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These books promote respect for oneself, others, and the environment.
Last updated August 27, 2021
I Like Myself!
Beaumont, Karen.
In rhyming text, a little girl expresses confidence and joy in her uniqueness, no matter her outward appearance.
Check AvailabilityThe Day You Begin
Woodson, Jacqueline
Other students laugh when Rigoberto, an immigrant from Venezuela, introduces himself but later, he meets Angelina and discovers that he is not the only one who feels like an outsider.
Check AvailabilitySay Something!
Reynolds, Peter
From the creator of the New York Times bestseller The Word Collector comes an empowering story about finding your voice, and using it to make the world a better place. The world needs your voice. If you have a brilliant idea... say something! If you see an injustice... say something! In this empowering new picture book, beloved author Peter H. Reynolds explores the many ways that a single voice can make a difference. Each of us, each and every day, have the chance to say something: with our actions, our words, and our voices. Perfect for kid activists everywhere, this timely story reminds readers of the undeniable importance and power of their voice. There are so many ways to tell the world who you are... what you are thinking... and what you believe. And how you'll make it better. The time is now: SAY SOMETHING!
Check AvailabilityWe Are Water Protectors
Lindstrom, Carole.
Water is the first medicine. It affects and connects us all... When a black snake threatens to destroy the Earth and poison her people's water, one young water protector takes a stand to defend Earth's most sacred resource. Inspired by the many indigenous-led movements across North America, this bold and lyrical picture book issues an urgent rallying cry to safeguard the Earth's water from harm and corruption."--Jacket flap.
Check AvailabilityThe World Needs More Purple People
Bell, Kristen
Penny Purple shows readers how to be a purple person, an everyday hero that brings together their family, friends, and community.
Check AvailabilityI Am Enough
Byers, Grace
This is a gorgeous, lyrical ode to loving who you are, respecting others, and being kind to one another.
Check AvailabilityYou Matter
Robinson, Christian
Illustrations and easy-to-read text remind the reader that no matter what happens or how one feels, he or she matters.
Check AvailabilityI Promise
James, Lebron,
I Promise is a lively and inspiring picture book that reminds us that tomorrow’s success starts with the promises we make to ourselves and our community today." -- Amazon.com.
Check AvailabilityMy Maddy
Pitman, Gayle E.
A child celebrates her Maddy, who is neither mommy nor daddy but a little bit of both, like so many things in nature. Includes note to parents.
Check AvailabilityI Am Every Good Thing
Barnes, Derrick
Let's hear it for everything that makes you the amazing, awesome, inspiring kid that you are. Your curiosity and creativity. Your bravery and kindness. Your sense of humor and fun. Your ability to get up again when you get knocked down. Your way of helping others. Yeah--you are all that and more! YOu are every good thing that makes the world go round. So go ahead and show us your magnificence--all the things htat make you, your." --book jacket.
Check AvailabilityBecoming A Good Creature
Montgomery, Sy
A luxe, full color picture book adaptation of Sy Montgomery and Rebecca Green's New York Times bestselling How to Be a Good Creature"--
Check AvailabilityAll Because You Matter
Charles, Tami
A lyrical, heart-lifting love letter to Black and Brown children everywhere reminds them how much they matter, that they have always mattered and they always will.
Check AvailabilityThe World Needs Who You Were Made To Be
Gaines, Joanna
Author Joanna Gaines follows up her #1 New York Times bestselling We Are the Gardeners with The World Needs Who You Were Made to Be. This children's book, beautifully illustrated by Julianna Swaney, celebrates how creativity and acceptance can come together in a bright and beautiful adventure"--
Check AvailabilityOur Favorite Day Of The Year
Ali, A. E.
Four kindergartners who think they have nothing in common become friends after sharing traditions of their holidays, including Eid-ul-Fitr, Rosh Hashanah, Christmas, and Pi Day.
Check AvailabilityIntersection Allies
Johnson, Chelsea
A handy book about intersectionality that depicts the nuances of identity and embraces difference as a source of community.
