I Am Not A Girl

Lyons, M., & Verdi, J. (2020). I'm not a girl: A transgender story. Roaring Brook Press.

Genre: Picture Book Fiction

    The diversity discussed in this book is about gender identity. Hannah feels like no one understands him. On picture day, he had to wear a pink dress and his mom picks out a pink pirate costume for him for Halloween. He wishes to be a boy when he blows out his birthday candles and refuses to wear the pink jacket his mother buys for him in the winter. One day when swimming, Hannah talks to a couple of kids. When he tells them he's a boy but nobody believes him, they tell him they believe him and Hannah learns the word transgender. Later, he finally gets the courage to tell his parents and they start to believe him. At the end of the book, he gets a haircut and is finally excited for picture day. This book was actually autobiographical by a transgender boy, Maddox Lyons. Lyons wrote about his own journey with his gender identity and having his family believe him. His mother writes in his author's note that he wrote this book due to there not being a lot of books about transgender boys. 

Jaime is Jamie

Moradian, A. (2018). Jamie is Jamie: A book about being yourself and playing your way. Free Spirit Publishing.

Genre: Picture Book Fiction

    The main point of discussion in this book is that children should be able to play with toys, no matter what gender they identify as. The way the author, Afsaneh Moradian, shows it is with Jaime, a child who doesn't share their gender. Jaime is starting at a new school. When they go to play with other children they help fix toys, twirl around and dance, and help take care of a baby doll. When asked if they're a boy or a girl, Jaime simply responds with "I'm Jaime." After Jaime is picked up, their classmates wonder if Jaime is a boy or a girl but mostly they can't wait to play with them again. The next day Jaime notices his classmates are playing games not traditional to their assigned gender; and they were happy because all of the children played what they wanted to play. 

Sulwe

Nyong'o, L. (2019). Sulwe. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Genre: Picture Book Fiction

    This book doesn't discuss racism per se but rather it discusses colorism. Sulwe is the darkest person in her family and at school. She is called rude nicknames and she doesn't make a lot of friends like her lighter-skinned sister. She tries to make her skin lighter by erasing it, wearing her mother's lighter makeup, and even eating light foods. She confides in her mother one night and her mother tells her that she's beautiful and she has to find that beauty within herself. One night a shooting star came in her window and tells her the story of the night. Day and Night were sisters, but while Day was treated wonderfully, people hated Night. So Night went away and Day became too long and too hot. Day searched for Night and convinced her to return. When she did the people loved her and rejoiced. Sulwe woke up the next morning loving her dark skin, finding the beauty within herself. The author, Lupita Nyong'o writes this book from her own experiences and her own journey to find beauty in her dark skin. She wrote this book to show other children with dark skin to find their own inner beauty.

This Poison Heart

Bayron, K. (2021). This poison heart. Bloomsbury YA.

Genre: YA Fantasy

    The diversity seen in this book is racial diversity and sexuality. Briseis and her adoptive mothers lovingly referred to as Mom and Mo, are Black flower shop owners in New York City. Briseis has the magical ability to grow any plant she touches; any plant around her also has the tendency to grow towards her presence. Due to the gentrification of their neighborhood and skyrocketing rent prices, the family is faced with the threat of losing their flower shop. One day, Briseis inherits some property from her maternal aunt who has been presumed dead. She and her mothers decide to go to the property over the summer to see what the property is all about. While exploring the house, Brieseis finds an apothecary, a garden filled with poisonous plants, and a set of letters written to her by her aunt. Over the summer, Briseis uncovers the secrets of her ancestry, makes friends, and uncovers the mystery of the house. Later in the book, she begins to have feelings for a girl named Marie, a girl who became immortal due to a potion given to her by Briseis' family. 

Tales of the Shadow King

Haack, D. (2021). Prince and knight: Tale of the shadow king. Little Bee Books Inc.

Genre: Picture Book Fiction

    This book talks about diversity in sexuality. The prince and the knight are now married and living together when suddenly a fog of darkness looms over the kingdom. The prince and the knight decide to go and figure out what's causing the darkness before it's too late. They find out that the Shadow King is the cause and they go and fight his army. After a close and harrowing battle, they confront the Shadow King. The Shadow King doesn't want the world covered in darkness, but because of homophobia, he was shunned after falling in love with a squire. The love between the prince and the knight helps the Shadow King see that not all is lost and the darkness starts to dissipate. Afterward, the Shadow King is invited to the kingdom where he starts his own family. 

A Different Kind of Normal

Balfe, A. (2022). A different kind of normal: My real-life completely true story about being unique. Crown Books for Young Readers.

