Here is a selection of books from our collection that depicts the diversity of families and family life. We strive to include as much varied racial/cultural representation as possible, but these lists also reflect what is available on the market.
These titles are only a sample of what you can find in our full collection. To see more, go to Search the CollectionOpens in a new window and use the “Content” filter on the left-hand menu for “Diverse Families/Family Dynamics.”
All kinds of families
Multicultural and multigenerational people demonstrate what it means to be a family and how all families offer each other support and love–Provided by publisher
Alma and how she got her name
When Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela asks her father why she has so many names, she hears the story of her name and learns about her grandparents.
A family is a family is a family
When a teacher asks the children in her class to think about what makes their families special, the answers are all different in many ways — but the same in the one way that matters most of all. One child, with a foster mother, is worried that her family is just too different to explain, but listens as her classmates talk about what makes their families special. One is raised by a grandmother, and another has two dads. One is full of step-siblings, and another has a new baby. As one by one, her classmates describe who they live with and who loves them — family of every shape, size and every kind of relation — the child realizes that as long as her family is full of caring people, her family is special.–Publisher
Families around the world
Allows young readers to visit with fourteen children, each from a different country, to learn about their families. Includes suggested activities
Fry Bread
Told in lively and powerful verse by debut author Kevin Noble Maillard, Fry Bread is an evocative depiction of a modern Native American family, vibrantly illustrated by Pura Belpre Award winner and Caldecott Honoree Juana Martinez-Neal
Going down home with daddy
“Down home is Granny’s house. Down home is where Lil Alan and his parents and sister will join great-grandparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Down home is where Lil Alan will hear stories of the ancestors and visit the land that has meant so much to all of them. And down home is where all of the children will find their special way to pay tribute to family history. All the kids have to decide on what tribute to share, but what will Lil Alan do?” — publisher
Grandpa’s girls
The little girl in this story loves to visit Grandpa’s farm where she and her cousins run through the fields, swing out the bar loft window and feed crab apples to the Appaloosa in the corral. They explore the root cellar and tiptoe into Grandpa’s secret room to look at memories from the past.
How mamas love their babies
Mamas work in different ways to take care of their babies, but everything they do is because of love.
Ladder to the moon
Suhaila’s wish to know her deceased grandmother is granted when a golden ladder appears at her window and Grandma Annie invites her on a journey to the moon, where they welcome people who are facing tragedy. Includes facts about the painting and woman who inspired the story
Mango moon
“When a father is taken away from his family and facing deportation, his family is left to grieve and wonder about what comes next. Maricela, Manuel, and their mother face the many challenges of having their lives completely changed by the absence of their father and husband. Moving to a new house, missed soccer games and birthday parties, and emptiness are now the day-to-day norm. Mango Moon shows what life is like from a child’s perspective when a parent is deported, and the heartbreaking realities they have to face, but Maricela learns that her love for her father is sustained even though he is no longer part of her daily life.” — publisher
Max and the tag-along moon
When Max leaves his grandfather’s house, the moon follows him all the way home, just as Grandpa promised it would
My Dadima Wears a Sari
Two young sisters raised in America learn about the beauty and art of wearing a sari from their wise Indian grandmother. Includes instructions on wrapping a sari.
A New Year’s reunion
Little Maomao’s father works in faraway places and comes home just once a year, for Chinese New Year. At first Maomao barely recognizes him, but before long the family is happily making sticky rice balls, listening to firecrackers, and watching the dragon dance in the streets below. Papa gets a haircut, makes repairs to the house, and hides a lucky coin for Maomao to find. Which she does! But all too soon it is time for Papa to go away again
Niño wrestles the world
Lucha Libre champion Niño has no trouble fending off monstrous opponents, but when his little sisters awaken from their naps, he is in for a no-holds-barred wrestling match that will truly test his skills.
One family
A family can be many things in this story that introduces numbered groups from one to ten.
Papá and me
A young boy and his papa may speak both Spanish and English, but the most important language they speak is the language of love. A multigenerational picture book that portrays the close bond between father and son, and emphasizes the overall message of love between a parent and child. ~provided by publisher
Real sisters pretend
Safe in the knowledge that adoption has made them "forever family," stepsisters Mia and Tayja improvise an imaginary adventure with a joyful homecoming to a real home with their two moms
The ring bearer
"Jackson’s mom is getting married, and Jackson is nervous about his role and his new family"–|cProvided by publisher
Some Kind of Love
“Every summer, relatives (old and young, big and small) come together from all over the country for a reunion. All have one thing in common: their love for each other. They sleep wherever there is room. They eat and laugh and tell stories and remember. And a nine-year old boy captures it all in his words. This beautiful, inspirational collection of poems by newcomer Traci Dant is matched with the extraordinary paintings of acclaimed illustrator Eric Velasquez. Some Kind of Love is a book for every family to treasure.” — publisher
Under my hijab
As a young girl observes that each of six women in her life wears her hijab and hair in a different way, she considers how to express her own style one day.
When Aidan became a brother
"Aidan, a transgender boy, experiences complicated emotions as he and his parents prepare for the arrival of a new baby"–|cProvided by publisher
When the cousins came
Even though Lila’s cousins do some things differently, Lila loves when they come to visit.
