
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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4635 books in the collection
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Any Child 1508
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Beautiful Life 1193
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Biography 645
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Cross Group 763
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Folklore 327
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Incidental 683
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Informational 453
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Afghan 17
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Algerian 1
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Angolan 1
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Antiguan 1
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Assyrian 1
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Australian 11
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Austrian 1
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Balinese 1
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Basotho 1
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Belizean 1
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Bengali 5
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Berber 1
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Bolivian 2
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Brazilian 28
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British 21
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Burmese 2
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Canadian 23
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Caribbean 16
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Chadian 1
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Chilean 4
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Chinese 189
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Creole 2
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Cuban 17
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Dominican 13
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Dutch 2
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Egyptian 26
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Emirati 3
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Eritrean 2
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Ethiopian 55
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Filipino 19
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French 7
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Gambian 2
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German 18
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Ghanaian 12
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Greek 3
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Guatemalan 12
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Guinean 1
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Haitian 15
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Hmong 6
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Honduran 1
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Igbo 4
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Indian 145
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Iranian 9
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Iraqi 11
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Irish 6
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Israeli 7
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Italian 3
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Ivorian 1
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Jamaican 19
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Japanese 118
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Kenyan 34
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Korean 42
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Kurdish 1
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Kuwaiti 2
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Laotian 2
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Latvian 1
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Lebanese 3
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Maasai 1
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Malagasy 1
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Malawian 3
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Malay 3
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Malian 4
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Mexican 162
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Mongol 1
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Moroccan 10
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Multiethnic 152
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Ndebele 1
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Nepalese 10
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Nigerian 15
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Nigerien 3
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Pakistani 21
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Persian 8
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Peruvian 11
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Polish 6
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Puerto Rican 35
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Punjabi 1
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Roman 2
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Romani 2
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Romanian 1
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Russian 14
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Salvadoran 12
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Scottish 6
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Slovak 1
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Somali 8
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South Asian 205
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Spanish 13
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Sudanese 5
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Swede 2
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Syrian 11
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Tanzanian 15
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Thai 11
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Tibetan 8
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Tunisian 1
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Turkish 6
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Ugandan 7
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Unspecified 2443
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Vietnamese 20
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Xhosa 2
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Yemeni 1
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Yoruba 1
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Zambian 1
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Afghanistan 17
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Africa 223
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Alabama 61
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Alaska 17
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Algeria 1
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Angola 2
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Antigua 1
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Arctic 84
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Arizona 18
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Arkansas 11
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Around the World 230
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Asia 428
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Australia 24
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Bahamas 1
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Bali 2
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Barbados 2
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Belize 1
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Bengal 1
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Benin 1
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Bhutan 3
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Bolivia 1
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Brazil 26
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Burundi 1
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California 130
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Cambodia 8
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Cameroon 5
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Canada 139
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Caribbean 76
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Chad 1
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Chile 4
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China 137
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Colombia 10
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Colorado 2
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Congo 1
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Cuba 13
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Delaware 1
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Dominica 1
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Eastern Africa 127
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Eastern Asia 231
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Ecuador 5
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Egypt 29
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England 18
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Eritrea 2
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Ethiopia 57
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Europe 69
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Finland 1
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Florida 18
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France 26
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Gabon 1
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Gambia 1
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Georgia 32
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Germany 14
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Ghana 12
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Greece 3
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Grenada 1
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Guatemala 11
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Guinea 2
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Guyana 1
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Haiti 14
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Hawaii 13
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Honduras 2
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Idaho 2
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Illinois 40
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Imaginary 162
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India 115
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Indiana 4
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Indonesia 11
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Iowa 4
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Iran 12
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Iraq 13
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Ireland 1
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Israel 12
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Italy 7
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Jamaica 6
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Japan 80
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Jordan 2
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Kansas 13
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Kentucky 18
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Kenya 39
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Kuwait 1
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Laos 4
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Lebanon 3
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Libya 1
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Louisiana 35
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Maine 10
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Malawi 3
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Malaysia 5
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Maldives 1
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Mali 6
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Maryland 23
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Mexico 105
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Michigan 20
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Minnesota 16
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Mississippi 17
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Missouri 18
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Mongolia 4
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Montana 5
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Morocco 11
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Nebraska 2
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Nepal 10
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Nevada 5
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New Jersey 20
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New Mexico 15
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New York 226
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Niger 1
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Nigeria 12
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Northern America 1314
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Norway 4
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Nunavut 28
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Oceania 33
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Ohio 15
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Oklahoma 19
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Oregon 4
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Outerspace 39
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Pakistan 17
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Panama 1
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Paraguay 1
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Pennsylvania 31
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Peru 11
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Philippines 14
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Poland 4
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Portugal 3
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Puerto Rico 22
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Reunion 1
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Romania 1
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Russia 3
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Scotland 1
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Senegal 3
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Somalia 7
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South Africa 32
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Southern Asia 174
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Spain 10
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Sudan 3
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Sweden 1
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Syria 8
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Taiwan 3
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Tanzania 2
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Tennessee 31
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Texas 38
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Thailand 17
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Tibet 6
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Tunisia 1
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Turkey 13
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Uganda 7
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Unspecified 2019
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Utah 1
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Vietnam 13
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Virginia 31
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Western Asia 79
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Yemen 1
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Zambia 2
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Zimbabwe 2
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Activism 402
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Adoption 42
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Bi/multilingual 1004
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Disability 400
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Diverse Family 454
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LGBQ 110
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STEM 341
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Fiction 3459
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Non-Fiction 1097
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Abenaki 1
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Anishinaabe 15
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Aztec 3
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Cheyenne 2
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Cree 17
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Dene 3
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Emberá 1
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Gwich'in 1
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Haida 5
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Hidatsa 1
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Inca 1
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Inuit 45
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Iroquois 5
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Karuk 1
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Lakota 8
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Maidu 1
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Mandan 1
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Maya 5
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Mixtec 1
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Mohawk 5
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Métis 4
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Nahua 7
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Onondaga 1
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Osage 1
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Patuxet 2
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Pemones 1
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Pima 1
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Pipil 2
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Powhatan 2
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Pueblo 1
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Taino 2
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Tewa 1
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Tlingit 3
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Tolowa 1
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Triqui 1
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Tuniit 1
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Tzeltal 1
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Unspecified 31
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Wabanaki 11
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Waycobah 1
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Yanomami 1
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Yup'ik 2
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Yurok 1
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Zapotec 1
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Boy/Man 2665
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Girl/Woman 2899
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Intersex 3
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Māhū 1
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Non-Binary 26
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Transgender 21
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Unspecified 444
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Background 396
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Dominant Main 2726
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Joint Main 872
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Secondary 2441

