Our collection of picture books featuring Black and Indigenous people and People of Color (BIPOC) is available to the public. *Inclusion of a title in the collection DOES NOT EQUAL a recommendation.* Click here for more on book evaluation.
COVID-19 Info: Currently, our collection is only available via Interlibrary Loan (ILL). However, we appreciate your patience as these services are still limited and you may find inactive links to the Bates Library Catalog and MARC record on certain book pages.
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9 matching books
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A Thousand White Butterflies
"As if being new to the United States wasn’t hard enough, Isabella’s first day of school is canceled due to snow! Isabella has recently arrived from Colombia with her mother and abuela. She misses Papa, who is still in South America. It’s her first day of school, her make-new-friends day, but when classes are canceled because of too much snow, Isabella misses warm, green, Colombia more than ever. Then Isabella meets Katie and finds out that making friends in the cold is easier than she thought!" -- publisher
Antonia
"Perfect for fans of Oliver Jeffers and Jon Klassen, this nearly wordless picture book tells a heartwarming and hopeful story of loss and new beginnings as a little girl and her dog, Antonia, journey with their family across a river to start a new life. Like so many people around the world facing difficult times, the little girl and her family in this eye-catching and emotionally satisfying picture book have had to leave their home. The girl has brought along her belongings and her friendly, curious dog, Antonia. While waiting for a boat to take them across a river, she plays with other children who’ve also brought pets—a duck and a bird. But on the other side of the river, Antonia goes missing in the brush. The girl is distraught, until a new friend releases his own pet bird from its cage in an extraordinary gesture of solidarity and freedom. With colorful, whimsical illustrations and an uplifting message of resilience, this US debut from a talented Colombian creator will leave readers with a full heart." -- publisher
One Whole Me
"Being bicultural is a wonderful thing! Follow along as a Colombian-American child embraces both cultures that make him unique. This lighthearted story, written in Spanglish, showcases languages, food, family, music, and more. It will inspire children to be proud of who they are and to never forget what makes them special!" -- publisher
Digging for Words
"A gorgeous and inspiring picture book based on the life of José Alberto Gutiérrez, a garbage collector in Bogotá, Colombia who started a library with a single discarded book found on his route. In the city of Bogata, in the barrio of La Nueva Gloria, there live two Joses. One is a boy who dreams of Saturdays—that’s the day he gets to visit Paradise, the library. The second Jose is a garbage collector. From dusk until dawn, he scans the sidewalks as he drives, squinting in the dim light, searching household trash for hidden treasure…books! Some are stacked in neat piles, as if waiting for José́. Others take a bit more digging. Ever since he found his first book, Anna Karenina, years earlier, he’s been collecting books—thick ones and thin ones, worn ones and almost new ones—to add to the collection in his home. And on Saturdays, kids like little Jose run to the steps of Paradise to discover a world filled with books and wonder." -- publisher
Feliz new year, Ava Gabriela!
Ava Gabriela is excited to celebrate the New Year with her extended family in Colombia, but being around her loud relatives in an unfamiliar place makes her shy and quiet. Includes author's note and glossary of Spanish words
Adriana’s Angels
"Two angels, Milagros (Miracles) and Alegria (Joy), wield their protective power surreptitiously and sometimes with a hint of humor, listening constantly for God's direction as they watch over a little girl who with her family is forced to flee their home in Colombia and start a new life in Chicago. Throughout difficult times, big transitions, and the ordinary moments of childhood, Adriana's angels whisper messages of God's love and presence. Adriana's Angels is available in both English and in Spanish as Los angeles de Adriana. ?Los angeles de Adriana (the Spanish version of Adriana's Angels) is a 2017 Moonbeam Children's Book Awards winner, a contest intended to bring increased recognition to exemplary children's books and their creators, and to support childhood literacy and life-long reading." -- publisher
Biblioburro
"After amassing piles of books, Luis, a voracious reader, dreams up a way to share his collection with 'faraway villages.' He starts with two burros--one for himself, one for books--and heads off. Tough terrain and menacing bandits challenge him along the way, but at last he reaches a remote town, where he holds a story hour and loans titles to eager kids before returning home to his wife and reading late into the night"--Amazon.com
Waiting for the Biblioburro / Esperando el Biblioburro
"Ana loves stories. She often makes them up to help her little brother fall asleep. But in her small village there are only a few books and she has read them all. One morning, Ana wakes up to the clip-clop of hooves, and there before her, is the most wonderful sight: a traveling library resting on the backs of two burros‑all the books a little girl could dream of, with enough stories to encourage her to create one of her own. Inspired by the heroic efforts of real-life librarian Luis Soriano, award-winning picture book creators Monica Brown and John Parra introduce readers to the mobile library that journeys over mountains and through valleys to bring literacy and culture to rural Colombia, and to the children who wait for the BiblioBurro." -- publisher
My name is Gabito
As a boy, Gabito had the ability to imagine many things. He lived in a small house with a large family. He would grow up to become a writer known as Gabriel García Márquez