Greenfield, Eloise.
Honey I Love
. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, Co.: 1978. A book of poetry about everyday life told from a child’s perspective covering such themes as defining one’s identity, listening to music, and playing with friends.
Greenfield, Eloise.
Night on Neighborhood Street
. New York: Penguin Books, 1991. A book of poetry recounting everyday happenings occurring on Neighborhood Street. Strong family themes are also included.
Henkes, Kevin.
Chrysanthemum
. New York: Mulberry Books, 1991. A young mouse, initially teased at school for her long name, learns to proudly accept it as unique.
Hessell, Jenny.
Ripeka’s Carving
. Auckland, New Zealand: Shortland Publications Limited, 1989. A story of a young girl, Ripeka, exasperated by everyone at school continually calling her Rebecca, finally brings it to their attention by carving her name on her desk.
Hudson, Wade.
I Love My Family
. New York: Scholastic, Inc., 1993. A young African-American boy tells the story of the annual family reunion where we meet many of his relatives and learn about making a family tree.
Jordan, June.
Kimako’s Story
. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1981. A young African-American girl takes us around her New York City neighborhood, recounting her varied experiences with people and places that make it up and delighting us with her poem-puzzles and drawings.
Kroll, Virginia.
Masai and I.
New York: Four Winds Press, 1992. A story of a young African-American girl living in the city who, feeling a strong kinship with the Masai people in East Africa, compares her life to theirs.
Lomas Garza, Carmen.
Family Pictures
. San Francisco: Children’s Book Press, 1990. A young Mexican-American girl describes treasured family events in both picture and word.
Mochizuki, Ken.
Baseball Saved Us
. New York: Lee & Low Books Inc., 1993. A young Japanese-American boy tells of his life with his family in a Japanese internment camp during WW II enduring much injustice and humiliation. He describes how baseball gave the inhabitants a sense of purpose and direction during this time of suffering.
Polacco, Patricia.
Mrs. Katz and Tush
. New York: Dell Publishing, 1992. An unlikely pair, a young African-American boy and an elderly Russian Jewish immigrant woman, become great friends while tending a runt cat.
Seuss, “Dr.”
The Sneetches and other Stories
. New York: Random House, 1961. In the book’s main story we meet the Sneetches (both with and without stars on their bellies) who, initially, display strong feelings of intolerance for those different from themselves, but who come to realize how foolish their intolerance is and later appreciate their similarities and individual uniqueness.
Silverstein, Shel.
Where the Sidewalk Ends
. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1981. A collection of poems and drawings on subjects and themes especially appealing to children.
Spier, Peter.
People
. New York: Delacorte Press, 1980. This book, rich in illustrations and simple in words, celebrates the diversity of people.
Yashima, Taro.
Crow Boy
. New York: Viking Penguin, 1983. A village discriminates against a young Japanese boy because of his appearance and quiet demeanor until a teacher breaks the cycle and they come to value Crow Boy’s abilities and person.
