Search Our Database of Nearly 2,000 Diverse Picture Books

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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1423 matching books

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Perceptive PJ

2018

by Jacqueline Sanders-Blackman and Zeeshan Shahid

"This is part two of a series of books about the Maker Family. The STE(A)M inspired theme for this book is Math. Perceptive PJ, an 8 year old boy that is inspired by his family history of being world class athletic competitors and winners. Perceptive PJ interviews each of his family members and comes up with a winning formula but his intention is to apply it to being a Mathlete (Math-Athlete) and to be a participant in the Math Olympic Competition. His journey will expose young readers to traditional and some very non-traditional sports so that young people will keep an open mind to all types of competition. The similarities of the Maker Family and my real life childhood experience and upbringing aren’t an accident. Growing up we had a strong sense of our family legacy of defying limitations, stereotypes and even other people of color who had limited expectations of who we should be and what we are capable of achieving. Read All About it! Remember Readers Make Leaders." -- publisher

Bodega Cat

2019

by Louie Chin

"An ode to New York's iconic feline friend, and the communities they call home. Bodegais a Spanish word for "grocery store," but they are so much more than that. Bodegas are often a community cornerstone, a welcoming neighborhood haven, and in New York, an emblem of the city's cultural diversity. And who knows these treasured institutions better than the cats who run them? (Or at least they think they do!) In Bodega Cat, a cat named Chip takes us through his bustling workday at the Matos family's bodega: from receiving boxes in the morning and the breakfast rush, through counting inventory and making deliveries, to dinnertime with his family, when Papi cooks up some of the best Dominican food in the borough for their friends and neighbors. There is no rest for this busy kitty...except for when it's time to chase pigeons with his brother Damian, or to take the occasional nap on the potato chip bags. A slice of city life that celebrates the people who give New York its heart." -- publisher

My Hands Sing the Blues

2011

by Jeanne Walker Harvey and Elizabeth Zunon

"As a young boy growing up in North Carolina, Romare Bearden listened to his great-grandmother’s Cherokee stories and heard the whistle of the train that took his people to the North—people who wanted to be free. When Romare boarded that same train, he watched out the window as the world whizzed by. Later he captured those scenes in a famous painting, Watching the Good Trains Go By. Using that painting as inspiration and creating a text influenced by the jazz that Bearden loved, Jeanne Walker Harvey describes the patchwork of daily southern life that Romare saw out the train’s window and the story of his arrival in shimmering New York City. Artists and critics today praise Bearden’s collages for their visual metaphors honoring his past, African American culture, and the human experience. Elizabeth Zunon’s illustrations of painted scenes blended with collage are a stirring tribute to a remarkable artist." -- publisher

Hooray For Helpers!

2020

by Mike Austin

"Celebrate first responders in this timely, action-packed picture book featuring firefighters, doctors, EMTs, and other brave helpers in action! First responders are on the way! Every day, brave helpers are on full alert, ready to rescue people and animal friends in need. They work on land, go underground, and even parachute down from the sky. Buckle up and cheer for these heroes as they go the distance to keep everyone safe. With bright, colorful art and labels of rescue vehicles and equipment in the style of Richard Scarry, this introduction to and celebration of first responders packs FUN and FACTS. Look inside for a Q&A with a real firefighter and an emergency supplies list!" -- publisher

Pocket Bios: Martin Luther King, Jr.

2018

by Al Berenger

"A colorfully illustrated, pocket-size picture book biography of minister and civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the most prominent leaders of the civil rights movement, is best known for his dedication to nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience. He received the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in combating racial inequality and organized many notable events such as the Montgomery bus boycott and Selma-to-Montgomery marches. He posthumously received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and Congressional Gold Medal, and is an international icon to this day. Pocket Bios are full of personality, introducing readers to fascinating figures from history with simple storytelling and cheerful illustrations. Titles include men and women from history, exploration, the sciences, the arts, the ancient world, and more." -- publisher

I Am Every Good Thing

2020

by Derrick D. Barnes and Gordon C. James

"An upbeat, empowering, important picture book from the team that created the award-winning Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut. The confident Black narrator of this book is proud of everything that makes him who he is. He’s got big plans, and no doubt he’ll see them through—as he’s creative, adventurous, smart, funny, and a good friend. Sometimes he falls, but he always gets back up. And other times he’s afraid, because he’s so often misunderstood and called what he is not. So slow down and really look and listen, when somebody tells you—and shows you—who they are. There are superheroes in our midst!" -- publisher

