Our intention is to acquire and make available ALL picture books featuring Indigenous people and people of color published in the U.S. since 2002, including reprints. Inclusion of a title in the collection DOES NOT EQUAL recommendation. See our related readings page for suggested links for evaluating books.
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Shanghai messenger
"You are my messenger. Look everything. Remember." Grandma Nai Nai tells eleven-year-old Xiao Mei as the girl heads off to Shanghai, China, to visit their extended family. Xiao Mei is both excited and apprehensive. She will meet many new relatives, but will they accept her, a girl from America who is only half Chinese? Xiao Mei is eagerly embraced by her aunties, uncles and cousins and quickly immersed in the sights, smells and hubbub of daily living in Shanghai. At first battling homesickness, Xiao Mei soon ventures on her own, discovering the excitement of a different way of life and a new appreciation of her Chinese heritage. When it is finally time to leave, Xiao Mei must gather up her memories and bring "a little bit of China" back home. A lyrical story of adventure, self-discovery, and the strong bonds that tie families together. ~Publisher
Sparky’s bark / El ladrido de Sparky
When young Lucy travels from Latin America to visit relatives in Ohio, she is very homesick until she realizes that the only way to communicate with her cousin's frisky dog is to learn to speak English.
Beacon to freedom
Tells the story of nineteenth century abolitionist Reverend John Rankin and his brave early efforts working as a conductor on the Underground Railroad, risking his safety and the safety of his family to help nearly two thousand slaves escape from Kentucky to Ohio
Louis Sockalexis
"A biography of Penobscot Indian Louis Sockalexis, who pursued his childhood love of baseball and eventually joined the Major Leagues, where he faced racism and discrimination with humility and courage as the first Native American to play professional baseball."--Provided by publisher
Twice as good
Recounts the life of William Powell, an African American golfer discriminated against because of his race, and how his perseverance and spirit helped him rise from a caddy to the first African American owner of a public golf course
Sojourner Truth’s step-stomp stride
Sojourner Truth was born into slavery, but became a free woman. Freedom meant so much to Sojourner, she used the power of speech to help end slavery