Check AvailabilityIf You Come To Earth
Blackall, Sophie
In this picture book, a boy writes a letter to an imagined alien, explaining all the things he will need to know about Earth and the people who live here--and adding a postscript asking what the alien might look like.
Check AvailabilityLove Around The World
Brydon, Alli
Discover how love is expressed in different cultures and countries all around the world. Whether it's writing someone a loving poem on Sinterklaas or lighting a beautiful lantern at Chinese New Year, love is universal"--Back cover.
Check AvailabilityEyes That Kiss In The Corners
Ho, Joanna
A young Asian girl notices that her eyes look different from her peers'. They have big, round eyes and long lashes. She realizes that her eyes are like her mother's, her grandmother's, and her little sister's. They have eyes that kiss in the corners and glow like warm tea, crinkle into crescent moons, and are filled with stories of the past and hope for the future. Drawing from the strength of these powerful women in her life, she recognizes her own beauty and discovers a path to self-love and empowerment.
Check AvailabilityMagnificent Homespun Brown
Doyon, Samara Cole
Joyful young narrators celebrate feeling at home in one's own skin.
Check AvailabilityJust Ask!
Sotomayor, Sonia
A group of children with different abilities and strengths come together to build a community garden"--
Check AvailabilityWhat I Like Most
Murphy, Mary
A little girl observes one by one, the things that bring her joy. But even after her jam jar becomes empty and the shoes grow too small and the pencil is all used up, one thing will never change.
Check AvailabilityThe Earth Gives More
Fliess, Sue
In each season, Earth has something special to enjoy--and we can find ways to be good stewards to the planet too!"--
Check AvailabilityRissy No Kissies
Howes, Katey
A love bird who doesn't like kisses? Rissy's friends and family wonder if she's sick, confused, or rude. But kisses make Rissy uncomfortable. Can she show everyone there's not one right way to share affection?"--
Check AvailabilityMy Day With The Panye
Charles, Tami
In the hills above Port-au-Prince, a young girl named Fallon wants more than anything to carry a large woven basket to the market, just like her Manman. As she watches her mother wrap her hair in a mouchwa, Fallon tries to twist her own braids into a scarf and balance the empty panye atop her head, but realizes it's much harder than she thought".
Check AvailabilityTalking Is Not My Thing
Robbins, Rose
A girl with autism who almost never speaks demonstrates how easily she communicates with her brother and grandmother through facial expressions, gestures, flashcards, and drawings.
Check AvailabilityIn My Mosque
Yuksel, M. O.
A picture book featuring culturally rich artwork celebrates the joys, rituals, and traditions that are practiced in mosques throughout the world, and includes a glossary and information about many historical and significant mosques.
Check AvailabilitySomeone Builds The Dream
Wheeler, Lisa
Celebrates the skilled women and men who work to see the plans of architects, engineers, and designers brought to life.
Check AvailabilityBe A Tree!
Gianferrari, Maria
Compares the structures and functions of trees to human bodies, shows the interconnectness and dependence of trees in a forest, and urges readers to communicate, share, and care for one another. Includes notes on the anatomy of a tree, ways to help save trees, and how to help in one's community.
Check AvailabilityBindu's Bindis
Kelkar, Supriya
This "picture book is about a little girl who loves her bindis (and the many creative shapes they come in). The bindis are also a connection to her Nani who lives in India. When Nani comes to visit Bindu and brings the bindis to her, it is just in time to wear something new to the school talent show. Bindu and Nani work together to shine their brightest and embrace their sparkle, even when they stand out from the crowd"--Publisher marketing.
Check AvailabilityFinding Beauty
Shipman, Talitha
Illustrations and easy-to-read text reveal that if one looks, one can find beauty in objects big and small, alone or with a friend, and that beauty will find those who look for it.
Check AvailabilityI Am The Wind
Karg, Michael.
With dynamic text and atmospheric illustrations, this book invites you to celebrates the world all around us through the unique perspective of the wind. Journey through the frozen forests and bayou bogs, wonder at the northern lights, and meet unique animals like wolverines and olinguitos along the way." --Amazon.
