Our collection of picture books featuring Black and Indigenous Peoples and People of Color (BIPOC) is available to the public.
*Inclusion of a title in the collection DOES NOT EQUAL a recommendation.*
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38 matching books
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Picture Book 21
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Folklore 2
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Immigrants 10
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Boys/Men 28
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Girls/Women 32
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Jewish 4
A Tall Dark Trouble
“Twin sisters Ofelia and Delfi know better than to get involved with magic. Their Mami has seen to that. After all, it was magic that cursed their family, turning love into a poison. Romance is off the table for the Sanchez women. They’ve seen the curse take hold enough times to know how that road ends. And yet. Sometimes a girl catches feelings and just can’t help herself. When Ofelia and Delfi begin having premonitions of a series of murders, the sisters know it is time to embrace their magical inheritance to get to the bottom of the mystery and save innocent lives. Teaming up with their best friend Ethan and with brooding detective-in-training Andres, the sisters set out to learn the truth. They just need to make sure Mami doesn’t find out what they’re up to. Meanwhile, in 1980 Cuba, Anita struggles with a different magical conflict. Her mother, Mama Orti, is a bruja who belongs to a secret coven of elders and Anita knows she will be forced to join the coven herself one day. She sees no escape, though the thought of staying and letting this future claim her is terrifying. Ofelia, Delfi, and Anita’s stories collide as each woman steps into her power and embraces who she truly is, refusing to be subdued by any person, coven, or curse.” — publisher
Finding My Elf
“Escaping to NYU for college didn’t turn out the way Cameron planned—he’s flunking his theater classes, about to lose his scholarship, and he still hasn’t found anyone he can call his “people.” When he gets home for winter break, he’s so desperate to avoid a Conversation with his dad that he takes the first acting job he can get—as a Christmas elf. This is no normal holiday mall gig, though. It’s got a popularity content built in. But Cam is willing to deal with a supercharged game of “the customer is always right” if that’s what it takes to nab the cash prize. But the competition is fierce—especially from fellow elf Marco, who’s got Christmas spirit oozing out of his veins. At first Cam is determined to see him as nothing but a rival, but as they spend more time together, Cam starts to second-guess himself. What if Cam doesn’t actually want to go back to NYU? What if he’s finally found his people here—in the fakest consumerist nightmare place on Earth, where he least expected it?” — publisher
Mari and the Curse of El Cocodrilo
“If Mari Feijoo could, she would turn her family’s Peak Cubanity down a notch, just enough so that her snooping neighbor and classmate Mykenzye wouldn’t have anything to tease her about. That’s why this year, there’s no way that Mari’s joining in on one of the biggest Feijoo family traditions—burning the New Year’s Eve effigy her abuela makes. Only Mari never suspects that failing to toss her effigy in the fire will bring something much worse than sneering words at school: a curse of bad luck from El Cocodrilo. At first, it’s just possessed violins and grade sabotaging pencils, but once El Cocodrilo learns that he becomes more powerful with each new misery, her luck goes from bad to nightmarish as the curse spreads to her friend Keisha. Instead of focusing on Mari’s mariachi band tryout and Keisha’s fencing tournament, the pair, along with their friend Juan Carlos, are racing against the clock to break the curse. But when Mari discovers her family’s gift to call upon their ancestors, she and her friends will have to find a way to work with the unexpected help that arrives from the far corners of Mari’s family tree to defeat El Cocodrilo before he makes their last year of elementary school the worst ever and tears their friendship apart.” — publisher
Pack Your Bags, Maggie Diaz
