The books you read with your little one are a powerful teaching tool.
By sharing stories about all kinds of people around the world, you can help your child learn more about the world around them and the diverse people who live there. Think of these books as “windows” that help children see beyond their own lives to learn more about the unique experiences, strengths, and challenges of different people around the world.
It’s important to offer children books that are “mirrors,” too. These books reflect your child’s background and experiences in a meaningful way. Think books that feature main characters that share your child’s race, ethnicity, gender, religion, nationality, disability, or family structure. This type of representation matters. By reading stories about children who are similar to them, little ones can begin to develop a sense of self-identity and belonging.
Representation matters.
That being said, children’s books still have a long way to go when it comes to meaningful representation. Just 23% of children’s books feature people of color. (There are significantly more animals depicted in children’s books than POC.) And of those books, just a small percentage are written by POC – the vast majority of children’s books are still written by white authors.
While we desperately need more diverse books for toddlers and preschoolers, the books on this list are a good place to start when it comes to building a library for your child. Keep scrolling to learn more…
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The 80 Best Diverse Books for Toddlers (2 – 4 Years Old)
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Check out these awesome #bookstagram accounts for more diverse book recommendations for your little one’s library…
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