Multicultural Children’s Books

By Madeline Webb

It’s Back to School We Go!

First Day Stories From Around The World.

Author: Ellen JacksonIllustrator: Jan Davey EllisFor ages 7 to 9

No matter where you live, the first day of school is always an important occasion. This book shares the first days of the school year of eleven different children who live in eleven very different countries around the world. It shows similarities and differences between school systems and shows that no matter what country you live in everyone attends school.

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Back of the BusAuthor: Aaron ReynoldsIllustrator: Floyd CooperPreschool through 3rd graders

This book highlights a turbulent time in American History and the Civil Rights movement. It Is creative and interesting while also teaching children about a period in time where people like Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks were fighting for equality for African Americans in the United States.

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All the Colors of the Earth

Author: Sheila HamanakaGrade 1-4

This book celebrates the different colors of children but it doesn’t just focus on different skin colors such as white or black or yellow or red. Instead the author describes the different colors of people in terms of nature and natural phenomenon describing a child’s hair color as being “the roaring browns of bears” and then goes on to describe love for all of these children .

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CelebrationsAuthor: Jeri CiprianoGrades 1-4This is a small book with simple text and photographs that introduces holidays that are observed in different countries, such as the celebration of the moon in Vietnam and the celebration of Kwanzaa in the United States.

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It’s Okay to Be Different

Author: Todd ParrGrade k-3It is important to teach students about diversity to help them develop empathy for others. This is a really fun, colorful and inspirational because it brings to light many differences among people in a fun and exciting way. Each page beings with "It's okay to..." and discusses a wide range of differences including, size, family type, ethnicity, disability, and body image.

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