21 Best Diverse Books for Kids, Chosen for Gayle's Grandson
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As Gayle’s daughter, Kirby Bumpus, awaited the arrival of her and husband Virgil Miller’s first child—they welcomed Luca Lynn Miller in late September—one aspect of new motherhood she was most anticipating was reading to her son. Yes, she looked forward to making treasured nighttime memories, curling up together with an exciting bedtime story, but at the forefront of her mind was the desire to find books for Luca that were not only engaging but inclusive.
For a start, Kirby thought back to her own childhood. Some of her favorite titles as a young girl—like The Patchwork Quilt or Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters—highlighted people of color. But at the time, there weren’t a wide variety of options on the shelves that offered true representation of herself or the diverse world around her. Now, as Kirby slowly begins building her son’s home library, she’s encouraged to discover that Luca has more choices than she ever did.
“My husband, Virgil, and I want Luca to be surrounded by diverse and inclusive stories to help him understand the reality of the world he lives in,” she tells Oprah Daily. “It’s important to us that he is smart, kind, confident, and compassionate, and I know those values will be fostered through exposure to a variety of people, places, and cultures. That exposure can start with stories.”
On the hunt for more children’s books to add to her growing collection, Kirby reached out to her followers on Instagram, posting a photo of a few reads she’d already gathered (Hair Love, Oona) in hopes of receiving more recommendations. Her call was answered by Charnai Gordon, who started her blog Here Wee Read in 2015. It acted as a creative outlet for Gordon while she was working as a computer programmer and a mom to two young Black children. Not only did the blog focus on her passion for recommending quality, diverse books for kids, but it helped her fulfill a personal goal of taking time out of her hectic schedule to read with her son and daughter every day.
“Before I became a parent, I did lots and lots of research about the benefits of reading with your kids from a very early age,” she tells Oprah Daily. “I read to them before they were even born, when they were still in the womb. And I’ve been reading to them each day ever since.”
As a space for parents to find educational and inclusive books for their little ones, Here Wee Read is now a thriving online community. Gordon has since garnered 370,000 Instagram followers, co-written and edited her own children’s books, and even started a podcast.
“People always say, ‘Why is diversity so important?’ Well, why isn’t it?” she says. “Why do I, or why do people of color, necessarily need to validate our existence? We don’t; we just exist just like everyone else. So I do think it’s important to affirm kids with these kinds of books. It can teach them self-love and self-acceptance; to be able to see yourself reflected not only in the books you read but in the media you consume.”
In response to Kirby’s Insta request, Gordan curated an exclusive Oprah Daily 20-book library of diverse kids’ reads that wow with their engaging illustrations, while also motivating readers to accept difference. They can be enjoyed not just by Luca but by junior bookworms everywhere—and even the adults tasked with reading to them before lights out.
“What is most exciting to me are the books that aren’t blatantly about inclusion but just expose him to a wide range of abilities, cultures, races, religions, sexual orientations, families, and more,” Kirby says. “I hope that at a young age I’m able to help to normalize the differences that he will encounter as he gets older.”
A Friend Like You
Suggested Reader Ages: 5-8
With lively illustrations from Kayla Herren, A Friend Like You encourages kids to find value in meaningful relationships with others, no matter gender or ethnicity. “You’ll meet thousands and thousands of people in your lifetime,” reads one line from the book. “And you’ll get to know some people so well that you’ll call them friends.”
Gordon co-wrote A Friend Like You alongside Frank Murphy, explaining how it’s more than a simple bedtime story. “It can be used by parents, caregivers, and educators as a teaching tool for social and emotional learning,” she tells us.
I Am Every Good Thing
Suggested Reader Ages: 3-7
Author Derrick Barnes began writing I Am Every Good Thing the day Michael Brown was killed in 2014, and was further motivated to finish it following the release of a viral H&M ad in which a young Black boy wore a sweatshirt that read “the coolest monkey in the jungle.” Channeling the anger he felt at the world’s unfair treatment of Black males, he wrote the book, featuring a protagonist that remains confident no matter how others may see him.
Gordon says I Am Every Good Thing is a favorite in her house that she loves to see her husband read to their 7-year-old son. “It’s just powerful. It’s for everyone, but especially for young Black boys. Derrick Barnes’s words just fill up and affirm our young Black boys to believe in themselves and remind them they are loved. We need these kinds of messages.”
