NEW Multicultural Children’s Books July 2020

Colours of Us

4 years ago

July has seen the release of some gorgeous multicultural children’s books for all ages! Our favourites this month are Good Night, Little Dancer (Babies & Toddlers), V Is For Voting (Preschool), Your Name Is A Song (Elementary School), Something To Say (Middle School), and Running (High School).

NEW Multicultural Children’s Books July 2020

Babies & Toddlers

The Story of Pop
by Editors of Caterpillar Books

From Beyoncé and Prince, from Elton John and Madonna — hit the high notes along with the greats in this delightful baby book! With adorable illustrations, The Story Of Pop introduces little ones to the history of pop. ~ Diverse – Babies & Toddlers

How to Potty Train a Dinosaur
by Alycia Pace

“We all know having a dinosaur is hard work, / and cleaning up dino poo in the backyard is FAR from fun! / So how do you potty train a dinosaur?” How to Potty Train a Dinosaur teaches toddlers how to potty train a dinosaur ― from knowing it’s time to go to flushing and washing their claws. Little ones will find this book absolutely hilarious! ~ Diverse – Babies & Toddlers

Goodnight, Little Dancer
by Jennifer Adams

“It’s time for bed now, little dancer. / Time to tell the world goodnight. / Let down your bun, shake out your hair. / Breathe in, relax, and dim the light.” With rhyming text and adorable illustrations, Good Night, Little Dancer is a soothing picture book that is sure to send little ones to sleep with twirling, dancing dreams. ~African – Babies & Toddlers

Preschool

Catch That Chicken!
by Atinuke

We love Atinuke’s books! Lami is the best chicken catcher in her small Nigerian village. Her sister may be speedy at spelling, her friend fast at braiding hair, and her brother brave with bulls, but when it comes to chickens, nobody is faster or braver than Lami. That is, until the day when Lami chases a little too fast, up the baobab tree, and reaches a little too far… Catch That Chicken! is a sweet ode to childhood ingenuity. ~ African – Preschool

Also by Atinuke: Baby Goes to Market // B is for Baby // Anna Hibiscus // Africa, Amazing Africa

Meesha Makes Friends (Big Bright Feelings)
by Tom Percival

Meesha loves making things, but she finds it hard to make friends. She struggles to read and respond to social cues. But one day, she discovers that she has a special talent that will help her navigate challenging social situations and make friends. Part of the Big Bright Feelings series, Meesha Makes Friends takes a warm look at the joys and difficulties of making and keeping friends. ~ Asian – Preschool

Big Bright Feelings series: Perfectly Norman // Ruby Finds a Worry // Ravi’s Roar // Meesha Makes Friends

A Unicorn Named Sparkle and the Pumpkin Monster
by Amy Young

Lucy and Sparkle love Halloween at Frank’s Pumpkin Farm. They get to run through corn mazes, play games, decorate pumpkins, and most importantly: eat a lot of cider donuts. But when Lucy takes the scary part of Halloween one step too far for Sparkle, she must comfort her frightened unicorn pal ― and win back his trust. Sparkle the Unicorn and the Pumpkin Monster features pumpkins, silly adventures, and a sparkly friendship. ~ African – Preschool

More in the series: A Unicorn Named Sparkle // A New Friend for Sparkle // Sparkle’s First Christmas

Clean Up!
by Nathan Bryon

When Rocket spends her holidays at her grandparents’ house, she is shocked by the pollution that is spoiling the Caribbean island and putting the local sea life at risk. Can she think of a way to save the day? Sequel to award-winning Rocket Says Look Up!, Clean Up! is a heartwarming, timely and empowering picture book that shows how each individual can make a difference. ~ African – Preschool

Danbi Leads the School Parade
by Anna Kim

New in America, Danbi wants to join in the dances and the games at her school , but she doesn’t know the rules and just can’t get it right. But with a spark of imagination, she makes up a new game and leads her classmates on a parade to remember! Danbi Leads the School Parade introduces an irresistible new character who learns to navigate her two cultures and realizes that when you open your world to others, their world opens up to you. ~ Asian – Preschool

I Got the School Spirit
by Connie Schofield-Morrison

Summer is over, and this little girl has got the school spirit! She hears the school spirit in the bus driving up the street–VROOM, VROOM!–and in the bell sounding in the halls–RING-A-DING! She sings the school spirit in class with her friends–ABC, 123! I Got The School Spirit is an exuberant celebration of the first day of school that will have every kid cheering for school to begin! ~ African – Preschool

