When our multiracial son was born nine years ago, my wife and I struggled to find books about diversity and inclusion to read them at bedtime. We wanted narratives that were informative, inspiring, and entertaining, but our choices were limited. Though something like bedtime stories may seem trivial, they contribute to a cultural landscape that can shape how kids see themselves — and others — for a lifetime.
According to an article published by the National Education Association, books that feature diverse identities and life experiences are personally validating and academically engaging for kids whose identities are overlooked or stereotyped in popular culture. School librarians call these books “mirrors,” the author writes. And for kids whose identities are have been widely celebrated and portrayed in popular culture, these stories are referred to as “windows” — a chance for them to see into the nuances and lived experiences of people who are just as deserving of recognition as they are.
Thanks to the work of librarians, authors, and reading advocates over the past few years, the options have increased exponentially. Finally! So I’ve compiled a list of bedtime books that show young readers the fullness, beauty, and generative potential of a world that values all kinds of identities and experiences. This list tackles race, gender identity, sexual orientation, and religious acceptance, as well as different socioeconomic experiences that many children face, like houselessness and parental incarceration.
From celebrations to conversation starters, these uplifting books frame big issues in ways our little ones can understand (and us adults will surely learn from them, too).
To ensure you pick an age-appropriate book for your child, I’m including the reading level of each one.
Antiracist Baby
By Ibram X. Kendi
Nine easy (and easy-to-digest) steps little ones can take to start understanding how to be both be antiracist and talk about issues around racism.
For ages 0-3 years oldAvailable on bookshop.org
Love Makes a Family
By Sophie Beer
This celebration of diversity and inclusivity shows that no matter what a family looks like, each one is bound together by love, making them all the same at their core.
For ages 0-3 years old
Available on bookshop.org
Our Skin: A First Conversation About Race
By Megan Madison, Jessica Ralli, and Isabel Roxas
It’s never too early to start talking about race, so this informational and interactive book gives parents a thoughtful framework for deep-dive discussions.
For ages 2-5 years old
Available on bookshop.org
God’s Dream
By Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Douglas Carlton Abrams
This simple, stirring sermon urging acceptance and inclusion will resonate with even the youngest readers.
For ages 3-5 years old
Available on bookshop.org
I Love My Hair!
By Natasha Anastasia Tarpley
Every evening, Keyana’s mama combs out, braids, and beads her hair — a sometimes-painful process that ultimately serves as a celebration of her hair’s multi-faceted beauty.
For ages 3-6 years old
Available on bookshop.org
Missing Daddy
By Mariame Kaba
Though she misses her father dearly, a young girl makes the most out of every opportunity she has to visit him in prison.
For ages 3-7 years old
Available on HaymarketBooks.org
Black All Around
By Patricia Hubbell and Don Tate
Wherever this young Black girl looks, she sees beautiful expressions of blackness in this lovely, lyrical story — from “a nighttime lake where fishes glide” to “the braided hair of a stately queen.”
For ages 4-7 years old
Available on bookshop.org
You Matter
By Christian Robinson
We all sometimes feel like the smallest, the last, or the forgotten, but this empathetic, encouraging book reminds readers we are all connected and deserving of respect.
For ages 4-8 years old
Available on bookshop.org
Julián is A Mermaid
By Jessica Love
Entranced by three fancifully dressed women, a little boy dreams of transforming into them, making him question his own identity and worry whether he will be accepted for who he really is.
For ages 4-8 years old
Available on bookshop.org
Mixed Me!
By Taye Diggs
Actor-turned-author Taye Diggs relied on personal experience to craft this rhythmically written, utterly uplifting story about a young boy coming to terms with his multiracialism.
For ages 4-8 years old
Available on bookshop.org
Black is a Rainbow Color
By Angela Joy
This poetic celebration unveils the world’s beautiful blackness — some heartwarming (“the braids in my best friend’s hair”), others reminders of progress yet to be made (“the birds in cages that sing”).
For ages 4-8 years old
Available on bookshop.org
Sulwe
By Lupita Nyong’o
The Academy Award-winning actress conjures a highly personal tale of a young girl struggling with the darkness of her skin — until she realizes how much brightness glows within herself.
