Check Out This List of Over 100 Different Children’s Books
In light of the events of the week following George Floyd’s death, parents – especially white parents – must ask themselves: Am I doing enough? Am I teaching my kids about different voices and cultures? Was racial diversity and systemic racism a constant topic of conversation in my home? Because while Floyd’s death and the ensuing protests across the country give a very loud and clear message that race is something we should be talking about with our kids right now , it is also not a topic that will go away – or should – disappear .
Filling children’s libraries with books with different characters is not all we need. But this is an important component – children need to read books that “reflect” themselves and their lives, as well as books that open “windows” in the lives of others. Rudin Sims Bishop , professor emeritus at Ohio State University, explains in 2015:
Activist and writer Christine Platt recently wrote about the idea for MotherMag.com :
You may ask, what is the danger of children reading only mirrored books? Well, there are a lot of them. But primarily teaches children that their lives and experiences are the only things that matter. This also hurts children who only read books by the window: in essence, they teach them that their lives, as well as the history and culture of their communities, do not matter. From building confidence to learning to respect and appreciate difference to developing love and appreciation for the written word, representation in children’s literature matters.
But knowing it’s important and taking the time to actually find the many options are two different things, which is why Common Sense Media has done most of the hard work for parents to make it as easy as possible with this list of books featuring a variety of characters and storylines .
This is one of the most comprehensive lists of its kind I’ve come across, including titles that span all genres: mysticism, fantasy, romance, adventure, science fiction, graphic novels, and historical fiction. You can view it all in its entirety or search by age from 2 years old to teenage years.
You will find some familiar titles like Corduroy and The Snowy Day , but many others that you may have never heard of. You should look it up yourself, but here are a few that caught my eye:
Last stop on Market Street
“ Nana, a strong, graceful grandmother of African American descent, believes in the beauty of the world around her. And she lives by what she believes in. ” (Age 3+)
Princess Cupcake Jones and the Missing Tutu
“A sweet story about a brave little girl who lost her favorite object in her castle. In a charming and light-hearted manner, he emphasizes the importance of responsibility, doing household chores and taking care of your belongings. ” (Age 4+)
Year of the Book
“The story of a lonely girl who reads books instead of socializing and as a defense against some of her classmates who are angry and prone to manipulation.” (Age 6+)
Edition for young readers “Hidden Figures”
“The children’s version of the bestselling adult book that inspired the Oscar-nominated film of the same name. It sheds light on the story of four African-American mathematicians who worked in teams developing airplanes and spacecraft for the United States. ” (Age 8+)
Full Cicada Moon
“A poetry novel about 12-year-old Mimi Yoshiko Oliver, half African American, half Japanese, who dreams of becoming an astronaut when she gets older. Set in 1969, the book mentions important events in American history: the moon landing, the civil rights movement, Pearl Harbor, the Vietnam War, and so on. ” (Age 9+)
Ghost boys
” Ghost Boys …” said Jerome, a 12-year-old black guy who was bullied in Chicago, shot and killed by a white cop while playing with a toy gun. Both his own family and the policeman begin to unravel after this horror, when Jerome watches through grief, anger, appearances in court – and his friend gets up to protect his little sister from bullies. ” (Age 10+)
Look Both Sides: A Story Told in 10 Blocks
“A set of 10 interconnected stories about children walking home from school. It doesn’t follow the traditional start, middle, and end structure. Each story can exist separately; together they make up the big picture. ” (Age 10+)
Boy21
“An exciting growing up novel about love, friendship, madness and basketball.” (Age 12+)
How did everything go
“How It Went Down deals with a variety of serious situations and issues, including the killing of an unarmed African American teenager by a white adult, drug use by teenagers, gang activities and the aftermath of a media firestorm.” (Age 14+)
I’ve found the sections for adults (8-9 years old) and teenagers (10-12 years old) to be especially useful, with dozens of options for each, but there are many titles in each age group to provide more “windows” – or “Mirrors” – children who need them.