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.
Find titles using a keyword search below (e.g. adoption, birthday, holidays, etc.), or by selecting one or a combination of filters on the lefthand sidebar below.
First time here? Start here!
341 matching books
Show FiltersFilter Results
-
Any Child 19
-
Beautiful Life 188
-
Biography 86
-
Cross Group 111
-
Folklore 4
-
Incidental 13
-
Afghan 3
-
Algerian 1
-
Antiguan 1
-
Berber 1
-
Bolivian 1
-
British 5
-
Canadian 5
-
Chinese 27
-
Cuban 5
-
Egyptian 3
-
Emirati 1
-
Eritrean 2
-
Filipino 6
-
French 1
-
German 9
-
Ghanaian 3
-
Greek 1
-
Guinean 1
-
Haitian 5
-
Hmong 4
-
Indian 17
-
Iranian 2
-
Iraqi 5
-
Irish 2
-
Israeli 1
-
Italian 2
-
Ivorian 1
-
Jamaican 8
-
Japanese 17
-
Kenyan 3
-
Korean 12
-
Kurdish 1
-
Kuwaiti 1
-
Laotian 1
-
Lebanese 1
-
Mexican 55
-
Moroccan 5
-
Multiethnic 14
-
Nigerian 1
-
Polish 2
-
Puerto Rican 15
-
Russian 1
-
Salvadoran 10
-
Somali 4
-
South Asian 25
-
Sudanese 3
-
Syrian 7
-
Thai 1
-
Tibetan 1
-
Tunisian 1
-
Turkish 1
-
Ugandan 1
-
Unspecified 138
-
Africa 21
-
Alabama 2
-
Antigua 1
-
Arizona 6
-
Asia 68
-
Bolivia 1
-
Brazil 2
-
Burundi 1
-
California 46
-
Cambodia 4
-
Cameroon 1
-
Canada 23
-
Caribbean 21
-
China 17
-
Colombia 3
-
Cuba 5
-
Eastern Asia 31
-
Egypt 4
-
England 6
-
Eritrea 2
-
Ethiopia 4
-
Europe 20
-
Florida 1
-
France 3
-
Georgia 2
-
Germany 5
-
Ghana 2
-
Greece 3
-
Haiti 3
-
Hawaii 1
-
Honduras 1
-
Illinois 8
-
India 10
-
Indiana 1
-
Iowa 1
-
Iran 3
-
Iraq 6
-
Ireland 1
-
Israel 4
-
Italy 2
-
Jamaica 2
-
Japan 11
-
Jordan 1
-
Kentucky 1
-
Kenya 6
-
Laos 3
-
Lebanon 1
-
Libya 1
-
Maine 2
-
Maldives 1
-
Mexico 33
-
Michigan 3
-
Morocco 5
-
Nevada 1
-
New York 45
-
Northern America 214
-
Norway 1
-
Oceania 2
-
Ohio 3
-
Pakistan 5
-
Poland 2
-
Portugal 1
-
Senegal 1
-
Somalia 2
-
Spain 1
-
Sudan 3
-
Syria 4
-
Texas 6
-
Thailand 4
-
Turkey 3
-
Uganda 1
-
Unspecified 52
-
Vietnam 4
-
Virginia 2
-
Western Asia 23
-
Zimbabwe 1
-
Activism 28
-
Adoption 5
-
Bi/multilingual 147
-
Disability 20
-
LGBQ 3
-
STEM 15
-
Fiction 228
-
Non-Fiction 111
-
Boy/Man 251
-
Girl/Woman 279
-
Unspecified 17
-
Background 37
-
Dominant Main 246
-
Joint Main 76
-
Secondary 253
A Bear For Bimi
"A timely topic celebrating the joys of a diverse neighborhood. When Bimi’s refugee family immigrates to America and moves into Evie’s neighborhood, not everybody is welcoming. But with the help of Evie’s teddy bear, Bimi’s family becomes part of the neighborhood and Evie makes a new friend." -- publisher
A Feast for Joseph
"Joseph misses sharing meals with lots of people like he did back in the refugee camp, so when the neighbors finally come over, it’s a feast! When Joseph and Mama lived in a refugee camp in East Africa, everyone cooked and ate together. And Joseph could always hear someone playing the awal. It’s much too quiet and lonely in his new home. Though Whoosh, the girl who lives upstairs, is friendly, Joseph misses having more people around, especially his grandmother, who still lives across the ocean. So he invites his relatives in the city to come for dinner, then he invites his teacher, then Whoosh and her mami — but everyone is too busy. Ever hopeful, Joseph picks the last greens from the garden. At least he and Mama will be ready to cook if someone comes. The next night Whoosh and her mami appear at the door with a big cake, and Whoosh and Joseph cook up a feast. A touching story about adjusting to a new home and the pleasure of cooking and sharing food with friends." -- publisher
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
A Train Called Hope / Un tren llamado Esperanza
"In this poignant bilingual picture book, a boy remembers his first present, "a little train crossing / the mountain of my pillow / over a valley on my bed." There's even a girl who looks like his sister waving happily from the window! Years later, after his parents have gone far away in search of work and a better future, the boy rides in a real train to join his family. This one is loaded with hundreds of children traveling alone, just like him. There are frightening strangers, others along the way who want to jump on and, scariest of all, a boy who almost falls off the roof because he can't stay awake any longer. When the train finally arrives at its destination, everyone jumps off and the boy begs "the moon to shine, / to light up the border" so he can cross and find his mother. This moving, poetic story by award-winning Salvadoran author Mario Bencastro touches on the difficult journey north many Central American children make in hopes of finding their parents and a better life." -- publisher
Alicia Alonso Dances On
