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Frequently Asked Questions


What is the Diverse BookFinder? | Who is it for? | Do you recommend all the books in the collection? | Does the collection take into account forms of diversity beyond race/culture? | Do you include books with animal characters? | Can I search by publisher? | Do you accept book donations? | Where should I send a book donation? | How can I access the books on your website? | Will the collection continue to grow? | Can I download your database of titles?

A child reading a book to himself using his finger to trace words in the library.

What is the Diverse BookFinder?

The Diverse BookFinder is a collection of thousands of children's picture books featuring Black and Indigenous people and People of Color (BIPOC), published and distributed in the U.S. since 2002. We offer a searchable database and a source of real-time data about who is in the books and how they are depicted. For more details -- click here!

Who is the Diverse BookFinder for?

The Diverse BookFinder is for everyone! We aspire to be a go-to resource for librarians, educators, publishers, creators, and parents who seek to create collections in which all children can see themselves -- and each other -- reflected in the picture books they read.

No. Our intention is to collect every picture book featuring BIPOC characters so that we can provide data-driven insight about diversity in children's literature. Therefore, inclusion of a book in the collection DOES NOT EQUAL recommendation. We encourage you to actively consider which books you want to use with children. To support this, our book pages:

  • offer info. about who is represented and how they are represented in the book.
  • link to professional book reviews through the Bates library catalog.
  • link to cultural or #ownvoices reviews when a book has been flagged as problematic.
  • provide exclusive author/illustrator interviews when available.

We also encourage users to visit our Research & Related Resources for links to tools that have been designed to help evaluate books for quality and authenticity.

Does the collection take into account forms of diversity beyond race and culture?

Yes. While our focus is on books featuring Black and Indigenous people and People of Color (BIPOC), of course BIPOC have ethnicities, genders, religions, abilities, and sexualities -- all of which we track in our data. In fact, a collection that focuses on depictions of BIPOC -- like ours -- can reveal a lot about whether and how the inherently intersectional nature of social identity gets depicted in the publishing industry at large. In other words, if a picture book collection that focuses on depictions of BIPOC has very few representations of LGBTQ people of color -- we can then ask (and certainly should ask), "Why not?!"

Do you include books with animal characters?

We focus on human characters because there is mounting evidence that children's social, emotional and educational growth is most influenced when they read books featuring people.

We do track publisher information but do not have an easy way to extract and share this information at this time. We're working on it though so keep your eyes peeled for additional information about this in the future.

Do you accept book donations?

Yes, though please check our inclusion criteria before donating.

Where should I send a book donation?

Please see our Contact Us page.

How can I access the books on your website?

You can check out any of the books in the Diverse BookFinder collection, which is housed at the Bates College Ladd Library. Simply visit your local librarian and ask them how using interlibrary loan or click here for more.

Will the collection continue to grow?

The collection will continue to grow annually, with books donated by publishers and purchased by the Bates College Ladd Library.

Is your full database of titles available for download?

No. If you are a scholar or researcher interested in publishing or presenting about any of our data, please reach out to us directly to discuss.

Further questions?

Contact us!

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