Bodies Are Cool
Suggested Reader Ages: 2-5
“Big bodies, small bodies, dancing, playing, happy bodies! Look at all the different bodies!” The upbeat cadence of this cheerful book will have your little one eager to read along as they learn about body positivity and confidence for people of all sizes, skin tones, and even hair texture. Each page emphasizes we should all be celebrated despite our differences—a lesson you’re never too young to learn.
“Everyone can see themselves reflected in this book,” Gordon tells us. “People in wheelchairs, those missing limbs...it even depicts people [with] insulin pumps, so it’s great for kids who might have diabetes.”
Follow Your Dreams, Little One
Suggested Reader Ages: 0-3
As a part of her Little Legends series—Visionary Women Around the World, Think Big Little One—Vashti Harrison's Follow Your Dreams, Little One educates your kids on famous Black men from history, including Alivin Ailey, Arthur Ashe, and James Baldwin. By using real stories and impactful figures from the past, Harrison motivates readers to think of all the possibilities when it comes to their future. “I love how it encourages children to dream big,” Gordon says.
Alma and How She Got Her Name
Suggested Reader Ages: 4-8
“This book is an adorable story about a little girl named Alma who is initially unhappy with her long name," Gordon tells Oprah Daily. "She has six names: Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela. After her father tells her the story of her name, she appreciates it and fully accepts it. It has a great overall message about identity accompanied by gorgeous colored-pencil illustrations.”
Change Sings
Suggested Reader Ages: 2-8
With Amanda Gorman’s children’s debut, Gordon raves about Loren Long’s vibrant, captivating illustrations and the renowned inaugural poet’s lyrical story about inspiring change (both in your community and for yourself) through a musical journey. “I dream with the cries / Of tried and true dreamers,” Gorman writes. “I’m a chant that rises and sings. There is hope where my change sings.”
Watercress
Suggested Reader Ages: 4-8
Based on a true story from author Andrea Wang’s childhood, Watercress introduces us to a young girl whose immigrant family moved from China to small-town Ohio. One day the family—who is struggling financially—pull over on the side of the road to pick watercress for their dinner. The girl, at first embarrassed, soon learns a bit of family history that changes her outlook. “This book is an apology and a love letter to her parents,” Gordon says. “But it’s also an encouragement to all children who feel different, and to families with difficult paths.”
The Proudest Blue
Suggested Reader Ages: 3-8
In 2016 activist and fencer, Ibtihaj Muhammad, became the first American woman to compete in the Olympics while wearing a hijab. Three years later, she wrote The Proudest Blue—inspired by her own experiences as a child—about a young girl named Asiya’s first day wearing her blue hijab.
At an event for Gordon’s nonprofit, 50 States, 50 Books, she saw the story’s importance and impact for herself when a young Muslim girl in attendance read The Proudest Blue. “She told me, ‘I love it. I’ve never seen another little girl with a hijab like mine, who looks like me, in a book like this.’”
A Is for All the Things You Are
Suggested Reader Ages: 0-7
Written by Anna Forgerson Hindley in collaboration with the National Museum of African American History and Culture, this book is a joyful character-building guide making use of the ABCs. It features 26 character traits—K is for “kind,” while O is for “open-minded”—and has corresponding questions, which Gordon says encourage open conversations with your children about identity and inclusion through the simple use of the alphabet.
Our Skin
Suggested Reader Ages: 2-5
Driven by research that finds subjects like race, gender, and consent can and should be introduced to toddler-aged kids, activists and early childhood experts collaborated to write Our Skin. The picture book offers a supportive and enlightening way for adults to talk with children about subjects like prejudice, race, and stereotypes. It’s one of what will soon be four books in the First Conversations series, which also includes Being You and Yes! No!
Say Hello!
Suggested Reader Ages: 3-5
Say Hello! follows a girl named Carmelita on a walk around her neighborhood with her mother and dog, greeting neighbors of different backgrounds along the way as readers are introduced to Spanish, Japanese, French, and more. “It’s a cute multilingual book to teach kids greetings in other languages,” says Gordon.