"As a young girl in Cuba, Alicia Alonso practiced ballet in tennis shoes. Within a few years, she was in New York City, with a promising ballet career. But her eyesight began to fail. When Alicia needed surgeries to save her vision, dancing was impossible, but she wouldn't give up her dream. She found the strength and determination to return to the stage and become a prima ballerina. This is the true story of a woman who overcame her challenges, mastered her art, and inspired others to dance and dream." -- 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
Areli Is a Dreamer
"In the first picture book written by a DACA Dreamer, Areli Morales tells her own powerful and vibrant immigration story. When Areli was just a baby, her mama and papa moved from Mexico to New York with her brother, Alex, to make a better life for the family--and when she was in kindergarten, they sent for her, too. Everything in New York was different. Gone were the Saturdays at Abuela’s house, filled with cousins and sunshine. Instead, things were busy and fast and noisy. Areli’s limited English came out wrong, and schoolmates accused her of being illegal. But with time, America became her home. And she saw it as a land of opportunity, where millions of immigrants who came before her paved their own paths. She knew she would, too. This is a moving story--one that resonates with millions of immigrants who make up the fabric of our country--about one girl living in two worlds, a girl whose DACA application was eventually approved and who is now living her American dream. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is an immigration policy that has provided relief to thousands of undocumented children, referred to as “Dreamers,” who came to the United States as children and call this country home." -- publisher
Birds On Wishbone Street
"From the author of New York Times Notable picture book My Beautiful Birds, former Syrian refugee Sami finds a sense of home in a new place by caring for a bird with a new friend A simple act of neighborly kindness and a bird that needs their aid helps former refugee Sami settle into his new community with new-found friend Moe Moe’s neighbors on Wishbone Street come from all over the world, and she’s excited to meet the new boy who just arrived from Syria. Sami isn’t quite ready to talk about his past, but he loves birds just as much as Moe does. And who wouldn’t have fun in a parkette full of packing snow? When the children discover a female cardinal stunned by the cold, Sami uses his experience taking care of pigeons in Syria to help rescue the bird—an incident that helps Sami to feel more at home. In Birds on Wishbone Street, author/illustrator Suzanne Del Rizzo demonstrates the power of an act of kindness, telling a story about finding home and making friends in new places. Illustrated with her signature polymer clay art, the story revisits characters from Del Rizzo’s New York Times Notable My Beautiful Birds and reminds us that we’re all more similar than we are different." -- publisher
Coquí in the City
"A heartfelt picture book based on the author-illustrator’s own experiences, about a boy who moves to the U.S. mainland from Puerto Rico and realizes that New York City might have more in common with San Juan than he initially thought. Miguel’s pet frog, Coquí, is always with him: as he greets his neighbors in San Juan, buys quesitos from the panadería, and listens to his abuelo’s story about meeting baseball legend Roberto Clemente. Then Miguel learns that he and his parents are moving to the U.S. mainland, which means leaving his beloved grandparents, home in Puerto Rico, and even Coquí behind. Life in New York City is overwhelming, with unfamiliar buildings, foods, and people. But when he and Mamá go exploring, they find a few familiar sights that remind them of home, and Miguel realizes there might be a way to keep a little bit of Puerto Rico with him—including the love he has for Coquí—wherever he goes." -- publisher
From the Tops of the Trees
"A moving and inspiring true story about how a father's love helped a daughter dream of a life beyond the confines of the refugee camp where they live Young Kalia has never known life beyond the fences of the Ban Vinai Refugee Camp. The Thai camp holds many thousands of Hmong families who fled in the aftermath of the little-known Secret War in Laos that was waged during America's Vietnam War. For Kalia and her cousins, life isn't always easy, but they still find ways to play, racing with chickens and riding a beloved pet dog. Just four years old, Kalia is still figuring out her place in the world. When she asks what is beyond the fence, at first her father has no answers for her. But on the following day, he leads her to the tallest tree in the camp and, secure in her father's arms, Kalia sees the spread of a world beyond. Kao Kalia Yang's sensitive prose and Rachel Wada's evocative illustrations bring to life this tender true story of the love between a father and a daughter." -- publisher