Genre: Middle Grade Narrative Nonfiction

    This book is partially a memoir and partially an Autism guidebook. Throughout the book, Abigail Balfe talks about her life being undiagnosed with autism and what she has learned about herself after getting diagnosed. Balke talks about the ins and outs of autism including sensory sensitivities, special interests, and social issues. With all of these topics, Balfe interlaces them all with her own personal life. She talks about how she will shut down in situations where her senses overwhelm her, about how she may react inappropriately in certain situations, and lists her own special interests. 

Binny's Diwali

Umrigar, T. N. (2020). Binny's Diwali. Scholastic Press.

Genre: Picture Book Fiction

    This book discusses the religious holiday of Diwali and its cultural significance. Binny is giving a presentation on the holiday Diwali in her class. She wears her new Indian outfit and her new blue suede shoes. She talks about how people will go shopping for gifts for loved ones during Diwali. In class, she starts out shy but remembers what her mother tells her about oil lamps called diyas. Binny tells her classmates about the traditions, lights, and fireworks during the holiday. In the author's note, Thrity Umrigar talks about his perspective of Diwali from India; saying that even though its a Hindu holiday, everyone of every religion celebrates it; including his Zoroastrian family. Umrigar talks about his own family's traditions during the holiday as well. 

The Girl Who Though in Pictures: The Story of Dr. Temple Drandin

Mosca, J. F. (2017). The girl who thought in pictures: The story of Dr. Temple Grandin. The Innovation Press.

Genre: Picture Book Biography

    This book follows the life of Dr. Temple Grandin, a woman with Autism who grows up to be an inventor. Dr. Grandin was nonverbal for most of her life and growing up she hated loud places, itchy clothes, and tight hugs. After some speech therapy, she starts to talk and starts to attend a school where she is bullied and picked on. One day she gets kicked out after throwing a book at a classmate and she spends time on her aunt's farm where she develops a love for animals. Later, she attends a new school and starts to invent new technology for farm animals such as the curved cattle chute system. Soon her new technology was built on farms and farmers call her the grandest of all. 

Payden's Pronoun Party

Jaryn, B. (2022). Payden's pronoun party. Page Street Kids.

Genre: Picture Book Fiction

    This book is about gender diversity and exploring gender identity. Payden is playing one day until one day he realizes that he/him pronoun doesn't really fit anymore. He talks to his parents and they tell him once he finds out what pronouns fit him best, they will throw him a party.  He goes to his friends and asks them how their pronouns fit them. At the end of the book, Payden decides that e/em/eir pronouns fit em best. At the party, all of Payden's friends come to eir house and celebrate with eir family. 

The Proudest Blue

Muhammad, I., & Ali, S. K. (2020). The proudest blue: A story of hijab and family. Findaway World, LLC.

Genre: Picture Book Fiction 

    Faizah admires Asiya's, her sister, Hijab; a bright blue scarf she wears for her first day of school. On the first day of school, some kids are curious about what Asiya is wearing. Some kids are bullies and laugh at Asiya for her hijab, threatening to pull it off of her head. Faizah is offended on behalf of Asiya, but she isn't bothered so Faizah walks it off. In class, Faizah draws a picture of herself and Asiya wearing a blue hijab and can't wait to go home to show her. 

    This book shows religious diversity. Faizah and her family are Muslim and Asiya is at the age where she wears a hijab every day. In the author's note, Ibtahaj Muhammad writes that she writes this book from her own experiences as a practicing hijabi. Many phrases from the bullies are words that she heard in her life and wrote the book as an inspiration to young Muslim girls. 

Cannonball

Cotter, S. (2020). Cannonball. Sourcebooks Jabberwocky.

Genre: Picture Book Fiction

    Our main character wants to make a big splash with a cannonball. He asks his community for advice but nothing seems to work. His grandma just tells him to do it his own way and he'll make a huge splash. He lets his hair down, wears a sparkly, dazzling swimsuit, and he makes a big splash. The diversity in this book is cultural. The text incorporates Maori words and phrases into the rhymes and includes a glossary at the back for translations. 

Bedtime Bonnet

Redd, N. (2020). Bedtime bonnet. Random House.

Genre: Picture Book Fiction

    This book primarily talks about Black hairstyles and bedtime habits related to them. We see each family member take care of their hair and wrap them in durags, wraps, and kerchiefs, but our main character can't find her bedtime bonnet. She can't go to bed without it! Each family member helps her look around for her bonnet but nobody can seem to find it. Her brother points to her grandpa and he's wearing it! She puts her hair in her bonnet and goes to sleep. In the morning we see the family taking down their bedtime headwear and getting ready for the day. 

