diverse Main Character, folktale, promises Picture Book
No, No, Kitten! Shelley Moore Thomas 3/3/2015 Ages 3-6 Diverse Main Character, Cats, Pets Picture Book
Stone Angel Jane Yolen 3/3/2015 Ages 4-7 Diverse Main Character, Jewish, WWII, Holocaust, hope Picture Book
Red Jan De Kinder 3/9/2015 Ages 4-7 Bullying, Friendship, School Picture Book
Bird & Diz Gary Golio 3/10/2015 Ages 4-7 jazz, African-American, American history, music, Diverse Main Character Picture Book
My Pen Christopher Myers 3/10/2015 Ages 6-9 Diverse Main Character, Imagination, Drawing, Art Picture Book
Red, Yellow, Blue (And a Dash of White Too!) C.G. Esperanza 3/10/2015 Ages 3-6 Diverse Main Character, Imagination, Colors, Art, African-American Picture Book
Peace Is an Offering Annette Le Box 3/10/2015 Ages 4-7 Multi-ethnic Cast, peace, friendship Picture Book
15 Things Not To Do With a Baby Margaret McAllister 3/15/2015 Ages 3-6 Diverse Main Character, new baby, siblings Picture Book
Thank You, Jackson Niki Daly 3/15/2015 Ages 3-6 Diverse Main Character, manners, Africa Picture Book
Salsa: Una Poema Para Cocinar / A Cooking Poem Jorge Argueta 3/17/2015 Ages 4-6 cooking, Latino-American, family, Diverse Main Character Picture Book
And What If I Won’t? Maureen Fergus 3/17/2015 Ages 4-7 Diverse Main Character, family, mothers, behavior Picture Book
Drum Dream Girl Margarita Engle 3/24/2015 Ages 5-7 Diverse Main Character, Cuba, music, girls, multi-racial Picture Book
Families, Families, Families! Suzanne Lang 3/24/2015 Ages 4-6 family, alternative lifestyles, same sex families Picture Book
How to Surprise a Dad Jean Reagan 3/24/2015 Ages 3-6 Diverse Main Character, fathers, family Picture Book
The Best Friend Battle Lindsay Eyre 3/31/2015 Ages 6-9 friendship, jealousy, Latino-American, Multi-ethnic Cast Chapter Book
The Five of Us Quentin Blake 3/31/2015 Ages 4-7 Multi-ethnic Cast, ability, self-esteem Picture Book
Finding the Music / En Pos de la Musica Jennifer Torres 4/1/2015 Ages 4-7 Diverse Main Character, Latino-American, music Picture Book
Poems in the Attic Nikki Grimes 4/1/2015 Ages 4-7 Diverse Main Character, African-American, family Picture Book
The Flying Hand of Marco B. Richard Leiter 4/1/2015 Ages 3-6 Diverse Main Character, imagination, flying Picture Book
My Family Tree and Me Dusan Petricic 4/1/2015 Ages 4-7 Diverse Main Character, Asian-American, biracial, family tree Picture Book
Never Give Up: A Story About Self-esteem Kathryn Cole 4/1/2015 Ages 4-7 Diverse Main Character, self-esteem, perseverance Picture Book
I Am Ivan Crocodile Rene Gouichoux 4/1/2015 Ages 5-7 bullying, disability, emotions Picture Book
Grandma in Blue With a Red Hat Scott Menchin 4/14/2015 Ages 4-6 family, multigenerational, art, African-American, Diverse Main Character Picture Book
Hens for Friends Sandy De Lisle 4/14/2015 Ages 5-7 Diverse Main Character, Latino-American, farm life, chickens Picture Book
There’s No Such Thing As Little LeUyen Pham 4/14/2015 Ages 3-6 Multi-ethnic Cast, concepts, perception Picture Book
Little Sleepyhead Elizabeth McPike 4/14/2015 Ages 2-4 Multi-ethnic Cast, bedtime, babies Picture Book
Little Chanclas Jose Lozano 4/15/2015 Ages 3-6 Diverse Main Character, Latino-American, clothing Picture Book
Princess Nina Marlise Achterbergh 4/21/2015 Ages 4-6 alternative lifestyles, princesses, strong girls Picture Book
Big News! Ida Siegal 4/28/2015 Ages 6-9 Diverse Main Character, Latino-American, mystery Chapter Book
Never Ask a Dinosaur to Dinner Gareth Edwards 4/28/2015 Ages 3-6 Diverse Main Character, dinosaurs, bedtime Picture Book
