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.
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108 matching books
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Biography 25
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Cross Group 30
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Folklore 1
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Activism 11
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Bi/multilingual 108
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STEM 3
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Fiction 78
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Non-Fiction 29
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Boy/Man 85
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Girl/Woman 97
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Background 12
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Joint Main 21
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Secondary 95
Birds On Wishbone Street
"From the author of New York Times Notable picture book My Beautiful Birds, former Syrian refugee Sami finds a sense of home in a new place by caring for a bird with a new friend A simple act of neighborly kindness and a bird that needs their aid helps former refugee Sami settle into his new community with new-found friend Moe Moe’s neighbors on Wishbone Street come from all over the world, and she’s excited to meet the new boy who just arrived from Syria. Sami isn’t quite ready to talk about his past, but he loves birds just as much as Moe does. And who wouldn’t have fun in a parkette full of packing snow? When the children discover a female cardinal stunned by the cold, Sami uses his experience taking care of pigeons in Syria to help rescue the bird—an incident that helps Sami to feel more at home. In Birds on Wishbone Street, author/illustrator Suzanne Del Rizzo demonstrates the power of an act of kindness, telling a story about finding home and making friends in new places. Illustrated with her signature polymer clay art, the story revisits characters from Del Rizzo’s New York Times Notable My Beautiful Birds and reminds us that we’re all more similar than we are different." -- publisher
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
Adriana’s Angels
"Two angels, Milagros (Miracles) and Alegria (Joy), wield their protective power surreptitiously and sometimes with a hint of humor, listening constantly for God's direction as they watch over a little girl who with her family is forced to flee their home in Colombia and start a new life in Chicago. Throughout difficult times, big transitions, and the ordinary moments of childhood, Adriana's angels whisper messages of God's love and presence. Adriana's Angels is available in both English and in Spanish as Los angeles de Adriana. ?Los angeles de Adriana (the Spanish version of Adriana's Angels) is a 2017 Moonbeam Children's Book Awards winner, a contest intended to bring increased recognition to exemplary children's books and their creators, and to support childhood literacy and life-long reading." -- publisher
Starting over in Sunset Park
"Jessica and her mom, Camila, must live in their cousins' crowded apartment until Camila finds work making holiday decorations and they can afford their own place. Isolated on the playground and baffled in class, unable to understand her teacher's instructions, Jessica is intensely homesick. But little by little, things get better. She begins to learn English, and she loves the cats she and her mom care for to earn extra money. Left behind by traveling owners, the cats make the best of their situation, inspiring Jessica to do the same."-- Amazon
A Thousand White Butterflies
"As if being new to the United States wasn’t hard enough, Isabella’s first day of school is canceled due to snow! Isabella has recently arrived from Colombia with her mother and abuela. She misses Papa, who is still in South America. It’s her first day of school, her make-new-friends day, but when classes are canceled because of too much snow, Isabella misses warm, green, Colombia more than ever. Then Isabella meets Katie and finds out that making friends in the cold is easier than she thought!" -- publisher
Maryam the New Yorker
"This series is inspired by the adventures of Maryam, an American multiracial child who lives in Queens, New York. It highlights the diversity and multiculturalism of the City of New York by focusing on Maryam's encounters with children who come from various racial and ethnic backgrounds. Each book takes place in one of the many beautiful parks in the city. The goal of the series is to help children understand that there are many more similarities that exist between people than differences. They also learn about different cultures and immigrant communities that call this unique and vibrant city home. In this book, Maryam goes to Flushing Meadows Corona Park with her parents and baby sister Emmy. Her typical family outing in the park is soon transformed into a beautiful multicultural playdate with Maria. When the two girls and their families start sharing food and stories, Maryam realizes the beauty of friendship that transcends cultural barriers." -- publisher
Coquí in the City
"A heartfelt picture book based on the author-illustrator’s own experiences, about a boy who moves to the U.S. mainland from Puerto Rico and realizes that New York City might have more in common with San Juan than he initially thought. Miguel’s pet frog, Coquí, is always with him: as he greets his neighbors in San Juan, buys quesitos from the panadería, and listens to his abuelo’s story about meeting baseball legend Roberto Clemente. Then Miguel learns that he and his parents are moving to the U.S. mainland, which means leaving his beloved grandparents, home in Puerto Rico, and even Coquí behind. Life in New York City is overwhelming, with unfamiliar buildings, foods, and people. But when he and Mamá go exploring, they find a few familiar sights that remind them of home, and Miguel realizes there might be a way to keep a little bit of Puerto Rico with him—including the love he has for Coquí—wherever he goes." -- publisher
Diarou’s Not So Different
"Diarou is starting her first week in a new school, in a new country, speaking a new language... and she feels completely alone. She moved to the U.S. from Guinea over the summer and is determined to make friends, but with her limited English, she's having trouble communicating with her classmates. Just when she thinks she might be on her own, she meets another new student who’s struggling too. Can Diarou find a way to connect across language barriers to make a true friend? The authors of this story are part of an innovative program run by Reach Incorporated. Reach develops grade-level readers and capable leaders by preparing teens to serve as tutors and role models for younger students, resulting in improved literacy outcomes for both. Learn more at reachincorporated.org. Books were created in collaboration with Shout Mouse Press. Shout Mouse is a nonprofit writing and publishing house dedicated to amplifying underheard voices. Through writing workshops that lead to professional publication, Shout Mouse empowers writers from marginalized backgrounds to tell their own stories in their own voices and, as published authors, to act as agents of change. Learn more at shoutmousepress.org" -- publisher
The Homesick Club
"When new teacher, Miss Shelby, arrives from Texas, students Mónica and Hannah invite her to join their homesick club where they find ways to make a new place feel like home. Mónica and Hannah are school kids in the big city. Together, they have formed the Homesick Club, since they are both from far away. Mónica misses the family of hummingbirds that she and her grandmother would feed in her backyard in Bolivia every day. Hannah misses the sunshine and the tiny tortoise that lived near her house in Israel. When a new teacher, Miss Shelby, arrives from Texas, the girls discover that she misses her home, too, especially the huge sky full of stars and a Southern treat known as Hummingbird Cake. The girls ask Miss Shelby to join their club, then Mónica decides she will bring a surprise for show and tell — a surprise that brings Miss Shelby close to tears. Author Libby Martinez addresses a theme that many children can relate to — feeling homesick — especially when home is far away. Rebecca Gibbon’s charming illustrations bring an imaginative, light touch to the story." -- publisher
The Hero of Cinco de Mayo / El héroe del Cinco de Mayo
"This bilingual picture book recounts the story of the Battle of Puebla and the Mexican army’s unexpected win against a much stronger foe. Today this victory is celebrated in the United States as Cinco de Mayo, a day to commemorate the Mexican roots of many US citizens. This non-fiction picture book for older elementary school students contains realistic illustrations depicting the Mexican general and his times. Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín was born in Goliad, Texas, in 1829, when Texas was part of Mexico. When he was seven, Texas became independent from Mexico, and the family had to move to Matamoros, Mexico. Ignacio tried to join the Mexican army in 1846 when the United States declared war, but he was too young. He was finally able to join it when he turned 24. An outstanding soldier, he was named the commander of the Mexican army and navy by President Benito Juárez. In 1862, he had to defend his country against the invading French army, one of the strongest in the world." -- publisher