families & communities

Amazing Grace, Mary Hoffman
    Grace, an African-American girl, loves to act out stories.  When classmates tell her         she can't play Peter Pan because she's a black girl, her family tells her she can do         anything she puts her mind to.

Baseball Saved Us, Ken Mochizuki
    A Japanese-America boy's experiences in an internment camp during World War II.      Also available in spanish.

Black is Brown is Tan, Arnold Adoff
    The first children's book to feature an interracial family, written in verse.

Boundless Grace, Mary Hoffman
    Grace's parents divorced when she was very young, and her father now lives in             Gambia with his wife and children.  Grace feels very strange when she goes to visit         him, but  learns that families are what you make them.

Dear Juno, Soyung Pak
    Juno discovers that communication and love can transcend the language barrier he         has with his grandmother.

Families, Susan Kuklin
    Interviews of 15 different families, each unique and from a different background.

Family Pictures and In My Family, Carmen Lomas Garza
    Beautifully rendered paintings capture the artist's memories of her childhood in a rural     Mexican community in Texas.

Grandfather Counts, Andrea Cheng & Ange Zhang
    Characters discover that communication and feelings can transcend language                 barriers.

Grandmother's Dreamcatcher, Becky Ray McCain
    When Kimmy's parents leave her with her grandmother for a week, Kimmy has             nightmares - until her grandmother shows her how to make a dreamcatcher.

Heros, Ken Mochizuki
    When a Japanese-American boy's friends say that "Japs" can't be war heros, his             father and uncle help him dispel this.

Honoring Our Ancestors, Ed. Harriet Rohmer
    Famous artists paint their ancestors, including family members, historical inspirations     and role models.

How My Family Lives in America, Susan Kuklin
    Three children whose parent(s) are from other countries talk about their lives in             America.

I Love My Hair, Natasha Anastasia Tarpley
    Keyana, an African-American girl, connects with her mother and grandmother through     her hair.

I Love You Like Crazy Cakes, Rose Lewis
    Based on the author's own experience, this heartfelt story follows a woman on her         journey to adopt a baby girl from China.

In My Momma's Kitchen, Jerdine Nolan
    Loving vignettes of an African-American family.

Keeping Quilt, Patrica Polacco
    The story of a quilt that has been handed down to the author by her Russian Jewish         great-grandmother.  Also available in spanish.

The Kingfisher Book of Children's Poetry, Ed. Belinda Hollyer

Something Beautiful, Sharon Dennis Wyeth
    An African-American girl initially only sees the ugliness of her neighborhood, until she     talks to her neighbors.

Sometimes My Mommy Gets Angry, Bebe Moore Campbell
    The story of a girl whose mother is battling depression.

The Subway Sparrow, Leyla Torres
    Characters discover that communication can transcend language barriers, as people     from different cultures cooperate to solve a problem. Also available in spanish.

Tar Beach, Faith Ringgold
    Quilt paintings illustrate a Depression-era girl's imaginative foray to heights from             which she can see and therefore claim her world.

The Trees of the Dancing Goats, Patrica Polacco
    Trisha, a Jewish girl, helps her Christian neighbors celebrate Christmas with an act of     sharing when they become ill.

Welcoming Babies, Margy Burns Knight
    Family around the world celebrate the birth of babies in different ways.

Working Cotton, Sherley Anne Williams
    The story of a migrant family working on cotton plantations from the point of view of a     young girl, Shelan.

When This World Was New, D.H. Figueredo
    Danilito is nervous about his first day at school in a new country, but his family helps     him adjust.

When You Were Born, Diana Hutts Aston
    As family, friends and neighbors gather to share in the joy of a new baby, they each     emerge changed.

back to top 

home & immigration

97 Orchard Street, New York, New York, Arlene Alda and Linda Granfield
    A book by the Lower East Side Tenement Museum about this historic building and the     people who lived there.

Aekyung's Dream, Min Paek
    Aekyung, a young Korean girl, struggles to adjust to life the United States. This book     is bilingual (English-Korean).

Annushka's Voyage, Edith Tarbescu
    Annushka's voyage, with her sister, from Russia to the United States.

Amelia's Road, Linda Jacobs
    Amelia's parents are migrant farm workers who must move every few months. 
    Amelia has no place to call home, until she finds a special place of her own.

A Place where Sunflowers Grow, Amy Lee-Rai
    A story about a Japanese-American girl in an interment camp during WW II.

Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky, Faith Ringgold
    A story about the underground railroad for young children.

Closet Ghosts, Uma Krishnaswami
    The story of Anu and how she drives away the ghosts she encounters in her new
    house with laughter and a little help.

The Color of Home, Mary Hoffman
    A story about Hassan, a refugee from Somalia, and his first day at school.  Though
    Hassan doesn't speak English, he finds a way to share his story and makes friends in
    their new home.

Coming to America: A Muslim Family's Story, Bernard Wolf

Coming to America: The Story of Immigration, Betsy Maestro
    An overview of the history of immigration in the United States for children.

