I love increasing the diversity seen on our family’s bookshelves but also on the TBR (to-be-read) piles of relatives, babysitters, educators—everyone who might come across my little list of five books. I’m a very visual person, which is why picture books have always been my thing, even back in college when my roommate and I used to spend our study breaks in the children’s area of the public library reading stacks and stacks of picture books. It’s only natural, then, that my list should mix books written and illustrated by people of color* with my love for picture books. *with the exception of Mary Jo Udry and Eleanor Mill
I am a big fan of Jacqueline Woodson’s books—and this one is my favorite of her picture books. I love the way the language flows from page to page, the way the text moves from one scene to another, always reminding the reader of how classmates can feel left out or out of place in everyday settings, and ending with a reminder that everyone has similarities, but also differences. The art is perfect—bright, vivid colors with just the right expressions on the children’s faces.
I love how the “untraveled” child sees the positive in staying home caring for her sister rather than going to Paris, the beach, or so many other faraway destinations. This is one of those books we choose at bedtime when we need a quiet, familiar “lullaby” of a book to lull our child to sleep. (But honestly, it’s a great read no matter the time of day!)
There will be times when you walk into a room and no one there is quite like you.
There are many reasons to feel different. Maybe it's how you look or talk, or where you're from; maybe it's what you eat, or something just as random. It's not easy to take those first steps into a place where nobody really knows you yet, but somehow you do it.
Jacqueline Woodson's lyrical text and Rafael Lopez's dazzling art reminds us that we all feel like outsiders sometimes and how brave it is that we go forth anyway. And that sometimes, when…
There are so many things I love about this book! I love the way the mom has a beautiful way to respond to the comments the girl’s classmates make. I love the way the child skips and hops and dances along with her mom. I love the clear, close relationship between mother and child. I love how the girl creates songs from all of her classmates’ names—even those with a single syllable like Bob. What a wonderful way to help people explore names they’re unfamiliar with. The list of names at the end is great, too. I can’t comment on the text without commenting on the art—the girl’s movements and emotions wouldn’t be the same without Luisa Uribe’s illustrations. And the best thing of all? Everyone in our house (parents & child) likes it!
Frustrated by a day full of teachers and classmates mispronouncing her beautiful name, a little girl tells her mother she never wants to come back to school. In response, the girl's mother teaches her about the musicality of African, Asian, Black-American, Latinx, and Middle Eastern names on their lyrical walk home through the city. Empowered by this newfound understanding, the young girl is ready to return the next day to share her knowledge with her class. Your Name is a Song is a celebration to remind all of us about the beauty, history, and magic behind names.
I discovered a tattered book in my mom’s basement that had the sweetest illustrations—little did I know there were 3 books by the same author/illustrator pair. Since finding the book in the basement, I have found all three books: What Mary Jo Wanted is all about Mary Jo’s obsession with dogs and her campaign to convince her parents she should get a dog. The illustrations of this sweet child with the baby-doll dresses are wonderful; What Mary Jo Shared is about a girl determined to find just the right thing to show at show-and-tell. It was reprinted with new artwork some time ago, but we prefer the original. Mary Jo and her Grandmother has a different tone—about Mary Jo’s first overnight at her grandmother’s house and what happens when her grandmother falls and hurts her ankle.
Based on which one we read most often, it’s clear that What Mary Jo Shared is the family favorite.
Every child should grow up with a neighbor like Miss Tillie to run to for support. She’s just the right mix of confidante and responsible adult. Starting with the art on the endpapers—nine gorgeous children, each with a different hairstyle, alternating with images of different plants—and ending with vibrant colors in the garden when the little girl sees the beauty in both short and long hair, this book reminds us to take a look inside & be happy with what we’ve got—and to take care of it along the way.
After a day of being taunted by classmates about her unruly hair, Mackenzie can't take any more and she seeks guidance from her wise and comforting neighbor, Miss Tillie. Using the beautiful garden in the backyard as a metaphor, Miss Tillie shows Mackenzie that maintaining healthy hair is not a chore nor is it something to fear. Most importantly, Mackenzie learns that natural black hair is beautiful.
I love the author’s use of language, “wash away the dreaming,” “as still as sunlight,” “plump as a Sunday purse,” and my favorite, “I stand so still even my shadow gets bored and starts to walk off.” And the bright artwork incorporating bits & pieces of textiles and buttons and a variety of papers is just the right background for a story about a girl determined to achieve her ultimate goal—catching the elusive Miss Hen. The facial expressions, both human and hen, are fabulous—especially Miss Hen’s sly look at the reader when she eludes her captor yet again. The way a self-declared chicken chaser’s attitude can change when faced with a brood of chicks is a sight to see!
Meet one smart chicken chaser. She can catch any chicken on her grandmother's farm except one – the elusive Miss Hen. In a hilarious battle of wits, the spirited narrator regales readers with her campaign to catch Miss Hen, but this chicken is "fast as a mosquito buzzing and quick as a fleabite." Our chicken chaser has her mind set on winning, until she discovers that sometimes it's just as satisfying not to catch chickens as it is to catch them.
A fresh voice full of sass and inventive, bold collage illustrations full of surprises create a childlike escapade brimming…
There is so much kindness in the world! My book celebrates the special ways that kind acts can be big and noticeable or small and secret—it doesn’t matter, they’re all kind! From optimistic ideas of hope to small acts of goodwill, each page shows the heart of the story: kindness makes our world a better place. Readers are reminded of the many ways they can show kindness--from hugging someone afraid of a bug to making a card for a sick friend.
Nature writer Sharman Apt Russell tells stories of her experiences tracking wildlife—mostly mammals, from mountain lions to pocket mice—near her home in New Mexico, with lessons that hold true across North America. She guides readers through the basics of identifying tracks and signs, revealing a landscape filled with the marks left by browsing deer, predatory weasels, and inquisitive bears, skunks, and raccoons. Master tracker Kim A Cabrera provides photos and illustrations.
Winner of the prestigious John Burroughs Medal, Russell also writes about community, a sense of place, and a renewed connection with the nonhuman world. She explores the health of…
What Walks This Way: Discovering the Wildlife Around Us Through Their Tracks and Signs
Did a red fox pass this way? Could that be a bobcat print there in the dirt? Do those tracks belong to a domestic dog or a coyote? Combining lyrical memoir with an introduction to wildlife tracking, What Walks This Way explores the joys of learning to recognize the traces of the creatures with whom we share our world.
The nature writer Sharman Apt Russell tells stories of her experiences tracking wildlife-mostly mammals, from mountain lions to pocket mice-near her home in New Mexico, with lessons that hold true across North America. With wit and compassion, she guides readers through…
