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!
122 matching books
Show FiltersFilter Results
-
Any Child 32
-
Biography 31
-
Cross Group 121
-
Folklore 4
-
Incidental 18
-
Africa 5
-
Alabama 4
-
Arctic 1
-
Bahamas 1
-
Cameroon 1
-
Canada 5
-
Egypt 1
-
Europe 2
-
Florida 1
-
Georgia 5
-
Germany 3
-
Ghana 3
-
Greece 1
-
Haiti 1
-
Hawaii 1
-
Illinois 2
-
Indiana 1
-
Kansas 1
-
Kentucky 1
-
Kenya 1
-
Maryland 5
-
Michigan 3
-
New York 14
-
Oceania 1
-
Ohio 2
-
Oregon 1
-
Poland 1
-
Romania 1
-
Somalia 1
-
Spain 1
-
Uganda 1
-
Unspecified 50
-
Virginia 6
-
Fiction 85
-
Non-Fiction 37
-
Inuit 1
-
Boy/Man 122
-
Girl/Woman 85
-
Joint Main 42
-
Secondary 95
A Tattle-Tell Tale
"Part of the new I’m a Great Little Kid series, this picture book is about dealing with bullies. Starting on Monday and working through all the days of the week, Joseph tries to deal with a lunchroom bully until he realizes he can’t do it alone. A trip to the principal’s office makes Friday the best day, after the principal explains that tattling and telling in order to get help are two different things and steps in to help." -- publisher
Nana Akua Goes to School
"In this moving story that celebrates cultural diversity, a shy girl brings her West African grandmother—whose face bears traditional tribal markings—to meet her classmates. This is a perfect read for back to school—no matter what that looks like! It is Grandparents Day at Zura’s elementary school, and the students are excited to introduce their grandparents and share what makes them special. Aleja’s grandfather is a fisherman. Bisou’s grandmother is a dentist. But Zura’s Nana, who is her favorite person in the world, looks a little different from other grandmas. Nana Akua was raised in Ghana, and, following an old West African tradition, has tribal markings on her face. Worried that her classmates will be scared of Nana—or worse, make fun of her—Zura is hesitant to bring her to school. Nana Akua knows what to do, though. With a quilt of traditional African symbols and a bit of face paint, Nana Akua is able to explain what makes her special, and to make all of Zura’s classmates feel special, too." -- publisher
16 Words
"This simple nonfiction picture book about the beloved American poet William Carlos Williams is also about how being mindful can result in the creation of a great poem like “The Red Wheelbarrow”—which is only sixteen words long. “Look out the window. What do you see? If you are Dr. William Carlos Williams, you see a wheelbarrow. A drizzle of rain. Chickens scratching in the damp earth.” The wheelbarrow belongs to Thaddeus Marshall, a street vendor, who every day goes to work selling vegetables on the streets of Rutherford, New Jersey. That simple action inspires poet and doctor Williams to pick up some of his own tools—a pen and paper—and write his most famous poem. In this lovely picture book, young listeners will see how paying attention to the simplest everyday things can inspire the greatest art, as they learn about a great American poet." -- publisher
Northbound: A Train Ride Out of Segregation
"On his first train ride, Michael meets a new friend from the “whites only” car—but finds they can hang together for only part of the trip—in the last story in a trilogy about the author’s life growing up in the segregated South. Michael and his granddaddy always stop working to watch the trains as they rush by their Alabama farm on the way to distant places. One day Michael gets what he’s always dreamed of: his first train journey, to visit cousins in Ohio! Boarding the train in the bustling station, Michael and his grandma follow the conductor to the car with the “colored only” sign. But when the train pulls out of Atlanta, the signs come down, and a boy from the next car runs up to Michael, inviting him to explore. The two new friends happily scour the train together and play in Bobby Ray’s car—until the conductor calls out “Chattanooga!” and abruptly ushers Michael back to his grandma for the rest of the ride. How could the rules be so changeable from state to state—and so unfair? Based on author Michael Bandy’s own recollections of taking the train as a boy during the segregation era, this story of a child’s magical first experience is intercut with a sense of baffling injustice, offering both a hopeful tale of friendship and a window into a dark period of history that still resonates today." -- publisher
