Helping Children Appreciate Diversity

Jun 4

“In diversity there is beauty and there is strength.”

- Maya Angelou

As parents, we have assumed the incredible responsibility of raising kind, compassionate, and inclusive children. To help navigate difficult conversations with your children about the origins and pervasiveness of racial injustice, we have compiled an anti-racism reading list for young age groups as well as some you may wish to read yourself as parents. We hope that you find these books helpful in guiding your conversations.

We must not fail our children. In the words of Nelson Mandela, “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”

We will be reading the books on the list below with our families and hope that you also find them helpful should you choose to do the same. The root of change begins within our hearts and our homes.

*All books are linked to Seleni's Amazon Smile. Help us support Seleni's mission to assist the emotional health of families in need.

Books for Children

Books for Newborns + up

Dream Big Little One by Vashti Harrison (link)

Age Range: 3 months to 3

Featuring 18 trailblazing black women in American history, Dream Big, Little One is the irresistible board book adaptation of Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History.

Among these women, you'll find heroes, role models, and everyday women who did extraordinary things - bold women whose actions and beliefs contributed to making the world better for generations of girls and women to come. Whether they were putting pen to paper, soaring through the air or speaking up for the rights of others, the women profiled in these pages were all taking a stand against a world that didn't always accept them.

AntiRacist Baby by Ibram X. Kendi (link)

Age Range: up to 3

With bold art and thoughtful yet playful text, Antiracist Baby introduces the youngest readers and the grown-ups in their lives to the concept and power of antiracism. Providing the language necessary to begin critical conversations at the earliest age

Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry (link)

Age Range: 2 to 12

Zuri's hair has a mind of its own. It kinks, coils, and curls every which way. Zuri knows it's beautiful. When Daddy steps in to style it for an extra special occasion, he has a lot to learn. But he LOVES his Zuri, and he'll do anything to make her -- and her hair -- happy.

Tender and empowering, Hair Love is an ode to loving your natural hair -- and a celebration of daddies and daughters everywhere.

I am Strong: A Little Book About Rosa Parks by Brad Meltzer (link)

Age Range: 2 to 5

This friendly, fun biography series focuses on the traits that made our heroes great--the traits that kids can aspire to in order to live heroically themselves. In this new board book format, the very youngest readers can learn about one of America's icons in the series's signature lively, conversational way. The short text focuses on drawing inspiration from these iconic heroes, and includes an interactive element and factual tidbits that young kids will be able to connect with. This volume tells the story of Rosa Parks, the woman who ignited a civil rights movement.

Books for 3 years + up

The Skin You Live In by Michael Tyler (link)

Age Range: 3 to 5

With the ease and simplicity of a nursery rhyme, this lively story delivers an important message of social acceptance to young readers. Themes associated with child development and social harmony, such as friendship, acceptance, self-esteem, and diversity are promoted in simple and straightforward prose. Vivid illustrations of children's activities for all cultures, such as swimming in the ocean, hugging, catching butterflies, and eating birthday cake are also provided. This delightful picturebook offers a wonderful venue through which parents and teachers can discuss important social concepts with their children.

Harlem’s Little Blackbird: The Story of Florence Mills by Renée Watson, illustrated by Christian Robinson children (link)

Age Range: 3 to 7

Born to parents who were both former slaves, Florence Mills knew at an early age that she loved to sing, and that her sweet, bird-like voice, resonated with those who heard her. Performing catapulted her all the way to the stages of 1920s Broadway where she inspired everyone from songwriters to playwrights. Yet with all her success, she knew firsthand how prejudice shaped her world and the world of those around her. As a result, Florence chose to support and promote works by fellow Black performers while heralding a call for their civil rights. Harlem’s Little Blackbird is a timeless story about justice, equality, and the importance of following one’s heart and dreams.

Sesame Street’s We’re Different, We’re the Same by Bobbi Jane Kates (link)

Age Range: 3 to 7

Who better than Sesame Street to teach us that we may all look different on the outside—but it's important to remember that deep down, we are all very much alike. We all have the same needs, desires, and feelings. Elmo and his Sesame Street friends help teach toddlers and the adults in their lives that everyone is the same on the inside, and it's our differences that make this wonderful world, which is home to us all, an interesting—and special—place. This enduring, colorful, and charmingly illustrated book offers an easy, enjoyable way to learn about differences—and what truly matters. It is an engaging read for toddlers and adults alike.