Dread Nation

Ireland, J. (2019). Dread nation. Balzer + Bray, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers.

Genre: YA Fantasy

    This book follows Jane McKeene, a Black girl attending Miss Preston’s School of Combat. In the middle of the Civil War, the dead started rising and eating everyone. To help kill the zombies, called shamblers, the government forces combat training on Native American and Black children. One day, Jackson, a friend of Jane, asks her for her help locating his sister. To find out more information, Jackson and Jane sneak into the mayor’s office to look for information about her whereabouts. The pair are caught and along with Katherine, are sent to the Summerland settlement in the Midwest. On arrival, Jane is separated from the others; Jackson gets arrested and Katherine is White passing and lives amongst the other White people in town. Jane is forced to defend the White residents of the town from shamblers subjected to brutal racial abuse. She and Katherine must come up with a plan to escape the town.

    This book discusses racial diversity. We see Black characters being treated very harshly by White characters. This book is following the Civil War so many attitudes about slavery are still present. Black people are threatened if they are shown they can read and whippings as punishment aren't uncommon. There are attitudes about Black and Native Americans being born to serve and protect White people. Ireland was inspired to write this book from Native American industrial schools; with how Native American children were removed from their homes to be educated to fit white norms. 

The Crossover

Alexander, K. (2014). The crossover. Clarion Books.

Genre: Middle Grade Poetry

    Josh Bell and his twin brother Jordan are the best basketball players in his school. The two are unstoppable in the court. They are taught everything they know by their father, Chuck, who is a former all-star basketball player. Josh and his family are Black. One day Josh loses a bet to Jordan and Jordan cuts off a large section of Josh's locks, only intending to cut off one. Soon after, Jordan gets a new girlfriend, Alexis; and stops spending time with Josh. Feeling alone and betrayed, Josh throws a basketball in Jordan's face, almost breaking his nose. Josh is suspended from the basketball team during the championship and Jordan refuses to talk to Josh for a while. Jordan writes Josh a letter as an apology and after a while, Josh is allowed back on the Basketball team. However, while he and his dad are playing a warm-up game, his dad has a heart attack and collapses. In the hospital, Chuck tells the boys that no matter what happens, play the championship game. He has another heart attack in the hospital and Jordan follows his mom while Josh plays the final game. Josh throws the winning basket and after the game learns his dad passed away from a heart attack. 

New Kid

Craft, J., & Callahan, J. (2019). New kid. Harper.

Genre: Middle Grade Graphic Novel

     Jordan Banks is a Black kid going to a new school that has a primarily White student body. He becomes friends with a White student named Liam and a Black student named Drew. The book follows him through the entire school year and discusses issues of race. Throughout the book, Jordan faces a lot of microaggressions; people in the wealthier neighborhood avoid him on the train, his classmates stare at him when learning about slavery, and they will also call him the name of other Black students. The teacher, Ms. Rawle often acts as a symbol of ignorance in the book. She often picks on Drew: often misnaming him throughout most of the year and initially blaming him when the school bully, Andy, falls during a shoving match that Andy starts. Near the end of the book, Ms. Rawle confronts Jordan after she reads his private sketchbook, a sketchbook in which he vents about all of the problems in the school. Jordan points out that he's not attacking the school, all of those things actually happen. 

Small Town Pride

Stamper, P. (2022). Small town pride. Harper.

Genre: Middle Grade Fiction

    After Jake comes out to his parents, he is welcomed home one day by a giant pride flag hanging on his family's flag pole. This causes a commotion in their small town and the mayor is fielding complaints. One day, Jake and his friends come up with a plot to host a pride festival in town, he just needs the support of the council to get the license. However, due to the corruption of the council by the mayor, they unanimously say no. However, the team now decides to host a fundraiser to have the pride festival on a local farm instead. Thanks to a helpful pastor, they are allowed to host the festival on church grounds and the pride festival attracts more than a thousand people in the county.

    The diversity discussed in this book is sexuality. Jake is a witness to and victim of homophobia throughout the book. He overhears homophobic remarks from others in his town and when he presents his case to the council, homophobic remarks are made toward him as well. When he asks for advice on a video game forum about pride festivals in small towns, it is bombarded with homophobic messages. This book also showcases how to be supportive of people in the LGBTQ Community. Jake's classmates start wearing rainbow flag pins and bracelets to show support for him and the pride festival. 

Front Desk

Yang, K. (2018). Front desk. Arthur A. Levine Books.

