Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Picture Books Featuring Diverse Characters

toptentuesday2

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.

case for loving

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

and tango makes three

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.

each kindness

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

splash of red

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

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

wilma

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.

thank you mr falker

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.

nino wrestles the world

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

last stop on market street

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.

tuesday tucks me in

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

Comments

5 responses to “Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Picture Books Featuring Diverse Characters”

  1. Tori @InToriLex Avatar

    These books are all so adorable and great ways to teach children diversity. Great Post, Check out my Top Ten Tuesday

  2. olduvai Avatar
    olduvai

    Thanks for this wonderful list! I’m always on the lookout for diverse picture books for my boys and we’ve only read one (Tango) on your list. I’ll have to look for the rest at our next library visit!

  3. TheLiteraryCounsellor Avatar

    This is such a great list! I always forget about picture books when I do these posts. I need to get a copy of And Tango Makes Three some day. 🙂

  4. […] A list of my top 10 favorite picture books featuring diverse characters […]

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