Books for 4 years + up

Something Happened in Our Town by Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, and Ann Hazzard, illustrated by Jennifer Zivoin (link)

Age Range: 4 to 8

Something Happened in Our Town 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. Includes an extensive Note to Parents and Caregivers with guidelines for discussing race and racism with children, child-friendly definitions, and sample dialogues.

Let’s Talk About Race by Julius Lester, illustrated by Karen Barbour (link)

Age Range 4 to 8

As Lester discusses how we all have a story, he brings up questions about why we think race is important and what it means to have a racial identity. This gorgeous book allows for open-ended conversation and questions.

Hands Up! by Breanna J. McDaniel (link)

Age Range: 4 to 8

A young black girl lifts her baby hands up to greet the sun, reaches her hands up for a book on a high shelf, and raises her hands up in praise at a church service. She stretches her hands up high like a plane's wings and whizzes down a hill so fast on her bike with her hands way up. As she grows, she lives through everyday moments of joy, love, and sadness. And when she gets a little older, she joins together with her family and her community in a protest march, where they lift their hands up together in resistance and strength.

Saturday by Oge Mora (link)

Age Range: 4 to 8

In this heartfelt and universal story, a mother and daughter look forward to their special Saturday routine together every single week. But this Saturday, one thing after another goes wrong--ruining storytime, salon time, picnic time, and the puppet show they'd been looking forward to going to all week. Mom is nearing a meltdown...until her loving daughter reminds her that being together is the most important thing of all.

Sulwe by Lupita Nyong'o (link)

Age Range: 4 to 8

Sulwe has skin the color of midnight. She is darker than everyone in her family. She is darker than anyone in her school. Sulwe just wants to be beautiful and bright, like her mother and sister. Then a magical journey in the night sky opens her eyes and changes everything.

In this stunning debut picture book, actress Lupita Nyong’o creates a whimsical and heartwarming story to inspire children to see their own unique beauty.

Books for 5 years + up

The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Rafael López (link)

Age Range: 5 to 8

A heartening book about finding courage to connect, even when you feel scared and alone. There will be times when you walk into a room and no one there is quite like you. There are many reasons to feel different. Maybe it’s how you look or talk, or where you’re from; maybe it’s what you eat, or something just as random. It’s not easy to take those first steps into a place where nobody really knows you yet, but somehow you do it. Jacqueline Woodson’s lyrical text and Rafael López’s dazzling art reminds us that we all feel like outsiders sometimes-and how brave it is that we go forth anyway.

Daddy, There’s A Noise Outside by Kenneth Braswell and illustrated by Joe Dent and Julie Anderson (link)

Age Range: 5 to 9

There are many ways to make change, and various forms of protest are among those tactics. Daddy, There’s a Noise Outside is the story of two black kids who hear protests against police violence outside their home. Their parents take this as an opportunity to teach them in a kid-friendly way about different types of protest like boycotts, marches, silent sit-ins, petitions, letter writing and civil disobedience. They also include the idea that kids can protest, too. Though many titles about racism cover historical examples, this book helps make it clear that racism is a contemporary issue.

Books for 6 years + up

Sit-in: how four friends stood up by sitting down by Andrea Davis Pinkney (link)

Age Range: 6+

This gorgeous picture book recounts the history of the 1960 sit-in at Woolworth's lunch counter in North Carolina, a seminal moment in the mid-century civil rights movement.

Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh (link)

Age Range: 6 to 9

Almost 10 years before Brown v. Board of Education, Sylvia Mendez and her parents helped end school segregation in California. Mendez, an American citizen of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage, was denied enrollment to a “whites only” school. Her parents took action by organizing the Latinx community and filing a lawsuit in federal district court. Their success eventually brought an end to the era of segregated education in California.

Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life by Ashley Bryan (link)

Age Range: 6 to 10

In his gentle yet deeply powerful way, Ashley Bryan goes to the heart of how a slave is given a monetary value by the slave owner, tempering this with the one thing that CAN’T be bought or sold—dreams. Inspired by the actual will of a plantation owner that lists the worth of each and every one of his “workers”, Bryan has created collages around that document, and others like it. Through fierce paintings and expansive poetry he imagines and interprets each person’s life on the plantation, as well as the life their owner knew nothing about—their dreams and pride in knowing that they were worth far more than an Overseer or Madam ever would guess.

Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grew Up to Become Malcolm X by Ilyasah Shabazz (link)

Age Range: 6 to 10

Malcolm X grew to be one of America’s most influential figures. But first, he was a boy named Malcolm Little. Written by his daughter, this inspiring picture book biography celebrates a vision of freedom and justice. Bolstered by the love and wisdom of his large, warm family, young Malcolm Little was a natural born leader. But when confronted with intolerance and a series of tragedies, Malcolm’s optimism and faith were threatened. He had to learn how to be strong and how to hold on to his individuality. He had to learn self-reliance. Together with acclaimed illustrator AG Ford, Ilyasah Shabazz gives us a unique glimpse into the childhood of her father, Malcolm X, with a lyrical story that carries a message that resonates still today—that we must all strive to live to our highest potential.

Books for 8 years + up

Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Stephen Alcorn (link)

Age Range: 8 to 12

Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus and sparked a boycott that changed America. Harriet Tubman helped hundreds of enslaved people escape the South on the Underground Railroad. The lives of ten Black women activists are featured in an incredible story about courage in the face of oppression; about the challenges and triumphs of the battle for civil rights; and about speaking out for what you believe in — even when it feels like no one is listening.

Little Legends: Exceptional Men in Black History by Vashti Harrison (link)

Age Range: 8 to 12

An important book for readers of all ages, this beautifully illustrated and engagingly written volume brings to life true stories of black men in history. Among these biographies, readers will find aviators and artists, politicians and pop stars, athletes and activists. The exceptional men featured include writer James Baldwin, artist Aaron Douglas, filmmaker Oscar Devereaux Micheaux, lawman Bass Reeves, civil rights leader John Lewis, dancer Alvin Ailey, and musician Prince.The legends in Little Legends: Exceptional Men in Black History span centuries and continents, but each one has blazed a trail for generations to come.

Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison (link)

Age Range: 8 to 12

This beautifully illustrated New York Times bestseller introduces readers of all ages to 40 women who changed the world.Among these biographies, readers will find heroes, role models, and everyday women who did extraordinary things - bold women whose actions and beliefs contributed to making the world better for generations of girls and women to come. Whether they were putting pen to paper, soaring through the air or speaking up for the rights of others, the women profiled in these pages were all taking a stand against a world that didn't always accept them.

Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams (link)

Age Range: 9 to 13

This deeply sensitive and powerful debut novel tells the story of a thirteen-year-old who must overcome internalized racism and a verbally abusive family to finally learn to love herself.

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson (link)

Age Range: 10 and up

Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child’s soul as she searches for her place in the world. Woodson’s eloquent poetry also reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact that she struggled with reading as a child. Her love of stories inspired her and stayed with her, creating the first sparks of the gifted writer she was to become.

Books for Adults

Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum (link)

Tatum explores the ways that all of us express racial identity, and addresses head on the fears and anxieties that prevent parents from having honest conversations about race with their children. “Whites are afraid of using the wrong words and being perceived as ‘racist’ while parents of color are afraid of exposing their children to painful racial realities too soon.”

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates (link)

Framed as a letter to his teen son, Coates’s latest book is described as a “profound work that pivots from the biggest questions about American history and ideals to the most intimate concerns of a father for his son … [and] offers a powerful new framework for understanding our nation’s history and current crisis.”

The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson (link)

Wilkerson, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, here chronicles the migration of Black people from the American South to the West, Midwest, and Northeast in a volume that one reviewer called “[An] indelible and compulsively readable portrait of race, class, and politics in 20th-century America.”

Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine (link)

This book-length poem—which weaves together essays, images, and drawings—was a New York Times Bestseller and National Book Award finalist. Rankine documents racial aggressions in modern life, whether personal or political, private or public. By showing how racism effectively makes some citizens invisible and powerless, she also posits that "citizen" is not just a legal category, and being a true citizen encompasses a broader sense of responsibility to others.

Please reach out if you have any book recommendations that you think might be useful to others - we are happy to share them. You can contact us at programs@seleni.org or tag us on social media @selenidotorg.