Genre: Middle Grade Fiction

    Mia and her parents are Chinese immigrants who have come to America for a better life. When they are given the opportunity to manage the Calvista Motel, owned by Michael Yao, they jump at the opportunity. Quickly, this dream becomes a nightmare. Any damage to the motel comes out of their already meager paycheck, the family gets no sleep as someone has to be ready at the desk at all times, and sometimes they're attacked by people with bad intentions. Throughout the book, Mia wants to become a writer. Her main goal is to win a writing competition so she and her family can win a motel of their own in Vermont. Although that doesn't pan out, her writing skills help her and members of her community find jobs, obtain passports illegally stolen from them, and raise enough money so her family can buy the motel from Mr. Yao. 

    Class structure and race are discussed in this book. Throughout the book, Mia is told that her English isn't good enough, even by her own mother, and she is sometimes mocked for her Chinese origin. Racism is also displayed in the character Hank. Hank is a Black man and he faces discrimination from police who are convinced he stole a car from a motel patron; this later costs him his job as police start to interrogate him there as well. In her author's note, Kelly Yang says she based this book on her own experiences as a Chinese immigrant whose family owned a motel.  Many of the events present in the book have personally happened to her and her family 

Legendborn

Deonn, T. (2020). Legendborn. Margaret K. McElderry Books.

Genre: YA Fantasy

    The book begins with Bree Matthews and her father being told of her mother's death in a car accident. A few months later she attends UNC Chapel Hill’s early college program with her best friend, Alice. Within the first few days, Bree witnesses, monster attacks, has her memory erased twice, and the memory erasure fails both times. Her peer mentor, Nick, introduces Bree to the Order of the Round Table and the magic that surrounds it. Bree begins to remember the mysterious feeling of her mother's desk and intends to join the Order to investigate it. Meanwhile, Bree must also attend therapy sessions with another magic user who knew her mother when she was a student at UNC. Her investigations and talks with her therapist reveal that the Order is not what they seem.

    The diversity discussed in this book is racial diversity. Bree often faces racism from members of the Order, the police who take her home, and even other teens competing in the same tournament. Although much of the magic in Legendborn is inspired by the British tale of King Author, Tracy Deonn, in her author's note, shows that Rootcraft, a form of magic used by Bree's ancestors, is derived from Rootwork. Rootwork is a practice that has origins from enslaved Africans in America. 

Children of Blood and Bone

Adeyemi, T. (2018). Children of blood and bone. Henry Holt and Company.

Genre: YA Fantasy

    This story is told by three narrators: Zelie, Amari, and Inan. Years before the book takes place, King Saran kills all the Maji to rid the kingdom of magic. Zelie witnesses her mother's murder at a young age at the hands of Saran's soldiers. Years later, Zelie meets Amari at a marketplace. Amari runs away from her father, King Saran, after witnessing the murder of her close friend for using magic. She runs away with a scroll that has the power to give magic to Diviners, turning them into Maji. With this knowledge, Zelie, Amari, and Zelie’s brother Tzain go on a journey to bring magic back to the kingdom. While the trio is on this journey, Inan, Amari’s brother, is following them with an army, with the goal of destroying the scroll and magic forever. However, brief contact with the scroll turns Inan into a magic user as well. With his magic, Inan can connect with Zelie in a dreamscape and the two begin to understand each others' intentions.

    This book, while influenced by Yoruban folklore, is a commentary on race in America. In the author's note, Toni Adeyemi states that she wrote this book in response to the police killing of Black Americans. Adeyemi specifically lists Philando Castile, Jordan Edwards, Tamir Rice, and Aiyana Stanley-Jones and their families as inspiration for the stories in this book. While this story doesn't take place on Earth, there are translations of Yoruban in the book; Adeyemi thanks her community for the translations in the acknowledgments. 

Talking is Not My Thing

Robbins, R. (2020). Talking is not my thing. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers.

Genre: Picture Book

    Taling is Not My Thing discusses neurodivergence. The goal of this book is to teach kids about experiences by following a nonverbal autistic girl throughout her day.  It will show how the main character is uncomfortable at dinner because of all of the noises that are made. It shows how sometimes she needs flashcards to show her needs and how she needs help with those tasks like using the restroom. When she tries to talk, all that comes out is "eep." The inspiration for this book was Robbins writing about experiences she has with her nonverbal brother.

My Rainbow

 

Neal, T., & Neal, D. (2020). My rainbow. Kokila.

Genre: Picture Book

    This autobiographical book is about Trinity, a transgender girl with autism. One day Trinity is sad because she doesn't have long hair. Her mother explains that she can have short hair and be a girl but Trinity explains that it's different for transgender girls. The next day, her mother and brother set out to try to find the perfect wig, but none of them were perfect. So Trinity's mom decides to make a wig for her daughter made out of different colored hair. The next morning, Trinity cries tears of joy at her new hair, her very own rainbow. 

