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.
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!
10 matching books
Show Filters
Words To Make A Friend
"A clever and innovative bilingual English/Japanese picture book about a Japanese girl and an American girl who prove you don’t need to speak the same language to understand each other. When a young Japanese girl moves into her new house, she is happy to see a girl her age playing in the snow just outside her window. The only problem is the Japanese girl doesn’t speak English and the American girl doesn’t speak Japanese. How will these two girls have any fun at all? As it turns out, it’s not that hard when both girls are looking for a friend! What starts with a simple “hello” and “konnichiwa” becomes a day filled with fun in the snow. Each girl’s love of play, snow, and making a new friend transcends the need to speak the same language, and by using simple words in their own languages, along with a bit of charades, the girls find they have all they need to build a snow creature. An important book to show children that speaking the same language isn’t a prerequisite to making a new friend." -- publisher
Natsumi’s Song of Summer
"This sweet and gentle picture book celebrates summer in Japan, as one little girl shares her love for bugs with her cousin who is visiting from America. Two young cousins who are separated by language, continent and culture meet for the first time when Jill’s family travels from America to Japan to stay with Natsumi’s family during the summer holidays. Natsumi’s nervousness about meeting her cousin from across the sea quickly disappears when she discovers that her cousin is a lot like her: they both love summertime’s hot sandy beaches, cool refreshing watermelon, festivals and fireworks. Then Jill asks Natsumi about the strange buzzing sound that comes from the nearby trees, and Natsumi is nervous once again. What if Jill is frightened of Natsumi’s cherished cicadas, the insects that sing the music of summertime? This is a tender, evocative story that celebrates the special pleasures of summertime and of reunions with faraway family and friends." -- publisher
Chirri & Chirra : On the Town
"Chirri and Chirra bike through town and discover all sorts of personalities and treats along the way"--
Sumo Joe
"Sumo Joe and his friends pretend to be sumo wrestlers, but when his little sister who takes Aikido wants to join them, Sumo Joe must choose between his friends and his sister. Includes author's note about sumo and aikido, and illustrated glossary"--
Lily’s cat mask
Lily wears her cat mask all the time--when she wants to be invisible and when she wants to be noticed--so what will she do when she is not allowed to wear her mask at school?
Baseball saved us
A Japanese American boy learns to play baseball when he and his family are forced to live in an internment camp during World War II, and his ability to play helps him after the war is over.
The discovery of ramen
Dao, a red panda, guides Ethan and Emma, two American school children, back into time to discover how ramen was created in Japan and how the noodle soup became popular worldwide. Includes glossary
Suki’s kimono
On her first day of first grade, despite the objections of her older sisters, Suki chooses to wear her beloved Japanese kimono to school because it holds special memories of her grandmother's visit last summer.
Abby’s birds
Abby moves to a new house in a new neighborhood, and her new neighbor Mrs. Tanaka teaches her to make origami birds
More-igami
"Joey loves things that fold: maps, bed, accordions, you name it. When a classmate's mother turns a plain piece of paper into a beautiful origami crane, his eyes pop. Maybe he can learn origami, too. But it's going to take practice --on his homework, the newspaper, the thirty-eight dollars in his mother's purse. ... Enough! No more folding! How can Joey become an origami master if he can't practice? Happily, he finds a way--and perhaps a chance to make a new friend while he's at it"--Dust jacket