A Fist for Joe Louis and Me

2019

by Trinka Hakes Noble and Nicole Tadgell

"2020-2021 Keystone to Reading Elementary Book Award List Gordy and his family live in Detroit, Michigan, the heart of the United States automobile industry. Every night after coming home from work at one of the plants, Gordy's father teaches him how to box. Their hero is the famous American boxer Joe Louis, who grew up in Detroit. But the Great Depression has come down hard on the economy. Detroit's auto industry is affected and thousands of people lose their jobs, including Gordy's father. When his mother takes on work with a Jewish tailor, Gordy becomes friends with Ira, the tailor's son, bonding over their shared interest in boxing and Joe Louis. As the boys' friendship grows, Gordy feels protective of Ira, wanting to help the new boy fit in. At the same time, America is gearing up for the rematch between Joe Louis and the German boxer, Max Schmeling. For many Americans this fight is about good versus evil (US against Nazi Germany). Against the backdrop of the 1938 Fight of the Century, a young boy learns what it means to make a stand for a friend." -- publisher

Bread for Words

2020

by Shana Keller and Kayla Stark

"Told from first-person perspective, this picture-book biography draws from the real-life experiences of a young Frederick Douglass and his attempts to learn how to read and write. Author Shana Keller (Ticktock Banneker's Clock) personalizes the text for young readers, using some of Douglass's own words. The lyrical title comes from how Douglass "paid" other children to teach him. Frederick Douglass knew where he was born but not when. He knew his grandmother but not his father. And as a young child, there were other questions, such as Why am I a slave? Answers to those questions might have eluded him but Douglass did know for certain that learning to read and to write would be the first step in his quest for freedom and his fight for equality. Told from first-person perspective, this picture-book biography draws from the real-life experiences of a young Frederick Douglass and his attempts to learn how to read and write. Author Shana Keller (Ticktock Banneker's Clock) personalizes the text for young readers, using some of Douglass's own words. The lyrical title comes from how Douglass "paid" other children to teach him." -- publisher

Boys Dance!

2020

by John Robert Allman and Luciano Lozano

"A lively and encouraging picture book celebrating boys who love to dance, from the renowned American Ballet Theatre. Boys who love to dance are center stage in this encouraging, positive, rhyming picture book about guys who love to pirouette, jeté, and plié. Created in partnership with the American Ballet Theatre and with the input of their company’s male dancers, here is a book that shows ballet is for everyone. Written by the acclaimed author of A Is for Audra: Broadway’s Leading Ladies from A to Z, this book subtly seeks to address the prejudice toward boys and ballet by showing the skill, hard work, strength, and smarts is takes to be a dancer. Fun and buoyant illustrations show boys of a variety of ages and ethnicities, making this the ideal book for any boy who loves dance. An afterword with photos and interviews with some of ABT’s male dancers completes this empowering and joyful picture book." -- publisher

I Am Someone Else

2019

by Lee Bennett Hopkins and Chris Hsu

"Celebrated poet Lee Bennett Hopkins shares a diverse collection of poems that ask (with the help of Newbery medalist Lois Lowry, former US Children’s Poet Laureate J. Patrick Lewis, and others), “Who do you want to be?” Kids can imagine pretending and dressing up in this playful poetry collection, flexing their creative muscles and bucking stereotypes. (Who says that girls can’t be knights and boys can’t be mermaids?) Fifteen poets write about who they might like to be, musing what life would be like as a wizard, a firefighter, a video-game inventor, and more. “There is nothing better than being yourself. You are unique and special in every way. Once in a while it might be fun to think about becoming someone (or something!) else. Who would you like to be? Imagine that you’re someone else!” —Lee Bennett Hopkins" -- publisher

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1423 matching books

Perceptive PJ

Bodega Cat

My Hands Sing the Blues

Hooray For Helpers!

Pocket Bios: Martin Luther King, Jr.

I Am Every Good Thing

A Fist for Joe Louis and Me

Bread for Words

Boys Dance!

I Am Someone Else