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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22 matching books
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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
Little People, BIG DREAMS: American Dreams
“Learn more about each of your favorite dreamers with new in-depth stories, facts, and figures in this beautifully crafted compendium. With an emphasis on heroes of the USA, each story is rewritten to be appropriate for an older audience. Revisit best-loved figures from the series and some new ones, too, including Prince, Maya Angelou, Dolly Parton, Martin Luther King Jr., Marilyn Monroe, Michael Jordan, Amanda Gorman, Gloria Steinem, Elvis, Neil Armstrong, and Dwayne Johnson. Discover how these incredible people shaped America into the country it is today. From inspiring artists and passionate activists to intrepid explorers and groundbreaking musicians, this collection goes further than the original series into the lives of these iconic figures—perfect for curious minds who always want to know more!” — 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
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
Coming Up Cuban: Rising Past Castro’s Shadow
“This story examines the impact of the 1959 Cuban Revolution on four children, Ana, Miguel, Zulema, and Juan, from very different walks of life. In the wake of a new regime in Cuba, they learn to find a place for themselves in a world forever changed. In a tumultuous moment of history, we see the lasting effects of a revolution in Havana, the countryside, Miami, and New York. Through these snapshot stories, we are reminded that regardless of any tumultuous times, we are all forever connected in our humanity.” — publisher
Hispanic Star: Celia Cruz
“Read about “La Reina de la Salsa” in Hispanic Star: Celia Cruz, and learn the most groundbreaking, iconic Hispanic and Latinx heroes that have shaped our culture and the world in this gripping biography series for young readers. If you can see it, you can be it. Meet the Queen of Salsa, Celia Cruz—once just a girl from Havana, Cuba, who loved to sing. Her soulful voice, compelling charm, and unstoppable determination led to her meteoric rise to fame, opening the door for Latinx performers everywhere. Her booming career took her from the Sonora Matancera to the Fania All-Stars, with the rising popularity of salsa, a genre born of Afro-Cuban musical stylings. Six decades and more than seventy albums later, Celia’s influence still has an undeniable hold on today’s music.” — publisher
Isla to Island
“Marisol loves her colorful island home. Cuba is vibrant with flowers and food and people…but things are changing. The home Marisol loves is no longer safe—and then it’s no longer her home at all. Her parents are sending her to the United States. Alone. Nothing about Marisol’s new life in cold, gray Brooklyn feels like home—not the language, school, or even her foster parents. But Marisol starts to realize that home isn’t always a place. And finding her way can be as simple as staying true to herself.” — publisher
Santiago!: Santiago Ramón y Cajal! Artist, Scientist, Troublemaker
“Based on a true story, Santiago Ramón y Cajal is every child who has struggled to navigate the expectations of adults. As a young boy, all Santiago wanted to do was be an artist. But his father wanted him to become a doctor, insisting that pursuing art was not a true profession. Although Santiago was forbidden by his parents to make art, Santiago secretly kept at it—making homemade paints and brushes and honing his craftsmanship. He also loved figuring out how things worked and made slingshots for his friends and even a fully functioning (and very dangerous) cannon. Sadly, the one thing he couldn’t figure out was his father. After years of locking horns, Santiago’s father seemed to win, and Santiago was sent to medical school. As a medical student he discovered the wonders of how animal bodies work, and his studies eventually led him to the microscopic mysteries of the brain. Using the artistic skills he honed as a child, Santiago painted brain cells to unlock their secrets. His pursuit of art had trained him to be observant, persistent, resourceful, and creative in his research. In 1906, he won the Nobel Prize for medicine and is considered the father of modern neuroscience—proving anything is possible, even for a mischief maker.” — publisher
What the Bread Says
“Join Papan and Vanessa on a globe-trotting, bread-baking adventure from Spain to France to Cuba and back again! Based on a true story, this is how Vanessa, while kneading, dancing, and singing, learned about her past, and how it helped shape her present and future. Baking bread requires a lot of patience. Some of it is about mixing ingredients together, and another part — a big part — is about waiting. Waiting while the dough rises, rests, rises, bakes. And while they wait, Papan tells Vanessa his amazing life adventures! In this storytelling, Vanessa learns about her roots, the power of love and family, and how stories can carry us through difficult times.” — publisher
A Song of Frutas
“From Pura Belpré Award–winning author Margarita Engle comes a lively, rhythmic picture book about a little girl visiting her grandfather who is a pregonero—a singing street vendor in Cuba—and helping him sell his frutas. The little girl loves visiting her grandfather in Cuba and singing his special songs to sell all kinds of fruit: mango, limón, naranja, piña, and more! Even when they’re apart, grandfather and granddaughter can share rhymes between their countries like un abrazo—a hug—made of words carried on letters that soar across the distance like songbirds.” — publisher