 Dia and the Story Cloth, Dia Cha, Chiie Thao Cha, and Nhia Thao Cha
    Using a traditional Hmong story cloth, the author retells the experiences of her family     as refugees fleeing violence in their homeland of Laos.

Encounter, Jane Yolen
    The story of Columbus' encounter with the Taino, told from the perspective of a young     Taino boy.

Ellis Island: Doorway to Freedom, Steven Kroll
    Addresses the experiences of immigrants at Ellis Island.

Fly Away Home, Eve Bunting
    A story about a boy and his father who live in an airport while his father searches for
    a job and their bond with each other and the other people who live there.

 Follow the Drinking Gourd, Jeanette Winters
    Story about the underground railroad for young children.

Gleam and Glow, Eve Bunting
    The story of a family of refugees fleeing violence in their homes. When they return to      scenes of destruction, they find the two goldfish that they were forced to leave             behind alive and thriving.

Grandfather's Journey, Allen Say
    Following his grandfather's footsteps, the narrator explores themes of home and             belonging between Japan and California.

Houses and Home, Ann Morris
    A look at houses and homes around the world.

How Many Days to America? A Thanksgiving Story, Eve Bunting and Beth Peck
    A story about refugees who are forced to leave their homes due to war. Though the         protagonists often don't speak English, they find a way to share their stories and             make friends in their new home. 

If Your Name Was Changed at Ellis Island, Ellen Levine and Wayne Parmenter
    The experiences of immigrants at Ellis Island.

I Hate English!, Ellen Levine and Steve Bjorkman
    Mei Mei, a young girl from Hong Kong is having trouble adjusting to a new language in
    the United States.

Immigrants: A Library of Congress Book, Martin W. Sandler

In the Time of the Drums, Kim L. Siegelson
    Gullah legend of an Ibo woman who was brought to America as a slave and who             escapes along with others back to Africa.

Island Of Hope: The Journey To America And The Ellis Island Experience, Martin Sandler
    The experiences of immigrants at Ellis Island.

I Was Dreaming to Come to America, Veronica Lawlor
    The voices of immigrants from Ellis Island.

A Kurdish Family, Karen O'Connor

Letters to Grandma Grace, Victoria Francis
    A story of a refugee family in Africa, told through letters from the children to their         Grandma Grace.

The Lost Children, Sibylla Martin
    Ibuka is separated from her family when fleeing her home and comes to find herself,     along with her younger brother, at a center for lost children.

Marianthe's Story: Spoken Words, Painted Memories, Aliki
    A story about Marianthe, whose family is forced to leave their homes due to war.             Though Marianthe doesn't speak English, she finds a way to share their stories and         make friends in her new home.

My Brother is a Soldier, Clare MG Kemp
    A child soldier returns to his village in Africa and faces problems in trying to                 reintegrate and lead a normal life.

My Name is Celia, Monica Brown
     The life of Celia Cruz.

My Name is Yoon, Helen Recorvits
    Yoon is struggling to adjust from life in Korea to life in the United States, thinking her     name looks happier in Korean than in English. As she comes to understand her new         life, she realizes that however her name is spelled she is still Yoon.

My Diary from Here to There, Amada Irma Perez
    A young girl keeps a diary of her journey and experiences in a new country.

A Movie in My Pillow, Jorge Argueta
    A beautiful collection of children's poems from the point of view of a boy who has         moved to San Francisco from El Salvador.

Oranges on Golden Mountain, Elizabeth Partridge
    In 19th century California, Jo Lee learns to adjust to life in California while his dream     spirit travels back to China to be with his family.

Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt, Deborah Hopkinson
    Clara creates a quilt that shows her the way North to freedom from slavery.

Sumi's First Day of School Ever, Soyung Pak
    A story about a young Korean girl on her first day of school.

Tallchief: America's Prima Ballerina, Maria Tallchief and Rosemary Wells
    The story of America's internationally renowned ballerina, who is of Osage Indian and     Scots-Irish descent.

Under the Quilt of the Night, Deborah Hopkinson
    Simply and beautifully tells the story of a group of former slaves on their journey to     freedom on the underground railroad.

When Jessie Came Across the Sea, Amy Hest
     The story of Jessie's journey from Eastern Europe to the United States.

The Whispering Cloth, Pegi Deitz Shea, Anita Riggio, and You Yang
    A story about Mai, a young Hmong refugee in a Thai refugee camp. Mai retells her         story through a p'andau, a traditional story cloth.

Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman,
Kathleen Krull
    When Wilma Rudolph was a child she suffered from polio, yet she grew up to become     the first American woman to win three gold medals at the same Olympics.

back to top 

friendship & belonging

Cry Baby, Lynn Kramer
    A young refugee girl, in a new home after fleeing from war, struggles to make friends     because she is seen as different. Through a heroic act she reveals that she is really         no different from the other children.

