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!
361 matching books
Show FiltersFilter Results
-
Any Child 95
-
Biography 59
-
Cross Group 359
-
Folklore 15
-
Incidental 65
-
British 7
-
Canadian 10
-
Chinese 5
-
Egyptian 2
-
Emirati 1
-
French 5
-
German 5
-
Ghanaian 1
-
Greek 1
-
Haitian 1
-
Hmong 1
-
Igbo 1
-
Indian 6
-
Iraqi 1
-
Irish 3
-
Italian 1
-
Japanese 6
-
Kenyan 1
-
Korean 5
-
Latvian 1
-
Mexican 10
-
Moroccan 1
-
Nepalese 1
-
Nigerian 2
-
Polish 1
-
Romanian 1
-
Russian 4
-
Scottish 1
-
Somali 1
-
South Asian 10
-
Spanish 1
-
Swede 2
-
Syrian 4
-
Thai 1
-
Ugandan 1
-
Unspecified 319
-
Africa 8
-
Alabama 6
-
Arctic 2
-
Arizona 2
-
Arkansas 2
-
Asia 12
-
Bahamas 1
-
Brazil 2
-
California 13
-
Cambodia 1
-
Cameroon 1
-
Canada 12
-
China 1
-
Colombia 1
-
Egypt 2
-
England 3
-
Europe 7
-
Florida 1
-
France 1
-
Georgia 7
-
Germany 3
-
Ghana 1
-
Greece 1
-
Haiti 1
-
Hawaii 1
-
Illinois 3
-
Imaginary 18
-
India 3
-
Indiana 1
-
Iraq 1
-
Ireland 1
-
Japan 2
-
Kansas 1
-
Kentucky 2
-
Kenya 1
-
Maryland 5
-
Mexico 3
-
Michigan 3
-
Morocco 1
-
Nepal 1
-
Nevada 1
-
New York 24
-
Northern America 137
-
Oceania 4
-
Ohio 3
-
Oklahoma 1
-
Oregon 2
-
Pakistan 1
-
Poland 1
-
Romania 1
-
Scotland 1
-
Spain 1
-
Texas 1
-
Thailand 1
-
Uganda 1
-
Unspecified 172
-
Vietnam 1
-
Virginia 8
-
Activism 40
-
Adoption 2
-
Disability 22
-
STEM 10
-
Fiction 286
-
Non-Fiction 75
-
Boy/Man 264
-
Girl/Woman 279
-
Unspecified 31
-
Background 21
-
Dominant Main 225
-
Joint Main 128
-
Secondary 275
A Fist for Joe Louis and Me
"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
"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
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
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
Emily’s Idea
"An inspiring fable of one girl’s idea spreading a message of love, acceptance, and togetherness across the globe Emily’s idea started small. Many beautiful ideas do. She folded, doodled, and snipped. But also, like many ideas, Emily’s small idea grew. This inspiring tale begins when a little girl decides to create a paper chain of dolls. Her idea catches on and spreads far and wide, as children around the world begin to create and share their own. Emily's Idea shows children that their ideas matter—and that they have the power to create positive changes all around them. It also teaches the joy of connecting and befriending those who may look different from ourselves, but are more like us than we may think. Award-winning illustrator Marta Álvarez Miguéns lends her kid-compelling artwork to the adventure. For children ages 4–8. Includes a make-your-own paper doll chain template page to help children get started on their own paper doll chains." -- 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
Swashby and the Sea
"From New York Times best-selling author Beth Ferry and Caldecott Honor winner Juana Martinez-Neal comes a sweet-and-salty friendship story perfect for pirate-lovers learning new ways to communicate while at a distance. This hilarious picture book will keep emerging readers laughing, and the message-related mishaps in the story create an opportunity for spelling and sounding out new words while learning from home! Captain Swashby loves the sea, his oldest friend. And he loves his life by the sea just as it is: salty and sandy and serene. One day, much to Swashby’s chagrin, a young girl and her granny commandeer the empty house next door. All Swashby wants is for his new neighbors to GO AWAY and take their ruckus with them. When Swashby begins to leave notes in the sand for his noisy neighbors, however, the beach interferes with the messages that are getting across. Could it be that the captain’s oldest friend, the sea, knows what Swashby needs even better than he knows himself?" -- 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