Celebrate diversity with tons of books for little learners! Titles about family makeup, different cultures, & acceptance of others. In my classroom, we celebrate diversity with books! Every child and family needs to be represented throughout the classroom to make them feel welcome, important, and seen. Our classroom should be a both mirror and a window, showing students things and people that are similar to them and different than them.
Every person is different…and that’s AMAZING! Together with families, it’s up to teachers to teach students from a very young age about embracing culture, diversity, and differences. We can get the conversation going in our classrooms by exposing our little learners with diverse books, photos, and materials.
By reading stories that discuss skin shades, cultures, families, abilities, clothes, and different foods from around the world, our little learners gain exposure to these topics. In turn, they can embrace and accept these differences that make our world such an interesting and fun place to live. In this post, I have shared some of my favorites. I encourage you to select diverse books ALL YEAR LONG, for every theme you introduce to your little learners!
PS…The original list was comprised of 21 books and I’m always adding more!
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Celebrate Diversity Books for Little Learners
Celebrate Diversity Books for Little Learners About Acceptance
This book points out all of the fun things kids love to do. From chasing bugs and eating cake, kids just want to explore and discover. The characters in this book represent a variety of cultures. Even though there are diverse characters, everyone is enjoying their childhood.
No matter what you look like young, old, curly hair, straight hair, it does not matter because you are lovely.
When a little boy and his pet elephant are left out of the Pet Club, he shows them that you can be a friend, even when you are not a cat or a dog.
Elmer is not your ordinary elephant; he is a colorful patchwork elephant. In this book, he gets a surprise from all of his friends.
This is a great story to read to little learners about acceptance. The story places an emphasis on the importance of being yourself and accepting others’ differences. Anyone can be a princess–yes boys too!
The celebration of who we are is on display throughout the illustrations and text in this book. It is a great way to capture the importance of diversity.
Grab a Spanish version here!
Celebrate differences with students to help them discover a level of confidence that allows them to be proud, understanding, and compassionate. I just LOVE Todd Parr’s colorful illustrations!
Teach your students the magic of breathing through tough situations. We are all different and the world can be overwhelming and scary. This book does a wonderful job at empowering students to become self-aware of their emotions.
Readers will become more aware of the world around them as they see how different groups of people interact in the park.
It may be raining but there is plenty of room under the big umbrella. Whether you are tall, small, brown, or smart you can get under the umbrella for safety.
The characters don’t just see triangles, circles, and squares; what will you see? A different way to teach acceptance with a guessing book for little learners.
This world is so busy and this book does a wonderful job of showing how we need to slow down and enjoy the little things in life. Take a breath and see the world around you!
The World Needs More Purple People
Penny Purple is here to help you become a purple superhero! Purple people are kind, funny, and changing the world; don’t you want to be one?
Princesses don’t have to all look the same! Afros, braids, and so much more can be princess hair! Read about the beauty of black hair in you classroom.
Daddy is in charge of Zuri’s hair but it is wild! It has a mind of its own with its kinks and coils and Zuri knows it is beautiful! How will Daddy tame it into a cute hairstyle?
A new girl comes to school and may be better at boxitects than Meg. She doesn’t want this new girl to change everything. Will she be able to accept this new student?
Celebrate Diversity Books for Little Learners About Cultures
This book explores the colors of skin through the eyes of a little girl. When she realizes that there are so many shades of brown, she starts to see the similarities between people.
Use this picture book to show little learners all of the home styles from around the world. 
Ask your students to find the similarities and differences between the homes pictured and the homes they live in.
This book is full of pictures that focus on the variety of clothes that are worn around the world. Talk about a fashion show!
Transportation in Many Cultures
Little learners have a lot of fun with this book that explores different modes of transportation around the world.
Celebrate more diversity with clothes from around the world. Point out how colorful and vibrant clothes can be. You can also make comparisons between wardrobes.
What a great subject to explore with little learners! Just look at all the different kinds of bread that are eaten around the world!
When diversity comes in the form of food, everyone pays attention! Especially when it comes to dim sum.
Show your little learners about all the shades people can come in. Everyone is beautiful and this book does a wonderful showcase of real kids with real images.
