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.

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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3768 books in the collection

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Bad Brows

2020

by Jason Carter Eaton and Mike Petrik

"Hilarity ensues when a boy’s eyebrows go rogue in this riotous picture book from the bestselling author of How to Train a Train. One morning, Bernard wakes up to find that his eyebrows have gone rogue. They’re sabotaging Picture Day, taunting his teacher, and growing, growing, growing out of control! All attempts to wrangle these bad brows just seem to make them angrier and more furrow-cious. Why are Bernard’s eyebrows behaving so badly? And what do they want? From Mike Petrik and bestselling author Jason Carter Eaton comes a hilarious romp about everything your face can—and does!—express." -- publisher

Balletball

2020

by Erin Dionne and Gillian Flint

"Nini loves everything about ballet—the sparkles, the costumes, the twirling! But in the spring there’s only baseball practice. Baseball is nothing like ballet. Or is it? Nini hates baseball. She hates that baseball is not ballet. She especially hates that Mom signed her up to play, but now she’s stuck with the sport. Nini just can’t bring herself to try. Her team starts to lose, but not even her teammates’ disappointment will change her feelings. A pep talk from her coach and sparkly shoelaces help—a little. When Nini makes a game-winning catch using her ballet moves, she realizes that change might not be so bad after all, and ballet and baseball have more in common than she thought." -- publisher

Be Amazing

2020

by Desmond Napoles and Dylan Glynn

"This uplifting illustrated nonfiction picture book from twelve year-old social justice advocate Desmond is Amazing is an introduction to the history of the fight for LGBTQ rights, as well as a call to action on embracing your own uniqueness. Desmond is Amazing is a drag-kid, model, fashion icon, and social justice activist. When he isn’t slaying on the catwalk or performing drag, he’s an outspoken anti-bullying and LGBTQ advocate. In this uplifting picture book about being yourself, Desmond shows how he can be amazing thanks to courageous people like Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and RuPaul who paved the way for a safer, more inclusive society for LGBTQ individuals. A kid-friendly primer to LGBTQ history that covers everything from the Stonewall Riots to RuPaul's Drag Race, Be Amazing shows young readers why we should celebrate the fight for LGBTQ rights." -- publisher

Beautiful Shades of Brown

2020

by Nancy Churnin and Felicia Marshall

"Growing up in the late 19th century, Laura Wheeler Waring didn't see any artists who looked like her. She didn't see any paintings of people who looked like her, either. As a young woman studying art in Paris, she found inspiration in the works of Matisse and Gaugin to paint the people she knew best. Back in Philadelphia, the Harmon Foundation commissioned her to paint portraits of accomplished African-Americans. Her portraits still hang in Washington DC's National Portrait Gallery, where children of all races can admire the beautiful shades of brown she captured." -- publisher

Bedtime for Sweet Creatures

2020

by Nikki Grimes and Elizabeth Zunon

"4 Starred Reviews! Nikki Grimes, Coretta Scott King Award winning author, and illustrator Elizabeth Zunon's latest children's masterpiece creates an imagination-fueled journey to bedtime. It's bedtime, but Mommy's little boy is not sleepy. He growls like a bear, he questions like an owl, he tosses his mane like a lion. He hunts for water like a sly wolf, and hides like a snake. Mommy needs to wrangle her sweet creature in bed so that the whole family can sleep." -- publisher

Best Day Ever

2020

by Michael J. Armstrong and Eglantine Ceulemans

"Summer’s just about over—and William wants to end it by having the BEST DAY EVER! But can a buttoned-up, Type-A kid let loose and embrace a day filled with free-range fun? It’s the last day of summer vacation and William—a little boy who loves order and schedules—has just one thing left to accomplish: have the most fun ever. He's even created a fun-o-meter to help him achieve his goals. But nothing he does seems special enough. Even worse, William's fanciful next-door neighbor, Anna, keeps interrupting his plans with increasingly outlandish suggestions—like trampoline bouncing to the moon to find dinosaur bones or riding talking seahorses to an underwater castle. Can these two seemingly different kids find a way to have the best day together . . . and maybe become friends, too? This charming picture book about a child who always follow the rules is a must-read for kids and parents in need of a funny, gentle reminder to get creative and let their imaginations run wild." -- publisher

Birdie’s Beauty Parlor

2020

by Lee Merrill. Byrd and Francisco Delgado

"Everything you need to know to make your grandmother look like a queen! Grandmother and granddaughter bond in this English and Spanish picture book. Birdie and Grandma are having a girls’ day! But Grandma’s all worn out now. Birdie has a solution: a makeover! It’ll give Grandma a chance to relax. Birdie insists that Grandma lie down because this beauty parlor has a lot of moving parts—chinny-chin-chin hair removal, long stretches of blush, slashes of lipstick, and eyeshadow. Earrings, scarves, the works! Birdie knows best: she owns this beauty parlor! ¡Birdie y su abuela están pasando el día juntas! Pero la abuela ya esta completamente agotada. Birdie tiene la solución: ¡una visita al Salón de Belleza de Birdie! La abuela nada más tiene que acostarse y Birdie va hacer todo el trabajo—le va sacar los pelitos de la barbilla, le va poner una montón de rubor, rayas de lápiz labial, y poner sombras de todos colores en sus ojos. ¡Birdie es la jefa! Birdie’s Beauty Parlor is the second collaboration between Lee Byrd and Francisco Delgado. Lee tells the stories of her grandchildren, but the images belong to Francisco’s kids." -- publisher

Black is a Rainbow Color

2020

by Angela Joy and Ekua Holmes

"A child reflects on the meaning of being Black in this moving and powerful anthem about a people, a culture, a history, and a legacy that lives on. From the wheels on a bicycle to the robe on Thurgood Marshall's back, Black surrounds our lives. It is a color to simply describe some of our favorite things, but it also evokes a deeper sentiment about the incredible people who helped change the world and a community that continues to grow and survive. Stunningly illustrated by Caldecott Honoree and Coretta Scott King Award winner Ekua Holmes, Black Is a Rainbow Color is a sweeping celebration told through debut author Angela Joy’s rhythmically captivating and unforgettable words." -- publisher

Bling Blaine

2020

by Rob Sanders and Letizia Rizzo

"A heartwarming picture book about the power of allies to lift others up . . . and the sparkling magic of glitter! Blaine’s a boy who loves to shine . . . well actually, he loves to sparkle. Whether it's his uniform, his book bag, or even his baseball cap, Blaine’s all about the bling. But when his bling rubs some people the wrong way, and the bullying begins, Blaine—along with the entire school—starts to lose his shine. Can Blaine's friends bring back his glimmer and gleam by glittering up their own wardrobes? This delightful story proves that anyone can love bling, and that happiness comes when allies band together to throw glitter—not shade." -- publisher

Boxitects

2020

by Kim Smith

"Meg is a brilliant and creative boxitect. She loves impressing her teacher and classmates with what she makes out of boxes. But there’s a new kid at Maker School: Simone. Simone is good at everything, and worst of all, she’s a boxitect too. When the annual Maker Match is held, Meg and Simone are paired as a team but can’t seem to stop arguing. When their extraordinary project turns into a huge disaster, they must find a way to join creative forces, lift each other up, and work together."--publisher

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3768 books in the collection

Bad Brows

Balletball

Be Amazing

Beautiful Shades of Brown

Bedtime for Sweet Creatures

Best Day Ever

Birdie’s Beauty Parlor

Black is a Rainbow Color

Bling Blaine

Boxitects