Diversity matters! It is important that kids not only see themselves in books but that they see others. This booklist will help add diversity to your classroom or home library.
I will update this list as I find more books! Follow me on Instagram to get updates and ideas for other picture books! If there’s a book you think I should add, comment below!
Just a friendly reminder, I am an Amazon Affiliate, so if you decided to use the links below to purchase the books, I do get a commission. The price of the books does not change for you. 
I’m also a Bookshop Affiliate. Bookshop works with local independent bookstores to deliver books to your door. You can shop this entire list on Bookshop here.
This is My Room! (No Tigers Allowed)
Do you love books with unexpected endings?
I do!
I know I say this ALL the time, but this book is super cute!
I’m definitely adding it to my books as gifts list.
Jojo decides this is the night she is sleeping on her own.
But, she gets some unexpected guests that make it really hard for her to stay out of her big sister’s room!
We used this book to work on making predictions and my students had so much fun. They were shocked at the ending…literally, their mouths were open!😲 Bookshop Affiliate Link
Federico and the Wolf
I don’t know why I love different variations of Little Red Riding Hood, but I do!
Federico has to go visit his Abuelo but his grandfather looks a little strange.
If you have non Spanish speakers in your class, this is an excellent book to use to teach context clues. Spanish words are sprinkled throughout the book and there are great context clues to help readers figure out what those words mean. Bookshop Affiliate Link
Help Wanted, Must Love Books
Shailey loves bedtime stories with her dad.
When her dad gets a new job and no longer has time for her, she FIRES him!🤣
And then she puts up a Help Wanted sign.🤣
She begins interviewing our favorite storybook characters to fill the position, but it doesn’t work out so well!
My students were yelling and jumping in their seats when they saw a character they knew.
They also started rolling their eyes at Shailey’s pickiness.
They loved this book!
Of course, the book ended happily ever after! Bookshop Affiliate Link
My Rainy Day Rocket Ship
What do you like to do on a rainy day?
That’s what I asked my students after we read this book.
This week we are focusing on making connections and this was an excellent book to make students make text to self connections!
It was a great way to get to know my students more too!
My Rainy Day Rocket Ship is about a little boy who uses his imagination to have a blast on a rainy day!
This book reminded me of playing indoors with my brothers on rainy days. We had a gigantic playroom that we would destroy!🤣 Bookshop Affiliate Link
Stella’s Stellar Hair
When I saw the cover I immediately knew that the illustrator was the same illustrator from Honeysmoke…so I was already sold.
And I’m glad I picked it up!
Stella doesn’t know what to do with her hair!
So, Stella hops on her hoverboard to get help from her Aunties…who live on different planets in the solar system. 🌌
My favorite part of the book is the back, where we get facts about the planets and what hairstyles would be best for each planet.
So cute! Bookshop Affiliate Link
The Paper Kingdom
Daniel’s parents have a night job. When they are unable to find a babysitter, he has to go with them. Using his imagination, he’s able to turn a boring office into his very own kingdom. Bookshop Affiliate Link
Saturday
Ava is super excited that it’s Saturday because she gets to spend time with her mom. Her mom works Sunday through Friday, and this is the only day of the week they can be together. Everything starts great and then BOOM, there’s one bump after another in their plans. I mean, their day was jacked y’all.
But, Ava realizes that the most important thing was that they got to spend time together. They recognize that although the day was not what they wanted, it was still a good day. Bookshop Affiliate Link
The Boy From the Dragon Palace
The Boy From the Dragon Palace is a Japanese folktale and it’s really good!
One day a flower seller receives a gift from the Dragon King, it’s a snot-nosed boy. 😂
The snot-nosed 🤧 boy brings the man everything he needs and wants until he crosses the line!
After I read this book with my students we talked about needs vs. wants. I read it around Christmas and a lot of my students talked about making their lists just a little bit shorter lol. Bookshop Affiliate Link
Lucia the Luchadora
When Lucia is told that girls can’t be a luchador (wrestler), she proves that girls are not just made of sugar and spice.
This book is full of figurative language and gives plenty of opportunities to teach context clues. Bookshop Affiliate Link
If you like this collection of books, check out my Ultimate List of Diverse Picture books! You’ll never run out of books to read!
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