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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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A Bindi Can Be …

2024

by Suma Subramaniam and Kamala Nair

“A young girl is eager to learn all about bindis, the red dot that goes between her brows. Paati, her grandmother, shows her how to make a bindi in a clay pot by combining crushed turmeric, sandalwood powder and a dollop of ghee. They mix and mix and mix until, like magic, the mixture turns from yellow to bright red. Her bindi can be big or small, and shaped like a star, a flower or a glowing half-moon. She can wear her bindi to celebrate different festivals, such as Diwali, or on an ordinary day as a way to stay centered and calm. In this way, she discovers that her bindi is more than just a dot.” — publisher

Centering Culture & Identity

My Mother’s Tongues

2024

by Uma Menon and Rahele Jomepour Bell

“Sumi’s mother can speak two languages, Malayalam and English. And she can switch between them at the speed of sound: one language when talking to Sumi’s grandmother, another when she addresses the cashier. Sometimes with Sumi she speaks a combination of both. Could it be she possesses a superpower? With awe and curiosity, young Sumi recounts the story of her mother’s migration from India and how she came to acquire two tongues, now woven together like fine cloth.”–publisher

Centering Culture & Identity

Sona Sharma, Looking After Planet Earth

2024

by Chitra Soundar and Jen Khatun

“When Sona learns about the climate crisis at school, she worries nobody is doing enough to combat it. So she takes up the challenge herself! But her family isn’t amused when Sona suddenly gets rid of her sister’s diapers and turns off Thatha and Paatti’s cooling fan during their nap. Sona finds a better way to implement change, at a family meeting where everyone helps make a list of ways to conserve. Energized, Sona sets her sights on the rest of the neighborhood. When she learns many of the kolams—traditional art that people draw in front of their homes to celebrate the festival season—are not eco-friendly, she makes plans for some even bigger changes. Can Sona convince everyone to get involved—even her own strong-willed grandmother?” — publisher

Centering Culture & Identity

The Partition Project

2024

by Saadia Faruqi

“When her grandmother comes off the airplane in Houston from Pakistan, Mahnoor knows that having Dadi move in is going to disrupt everything about her life. That fact is confirmed when Maha has to give up her bedroom to the grumpy old woman and is assigned to be Dadi’s unofficial babysitter. As an aspiring journalist, Maha knows all about the importance of facts (though her best friend would say that stories are just as important). She can’t wait to start her journalism elective—until their teacher announces that their big assignment will be to film a documentary, which feels way outside of what she would call “journalism.” While Dadi starts to settle into life in Houston and Maha scrambles for a subject for her documentary, the two of them start talking. About Dadi’s childhood in northern India—and about the Partition that forced her to leave her home and relocate to the newly created Pakistan. As details of Dadi’s life are revealed, Dadi’s personal story feels a lot more like the breaking news that Maha loves so much. And before she knows it, she has the subject of her documentary.” — publisher

Centering Culture & Identity Oppression & Resilience

This Book Won’t Burn

2024

by Samira Ahmed

“After her dad abruptly abandons her family and her mom moves them a million miles from their Chicago home, Noor Khan is forced to start the last quarter of her senior year at a new school, away from everything and everyone she knows and loves. Reeling from being uprooted and deserted, Noor is certain the key to survival is to keep her head down and make it to graduation. But things aren’t so simple. At school, Noor discovers hundreds of books have been labeled “obscene” or “pornographic” and are being removed from the library in accordance with a new school board policy. Even worse, virtually all the banned books are by queer and BIPOC authors. Noor can’t sit back and do nothing, because that goes against everything she believes in, but challenging the status quo just might put a target on her back. Can she effect change by speaking up? Or will small-town politics—and small-town love—be her downfall?” — publisher

Centering Culture & Identity Cross Group Oppression & Resilience

A Special Goodbye (Confetti Kids #12)

2023

by Samantha Thornhill and Shirley Ng-Benitez

“Five friends from diverse backgrounds learn how to navigate common childhood challenges, new experiences, and the world around them in the realistic and kid-friendly Confetti Kids early chapter book series. In this story, Mei is saddened to learn that her parents must close their flower shop due to the rising cost of rent. It doesn’t seem fair to Mei. Her family worked so hard every day at the shop, and for what? With the help of her friends, Mei learns just how much their little flower shop meant to everyone in the neighborhood.” — publisher

Any Child/Teen Cross Group

A Whole Song and Dance

2023

by Sarvenaz Tash

“It’s her first semester majoring in musical theater at NYU’s prestigious Tisch School of the Arts, and Nasrin spends her days prepping for auditions, sweating through dance classes, and belting her heart out for the viral streaming show she’s been cast in. But on calls with her maman and baba, she’s the golden child who put her theater dreams aside to follow in their entrepreneurial footsteps as a business major. At least her whole life isn’t a lie—she is taking a single business course. Except she’s kind of failing it. Nasrin needs to bring her grade up fast if she’s going to keep her parents in the dark, so she grudgingly signs up for tutoring with the infuriatingly smug and annoyingly attractive Max. And yet . . . as the semester rushes by, the sparks of anger that first flew between them start to turn into a very different kind of spark. The kind she definitely does not have time for. Except when Nasrin’s charmingly devious cousin takes an interest in Max too, Nasrin has to figure out exactly what has been an act, and what’s for real. Can Nasrin decide what—and who—is truly worth fighting for, and find a way to step into the spotlight as her full self?” — publisher

Cross Group

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