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.
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The green musician
Relates how Barbad became the new musician and singer in the court of Persian King Khosrow. Adapted from a 1,000 year-old story originally found in the "Book of Kings" (Shahnameh), which tells the story of the mystical past of ancient Persia.
Marwan’s journey
"One night they came ... The darkness grew colder, deeper, darker, and swallowed up everything ... Marwan is a young boy on a journey he never intended to take, bound for a place he doesn't know. On his journey, he relies on courage and memories of his faraway homeland to buoy him. With him are hundreds and thousands of other human beings, crossing the deserts and the seas, fleeing war and hunger in search of safety. He must take one step after another-- bringing whatever he can carry, holding on to dreams. This is the journey of one boy who longs for a home, and we follow his path, walking hand in hand with him as he looks forward with uncertainty and hopes for a peaceful future. This beautiful, heartfelt story gives a human face to the plight of refugees all over the world. Marwan's journey is everyone's journey"--Jacket
The golden bell
Itamar, a tailor's son, loses a tiny bell from the hem of the High Priest's ceremonial robe and many years later, an archaeologist finds something gleaming in an ancient drainage ditch.
Much, much better
When kind-hearted Shlomo and his wife Miriam share their sabbath meal with the prophet Elijah, disguised as an old man, the grateful visitor rewards the couple with a special gift
My beautiful birds
"Behind Sami, the Syrian skyline is full of smoke. The boy follows his family and all his neighbours in a long line as they trudge through the sands and hills to escape the bombs that have destroyed their homes. But all Sami can think of is his pet pigeons--will they escape too? When they reach a refugee camp and are safe at last, everyone settles into the makeshift city. But though the children start to play and go to school again, Sami can't join in. When he is given paper and paint, all he can do is smear his painting with black. He can't forget his birds and what his family has left behind. One day a canary, a dove, and a rose finch fly into the camp. They flutter around Sami and settle on his outstretched arms. For Sami it is one step in a long healing process at last"--Dust jacket
I see the sun in Turkey
Readers are introduced to Mehmet, a bright, happy boy who shares a day in his life in Istanbul, Turkey. Mehmet's life is quite similar to every other young child's life in that he eats breakfast with his family, attends school and enjoys spending time with his friends. Through vibrant illustrations, readers tour the Old City, fishing on the Bosphorus and taking a tram ride past the Hippodrome
Drop by drop
With his wife's encouragement, a shepherd learns to read at age 40 and eventually becomes one of the greatest sages in Jewish history.
From far away
"When Saoussan immigrated with her family from war-torn Lebanon, she was only seven years old. This picture book tells the story of how she had to adjust to her new home in Canada. She describes the frustration of not understanding the teacher when she started school, not knowing how to ask to go to the bathroom, and being terrified of a prop skeleton. This is the perfect book to help kids empathize with immigrant children whose experiences are very similar to Saoussan's"--|cProvided by publisher
Who built the stable?
Riding in an open Jeep across the plains of Africa, author/illustrator Ashley Bryan found himself comparing the terrain to Jerusalem, and the bumpy journey to that of Mary’s travel on a donkey. And he came up with a question: Who built the manger where Mary and Joseph found shelter? The answer is conveyed in this picture book that envisions a young boy, a shepherd and carpenter both who, out of love and kindness, cleared the way for another shepherd and carpenter to be born on Christmas day. Told in gentle rhyme, Who Built the Stable? is a celebration of Christmas, of the kindness of children, and of the new hope born with each new baby. -- from publisher's site
Azad’s camel
After an Arabian orphan boy named Azad is forced to be a camel jockey, a new friendship and a magical escape to the desert change his life.