Izzy Barr, Running Star Claudia Mills 4/28/2015 Ages 6-9 Diverse Main Character, sports, friendship, African-American Chapter Book
Race the Wild: Rain Forest Relay Kristin Earhart 4/28/2015 Ages 6-9 Diverse Main Character, nature, adventure, animals Chapter Book
The Nesting Quilt Cathryn Falwell 5/1/2015 Ages 3-6 Diverse Main Character, new baby, crafts Picture Book
A Day at Grandma’s Mi-ae Lee 5/1/2015 Ages 3-6 Diverse Main Character, Korea, sleepovers, separation, family Picture Book
Lailah’s Lunchbox: A Ramadan Story Reem Faruqi 5/1/2015 Ages 4-7 Diverse Main Character, Muslim, holidays, differences Picture Book
Grandma Lives in a Perfume Village Fang Suzhen 5/1/2015 Ages 3-6 Diverse Main Character, Taiwan, death, grandparents Picture Book
Ally-Saurus Richard Torrey 5/5/2015 Ages 4-6 friendship, strong girls, gender stereotypes, dinosaurs Picture Book
Stella Brings the Family Miriam B. Schiffer 5/5/2015 Ages 4-7 family, alternative lifestyles, same sex families Picture Book
Don’t Throw It to Mo! David A. Adler 5/5/2015 Ages 6-7 Multi-ethnic Cast, Diverse Main Character, sports, football, self-esteem Easy Reader
Anna, Banana, and the Friendship Split Anica Mrose Rissi 5/5/2015 Ages 6-9 Diverse Main Character, friendship, fighting Chapter Book
Interstellar Cinderella Deborah Underwood 5/5/2015 Ages 3-6 strong girls, science girls, STEM, fractured fairytales Picture Book
Feet Go to Sleep Barbara Bottner 5/12/2015 Ages 4-6 family, bedtime, body parts, Multi-ethnic Cast Picture Book
Bright Sky, Starry City Uma Krishnaswami 5/12/2015 Ages 5-7 science, strong girls, astronomy, urban life Picture Book
With a Friend By Your Side Barbara Kerley 5/12/2015 Ages 4-7 Multi-ethnic Cast, friendship Picture Book
Sunday Shopping Sally Derby 5/15/2015 Ages 4-7 Diverse Main Character, African-American, shopping, money Picture Book
One Family George Shannon 5/26/2015 Ages 3-6 Multi-ethnic Cast, alternative lifestyles, family, multigenerational Picture Book
Battle Bugs: The Lizard War Jack Patton 5/26/2015 Ages 6-9 Diverse Main Character, action, insects, reptiles, adventure Chapter Book
Battle Bugs: The Spider Siege Jack Patton 5/26/2015 Ages 6-9 Diverse Main Character, action, insects, spiders, adventure Chapter Book
In a Village By the Sea Muon Van 6/9/2015 Ages 3-6 Diverse Main Character, Vietnam, Cumulative Tale Picture Book
What James Said Liz Rosenberg 6/9/2015 Ages 4-7 Multi-ethnic Cast, friendship, rumors Picture Book
One Word from Sophia Jim Averbeck 6/16/2015 Ages 4-7 Multi-ethnic Cast, Diverse Main Character, manners Picture Book
Vamonos! Let’s Go! Rene Colato Lainez 7/1/2015 Ages 2-4 Multi-ethnic Cast, Latino, nursery rhymes, transportation Picture Book
Rosie Goes to Preschool Karen Katz 7/7/2015 Ages 2-4 Multi-ethnic Cast, starting school, preschool, friendship Picture Book
Freckleface Strawberry: Backpacks Julianne Moore 7/14/2015 Ages 4-6 alternative lifestyles, same sex families, cleaning Easy Reader
We’re Getting a Pet Sue Fliess 7/14/2015 Ages 2-4 Diverse Main Character, new pet, animals Picture Book
Charlotte and the Quiet Place Deborah Sosin 7/21/2015 Ages 4-6 Diverse Main Character, African-American, New York City, peace Picture Book
Bucky and Stu Vs. The Mikanikal Man Cornelius Van Wright 7/28/2015 Ages 4-7 Diverse Main Character, African-American, superheroes, imagination, friendship Picture Book
Double Happiness Nancy Tupper Ling 7/28/2015 Ages 3-6 Diverse Main Character, Asian-American, moving, travel Picture Book