A House for Every Bird
"A young artist’s drawings rebel against her when she tries to put her sketched birds in houses that match how they look, but not how they feel in this hilarious picture book perfect for readers of Julian is a Mermaid and The Big Orange Splot. A young artist has drawn birds and bird houses in corresponding colors. Now it’s time to match them up. The blue bird goes in the blue house, the orange bird in the orange house, and so on. But wait! The birds don’t agree with the narrator’s choices and, much to her distress, are rebelling by swapping houses. Can the narrator make the birds see sense? Or is it possible that you just can’t tell a bird by its feathers?" -- publisher

A Kid is a Kid is a Kid
"Being the new kid is hard, a child in the school playground tells us. I can think of better things to ask than if I’m a boy or a girl. Another child comes along and says she gets asked why she always has her nose in a book. Someone else gets asked where they come from. One after another, children share the questions they’re tired of being asked again and again — as opposed to what they believe are the most important or interesting things about themselves. As they move around the playground, picking up new friends along the way, there is a feeling of understanding and acceptance among them. And in the end, the new kid comes up with the question they would definitely all like to hear: “Hey kid, want to play?” Sara O’Leary’s thoughtful text and Qin Leng’s expressive illustrations tell a story about children who are all different, all themselves, all just kids." -- publisher

A Sari for Ammi
"Ammi weaves the most beautiful saris but never gets to wear any of them. Her two little daughters decide to do something about it—break their piggy bank! But when there isn’t enough money to buy Ammi a sari, the two girls must work together to find a solution. Will they be able to buy Ammi the gift she so deserves? With a text full of heart, and bright, cheerful artwork, this story brings readers into the home of a weaver’s family in Kaithoon, India, where the creation of saris is an art form. The book includes a glossary of Indian terms and a note about the saris made in this region." -- publisher