A Boy Like You
Suggested Reader Ages: 4-7
Another Gordon pick penned by Frank Murphy, this motivational book inspires children to think beyond society's historically narrow view on what it means to be a man or a boy. “A Boy Like You affirms the single most important thing parents and caregivers of boys can do to combat toxic masculinity is to teach them to show emotion and not close off their feelings,” Gordon tells us. “Boys don't need to be strong every day. They don’t need to be in control. And if they aren’t in control, they don’t need to feel ashamed.”
When Aidan Became a Brother
Suggested Reader Ages: 4-7
Winner of the 2020 Stonewall Book Award, When Aidan Became a Brother chronicles the story of a young transgender boy named Aidan and his family’s journey of preparing for a new baby while also accepting and embracing their son’s authentic self. It’s a book that not only sheds insight on the emotions of a young child who feels “trapped” by the gender they were assigned at birth, but also showcases how uplifting and open-minded parental responses to such realities give way to honest communication with a child.
The Many Colors of Harpreet Singh
Suggested Reader Ages: 3-7
This cheerful book is about a boy named Harpreet Singh who communicates his generally joyous emotions through various vibrantly colored patkas—or turbans. The Many Colors of Harpreet Singh not only gives insight into Sikh culture, but provides members of the community with the rare chance to feel seen in children's literature. "He wore yellow when he felt sunny, spreading cheer wherever he went," reads an excerpt. "He wore pink when he felt like celebrating, bopping along to bhangra beats."
Ho’onani: Hula Warrior
Suggested Reader Ages: 4-8
Based upon the true story of the subject in 2014’s documentary short film, A Place in the Middle, this tale provides a lesson on defying gender stereotypes. The main character, Ho’onani—who doesn’t see herself as either a boy or a girl—bravely auditions for the local hula troupe despite it historically being open only to boys. Throughout the process, she defies cultural norms and the thoughts of those in her community in order to pursue her dream.
Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story
Suggested Reader Ages: 2-7
A critically acclaimed title that Kirkus Reviews named a best picture book of 2019, Fry Bread is written in verse by Kevin Noble Mailard, as we’re educated about the importance of a traditional comfort food. “The story is told in simple, lyrical text,” Gordon says. “Readers learn that fry bread is a food, it’s a shape, it’s sound, it’s history, and more; that it’s an important symbol of the Native American culture.”
Magnificent Homespun Brown
Suggested Reader Ages: 6-8
“Radiant brown. / Like the flawless surfaces of towering summer sandcastles,” reads a section from Coretta Scott King honoree Magnificent Homespun Brown. Through the lens of a variety of young narrators, Samara Cole Doyon expounds on the beauty of a color that is anything but ordinary. “It’s a beautiful poetry book that celebrates the beauty of the color brown, and helps give voice to the different shades of brown skin children see all around them,” Gordon tells Oprah Daily.
The Arabic Quilt: An Immigrant Story
Suggested Reader Ages: 6-8
Recently immigrated from Egypt to America, Kanzi desperately wants to fit in, but a few cultural differences instigate teasing on her first day of school. She finds comfort in a quilt her grandmother gave her for class, writing a poem about it for an assignment. Inspired by Kanzi's words, her teacher creates a class activity that’ll make the young girl feel welcome.
Eyes That Kiss in the Corners
Suggested Reader Ages: 2-7
“It’s a lyrical ode to self-acceptance and having confidence,” Gordon tells us. “Four generations of women are featured in this story, and they all have eyes that ‘kiss in the corners.’… This book is an absolute must-have for anyone, but especially for Asian and Asian-American children—and adults—who may have grown up feeling ashamed about their eyes.”
I Is for Immigrants
Suggested Reader Ages: 4-8
In this work, A is for “ancestors” and “African dance,” while F is for “freedom” and “falafel.” Covering a wide variety of cultures that each have their own unique traditions (ranging from A to Z), this tale celebrates immigrants of all backgrounds and their impact on American culture, helping children find unity in difference—while also learning their alphabet.
Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls Series
Suggested Reader Ages: 6 and up
Across four different volumes in this series, Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo spin enchanting fairy tales out of the empowering lives of our time's most groundbreaking women. From Beyoncé to Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Malala Yousfazi, and Carmen Miranda, the moving real-life stories offer tangible inspiration for all readers. Plus, the series is O approved after being named an Oprah's Favorite Thing of 2021.
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