Marvelous Cornelius Phil Bildner 7/28/2015 Ages 4-7 Diverse Main Character, hope, hurricanes, African-American Picture Book
Shanghai Sukkah Heidi Smith Hyde 8/1/2015 Ages 4-7 Diverse Main Character, Jewish, China, history, holidays Picture Book
Talia and the Very Yum Kippur Linda Elovitz Marshall 8/1/2015 Ages 4-7 Diverse Main character, Jewish, holidays Picture Book
Meg Goldberg on Parade Andria Warmflash Rosenbaum 8/1/2015 Ages 4-6 Jewish, parades, New York City Picture Book
The Seeds of Friendship Michael Foreman 8/4/2015 Ages 4-6 Diverse Main Character, immigrants, friendship, Africa Picture Book
The Great and Mighty Nikko! Xavier Garza 8/4/2015 Ages 4-6 Diverse Main Character, bilingual, Latin-American, counting, Mexican wrestling Picture Book
I’m New Here Anne Sibley O’Brien 8/4/2015 Ages 4-6 Multi-ethnic Cast, immigration, immigrants, friendship Picture Book
The Green Musician Mahvash Shahegh 8/7/2015 Ages 4-7 Diverse Main Character, Muslim, folktales Picture Book
Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox Danielle Daniel 8/11/2015 Ages 3-6 Multi-ethnic Cast, feelings, animals, Native American Picture Book
In the Canyon Liz Garton Scanlon 8/18/2015 Ages 4-7 Diverse Main Character, nature, animals Picture Book
Pumpkin Day! Candice Ransom 8/25/2015 Ages 4-6 Diverse Main Character, African-American, autumn, seasons Easy Reader
Happy In Our Skin Fran Manushkin 8/25/2015 Ages 3-6 Multi-ethnic Cast, self-esteem, celebrating differences Picture Book
Mango, Abuela, and Me Meg Medina 8/25/2015 Ages 4-7 Diverse Main Character, grandparents, immigration, Latino-American Picture Book
Leo Mac Barnett 8/25/2015 Ages 3-6 Multi-ethnic Cast, ghosts, friendship Picture Book
Elephant in the Dark Mina Javaherbin 8/25/2015 Ages 4-7 Multi-ethnic Cast, Iran, folktale Picture Book
What Does It Mean to be Kind? Rana DiOrio 8/25/2015 Ages 4-6 Multi-ethnic Cast, kindness, life skills Picture Book
My Two Blankets Irena Kobold 9/1/2015 Ages 4-7 Diverse Main Character, immigrants, friendship, Africa Picture Book
On the Ball: Unleash Your Imagination Brian Pinkney 9/1/2015 Ages 3-6 Diverse Main Character, African-American, soccer, persistence Picture Book
In a Cloud of Dust Alma Fullerton 9/1/2015 Ages 4-7 Diverse Main Character, Africa, bicycles Picture Book
Mama’s Nightingale: A Story of Immigration and Separation Edwidge Danticat 9/1/2015 Ages 3-6 Diverse Main Character, immigration, separation, Carribean Picture Book
Sail Away Langston Hughes 9/1/2015 Ages 4-7 Multi-ethnic Cast, poetry, water Picture Book
Poo in the Zoo Steve Smallman 9/1/2015 Ages 3-6 Diverse Main Character, zoo, poop, rhyming picture books Picture Book
Sadako’s Cranes Judith Loske 9/1/2015 Ages 4-7 Diverse Main Character, Japan, WWII, hope, peace Picture Book
Backyard Camp-Out Jerdine Nolen 9/1/2015 Ages 4-7 Multi-ethnic Cast, camping, friendship Easy Reader
Block Party Surprise Jerdine Nolen 9/1/2015 Ages 4-7 Multi-ethnic Cast, parties, friendship Easy Reader
Monster Trouble! Lane Fredrickson 9/1/2015 Ages 3-6 Diverse Main Character, monsters, bedtime Picture Book
The Little Kids’ Table Mary Ann McCabe Riehle 9/1/2015 Ages 3-6 Multi-ethnic Cast, holidays, dinner, manners Picture Book
Lizard From the Park Mark Pett 9/8/2015 Ages 4-7 Diverse Main Character, NYC, dinosaurs, friendship Picture Book
Oskar and the Eight Blessings Richard & Tanya Simon 9/8/2015 Ages 4-7 Diverse Main Character, Jewish, NYC, holocaust, Hannukah, Christmas Picture Book
I Am a Bear Jean-Francois Dumont 9/8/2015 Ages 4-7 homelessness, poverty, compassion, bears Picture Book
