10 Engaging Diversity Books for Children: Promoting Inclusion and Understanding

A booklist that promotes diversity, inclusion, and understanding, curated by Madeleine Lindley Ltd for The Children’s Book Review.

There is nothing more rewarding than teaching children to read and fostering a love of literature in their early years that they will take with them throughout their lives. There are several different ways to approach this, including using reading schemes to chart children’s progress and develop their skills.

In classrooms, you may try investing in books aimed at children of all different ages and levels of ability so that every child has something to read. Another option is to purchase books on a range of topics and in different forms, including fiction, non-fiction, and graphic novels, to ensure there is something to suit every interest. Whichever approach you take, one of the best ways to engage children with reading at a young age is to find stories in which they can see themselves.

Why Read Diverse Books for Kids?

Books about characters from diverse cultural backgrounds, with a variety of identities and life circumstances, ensure that every child has an opportunity to see themselves in the story. This type of representation is not only valuable for encouraging children to engage with a story or the way that it can open their minds to the joys of reading—it can also have fantastic benefits for their confidence, self-image, and overall well-being.

Reading about experiences that they recognize helps children to see themselves in a story, but there is a secondary benefit that helps with the emotional and social development of all the children in a classroom: the opportunity to learn empathy. Having a diverse range of books that cover issues of race, gender, sexuality, disability, and class allows children to imagine experiences outside their own. In some cases, this will help them to develop empathy with their classmates—in others, they might be invited to imagine a life that is very different from their own, which, in turn, will support them in reaching wider educational and developmental goals.

How Do I Choose a Diverse Children’s Book?

Below, the children’s literacy experts and book lovers at Madeleine Lindley Ltd have compiled a list of ten books that examine issues of identity and diversity to help you choose the right book for your child or classroom. We hope this list will be a useful guide, but it only scratches the surface in terms of the wonderful stories about diversity and inclusion that are sure to brighten any classroom or bedroom library.

There are many different ways to use stories about identity—for example, for group-reading activities that will encourage a classroom full of children to see themselves in the characters or as a resource to help answer some of the difficult questions that children may ask in ways that are easy to understand and age-appropriate. Whatever you decide, you can be sure that any of these books is a fantastic addition to a home or school library, and everyone can help children to learn about themselves and the world they live in.

10 Books That Promote Diversity

What to Expect: Inspiration

Speak Up! is a story about Rocket, a young girl with a passion for reading who spends her weekends at her local library. When she learns that it is due to close, Rocket must find her voice and, inspired by the example set by her hero Rosa Parks, speak out to save her library. The compelling story introduces children to inspirational historical figures, teaches them about civic responsibility and encourages them to stand up for the things they believe in. As a voracious reader herself, Rocket is a perfect role model for children who are developing an interest in books.

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What to Expect: School, Bullying, and Differences

In The Proudest Blue, Faizah’s first day at school coincides with her sister Asiya’s first day wearing her new, bright blue hijab. The story revolves around the bond the sisters share as Faizah faces intolerance, taunting and bullying about her sister’s expression of their faith. Can the unbreakable bond between the sisters help them to come out stronger on the other side? The book teaches children about religion and how people choose to express it, to help them recognise and respect some of the different religious practices they might encounter as they grow up.

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What to Expect: Health

Bubble, also known as The Bubble Boy in some editions, is the story of 11-year-old Joe, a young boy with a severe immune disorder. Joe has spent his whole life inside a hospital room; that is, until he meets Amir, a nurse who offers Joe something he could never have imagined – the chance to go outside. The book helps children to recognise the common humanity we all share, develop empathy for people who live with health conditions and disabilities, and relate to the feelings of frustration and loneliness that everyone feels from time to time.

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What to Expect: Family and LGBTQ+

Uncle Bobby’s Wedding is a fantastic way to introduce children to the concepts of marriage and weddings, and same-sex marriages in particular. The story deals with young protagonist Chloe, who is worried that her favourite Uncle Bobby will no longer have time to play with her when he marries his boyfriend, Jamie. The story explores Chloe’s complicated feelings as she comes to understand that Bobby and Jamie love each other, and that she won’t lose her uncle when the pair get married, but instead gain a new one.

The story teaches children about dealing with change, understanding different types of love, and the fact that families come in many different shapes and sizes.

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What to Expect: Friendship and School

Jamie is the story of a non-binary eleven-year-old who is faced with a predicament as they prepare to enter secondary school: will they be sent to the girls’ school, or the boys’ school? The story follows Jamie and their two best friends as the trio protests against this gender segregation rule at their local schools. The story teaches children about non-binary identity, the importance of friendship, and the need to celebrate individuality in all its forms.

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What to Expect: Self-esteem

A story that promotes self-care, self-esteem and general wellbeing for young children, The Best Me! celebrates positivity and teaches children to stay clean, eat healthily and practice kindness. Young protagonist Nia learns to be confident through the course of her journey, to embrace the things that make her unique, and to be her authentic self.

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What to Expect: Religious Expression and Empowerment

Fight Back is another story about the power of the hijab as a symbol of religious expression, albeit for older readers than The Proudest Blue. In Fight Back, Aaliyah begins wearing her hijab to school after a terrorist attack increases racial tensions in her town. When authorities at her school decide to ban the hijab, she joins together with other students – all of whom share feelings of isolation related to their identities – to protest and speak out against the prejudice that is growing at the heart of her community. The story works to fight stereotypes and introduce children to concepts such as Islamophobia and racism.

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What to Expect: Dance and Expression

In No Ballet Shoes in Syria, talented ballerina and refugee Aya is transported from her home in Syria to an unfamiliar city in the UK. When she walks into a local ballet class, a teacher discovers and nurtures her talent, but things are far from easy – Aya’s family is fighting to stay in Britain and her father, who was separated from his family on the journey from Syria, is still missing.

The story discusses contemporary concerns like global conflict and the rights of refugees, encouraging children to find empathy with people whose life experiences are very different from their own. Through vivid and specific ballet detail, No Ballet Shoes In Syria also displays the power of the arts and the ways in which it can express oneself.

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What to Expect: Diversity

This book is a collection of narrative poems, each about a different little girl, and each with something that young readers will connect to and engage with. The girls in Just Like Me live in different places, have diverse families and backgrounds, and most of all, are exploring the full spectrum of emotions. By inviting children to find the child that is most like them, the book asks children to identify with a broad range of characters who are all different, and helps them to understand what makes them unique.

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What to Expect: LGBTQ+ and Family

Another story of LGBTQ+ relationships, Grandad’s Camper is an award-winning tale that introduces children to loss and death with great sensitivity, and carries an ultimately uplifting message. Grandad and Gramps used to travel together in their camper van, but since Gramps died, Grandad has stopped his adventures. Hearing his stories, the unnamed narrator – his granddaughter – decides that she must inspire him to adventure once more.

As we have said, this is only a selection of the titles that are available, and many books for children now foreground aspects of identity, diversity and inclusion to help children understand the world. This can also be a fantastic way to nurture a love for reading, and you should make it your responsibility to provide a range of books for young readers to enjoy.

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The 10 Engaging Diversity Books for Children Promoting Inclusion and Understanding book list was curated by Denise Mealy. Discover more books like these titles by following along with our reviews and articles tagged with diversity, LGBTQ+, inspiration, family, and friendship.