
It wasn’t until I had my own children, that I began to notice the lack of diversity in children’s picture books. Even with my two older children, finding excellent stories with black lead characters or written by black author’s was incredibly difficult.
I have always believe that children will enjoy reading more, and become more engaged with a variety of books, if they see themselves in the stories. As a whole, the publishing industry has severely underestimated the impact that could occur when our “own voices” are given a chance to shine.
2019 was an amazing year for diverse books. There was an amazing explosion of books feature POC lead and written by POC authors in all genres. As an adult I love to read stories where I feel represented, and so it feels even better to know that my children get the same high quality stories as well.
Books are about striving to make the story relatable to the reader. Being relatable comes in a variety of forms, but culture, which is most important to many people is often left out.
I could recommend hundreds of books with diverse main characters, but here are some of Isla and Sarah’s favorites from 2019.
- Parker Looks Up: An Extraordinary Moment
- Little Leaders: Exceptional Men in Black History
- The Day You Begin
- Hair Love
- Sulwe
- Let ‘er Buck!: George Fletcher, the People’s Champion
- Another
- Going Down Home with Daddy
- Hands Up!
- Thinker: My Puppy Poet and Me
- What Is Given from the Heart
- Fresh Princess
- How to Read a Book
- We Are Water Protectors
- I Can Write the World
- The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist
- Not Quite Snow White
- Sing a Song: How “Lift Every Voice and Sing” Inspired Generations
- The Night Is Yours
- My Rainy Day Rocket Ship
- The Undefeated
- The Unstoppable Garrett Morgan: Inventor, Entrepreneur, Hero
- Fearless Mary: The True Adventures of Mary Fields, American Stagecoach Driver
- Honeysmoke: A Story of Finding Your Color
- A Computer Called Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Helped Put America on the Moon
- Meet Miss Fancy
- Mama Mable’s All-Gal Big Band Jazz Extravaganza!
- Beyoncé: Shine Your Light
- The Proudest Blue
- Serena: The Littlest Sister
- Grandpa Cacao: A Tale of Chocolate, from Farm to Family
- Look Up!
- Like the Moon Loves the Sky
- From the Stars in the Sky to the Fish in the Sea
- The Boy & The Bindi
- Through Georgia’s Eyes
- Malala’s Magic Pencil
- The Name Jar
- From the Stars in the Sky to the Fish in the Sea
- Freedom in Congo Square