It’s Tough to Lose Your Balloon Jarrett J. Krosoczka 9/8/2015 Ages 3-6 Multi-ethnic Cast, feelings, problem solving Picture Book
Jumping Off Library Shelves: A Book of Poems Lee Bennett Hopkins (ed) 9/8/2015 Ages 4-7 Multi-ethnic Cast, poetry, libraries Picture Book
Flop to the Top Eleanor Davis 9/15/2015 Ages 4-6 Diverse Main Character, friendship, popularity, pets Easy Reader
P’esk’a and the First Salmon Ceremony Scot Ritchie 9/15/2015 Ages 4-7 Diverse Main Character, Native Americans, history Picture Book
Oscar Lives Next Door Bonnie Farmer 9/15/2015 Ages 4-7 Diverse Main Character, jazz, music, illness Picture Book
Miracle on 133rd Street Sonia Manzano 9/22/2015 Ages 3-6 Diverse Main Character, NYC, Latino-American, Christmas Picture Book
How the Sun Got to Coco’s House Bob Graham 9/22/2015 Ages 4-6 Multi-ethinic Cast, daytime, the world Picture Book
Roar! Tammi Sauer 9/29/2015 Ages 3-6 Diverse Main Character, dragons, friendship Picture Book
Kamik’s First Sled Matilda Sulurayok 10/1/2015 Ages 4-7 Diverse Main Character, Native voices, dogs Picture Book
Ketzel the Cat Who Composed Leslea Newman 10/6/2015 Ages 4-7 Diverse Main Character, Jewish, cats, music Picture Book
Mixed Me! Taye Diggs 10/6/2015 Ages 3-6 Diverse Main Character, biracial, self-esteem Picture Book
Little Shaq Shaquilloe O’Neal 10/6/2015 Ages 6-9 Diverse Main Character, basketball, African-American, self-esteem Chapter Book
Two White Rabbits Jairo Buitrago 10/13/2015 Ages 4-7 Diverse Main Character, Mexico, migrants, immigration Picture Book
West Meadow Detectives Liam O’Donnell 10/13/2015 Ages 6-9 Multi-ethnic Cast, autism, detective stories Chapter Book
Me and My Dragon: Christmas Spirit David Biedrzycki 10/13/2015 Ages 4-6 Diverse Main Character, Christmas, dragons, poverty Picture Book
Today is the Day Eric Walters 10/13/2015 Ages 4-7 Diverse Main Character, orphans, Kenya, birthdays Picture Book
Bottle Cap Boys Go Dancing on Royal Street Rita Williams-Garcia 10/15/2015 Ages 4-6 Diverse Main Character, African-American, dance, New Orleans Picture Book
Dear Santa, Love, Rachel Rosenstein Amanda Peet & Andrea Troyer 10/20/2015 Ages 4-7 Diverse Main Character, Jewish, Christmas, Hanukkah Picture Book
Pablo & Jane and the Hot Air Contraption Jose Domingo 10/20/2015 Ages 6-9 Diverse Main Character, graphic novels, adventure Chapter Book
Little Red Gliding Hood Tara Lazar 10/27/2015 Ages 4-6 Diverse Main Character, fairy tales, ice skating, fractured fairy tales Picture Book
Strictly No Elephants Lisa Mantchev 10/27/2015 Ages 3-6 Multi-ethnic Cast, friendship, differences, inclusion, pets Picture Book
I Can’t Wait! Amy Schwartz 10/27/2015 Ages 3-6 Multi-ethnic Cast, friendship, emotions Picture Book
Bigfoot Does Not Like Birthday Parties Eric Ode 10/27/2015 Ages 3-6 Multi-ethnic Cast, Bigfoot, birthday parties Picture Book
One Today Richard Blanco 11/3/2015 Ages 4-7 Multi-ethnic Cast, poetry, patriotism Picture Book
Lola Levine is Not Mean! Monica Brown 11/3/2015 Ages 6-9 Diverse Main Character, biracial, Jewish, Latino-American Chapter Book
Specs for Rex Yasmeen Ismail 11/3/2015 Ages 4-7 glasses, self-esteem, first day of school Picture Book
The Wheels on the Tuk Tuk Kabir & Surishtha Sehgal 11/3/2015 Ages 2-4 Multi-ethnic Cast, India, nursery rhymes, transportation Picture Book
Snow Rabbit Camille Garoche 11/3/2015 Ages 4-6 Disability, sisters, nature, rabbits Picture Book
The Little Tree Muon Van 11/10/2015 Ages 4-7 adoption, nature, environment Picture Book
Don’t Feed the Geckos Karen English 12/1/2015 Ages 6-9 Multi-ethnic Cast, soccer, cousins, Latino, family Chapter Book

