8 Great Diversity Picture Books & 6 Book Giveaway

Please welcome Erin Dealey and Luciana Navarro Powell! Their list is eight of their favorite diversity picture books and includes a six book giveaway of their newest book, Babies Come From Airports. Please fill out the Rafflecopter at the bottom to enter.

We are thrilled and honored to help celebrate MCCBD with a list of some of our favorite books. As an author/illustrator team, we love these picture books because they show diversity in a very natural way, perfectly woven into the plot and illustrations. Although we’ve included the age range listed by the publisher, we highly encourage parents and teachers of older readers to consider these books too. We’ve added teacher suggestions for each book. Picture books are an excellent way to introduce a topic or start a discussion with readers of all ages. Happy Reading!

8 Great Diversity Picture Books

1. The Airport Book by Lisa Brown
In addition to being a fun, informative and visually arresting book about the nitty-gritty of airports, the quintessential temple of diversity, that makes the mingling of cultures possible in the first place, we have a feeling Adar and Nico –the boys in BABIES COME FROM AIRPORTS–would be very interested in airports, since that’s where the brothers first met too! [picture book, ages 5-7]
Teachers: Add this to your Transportation/Travel unit.

2. Blackout by John Rocco
An ordinary day ends extraordinarily for a multi-racial family in a diverse neighborhood. Diversity, family, community, all in one. [picture book, ages 4-8]
Teachers: Pair w/ N-F book on electricity.

3. Big Red Lollipop by Rukhsana Khan, illustrated by Sophie Blackall
This story shows a Pakistani family integrating in a neighborhood of different traditions through the funny, real and sweet dynamics of the girl siblings and their mom, with a sweet closure for the 2 quarreling older sisters. [picture book, ages 4-8]
Teachers: Birthday traditions, sibling rivalry; upper grades: point of view.

4. Stella Brings the Family by Miriam B. Schiffer, illustrated Holly Clifton-Brown
We found ourselves rooting for Stella and the way she solves her Mother’s Day problem in this funny-sweet story. No matter what your family looks like, there is always love.
Teachers: For units on family, acceptance, empathy. [picture book, ages 4-7]

5. Double Trouble for Anna Hibiscus by Atinuke & Lauren Toba
We love Anna’s charm and this wonderful glimpse into a modern day, multi-generational family in Africa. In addition, there’s an Anna Hibiscus early chapter book series which we think our BABIES character, Adar, would surely read over and over again.
Teachers: New baby, siblings– or pair with a N-F book on Africa. [picture book, ages 3-7]

6. One Word From Sophia by Jim Averbeck and Yasmeen Ismail
Sophia’s family is a fun blend of strong personalities and careers, and she cleverly uses a different persuasive approach for each in her quest for her dream pet–a giraffe.
Teachers: Great mentor text to introduce persuasive writing to any grade. [picture book, ages 4-8]

7. Whose Hands Are These? by Miranda Paul and Luciana Navarro Powell
We’re partial to rhyme, but aside from the clever text, the magic of this non-fiction picture book is the important message that the multi-cultural illustrations impart to young readers: These careers are for everyone. [picture book, ages 4-7]
Teachers–Perfect for your Community Helper unit.

8. Babies Come From Airports by Erin Dealey & Luciana Navarro Powell
BABIES COME FROM AIRPORTS combines all of the elements of the previous books on our list: funny and real, rhymed text, lovingly detailed illustrations, siblings, diversity, a multi-racial family, airports, family traditions–and adoption. We LOVE this book and truly hope readers will too. [picture book, ages 3-8]
Teachers: Gotcha Day, adoption, family; Upper grades: point of view.

Babies Come From Airports 6 Book GIVEAWAY: 6 Winners!

Please fill out the Rafflecopter below to win one of six copies of Babies Come From Airports. There will be six winners but we can only ship to U.S. and AFO box mailing addresses.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ERIN DEALEY writes in many genres, from board books to YA. Dealey’s newest picture book, illustrated by Luciana Navarro Powell, BABIES COME FROM AIRPORTS (Kane Miller/ 2017), is a kid’s-eye view of adoption. Among her four forthcoming titles are A KINDERGARTEN ALPHABET (Sleeping Bear Press/ 2017, illustrated by Joseph Cowman) and PETER EASTER FROG (Caitlyn Dlouhy Books/Atheneum). She loves Author Visits and skypes and her books have taken her to school visits as far south as Brazil and as far north as Tok, Alaska. An experienced teacher, actor, former SCBWI RA for CA North/Central, and conference presenter, she lasted one full day as an employee at a Pineapple Factory in Hawaii. If you’re still reading this bio (thanks!), follow her on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest (@ErinDealey) and check out her blog at http://www.erindealey.com.

LUCIANA NAVARRO POWELL is originally from Brazil, and moved to the U.S. in 2002. She has been drawing since childhood, and started illustrating professionally during college, still in Brazil, for a variety of publications. She began working in children’s publishing after moving to the U.S. Her career as an author/illustrator launched with MY DAD IS THE BEST PLAYGROUND and MY MOM IS THE BEST CIRCUS (Random House/Robin Corey). Other illustration projects include a dinosaur series of board books written by Meghan Bryant (Chronicle Books), two novelty books for Capstone Young Readers, and WHOSE HANDS ARE THESE (by Miranda Paul/Millbrook Press), as well as products for Crocodile Creek and book apps for Polk Street Press. Luciana is a regular volunteer in the north county area of San Diego, teaching art classes in elementary schools, doing readings and art activities for Toddler Time at the New Children’s Museum in San Diego. Some of her art work was recently featured in the exhibit “Writing with Pictures”, at The California Center for the Arts in Escondido. You can see more of her work at www.lucianaillustration.com and follow her at https://www.facebook.com/LucianaIllustration/
Look for two companion books, GRANDPA’S FAVORITE and GRANDMA’S FAVORITE, forthcoming from Dealey & Navarro Powell in 2018 from Kane Miller, featuring grandparents from around the world.

To find more diverse and multicultural books for children, please check out our Diversity Book Lists & Activities for Teachers and Parents. We also have Pinterest board full of ideas:

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