Check AvailabilityWanda
Nontshokweni, Sihle
Eight-year-old Wanda is unhappy due to the endless mocking of her hair by the boys at school, but when Makhulu (grandmother) shares her grooming secrets and stories of beautiful women with locks just like Wanda, she realizes her hair is a crown and is something to be proud of.
Check AvailabilityZonia's Rain Forest
Martinez-Neal, Juana.
Acclaimed author-illustrator Juana Martinez-Neal explores the wonders of the rain forest with Zonia, an Asháninka girl, in her joyful outdoor adventures. The engaging text emphasizes Zonia's empowering bond with her home, while the illustrations--created on paper made from banana bark--burst with luxuriant greens and delicate details. Illuminating back matter includes a translation of the story in Asháninka, information on the Asháninka community, and resources on the Amazon rain forest and its wildlife.
Check AvailabilityThao
Lam, Thao.
“Thao” seems like a simple enough name. Only four letters—all of them belonging to many other names! And yet Thao had been called everything from “Tail” to “Theo” to “Towel.” At one point, completely fed up, she decided it was time to try another name. Something “easy.” Something like “Jennifer.” But trying to be someone else only works for so long. And eventually “Jennifer” is swayed back to being herself when she opens her lunchbox and finds her mother has packed her Gỏi cuốn (also known as Vietnamese spring rolls)! Thao’s favourite! While simple on the surface, this story of cultural assimilation and celebration of cultural pride runs deep. It is a personal one for Thao. And it will strike a chord with readers who have struggled to fit within a mainstream mold—then realized it was just more comfortable to be themselves. Visually, this book will also be a personal reflection of Thao in that she will be incorporating childhood photos into her usual cut-paper collage style! She has also opted to minimize the number of illustrations and instead play with type and typography as a way to highlight her name—and the many variations of it that appear in the book!"--
Check AvailabilityKeeping The City Going
Floca, Brian
An ode to the essential workers keeping the country operating during the Covid-19 pandemic"--
Check AvailabilityReal Superheroes
Seal, Julia
This charming picture book celebrates the brave everyday heroes who keep our world turning through difficult times. From supermarket staff to delivery drivers to doctors and nurses and more, this book is dedicated to the real superheroes who look after us.
Check AvailabilityJosie Dances
Lajimodiere, Denise K.
As she prepares for her first powwow, an Ojibwa girl practices her dance steps, gets help from her family, and is inspired by the soaring flight of Migizi, the eagle. Includes glossary.
Check AvailabilityI Wish You Knew
Azúa Kramer, Jackie
When Estrella’s father has to leave because he wasn’t born here, like her, she misses him. And she wishes people knew the way it affects her. At home. At school. Always. But a school wrapped around a hundred-year-old oak tree is the perfect place to share and listen. Some kids miss family, Some kids are hungry, Some kids live in shelters. But nobody is alone. A story about deportation, divided families, and the importance of community in the midst of uncertainty.".
Check AvailabilityWhat Are Your Words?
Locke, Katherine
Ari knows a lot of words for neighbors, including the pronouns each prefers, and with help from Uncle Lior, who always asks "What are your words," figures out which pronouns--and other words--fit best today.
Check AvailabilityBlack Is A Rainbow Color
Joy, Angela
A child reflects on the meaning of being Black in this anthem about a people, a culture, a history, and a legacy that lives on"--
Check AvailabilityYour Name Is A Song
Thompkins-Bigelow, Jamilah
Saddened by her classmates' and teacher's mispronunciations of her name, a girl is empowered by her discovery that names are like songs when she and her mom celebrate the musicality of African, Asian, Black-American, Latinx, and Middle Eastern names.
Check AvailabilityIf Dominican Were A Color
Recio, Sili
Illustrations and easy-to-read text portray the Dominican Republic in all of its hues, from the cinnamon in cocoa to the blue black seen only in dreams.
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