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book listsdiverse picture booksdiversity in children's literatureWe Need Diverse Books

About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

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About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Leslea Newman says

    November 24, 2015 at 7:44 am

    MY NAME IS AVIVA by Lesléa Newman, diverse main character, Jewish. Aviva is teased for her unusual first name. After learning the story of her great-grandmother for whom she was named, she learns to be proud of who she is. Published by Kar-Ben, August 2015.

    • Elizabeth Bird says

      November 24, 2015 at 10:10 am

      As I suspected, I missed a load of Kar-Bens. Thanks!

  2. Adrienne May says

    November 24, 2015 at 9:15 am

    I thought Ben Hatke’s “Little Robot” (First Second; Sept 2015) should be on this list, but maybe you consider the robot to be the main character. The little girl could be black — maybe latina also. I thought multiple protagonists for this one but maybe I’m wrong.

    How about “Happy in Our Skin” by Fran Manushkin (Candelwick Press; Aug 2015)?

    • Elizabeth Bird says

      November 24, 2015 at 10:09 am

      Excellent both of them. Not sure how I missed including Little Robot. I guess I have that on a middle grade list, rather than early chapter. It’s difficult to categorize graphic novels sometimes.

      • Adrienne May says

        November 25, 2015 at 8:20 am

        Sorry I’m not the best at categorizing. I’m sure you are correct that “Little Robot” is MG.

        Thanks for your list. There are a number of books I still need to read.

    • fran manushkin says

      November 24, 2015 at 9:47 pm

      It’s there, I’m happy to say!

  3. Moira says

    November 24, 2015 at 11:45 am

    I wish this list included the names of the illustrators.

    • Elizabeth Bird says

      November 24, 2015 at 1:46 pm

      True. It’s taken from a spreadsheet that just included authors. I can try to amend it with illustrators for next year. Good thinking!

    • Adam Rex says

      November 25, 2015 at 2:01 pm

      Particularly since it’s often the illustrator who chooses to make an uncategorized character non-white.

      • Elizabeth Bird says

        November 25, 2015 at 3:22 pm

        Point.

  4. Jill Swanson says

    November 24, 2015 at 11:58 am

    Thanks for this great list! Two more that come to mind are Water is Water — Jason Chin’s illustrations feature a diverse cast — and Over the Hills and Far Away which was published in the U.S. this year and has gorgeous, diverse illustrations.

  5. Keila Dawson says

    November 24, 2015 at 12:35 pm

    Thanks for this list! My book, The King Cake Baby, Pelican Publishing Co., January 2015, is a fractured fairy tale, the Gingerbread Man tale retold New Orleans style. The plastic baby hidden inside our traditional Mardi Gras cakes run from an old Creole couple and others through his French Quarter neighborhood. Celebrates my culture and traditions. 🙂

    • Stephanie Best says

      November 24, 2015 at 3:13 pm

      Oooh, I will look for this! Thanks.

  6. Alys says

    November 24, 2015 at 1:38 pm

    Over the River and Through the Woods by Linda Ashman, illustrated by Kim Smith published October 6 has a multi-ethnic cast, and diverse families represented.

    Snowman Shuffle by Christianne Jones is a board book with an African American girl as the protagonist. August 1st.

