As parents, we know that our children are always watching, listening, and following our example. Books are a great place to start or continue conversations with our kids about race, inclusion, diversity, and anti-racism. Old books, new books, books for toddlers, books for teens…there are so many amazing books to help guide these necessary conversations with our kids.
We’ve put together this book round-up with some of the resources shared by our trusted sister sites, as well as other media sites. We hope this guide is useful for you and your kids and if you have some book recommendations, we would love to hear them!
*Please also note that although many of the books listed at the bottom of this post link to Amazon, we always encourage you to buy local when possible.
Resource roundup
- No White Saviors: Kids Books About Black Women in US History: This round-up from Books for Littles includes pictures books to inspire young history buffs with stories of Black Women in American history. The books included in this post range for kids ages 3 – 7+. With the books divided by categories like Young Freedom Fighters, Sparking Empathy with Action, and Calculating Genius, there are so many important lessons to be learned from these stories. On the same website, you can also find a book list for Children’s Books For Upstanders: Civil Disobedience & Disrupting Injustice.
- 13 Black History Month Picture Books For Kids: Compiled by a Charleston Moms contributor, this list includes 13 books to educate children about black history, as well as personal commentary on each of the books.
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Teaching Kids about Diversity through Children’s Books: This article from Memphis Moms Collective includes a list of 25+ book recommendations, broken down by age group from birth all the way up through high school. The list includes kid-friendly biographies of African-Americans, as well as some startling statistics about how many children’s books feature a white main character.
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8 tips for choosing “good” picture books featuring diverse, BIPOC characters: Although not an actual book list, this article from Embrace Race shares some great tips on how to choose a good book from among what’s available on the “diverse books” market. Once you’ve read that, be sure to check out their extremely helpful resource filled with book and blog site recommendations, more tips on evaluating bias in children’s books and media, and more!
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How to Talk to Your Kids about Racism, Race & Activism: This article from our sister site Collin County Moms includes a great book list broken down by age groups, from pre-school all the way through teenagers, and also includes some book recommendations for parents.
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25 Children’s Books That Celebrate Differences: This roundup includes books from race to religion to abilities and more.
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White Parents Talking to White Kids About Race: A Recommended Reading List: This book list is an invitation to empower yourself and your children to be actively anti-racist in your daily lives. It also includes a description of each of the books recommended.
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Ten Books to Talk to Your Kids and Teens About Race: This list, written by a mother and educator, includes ten books suitable for a range of ages.
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A fight against white fragility, the hate you give, and more | Resources for Hope: Included in this list from Austin Moms are books for children, teens, and adults.
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What is Social Justice?: How Do We Teach It to Our Children?: Here are 10 children’s stories on social justice.
Additional book recommendations & resources
- Hereweeread is an amazing account to follow on Instagram for diverse books and educational products. Exploring her curated booklists will keep you busy for hours!
- Chris Singleton’s mother Rev. Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, was killed along with eight others in a shooting at Mother Emanuel AME in Charleston on June 17, 2015. Chris has written a children’s book titled “Different,” which he says will teach children to love each other, despite their differences. Pre-order it here.
- Social Justice Books is a wonderful resource filled with booklists broken down by categories and most of the books on these lists are linked for more information or purchase to Powells, an independent, union labor bookstore.
- Bunny Bear by Andrea Loney is intended for children ages 4 – 8. The book expresses the discord between internal and external identity for young readers.
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Enough! 20 Protesters Who Changed America by Emily Easton, intended for children ages 5 – 8, introduces young readers to America’s most influential protesters–from Harriet Tubman and Martin Luther King Jr. to contemporary groundbreakers like transgender teen Jazz Jennings.
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You Matter by Christian Robinson, intended for children ages 4 – 8, will draw young readers in with luminous illustrations inviting them to engage with the world in a new way and see how everyone is connected, and that everyone matters.
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The Talk: Conversations about Race, Love & Truth by Wade Hudson, suitable for ages 10 and up, is a collection of stories and images that are filled with love, acceptance, truth, peace, and an assurance that there can be hope for a better tomorrow.
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Something Happened in Our Town: A Child’s Story About Racial Injustice by Marianne Celano, intended for children ages 4 – 8, follows two families — one White, one Black — as they discuss a police shooting of a Black man in their community. The story aims to answer children’s questions about such traumatic events and to help children identify and counter racial injustice in their own lives.
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What If Everybody Thought That? by Ellen Javernick, intended for children ages 3 – 7, explores the preconceived notions we have about the world and encourages kids to be more thoughtful.
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My Hair is a Garden by Cozbi A. Cabrera, intended for children ages 5 – 7, tells the story of Mackenzie who is being taunted by classmates about her unruly hair. Mackenzie seeks guidance from her wise and comforting neighbor, Miss Tillie, who uses the beautiful garden in the backyard as a metaphor. Miss Tillie shows Mackenzie that maintaining healthy hair is not a chore nor is it something to fear. Most importantly, Mackenzie learns that natural black hair is beautiful.
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I Am Enough by Grace Byers, intended for children ages 4 – 8, is a lyrical ode to loving who you are, respecting others, and being kind to one another.
