In many situations, especially difficult ones, children’s books share messages and teach lessons better than a parent or family member could. This holds especially true when it comes to kids learning about differences ― different races, different religions, different abilities and more.
Huffington Post has rounded up 25 children’s books that celebrate various differences in ways children can both understand and enjoy. A few from the list are below.
All Are Welcome
This New York Times best-seller celebrates various cultures and introduces little readers to hijabs, yarmulkes and patkas, as well as different family traditions.
A Family Is a Family Is a Family
As part of a class assignment, students describe their different families, including a classmate being raised by a grandmother, another growing up with two dads and more.
Lailah’s Lunchbox: A Ramadan Story
Although she’s nervous at first, Lailah teaches her friends at school about Ramadan and the way she fasts throughout the holy month in this book.
Chocolate Milk, Por Favor! Celebrating Diversity With Empathy
Kid-favorite beverage chocolate milk serves as a symbol in this book about a growing friendship between a boy and his new classmate who doesn’t speak English
Happy in Our Skin
The title Happy in Our Skin sums up this book’s message well. Readers learn about the beauty in diversity while keeping up with different families spending time together.
Maddi’s Fridge
Although economic differences can be a bit more hidden than others, Maddi’s Fridge doesn’t shy away from the topic of poverty. In the book, Sofia, who has a fridge at home full of food, learns that her friend Maddi has a fridge that’s empty and struggles with whether she should tell her parents.
I’m Like You, You’re Like Me
While I’m Like You, You’re Like Me might sound like a book only about similarities, this work also teaches kids how fun it is to recognize the ways everyone stands out with their differences.
Different Is Awesome
Different Is Awesome is the result of a successful Kickstarter campaign from Ryan Haack, who was born with one hand and set out to bring more inclusion to the children’s book world.
The Push: A Story of Friendship
Patrick Gray and Justin Skeesuck, the author and illustrator of this book, based its story on their own friendship. It follows Marcus and his friend, John, who uses a wheelchair, throughout their many adventures together.
Excerpted from “25 Children’s Books That Celebrate Differences” in the Huffington Post. See the full list of recommendations online.
Source: Huffington Post | 25 Children’s Books That Celebrate Differences, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/kids-books-diversity-differences_n_5b912bd8e4b0cf7b003d3508 | ©2021 BuzzFeed, Inc.
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