Our intention is to acquire and make available ALL picture books featuring indigenous people and people of color published in the U.S. since 2002, including reprints. Inclusion of a title in the collection DOES NOT EQUAL recommendation. See our related readings page for suggested links for evaluating books.
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Sonya’s chickens
Sonya raises her three chickens from the time they are tiny chicks. She feeds them, shelters them and loves them. Everywhere Sonya goes, her chicks are peeping at her heels. Under her care, the chicks grow into hens and even give Sonya a wonderful gift: an egg! One night, Sonya hears noises coming from the chicken coop and discovers that one of her hens has disappeared. Where did the hen go? What happened to her? When Sonya discovers the answers, she learns some important truths about the interconnectedness of nature and the true joys and sorrows of caring for another creature
Yesterday I had the blues
A young boy ponders a variety of emotions and how different members of his family experience them, from his own blues to his father's grays and his grandmother's yellows
For you are a Kenyan child
From rooster crow to bedtime, a Kenyan boy plays and visits neighbors all through his village, even though he is supposed to be watching his grandfather's cows
Elizabeti’s doll
When a young Tanzanian girl gets a new baby brother, she finds a rock, which she names Eva, and makes it her baby doll
A piece of home
When Hee Jun's family moves from Korea to West Virginia he struggles to adjust to his new home. He can't understand anything the teacher says, and even the sky seems smaller and darker. Hee Jun begins to learn English words and make friends on the playground. One day at a classmate's house he sees a flower he knows from his garden in Korea: mugunghwa, or rose of Sharon. Hee Jun is happy to bring a shoot to his grandmother to plant a "piece of home" in their new garden. A child-friendly story about the trials and triumphs of starting over in a new place while keeping family and traditions close
Lola’s fandango
After learning how to dance a style of flamenco known as the fandango, Lola plans a surprise for her mother's birthday
Most loved in all the world
Even though Mama is an agent on the Underground Railroad, in order to help others she must remain a slave, but she teaches her daughter the value of freedom through a gift of love and sacrifice
The stamp collector
A city boy finds a stamp that unlocks his imagination; a country boy is captivated by stories. When they grow up, the two boys take different paths--one becomes a prison guard, the other works in a factory--but their early childhood passions remain. When the country boy's stories of hope land him in prison, the letters and stamps sent to him from faraway places intrigue the prison guard--and a unique friendship begins
Same, same but different
Pen pals Elliot and Kailash discover that even though they live in different countries--America and India--they both love to climb trees, have pets, and ride a school bus
Tía Isa wants a car
Tía Isa and her niece try to save enough money to buy a car to take the whole family to the beach