Beauty is passed down in this little girls’ eyes; she notices hers are different but that they are beautiful. Her family has passed down so many other things like strength, stories, and wonderful traditions.
Enjoy this fun twist on Wheels On the Bus with a fun story about a tuk tuk. You will be in India riding along on the three-wheeled tuk tuk taxi.
Shady Baby is full of sass, attitude, and lots of spirit! Students will laugh and giggle at her antics.
Learn about Islamic traditions and customs inside their mosque. A beautiful story to learn about different cultures.
Travel to India to enjoy a new spin on a classic tale. Rapunzel has the same long beautiful hair that must be let down the tower but see a new setting and gorgeous artwork.
This little mermaid is from Puerto Rico with the same story. She wants legs and to fall in love with the prince and confronts a sea witch to make her a potion.
Grab the rest of the Once Upon a World Books here!
Celebrate Diversity Books for Little Learners About Families
Learn about the different people who make up the families that we all love. From homes with one mommy to homes with two dads, it’s the love that we feel that is important.
Grab a Spanish version here!
This book explores family diversity with realistic pictures. This helps give your little learners even more exposure to the diverse life that surrounds us.
Create a class bond and ensure your students feel safe in your classroom. I love reading this book at the beginning of the year and during a friendship unit.
This little girl doesn’t want to leave her Gran’s house but then Gran introduces her to the idea of saving special things in jars. Freda realizes that saving everything in a jar isn’t the best idea since she can’t enjoy anything. Memories are special and may be better for certain things.
The little girl and her Lola get to spend the summer together and it is going to be great! She has so many plans for the summer and can’t wait to spend tons of time with her grandma. Learn about a Philippines family and their family traditions.
Rockets heads to the islands to spend time with her grandparents. Once she gets there, she sees the beach is a mess and wants to help clean it up.
The little girl always asks the question, “What will you be when you grow up?”. This story is a beautifully written story by a Hispanic author about a little girl trying to figure out her future.
When Grandma Gives You a Lemon Tree
Grandma knows best! She gives the little girl a lemon tree for her birthday and she is quite disappointed. But after some time she learns that when life hands you a lemon, make lemonade!
This book shows families of all makeups in a kid-friendly book. Cat, dog, kid, mom, and dad are one family but each page offers a new family.
Special Things About Us
Getting glasses can be hard and scary (and not so fun for kids). Go with this little girl as she goes to the eye doctor to get her first pair of glasses and has some fun along the way.
Follow Susan as she goes about her day. She visits the pool, plays with her friends, and so much more. Through it all she is one happy little girl. At the end of the book, readers learn that she uses a wheelchair.
Use realistic pictures of kids with disabilities to teach acceptance and understanding.
Sometimes it can be difficult to understand this disability, but by reading this book, they will know what to look for and how to treat others who are on the spectrum. 
We All Have Different Abilities
What abilities do your little learners have? Can they play the piano? Spell a long word? Or maybe they can whistle. This book helps kids find their unique abilities while appreciating other people’s skills.
Next up, Joe hears questions every time he goes out but they don’t bother him. Teach about acceptance and living without a leg. Students will love seeing how Joe is so much fun and does all the things other kids do.
The character has autism and his brain works differently than yours. Pictures are important for him but he can still have fun like you!
The Boy with Big, Big Feelings
Emotions can be so overwhelming for little learners and this book does a wonderful job of showing children how to handle and explore their big feelings. The book talks about how his emotions are so big they glow out of his cheeks and spill out of his eyes; what is he supposed to do?
Have fun celebrating diversity with books for little learners! Here are a few more booklists packed with amazing diverse books! My friend Alison over at No Time for Flashcards has many amazing book lists that celebrate LGBT perfect for your little learners.
Need some book ideas for Celebrating Holidays Around the World? Check out my book list here!
Find the perfect fairy tale book on my book list for little learners!
Don’t forget to check out my Favorite Diversity Tools and Toys for Preschool and Kindergarten List for even more ways and ideas on how to ensure every child and family is represented in the classroom.
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For more of my favorite books, check out my themed Book List Blog Series that features themed book lists to accompany your lessons and activities! These are sure to keep your library shelves full! If there is a book list for a theme you need, just let us know so we can create it for you!