“Spring semester is here and Maggie is killing it! Her grades are up, she’s loving outdoor track and field, and being a seventh grader means the awesome spring break trip to St. Augustine is almost here. She can’t wait for her first overnight trip away from her overprotective parents, lovesick sister, and busybody abuela. Nothing will get in the way of Maggie having the best time ever with her two best friends, Zoey and Julian! But all of Maggie’s plans for their unforgettable trip start to fall apart as everyone gets carried away with the upcoming dance instead. Even Julian has a crush—throwing their group dynamic into turmoil when he asks the new girl to be his date. Zoey’s so stressed with school that her straight A streak is in trouble . . . and why can’t Maggie stop thinking about Eerie Eddie? The three best friends have been inseparable for years, but everything is changing as everyone splits into twos, leaving Maggie unsure of where—and with who—she still fits.” — publisher
The Ghosts of Rancho Espanto
“A new contemporary middle-grade fantasy novel about a Cuban American boy who’s sent to work on a ranch as punishment for a school prank gone wrong where he is confronted with a troubling supernatural mystery. Sometimes parents are creative when they punish you. But not Rafael’s dad. He doesn’t bother with a traditional punishment when he finds out Rafael and his friends tried to steal a slushie machine from the school cafeteria. He skips right over creative, too. He blasts all the way to completely unhinged and bonkers. That’s how Rafael ends up on a ranch in Middle of Nowhere, New Mexico, thousands of miles from home in Miami. He’s content to keep his head down and do as he’s told, but his work is inexplicably sabotaged by a strangely familiar man, one with the same floppy brown hair and anxious tics as Rafa. Who is he, and why is he trying so hard to get Rafa kicked off the ranch? Meanwhile, rafa can’t help but notice that his mom looks weaker with every video chat. With the help of the ranch manager and Rafa’s new friends, he gets to the bottom of the mystery, and confronts his grief along the way.” — publisher
The Wicked Bargain
“When Mar is miraculously rescued by the sole remaining pirate crew in the Caribbean, el Diablo returns to give them a choice: give up their soul to save their father by the harvest moon, or never see him again. The task is impossible–Mar refuses to make a bargain, and there’s no way their magic is a match for el Diablo. Then Mar finds the most unlikely allies: Bas, an infuriatingly arrogant and handsome pirate–and the captain’s son; and Dami, a gender-fluid demonio whose motives are never quite clear. For the first time in their life, Mar may have the courage to use their magic. It could be their only redemption–or it could mean certain death.” — publisher
Totally Psychic
“Paloma Ferrer is psychic. In fact, everyone in her family line has “the gift.” Now that Paloma has come into her powers, she dreams of being a famous medium to celebrities, just like her beloved grandma. When Paloma’s parents move them from Miami to Los Angeles, she hatches a plan to get her career as a medium up and running. But when a reading gone awry leaves Paloma in a sticky situation with a new friend, she’ll need more than a crystal ball to find her way out of this mess.” — publisher
Water Day
“A small village no longer has a water supply of its own, but one young girl and her neighbors get by with the help of the water man. When he comes to town, water flows like hope for the whole familia, and everyone rejoices.” — publisher
We Are a Song
“Join two siblings as they celebrate their mixed-race family, siblinghood, and creativity and learn in their own ways how all the different parts of their family make them special, in Lorian Tu’s debut picture book as an author-illustrator. Like the colors of the rainbow and the notes of a song, none of Arturo and Emilyn’s relatives look or sound alike. As the siblings run errands to help prepare for a very special day in their family, Emilyn tries to write the perfect poem to describe what it means to be in their big, loving family. With every stop, and taste of delicious treats along the way, the siblings begin to understand, each in their own way, that all the different parts of their family make them who they are.” — publisher
Wings in the Wild
“Winged beings are meant to be free. And so are artists, but the Cuban government has criminalized any art that doesn’t meet their approval. Soleida and her parents protest this injustice with their secret sculpture garden of chained birds. Then a hurricane exposes the illegal art, and her parents are arrested. Soleida escapes to Central America alone, joining the thousands of Cuban refugees stranded in Costa Rica while seeking asylum elsewhere. There she meets Dariel, a Cuban American boy whose enigmatic music enchants birds and animals—and Soleida. Together they work to protect the environment and bring attention to the imprisoned artists in Cuba. Soon they discover that love isn’t about falling—it’s about soaring together to new heights. But wings can be fragile, and Soleida and Dariel come from different worlds. They are fighting for a better future—and the chance to be together.” — publisher