Mr. Posey’s New Glasses
"In a charming tale of an elderly man and his obliging young friend, former poet laureate Ted Kooser and newcomer Daniel Duncan invite us to look at the world with fresh eyes. Mr. Posey is feeling gloomy. Everything seems dull. Maybe he needs new glasses? Perhaps a trip to the Cheer Up Thrift Shop with his energetic young neighbor, Andy, will help. But when the duo try on the glasses in the shop’s barrel, they’re in for a big surprise. One pair with stars for frames shows only constellations in a night sky. Round frames reveal a world all aswirl, while a heart-shaped pair makes everything pink. And as soon as Mr. Posey puts on the cat-eye framed glasses, fierce dogs start chasing him. No, thank you! But when Andy makes a simple observation, Mr. Posey’s view opens to a whole new world — and finally everything is brighter, different, and exciting." -- publisher
Hosea Plays On
"This heartwarming picture book (based on a true story) depicts a day in the life of Hosea Taylor, a musician who—with his charm, talent, and generosity—brought joy to everyone he met. Every day, Hosea takes the Number 42 bus into the city to play his shiny brass saxophone—and to hopefully earn enough money. Setting up in his favorite place, Hosea makes sweet music as people greet him with a smile, a little girl dances, and crowds surround him. A surprise ending reveals what the money is really for. Kathleen Blasi’s delightful text and Shane Evan’s colorful images capture the real-life closeness between the much-loved Hosea—who shared his passion for music and life with everyone—and his community." -- publisher
Dylan’s Birthday Present
"Dylan is an American boy like many others. One thing makes him special, though: his parents come from other countries and speak to him in different languages. It's his birthday today and he receives a very unusual present, only to lose it shortly after. Together with his best friend Emma, a sweet bilingual girl born to South African parents, Dylan sets out to find his lost birthday present. During their search, the two friends learn about the value of friendship, of speaking different languages, and of appreciating one's own as well as others' cultural and linguistic background. While reading this book, children will learn new words in different languages and feel like little polyglots!" -- publisher
A New Kind of Wild
"This sweet author-illustrator debut celebrates imagination, the magic of friendship, and all the different ways we make a new place feel like home. For Ren, home is his grandmother’s little house, and the lush forest that surrounds it. Home is a place of magic and wonder, filled with all the fantastical friends that Ren dreams up. Home is where his imagination can run wild. For Ava, home is a brick and cement city, where there’s always something to do or see or hear. Home is a place bursting with life, where people bustle in and out like a big parade. Home is where Ava is never lonely because there’s always someone to share in her adventures. When Ren moves to Ava’s city, he feels lost without his wild. How will he ever feel at home in a place with no green and no magic, where everything is exactly what it seems? Of course, not everything in the city is what meets the eye, and as Ren discovers, nothing makes you feel at home quite like a friend. Inspired by the stories her father told her about moving from Puerto Rico to New York as a child, Zara González Hoang’s author-illustrator debut is an imaginative exploration of the true meaning of “home.”" -- publisher
Follow Chester!
"A little known civil rights hero and college football MVP finally gets a voice in this fictional account detailing Chester Pierce’s game-changing play as he became the first black college football player to compete south of the Mason-Dixon Line. In 1947, no African American player can play at a southern school; in return, the opposing team benches a player of “equal talent.” This historical fiction picture book frames a turbulent time in the civil rights era with the clever use of a football play to show race relations and teamwork. Inspired by a true story, capturing a historic defense against the Jim Crow laws of the South." -- publisher
Always, Jackie
"The unbelievable yet true story of how an eight-year-old white kid from Sheboygan, Wisconsin, met the legendary Jackie Robinson in 1954—and how the two became lifelong friends." -- publisher