Top Ten Tuesday is a feature hosted by The Broke and Bookish. For this week’s Top Ten list, I decided to focus on ten favorite picture books I like to share in my Children’s Literature course for pre-service elementary teachers.

A beautifully illustrated and thoughtfully written story of the important Supreme Court case that legalized interracial marriage

Even my most conservative students find it mystifying that this sweet story of two daddy penguins hatching a borrowed egg is so frequently challenged and banned.

A powerful story about the opportunities we have to choose kind—and the regrets we may carry if we choose cruelty instead.

An inspiring story of the ways that art can help us heal. Pippin was a wounded veteran who found purpose and meaning through painting.

The incredible story of a self-taught folk artist who started painting in his 80s as a way to remember his youth and early manhood.

What an unlikely story! Polio crippled her as a child and she was told she would never walk again. Wilma Rudolph ended up not just walking again but racing her way to multiple Olympic gold medals and world record sprint times.

My students love books about inspiring teachers, and this title by Patricia Polacco is one of the best for showing how the right teacher can change a life.

I love every single one of Yuyi Morales’s books, but I have an extra soft spot for Nino Wrestles the World. Luchadores!

We meet a diverse cast of characters as a boy and his grandma travel across the city on a bus to a destination that’s a heartwarming surprise.

A true story of a soldier with PTSD and the service dog who gave him his life back.