For ages 4-8 years old
Available on bookshop.org
Skin Again
By bell hooks
Urging children to look past race and look within, this stirring story teaches equity and self-empowerment.
For ages 4-8 years old
Available on bookshop.org
Where Are You From?
By Yamile Saied Méndez
When the protagonist faces this book’s titular question — “where are you from?” — it’s hurtful and confusing, until she digs into her past to discover the beauty of her roots and her universal connections to the world.
For ages 4-8 years old
Available on bookshop.org
Milo Imagines the World
By Matt de la Peña
A young boy on a subway trip with his sister observes the riders around him, drawing them as he perceives them to be, but ultimately realizes that people’s lives are not what they appear to be from a passing glance.
For ages 5-8 years old
Available on bookshop.org
The Day You Begin
By Jacqueline Woodson
Starting somewhere new can be difficult – especially when no one else looks or talks like you – so this gentle story urges courage and perseverance to uncover the common ground that isn’t initially apparent.
For ages 5-8 years old
Available on bookshop.org
A Girl Like Me
By Angela Johnson
Empowering collage-driven portraits of girls soaring through the sky and swimming across the sea are coupled an aspirational poem, serving as a vibrant call to action for young women to dream big and be bold.
For ages 5-10 years old
Available on bookshop.org
Lailah’s Lunchbox: A Ramadan Story
By Reem Faruqi
Newly immigrated Lailah wonders what her classmates will make of her Ramadan fasting, so she uses the holiday as a teaching moment that becomes a way for her to forge new friendships.
For ages 6-8 years old
Available on bookshop.org
Stamped (For Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You
By Jason Reynolds, Ibram X. Kendi, and Sonja Cherry-Paul
Exploring racism’s roots to its present-day impacts — along with spotlights of antiracist heroes — this thoughtfully composed guide gives children the tools they need to identify racism and become antiracist heroes themselves.
For ages 6-10 years old
Available on bookshop.org
Who Believes What?
By Anna Wills
A detail-rich primer on the world’s five largest religions – Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism – it explores each one’s history, celebrations, gods, and houses of worship.
For ages 7-10 years old
Available on bookshop.org
Hurricane Child
By Kacen Callender
Haunted by bad luck and bullied at school, 12-year-old Caroline feels powerless and rudderless until she meets, Kalinda, who ignites feelings inside her more complicated than friendship.
For ages 8-12 years old
Available on bookshop.org
New Kid
By Jerry Craft
Jordan wants to go to art school to hone his skills as a cartoon artist, but his parents send him to a prestigious private school where he is one of the few kids of color, leading to a turbulent internal struggle about identity and fitting in.
For ages 8-12 years old
Available on bookshop.org
Melissa
By Alex Gino
People think George is a boy, but she knows she’s a girl, so when she strives for the female lead in the school play, it’s so she can show everyone her true self.
For ages 8-12 years old
Available on bookshop.org
What Lane?
By Torrey Maldonado
With a Black mother and a white father, Stephen comes into the world from two often diverging perspectives as he navigates race and racism while embracing self-discovery and self-empowerment.
For ages 10-13 years old
Available on bookshop.org
No Fixed Address
By Susan Nielsen
An eviction notice means that Felix — who is 12-and-three-quarters — his mom, and pet gerbil must take up residence in a Westfalia van. For now.
For ages 10-12 years old
Available on SusanNielsen.com
This Book Is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do the Work
By Tiffany Jewell
Learn how racism started and how it can be disrupted going forward, then complete the activities, so you can transform your new knowledge into action.
For ages 11-15 years old
Available on bookshop.org
Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults): A True Story of the Fight for Justice
By Bryan Stevenson
Renowned lawyer and social justice advocate Bryan Stevenson recounts his crusade to end mass incarceration and racial equity one case at a time, while offering an inspiring blueprint for readers on what they can do to help end injustice in the justice system.
For ages 12-17 years old
Available on bookshop.org
The Hate U Give
By Angie Thomas
This artfully wrought, rivetingly emotional novel starts with the heartbreaking story of a Black teen who’s unarmed friend is killed by police and the polarizing aftermath, but builds to a powerful, inspiring finale.
For ages 14-17 years old
Available on bookshop.org