A Simple Christmas on the Farm
"When a little girl finds out her family is planning a "simple" Christmas this year, she's not so sure about it. But soon she gets into the spirit of simplicity and generosity by making presents and Christmas decorations with her parents and grandparents on their family farm. She and her mama share Christmas cookies with friends they meet, inviting everyone to join them for Christmas in their little red barn. Warm and heartfelt, this story invites children and families to imagine an inclusive Christmas, focusing on the simple pleasures of connection, community, and the care and generosity shared by making things by hand. Step-by-step directions for creating three handmade Christmas gifts are included at the end of the book. A Simple Christmas on the Farm is an inspired companion to author Phyllis Alsdurf's bestselling Thanksgiving in the Woods, a picture book based on the real-life story of a family that celebrates Christmas in the woods in Upstate New York." -- publisher

A Sky-Blue Bench
"A young Afghani amputee matter-of-factly removes her own barrier to education, building a bench from discarded wood so that she and her “helper-leg” can sit through school in comfort. It's Afghani schoolgirl Aria's first day back at school since her accident. She's excited, but she's also worried about sitting on the hard floor all day with her new prosthetic "helper-leg." Just as Aria feared, sitting on the floor is so uncomfortable that she can't think about learning at all. She knows that before the war changed many things in Afghanistan, schools like hers had benches for students to sit at. If she had a bench, her leg would not hurt so much. The answer is obvious: she will gather materials, talk to Kaka Najar, the carpenter in the old city, and learn to build a bench for herself. In A Sky-Blue Bench, Bahram Rahman, author of The Library Bus, returns again to the setting of his homeland, Afghanistan, to reveal the resilience and resolve of young children—especially young girls—who face barriers to education. Illustrator Peggy Collins imbues Aria with an infectious spunkiness and grit that make her relatable even to readers with a very different school experience. An author's note gently introduces an age-appropriate discussion of landmines and their impact on the lives of children in many nations, especially Afghanistan, which has the highest concentration of landmines of any country in the world." -- publisher

A Small Kindness
"Teach the importance of goodwill with this impactful picture book with a solid pay-it-forward message to encourage kindness in young children—from the award-winning author of Excellent Ed and Sun! One In a Billion. It was like a game of tag, with one small act of kindness spreading throughout a small community of kids and teachers alike. Award-winning children's book author Stacy McAnulty packs a powerful punch with minimal text, providing a sweet message about all the small ways one can be kind. Illustrator Wendy Leach creates a diverse cast of characters while using color as a visual cue to how kindness is able to spread, even in a small community like a school. Overall, A Small Kindness is sure to speak to this new generation of children and their parents." -- publisher

A Song of Frutas
"From Pura Belpré Award–winning author Margarita Engle comes a lively, rhythmic picture book about a little girl visiting her grandfather who is a pregonero—a singing street vendor in Cuba—and helping him sell his frutas. The little girl loves visiting her grandfather in Cuba and singing his special songs to sell all kinds of fruit: mango, limón, naranja, piña, and more! Even when they’re apart, grandfather and granddaughter can share rhymes between their countries like un abrazo—a hug—made of words carried on letters that soar across the distance like songbirds." -- publisher

A Teacher Like You
"Teachers have the power to change the life of a child with every new school day. Whether they're discovering math or reading, practicing a new instrument or a new sport, or learning about our wonderful, diverse world, students can count on the kindness, innovation, and patience of a teacher. This is a wonderful celebration of all the ways teachers help their student's bloom." -- publisher

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

A Train Called Hope / Un tren llamado Esperanza
"In this poignant bilingual picture book, a boy remembers his first present, "a little train crossing / the mountain of my pillow / over a valley on my bed." There's even a girl who looks like his sister waving happily from the window! Years later, after his parents have gone far away in search of work and a better future, the boy rides in a real train to join his family. This one is loaded with hundreds of children traveling alone, just like him. There are frightening strangers, others along the way who want to jump on and, scariest of all, a boy who almost falls off the roof because he can't stay awake any longer. When the train finally arrives at its destination, everyone jumps off and the boy begs "the moon to shine, / to light up the border" so he can cross and find his mother. This moving, poetic story by award-winning Salvadoran author Mario Bencastro touches on the difficult journey north many Central American children make in hopes of finding their parents and a better life." -- publisher