Also available: I Got the Rhythm // I Got the Christmas Spirit

V Is for Voting
by Kate Farrell

“A is for active participation. / B is for building a more equal nation. / C is for citizens’ rights and our duty. / D is for difference, our strength and our beauty.” With rhyming text and bold art, V Is For Voting introduces little readers to concepts like social justice and civil rights and teaches them that every vote counts! ~ Diverse – Preschool

Related: A Is for Activist // Woke Baby // Antiracist Baby

Speak Up
by Miranda Paul

Join a diverse group of kids on a busy school day as they discover different ways of making their voices heard! From shouting out gratitude for a special treat to challenging a rule that isn’t fair, they show that simple, everyday actions can help people and make the world a better place. Vibrantly illustrated Speak Up! encourages kids to unite with others and take action when they see something that needs to be fixed. ~ Diverse – Preschool

Freedom, We Sing
by Amyra León

“I wonder, then, what freedom is. Is it a place? Is it a thought? Can it be stolen? Can it be bought?” With lush illustrations, Freedom, We Sing invite kids to ponder what it means to be free. The book is designed to inspire and give hope to readers around the world. ~ African – Preschool

Elementary School

Your Name Is a Song
by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow

A little girl tells her mother she never wants to come back to school because her teachers and classmates keep mispronouncing her name. In response, the girl’s mother teaches her about the musicality of African, Asian, Black-American, Latinx, and Middle Eastern names on their lyrical walk home through the city. Empowered by this newfound understanding, the young girl is ready to return the next day to share her knowledge with her class. Beautifully illustrated, Your Name is a Song is a celebration of the magic behind names. ~ African – Elementary School

A Place Inside of Me: A Poem to Heal the Heart
by Zetta Elliott

“There is a place inside of me / a space deep down inside of me / where all my feelings hide.” A Place Inside Of Me is a powerful poem that follows a Black boy as he explores his shifting emotions throughout the year. Summertime is filled with joy―skateboarding and playing basketball―until his community is deeply wounded by a police shooting. As fall turns to winter and then spring, fear grows into anger, then pride and peace. ~ African – Elementary School

Son You Matter
by Derrick Washington

7-year-old Ahmad idealizes his father and loves chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. Son You Matter follows Ahmad and his dad as they go for an ice cream together. But what starts as a normal day changes quickly into one that transforms the way Ahmad views his father, ice cream, and life all in one moment. ~ African – Elementary School

A Girl Like You
by Frank & Carla Murphy

Every girl is a wonder! A Girl Like You encourages girls to embrace what makes them unique, to choose kindness, and to be their own advocates. In an age when girls can be whatever they want, this book reminds them of all the ways to be beautiful, brilliant, and uniquely themselves. ~ Diverse – Elementary School

Also available: A Boy Like You

Shirley Chisholm Is a Verb
by Veronica Chambers

Shirley Chisholm famously said, “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” Shirley Chisholm Is A Verb is a dynamic picture book biography about the first Black woman in Congress, who sought the Democratic nomination to be the president of the United States, Young readers will learn about her early years, her time in Congress, her presidential bid and how her actions left a lasting legacy. ~ African – Elementary School

I Am Not a Label: 34 artists, thinkers, athletes and activists with disabilities from past and present
by Cerrie Burnell

This stylishly illustrated biography anthology introduces 30 artists, thinkers, athletes, and activists with disabilities, from past and present. From Frida Kahlo to Stevie Wonder, I Am Not A Label tells the stories of people who have faced unique challenges that have not stopped them from becoming leading figures in their fields. ~ Diverse – Elementary School

Middle School

Not Your All-American Girl
by W. Wan-Long Shang & M. Rosenberg

Best friends Lauren and Tara both try out for the upcoming school play. Lauren lands in the ensemble, while Tara scores the lead role, and their teacher explains: Lauren just doesn’t look the part of the all-American girl. What audience would believe that she, half-Jewish, half-Chinese Lauren, was the every girl star from Pleasant Valley, USA? When Lauren just can’t bring herself to sing anymore, her spot in the play and her friendship are in jeopardy. With the help of a button-making business, the music of Patsy Cline, and her two bickering grandmothers, can Lauren find her voice again? Not Your All-American Girl is a middle-grade novel full of heart and hilarity. ~ Asian – Middle School

