Celebrating and Reflecting Our Diversity: Picture Books List
By Spread Book Joy
Celebrating and Reflecting Our Diversity: Picture Books List
By Spread Book Joy
Our choice of books is critical in order to promote children’s senses of identity and self-worth; they are also invaluable in promoting and encouraging discussions about discrimination which we know are crucial to challenging discrimination in all its forms.
Amazing Grace
Mary Hoffman and Caroline Binch
£7.99 £7.59Classic picture book. Grace wants to play Peter Pan in her school play, but her classmates tell her that he wasn't a girl or black. Grace's Ma and Nana teach her she can do anything if she puts her mind to it...
Baby Goes to Market
Atinuke and Angela Brooksbank
£7.99 £7.59Beautifully illustrated by Angela Brooksbank, the vivid pictures take us on a trip to the market, where Baby keeps adding food to Mama's basket.
So Much
Trish Cooke and Helen Oxenbury
£8.99 £8.54Everyone in this large extended family comes to see mum and baby because they all love baby so much.
Perfectly Norman: A Big Bright Feelings Book
Tom Percival
£7.99 £7.59From the author of 'Ruby's Worry'. Norman is perfectly normal until one day he grows wings. They are so much fun but he worries about what everyone else thinks. A tale about having the courage to be proud of our differences.
What Are Little Girls Made of?
Jeanne Willis and Isabelle Follath
£9.99 £9.49Nursery rhymes get a feminist makeover in which Georgie Porgies gets a lesson in consent and Bo Peep rescues her sheep herself. Humerous but important messages.
Look Up!
Nathan Bryon and Dapo Adeola
£7.99 £7.59Rocket is a ball of energy who loves to star gaze and wants to be an astronaut. She knows a meteor shower is coming but everyone else is just looking down at their phone! A lesson for us all to take notice of the world around us.
Clean Up!
Nathan Bryon and Dapo Adeola
£7.99 £7.59Rocket is back. This time she is visiting her grandparents on their island when she notices all of the plastic waste and organises a clean up crew!
Want to Play Trucks?
Ann Stott and Bob Graham
£7.99 £7.59Jack wants to play trucks and Alex wants to play dolls. Can they find a way to play together?
The Worst Princess
Anna Kemp and Sara Ogilvie
£6.99Princess Sue is not very good at being the type of princess everyone expects her to be and her prince turns out to be a real disappointment.
The Paper Bag Princess
Robert Munsch and Michael Martchenko
£4.99 £4.74A dragon burns Princess Elizabeth's castle and all of her property, including her clothes, leaving her with just a paper bag in which to rescue her kidnapped fiance. I can't recommend this one enough!
Tar Beach
Faith Ringgold
£7.99 £7.59Stunning art work accompanies a semi-autobiographical tale. Young Cassie dreams of flying above her 'tar beach', the rooftop of her apartment block, and seeing down over 1939 Harlem.
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Presents A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo
Jill Twiss and EG Keller
£13.99 £13.29Marlon lives with his Grampa Vice President Mike Pence. He's a boy bunny who falls in love with another boy bunny. A sweet and fun book which was an important protest against Mike Pence's anti-LGBT views with proceeds going to various charities. Learn more here. The audio book is voiced by Jim Parsons and a host of huge names and is only £1.57!
The Girls
Lauren Ace and Jenny Løvlie
£7.99 £7.59Four girls meet and form a friendship that lasts a life time. They're lives go in different directions but they are there to support each other throughout. Lovely book.
Colin and Lee, Carrot and Pea
Morag Hood
£7.99 £7.59Two friends who are very different. Teaches children the value of having friends who are different from us. A board book suitable for very young children.
Julian Is a Mermaid
Jessica Love
£7.99 £7.59One of the best picture books in recent years. Julian wants to be a mermaid but will his grandmother approve? A gorgeous celebration of being true to who you are.
Julian at the Wedding
Jessica Love
£12.99 £12.34A wedding is a party for love. Julian and his cousin Marisol are in his two aunties' wedding party. When Marisol gets mud on her dress, Julian has an idea.
The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family
S. K. Ali, Ibtihaj Muhammad, et al.
£7.99 £7.59Faizah's first day at school is also her older sister Asiya's first day of wearing hijab. Faizah thinks it is beautiful but not everyone agrees. Written by the first American Olympic medal winner to compete wearing hijab.
Don't Touch My Hair!
Sharee Miller
£6.99 £6.64A book about strangers touching black hair which will encourage discussion about not touching anyone without permission.
My Hair
Hannah Lee and Allen Fatimaharan
£7.99 £7.59"My birthday's coming up so soon, I'll need new clothes to wear. But most of all, I need to know, How shall I style my hair?" A visit to the hairdressers to get ready for a birthday celebration is full of excitement and amazing hairstyles!
Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World
Ms Kate Pankhurst
£6.99 £6.64Discover the stories of remarkable women who changed the world for the better.
In Every House, on Every Street
Jess Hitchman and Lili la Baleine
£7.99 £7.59A loving look at all the different homes and the families that live in them and share love, tears and laughter together.
The Princess And The Pea
Rachel Isadora
£7.99 £7.59Rachel Isadora has retold and illustrated several classic fairytales with African characters. Beautiful, bright and eye-catching illustrations.
The Twelve Dancing Princesses
Rachel Isadora
£8.99 £8.54Rachel Isadora has retold and illustrated several classic fairytales with African characters. Beautiful, bright and eye-catching illustrations.
Old Mikamba Had A Farm
Rachel Isadora
£16.99 £16.14Rachel Isadora has retold and illustrated several classic stories with African characters. Beautiful, bright and eye-catching illustrations.
Greta and the Giants: inspired by Greta Thunberg's stand to save the world
Zoe Tucker and Zoe Persico
£8.99 £8.54
I Am Enough
Grace Byers
£12.99 £12.34This gorgeous, lyrical ode to loving who you are, respecting others, and being kind to one another comes from Empire actor and activist Grace Byers and talented newcomer artist Keturah A. Bobo.
Coming to England: An Inspiring True Story Celebrating the Windrush Generation
Floella Benjamin and Diane Ewen
£12.99 £12.34
My Skin, Your Skin: Let's talk about race, racism and empowerment
MBE Henry-Allain Laura and Onyinye Iwu
£12.99 £12.34
For further information on the importance of representation in children's literature see:
'Reflecting Realities: Survery of Ethnic Representation within Children's Literature', CLPE, 2017
'Exploring Issues of Disability in Children's Literature Discussions' by Donna Sayers Adomat, 2014
'Gender Stereotypes in Early Childhood: A Literature Review' by Dr Leah Culhane and Andrew Bazeley, p.14-15, 2019