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Resources
for kids, educators, and parents alike
Short story recommendations to teach/read!
Talks about ways to incorporate diversity in the classroom through a classroom garden, stories, and food
Provides book recommendations that appropriately represent AAPI culture or are written by AAPI authors. Also provides opportunities for Asian/Asian-American authors.
Try to bring the painting as far as possible by balancing it—they use a new piece of art from around the world everyday!
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Lilian Thuram
Thuram has published French comics teaching antiracism called Notre Histoire and has a foundation (https://www.thuram.org/) for other educational resources.
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Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt: This novel is about the incredible friendship between two opposite people: Lizzie, a girl from a community of former slaves, and Turner, the son of a town minister. Together, they take action when their town decides to drive people away in order to set up a tourist business.
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Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly: Winner of the 2018 Newbery Medal, Hello, Universe uses four distinct perspectives to describe how the lives of four unassuming individuals can intersect to form a story of friendship, bravery, and the universe. When bully Chet pulls a prank that traps shy Virgil at the bottom of a well, deaf Valencia, psychic Kaori, and Kaori's little sister Gen unite to find Virgil.
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That's Not My Name! by Anoosha Syed: This picture book expresses the pains of a young girl who realizes that none of her classmates can pronounce her name. Syed's book is a declaration of self-love and standing up for oneself.
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The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang: Set in 19th century Paris, this graphic novel describes the double life of Belgium's young Crown Prince Sebastian. While Sebastian's parents are set on finding him a bride, Sebastian is preoccupied with his alter ego: fashion icon Lady Crystallia. Sebastian's dressmaker Frances is one of the only people who know Sebastian's secret love for dresses, but she is conflicted because keeping a secret means she herself will never be recognized.
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When Stars Are Scattered by Omar Mohamed and Victoria Jamieson: In this graphic novel, Omar and his nonverbal younger brother Hassan navigate a tough life in a Kenyan refugee camp. Omar has the opportunity to attend school, but in doing so he would need to leave Hassan behind. Jamieson tells the true story of Mohamed, a Somali refugee.
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Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt: This middle grade novel follows Ally, a young dyslexic girl, as she tries to hide her disability in school. When Ally meets Mr. Daniels, she begins to realize that she is a bright, creative kid with potential just like everybody else.
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Ghost by Jason Reynolds: This novel describes the story of Ghost (Castle Cranshaw) when he challenges an elite sprinter to a race — and wins. Ghost's talent is recognized and he joins a track team, but he must simultaneously deal with anger and a dark past. The novel has a target audience of children in upper elementary or middle school.
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Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi: This higher-level comic book is an autobiography about Satrapi's childhood experiences in Iran during and after the Islamic Revolution. Satrapi's original story is wonderfully interwoven into Iran's history, and provides a personally yet also politically insightful narrative about the cruelty of war and repression.
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Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin: This fantasy novel explores the wonders of Chinese folklore and follows Minli, a young girl who lives in a poor village and must work in the fields every day with her parents. Minli hopes to end her family's poverty, so she decides to make a visit to the Old Man of the Moon — while encountering many magical creatures on the way.
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The Sea in Winter by Christine Day: This novel offers the unique perspective of a young Native American girl Maisie after she hurts her leg and must stop doing ballet. As Maisie's family makes a midwinter road trip along the ocean near her mother's tribe, Maisie struggles to deal with her anxieties and dark moods. 'The Sea in Winter' is a telling story of both mental health and Indigenous experiences.
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How My Parents Learned to Eat by Ina Friedman: This picture book follows a young Japanese-American girl telling the story of how her American father and Japanese mother met, and the differences in their cultures through food.
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Number the Stars by Lois Lowry: First published in 1989, ‘Number the Stars’ is a story about the escape of a Jewish family during World War 1 from Copenhagen and is described as an introduction to the Holocaust, with the target audience being children above ten years old.