Something to Say
by Lisa Moore Ramee

Eleven-year-old Jenae is so good at being invisible in school, it’s almost like she has a superpower, like her idol, Astrid Dane. When she is paired up with a new student for a class debate about the proposed name change for their school, the two start to develop a friendship. But Jenae would do almost anything to avoid speaking up in front of an audience—including risking the first real friendship she’s ever had. From the author of acclaimed A Good Kind of Trouble, Something To Say is another unforgettable story about finding your voice and your people. ~ African – Middle School

Brother’s Keeper
by Julie Lee

Twelve-year-old Sora and her family live under an iron set of rules in 1950’s North Korea: No travel without a permit, no criticism of the government, no absences from Communist meetings, and many more. The family decides to use the chaos of the war to escape on foot from their tiny mountain village to the South Korean city of Busan. But an incendiary bombing changes everything, and Sora and her little brother Young will have to get to Busan on their own. Can the two siblings survive three hundred miles of warzone in winter? Brother’s Keeper is a harrowing debut novel that young readers won’t be able to put down. ~ Asian – Middle School

Black Heroes: A Black History Book for Kids
by Arlisha Norwood

From the rulers of ancient Egypt to modern scientists, world-class athletes, and legendary performers, uncover the diverse lives of black leaders and role models throughout history. Black Heroes: A Black History Book for Kids is packed with tons of awesome biographies from Africa, the United States, and around the world. ~ African – Middle School

High School

This Is My America
by Kim Johnson

For seven years, 17-year-old Tracy Beaumont has been writing weekly letters to Innocence X, asking the organization to help her father, an innocent Black man on death row. Now Tracy is running out of time–her dad has only 267 days left. On top of that her older brother, Jamal, is accused of killing a white girl. Tracy is determined to save her brother and find out what really happened. This Is My America is an unflinching yet uplifting debut novel that explores the racist injustices in the American justice system. ~ African – High School

10 Things I Hate about Pinky
by Sandhya Menon

Pinky Kumar loves lazy summers at her parents’ Cape Cod lake house, but after listening to them harangue her about the poor decisions she’s made (a.k.a. boyfriends she’s had), she hatches a plan: Get her sorta-friend-sorta-enemy Samir Jha—who is a total Harvard-bound Mama’s boy—to pose as her perfect boyfriend for the summer in exchange for a new internship. Follow-up to When Dimple Met Rishi and There’s Something about Sweetie, 10 Things I Hate About Pinky follows Ashish’s friends Pinky and Samir as they pretend to date in order to achieve their individual goals, to disastrous and hilarious results. ~ Asian – High School

Running
by Natalia Sylvester

When fifteen-year-old Cuban American Mariana Ruiz’s father runs for president, Mari starts to see him with new eyes. She learns details of her father’s political positions and realizes that he is not the man she thought he was. But how do you find your voice when everyone’s watching? When it means disagreeing with your father—publicly? Running is an authentic and humorous debut about privacy, waking up, and speaking up. ~ Hispanic – High School

The Voting Booth
by Brandy Colbert

Marva Sheridan has always been driven to make a difference in the world, and what better way than to vote in her first election? Duke Crenshaw just wants to get voting over with so he can prepare for his band’s first paying gig tonight. When Marva sees Duke turned away from their polling place, she takes it upon herself to make sure his vote is counted. And that’s how their whirlwind day begins. Romantic and triumphant, The Voting Booth is an all-in-one-day love story about a teen relationship and activism. ~ Diverse – High School

Cinderella Is Dead
by Kaylynn Bayron

200 years after Cinderella found her prince, teen girls are required to appear at the Annual Ball, where the men of the kingdom select their wives. Sixteen-year-old Sophia would much rather marry Erin, her childhood best friend, than parade in front of suitors. At the ball, Sophia makes the desperate decision to flee, and finds herself hiding in Cinderella’s mausoleum. There, she meets Constance, the last known descendant of Cinderella and her step sisters. Together they vow to bring down the king once and for all. A powerful retelling of the classic story, Cinderella Is Dead roots for girls to break down the constructs of the world that don’t serve them. ~ African – High School

Girl, Serpent, Thorn
by Melissa Bashardoust

Cursed to be poisonous to the touch, princess Soraya has lived her life hidden away from the public. With the day of her twin brother’s wedding approaching, Soraya must decide if she’s willing to step outside of the shadows for the first time. Below in the dungeon is a demon who holds knowledge that she craves, the answer to her freedom. And above is a young man with an understanding of who she is beneath the poison. Girl, Serpent, Thorn is an opulent fantasy fairy tale with a complex protagonist who discovers her own power. ~ Asian – High School