First Day in Grapes, L. King Perez
    Chico, coming from a family of migrant farm workers, is nervous about starting third     grade in a new school. With his strong math skills and new friends, however, Chico         stands up to bullies and finds his feet in a new place.

Halmoni and the Picnic, Sook Nyul Choi
    Yunmi and her friends are worried that Halmoni (Korean for grandmother), who stays     at home alone all day and doesn't speak English, will leave for Korea. They make a         plan to make her feel more at home --  with mixed results.

Kiki's Journey, Kristy Orona-Ramirez
    A Tiwa Indian girl born in L.A., Kiki feels like she doesn't belong on her family's             reservation. The story speaks of universal themes of home, family, traditions, and         belonging.

My Name is Bilal, Asma Mobin-Uddin
    Bilal, a young Muslim boy, having transferred to a new school, tries to fit in. He             pretends his name is Bill and ignores the teasing of his sister for wearing a head
    scarf. With an understanding teacher, Bilal reconnects with his faith and school.

The Name Jar, Yangsook Choi
    When Unhei gets teased about her name on her first day at school, she tells her             classmates that she doesn't have a name.

Oliver Button is a Sissy, Tomie DePaola
    Oliver Button likes to dance, but his classmates call him a sissy. When Oliver                 competes in a dance competition, everyone can see that he is a star!

The Other Side, Jacqueline Woodson
    A story of friendship across a racial divide. Clover, the young African-American             narrator, and Annie, a white girl, live on opposite sides of a fence that segregates         town. Together, their friendship crosses the fence of segregation.

Smoky Night, Eve Bunting
    An African-American boy and his Korean neighbor discover that they have a lot more     in common than they thought during a crisis. 

Who Belongs Here?, Margy Burns Knight and Thomas V. Chan
    When Nary is told by his classmates to "go back where he came from," his teacher         explains that almost everyone in America comes from somewhere else or has                 ancestors who come from somewhere else.

Yoko, Rosemary Wells
    The story of Yoko, a young Japanese American girl whose classmates make fun of her     for eating sushi.

Molly's Pilgrim, Barbara Cohen
    Molly's mother, a Russian Jewish immigrant, makes a doll of a pilgrim that looks like        her. When Molly's classmates tease her, Molly's teacher explains that pilgrims came to     America to escape religious persecution and that Molly's mother is a pilgrim too.

back to top 

holidays & traditions

1620: A New Look at the Mayflower, Catherine O'Neill Grace, Peter Arenstam, John Kemp, Plimoth Plantation
1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving, Catherine O'Neill Grace
    These books explore these topics with new research and reenactments.

Autumn Equinox: Celebrating the Harvest
Summer Solstice
Winter Solstice
The Spring Equinox: Celebrating the Greening of the Earth, Ellen Jackson
    Beautifully illustrated books detailing seasonal celebrations by cultures around the         world in different historical eras.

All Kinds of Beliefs, Emma Damon
    An engaging pop-up book for children that provides a broad overview of the world's         major religions. The book is Bilingual (Chinese and English).

Celebrate! It's Cinco De Mayo / Celebremos Es El Cinco De Mayo, Janice Levy
    A very simple history of the holiday interspersed with the story of a young boy             celebrating Cinco de Mayo with his family.

Celebrating the Great Mother: A Handbook of Earth-Honoring Activities for Parents and Children, Cait Johnson and Maura D. Shaw
    A guidebook of the history and activities of earth-based spirituality, with a focus on          family togetherness. The book runs the course of the year through earth-centered         festivals.

Children Just Like Me, Barnabas and Anabel Kindersley
    A look into the lives of children around the world.

Children Just Like Me: Celebrations! Barnabas and Anabel Kindersley
    A look into the different cultural and religious celebrations in the lives of children             across the world, organized by seasons.

Everybody Bakes Bread and
Everybody Cooks Rice, Norah Dooley
    A girl visits several families in her neighborhood and enjoys different kinds of bread     and rice.

Festivals Together, Sue Fitzjohn, Minda Weston, Judy Large
    A resource guide to the many multi-faith celebrations around the world. The book         includes a variety of stories, histories, recipes, and activities.

Harvest, Polly Goodman
    A look at the harvest festivals around the world.

I See the Rhythm
    A book about music in African-American communities, including spirituals, Blues, and     Jazz.

Kids Around the World Celebrate!: The Best Feasts and Festivals from Many Lands, Lynda Jones
    Although cultures around the world have their own unique feasts and festivals, we all     share many of the same reasons to celebrate. Learn about the many ways people         from around the globe celebrate their special days, and join in the fun!

My First Kwanzaa Book, Deborah M. Newton Chocolate
    Introduces young children to the joyous celebration of this original African-American     holiday.

Now We Can Have a Wedding, Judy Cox

Squanto's Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving, Joseph Bruchac
    The story of Squanto, the last member of the Patuxet people and the story of the first     Thanksgiving.

Wake Up, World!, Beatrice Hollyer
    A look into the lives of children around the world.  Teachers' Notes & Activity             Book also available.