As an adoptive mom of two little Black girls, I am always on the search for multicultural children’s books that reflect the diversity of our world in an empowering and non-stereotypical way.
It’s good to see an increasing number of children’s books about transracial adoption and about different skin colours out there. Sadly though, there still seems to be a lack of multicultural children’s books with just “normal” everyday-type-of-stories, books in which the skin colour isn’t the main point of the story.
According to the Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) the number of multicultural children’s books published in the United States increased by only 4% over the last 20 years – still a long way to go!
Sometimes people ask me if multicultural children’s books really are that important; if it really matters to children which skin colours they see in the books they read. These questions always leave me baffled (needless to say they always come from white people…).
To me, the answer is as simple as it is obvious: We live in a multicultural world, so yes, of course, it matters! I usually respond with a counter question though: How would you have felt if there hadn’t been any white characters in your childhood books?
All children deserve and need to see themselves reflected in the books they read. As famous children’s book author Ezra Jack Keats said: “My book would have him [a little black boy] there simply because he should have been there all along.”
Having worked as a Social Worker for a Fostering Agency in the UK for many years, I have witnessed and first-hand dealt with the self-esteem issues children of colour experience growing up in white-dominated communities.
No doubt, reading is an important factor in any child’s development (and I strongly believe that all children should be exposed to multicultural children’s books in order to learn to respect people of all races and cultures).
For children of colour, however, having access to books that positively reflect their own ethnicity can play an essential role in building a positive sense of identity and good self-esteem. Through books, children learn about themselves and the world, and every child should be able to see their ethnicity and their culture reflected in children’s literature.
I spend a lot of my spare time searching the internet for good quality multicultural children’s books, i.e. books that have a strong and positive message about children of colour, and that do not support stereotypes.
When I talk to other adoptive parents and/or parents of colour, they often tell me that they also struggle to find good quality multicultural children’s books. So I thought it would be a nice idea to create a resource website where I can share my book findings – Colours of Us was born!
I’m only just starting and will constantly be adding new books, so please do come back often!
If you would like to know more about me, go to About.
Browse some of our most popular posts & pages:
400+ Multicultural Children’s Books listed by age and ethnicity
70+ Picture Books about Mixed Race Families
25 Multicultural Children’s Books teaching Kindness & Empathy
55 Multicultural Picture Books About Strong Female Role Models
100 Children’s Books to help talk about Racism & Discrimination
50+ Multicultural STEAM Books for Children
30 Multicultural Picture Books about Immigration
25 Multicultural Books About Children Around The World