    Juneteenth for Mazie by Floyd Cooper published February 1

    Counting on Community by Innosanto Nagura Sept 22

    Lillian’s Right to Vote by Jonah Winters July 14

    New Shoes by Susan Meyer January 30

    Girl Who Buried Her Dreams in a Can October 6

    Granddaddy’s Turn by Michael Bandy July 14

    I can think of a couple of picture book biographies or picture book nonfiction history, but I wasn’t clear on whether you were including nonfiction too.

    • Elizabeth Bird says

      November 24, 2015 at 1:45 pm

      No nonfiction, no, but great suggestions here. Thanks!

  7. Stephanie Best says

    November 24, 2015 at 3:05 pm

    Great list! Thank you! I’ve been doing the same. Here ya go….
    Pool, Jihyeon Lee
    Dia de los Muertos, Roseanne Greenfield Thong and Carles Ballesteros
    Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras, Duncan Tonatiuh
    Gordon Parks: How the Photographer Captured Black and White America, Carole Boston Weatherford and Jamey Christoph
    Trombone Shorty, Troy Andrews
    Emmanuel’s Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah, Laurie Ann Thompson
    The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage, Selina Alko

    • Elizabeth Bird says

      November 24, 2015 at 5:33 pm

      Pool! Can’t believe I missed it. The others are great nonfiction reads. I wasn’t doing nonfiction this time around, but if I make a list they’ll be sure to go on it. Thanks!

  8. Lee Bennett Hopkins says

    November 24, 2015 at 6:38 pm

    Bird: See my AMAZING PLACES (Lee & Low) starred in both PW and KIRKUS and a KIRKUS
    Best Book of 2015, illustrated by Chris Soentiepiet and Christy Hale. And a Happy Thanksgiving to you.

  9. Jacqueline Jules says

    November 24, 2015 at 7:28 pm

    Thanks for this list and for including Sofia Martinez: My Family Adventure

  10. Maggi Rohde (Mama Librarian) says

    November 29, 2015 at 9:42 pm

    This is fantastic. Any chance you could share it as a Google Sheet?

    • Elizabeth Bird says

      November 30, 2015 at 12:04 am

      Hm. No, but I can email you an Excel file. Would that work?

  11. Jane Yolen says

    November 30, 2015 at 7:18 am

    As I wrote privately to Betsy–Mark Teague has been doing this for years with our How Do DInosaurs books, the latest of which was HOW DO DINOSAURS STAY SAFE and HOW DO DINOSAURS SAY I’M MAD. The dinos families are as differently configured–Black, Asian, Caucasian, occasionally mixed races, and the other children in various settings are all colors as well.

    Plus my new picture book THE STONE ANGEL is about Parisian Jews who escape the Nazis, and part of the rescue includes a Spanish boat captain.

  12. Linda Ashman says

    November 30, 2015 at 3:18 pm

    Hi, Betsy–thanks for doing this! I see someone already mentioned OVER THE RIVER & THROUGH THE WOOD (illustrated by Kim Smith) which includes same-sex parents, multi-racial families and adopted kids.

    And if you’re starting a list for 2016 (sorry!), HENRY WANTS MORE (illustrated by Brooke Boynton Hughes, Random House, January ’16) features a bi-racial family. Thanks!

  13. Tina Garrison says

    December 7, 2015 at 10:42 pm

    I much appreciate your listing as well as the additional titles suggested by others. That said, I noticed you mentioned “any picture book, easy book, or early chapter book I’ve seen containing some kind of diversity.” Can one assume you approve or endorse the diversity and how it is depicted in these books? My question may be related to the request for names of illustrators. To me, one of the keys to how diversity is communicated is closely linked to how it is depicted. Some illustrators do a better job of portraying realistic characters that appeal to young readers than other illustrators–to me, an important aspect of helping everyone understand that even though we are diverse, we are basically alike, and illustrations are a key aspect of the message.
    An observation: In the children’s room this weekend with my preschool grandchildren, I noticed a number of featured picture books included more diversity than I’ve often seen. Intentional or not, much appreciated!

    • Elizabeth Bird says

      December 7, 2015 at 11:25 pm

      An interesting question. As it happens, I did not limit the list to those books I particularly liked. Were I making a Best Books list, that would be one thing. Instead, I wanted to take myself out of the equation and just list everything out there that I saw (though as the comments show, I missed quite a bit). I can honestly say that there aren’t any books on this list that I heartily dislike, but by the same token I say some of these titles are more successful than others.

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