    The diversity in this book discusses gender identity and neurodivergence. In My Rainbow Trinity writes about her feelings and experiences of being transgender. She writes about her insecurities as a transgender girl because of her short hair. Trinity's experiences with autism are seen as well, especially with sensory issues. It's explained that Trinity cannot grow out her hair because it's too itchy to grow it out. When looking for wigs, Trinity's mother and brother discuss sensory issues with each wig as they could be overwhelming for her. 

    

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin

 

    

Brown, R. A. (2020). A song of wraiths and ruin. Balzar + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers.

Genre: YA Fantasy

    This book follows two narrators, Malik and Karina. Malik and his family are refugees in the city of Ziran. They are trying to enter the city during Solstasia, a festival to celebrate a new era of a deity. When his youngest sister is taken by a spirit, Malik must kill the princess of Ziran before the end of Solstasia to free her from the spirit's grasp. In order to get close to the princess, he is chosen by a deity to compete in the tournament to decide which diety is the ruler of the new era. Karina is the Princess of Ziran. When her mother, the Sultana, is killed by an assassin, she devises a plan to revive her using ancient magic. To fulfill the ritual, she needs the heart of a king. Since she is the new Sultana, she decides to give the winner of Solstasia her hand in marriage, making them the King. 

    The diversity in this book is racial and cultural. The characters are described as having brown skin and curly hair. The author, Roseanne Brown, is an immigrant from Ghana and thanks her Ghanan family in the acknowledgments. 

Me, Frida, and the Secret of the Peacock Ring

 

Cervantes, A. (2019). Me, Frida, and the secret of the peacock ring. Scholastic, Inc.

Genre: Middle-Grade Mystery

    Paloma and her mother travel to Mexico for four weeks because of her mother's fellowship. There she meets twins Lizzie and Gael who get her involved in a mystery to find Frida Kahlo's stolen peacock ring. However, the twins aren't everything they seem. Are they truly looking for the ring for a reward or is there an interior motive at play? One night after sneaking out of the house, Paloma is forbidden from seeing the twins again and they have to communicate by leaving secret notes to each other. Later, we find out that the twins are searching for the peacock ring because their father was pinned for the crime of stealing it by the professor who invited Paloma's mother to Mexico.

    The diversity in this book is multicultural. The entire book delves into a specific subsection of Mexican art with Frida Kahlo. Kahlo, her artwork, and her history are woven into each word of the book. The text describes and analyses her art with such color and thought. The author is a self-admitted Frida Kahlo fan. Cervantes took inspiration for the book from a biography and traveled to La Casa Azul in Coyacan Mexico to learn all her art and jewelry. 

Chloe's Lunar New Year

LaMotte, L. (2023). Chloe’s Lunar New Year. HarperCollins.

Genre: Picture Book

This book follows Chloe and her family as they prepare their house for visitors for Lunar New Year. They clean their house, get rid of old clothing, and prepare traditional food. As the family shares a meal with their guests, Chloe shares a piece of pie as an offering to her passed A'ma. The family in this story is Taiwanese-American celebrating Lunar New Year, a holiday that is important to many Asian cultures. The author, Lily LeMotte, is Taiwanese and she is writing from her own experiences. Her author's note explains the cultural context of why each food is made ('good radish' sounds similar to 'good omen' in Taiwanese) and the traditions that are followed. 

A Long Walk to Water

 

Park, L. S. (2010). A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

    This book follows two children from southern Sudan: Silva and Nya. Each chapter begins with Nya's story in an orange font in 2009, followed by Silva's in black between 1985 and 2009. Silva was attending school when soldiers attacked his village. The majority of the book is about his journey to a refugee camp in Ethiopia and the fear and loss he endures. Nya's family migrates between their home village and a camp; they have to dig for water in their home village, but the land dries up during winter, so they go to a camp near a lake. One day, men come to the village with big machines and begin to dig for water. In the latter half of the book, Silva is forced to go to another refugee camp in Kenya, then another where he is selected to go to the United States. In the United States, he is able to get an education, reunite with his father in Sudan, and create an organization to help build wells in villages that need it, including Nya's village where the two meet.

     The diversity in this story is ethnic and multicultural. Here, we see the story of two children who lived through callous times in a wartorn Sudan. We are led through the children's cultures and backgrounds in the book. At the end of the book, we see Silva is a real person who endured everything we read. Park was acting as a catalyst for his story to be told, interviewing him multiple times. Although some parts of the book are dramatized, through her own admission in the author's note, she put in the work to research these topics to tell as authentic of a story as possible.