It is very important to teach your child how to love and understand themselves, their hair, and their racial identity.
Interracial children will often spend much of their time focusing on how they fit socially and culturally into the world around them.
So, when your child begins to realize their differences, the exposure you give them through the books you read can help them develop a clearer thought process.
A great way to help encourage your child’s self-confidence and build their character is through diverse picture books.
Many books encourage confidence in your child’s curly or textured hair and help them find joy and pride in their interracial identities and racially blended families.
The books listed in this article are a great way to begin setting up your child for a life with a healthy mindset.
This post is all about diverse picture books.
1. I Am Whole By Shola Oz
This diverse picture book is about a little girl with interracial parents encouraging her to appreciate her mixed identity.
It aims to teach your child to embrace the diversity within their own family.
Blended families often include different traditional values, languages, and identities.
This picture book is great for children 0-7 years old to begin learning how to navigate diverse family structures and environments.
2. I Am Mixed By Garcelle Beauvais and Sebastian A. Jones
I am Mixed is a story shared by twin siblings Jay and Nia.
The brother-sister duo takes turns in the book sharing their perspective on how it feels to be mixed race because even though they are twins, they both have different skin tones.
Sharing this book with your child could help them understand that even though their siblings might come in different shades than them, they are all perfect exactly as they are.
It can also help you prepare your kids for a world filled with diversity.
3. Black Is Brown Is Tan by Arnold Adoff
A great read for younger children and toddlers in the early stages of learning about identity.
This story is about a beautifully blended interracial family of four and their day-to-day life in the house.
It uses simple descriptive words and easy rhythm to help children grasp and explore the shades of brown and tan skin that make us who we are.
Suppose you want to start early by teaching your child self-acceptance and genuine appreciation for the skin they are in. In that case, this book offers a great introduction.
4. Me and My Afro by Aiden M. Taylor
Another great diverse picture book that emphasizes representation and self-acceptance for young multiracial children and other children of color.
This is a picture book about a boy who talks about all the amazing places he goes with his Afro.
It can help you teach your child with textured hair to be more accepting of their kinks and coils.
5. Not So Different by Cyana Riley
Not So Different is designed to help your child embrace diversity and inclusion in their life.
It welcomes all races, ethnicities, hair textures, and cultures equally.
This wonderful picture book is meant to be shared with children ten years and younger.
Help your child begin learning to accept themselves and their own identities and others who will have different identities than their own.
It is healthy to encourage empathy and connectedness in your child’s viewpoints on the people around them.
6. Glow by Ruth Forman
This diverse picture book embraces a valuable concept for young black children, especially boys.
We cannot forget that representation is so important for children to grasp concepts and begin to process the world around them.
Glow is a simple illustration of a young black boy preparing for bed.
When a little black boy reads a book with a boy just like him, it can help them engage better because they find the illustration more relatable. This is why representation matters.
7. The Colors of Us by Karen Kats
A young seven-year-old girl named Lena is learning about how to mix paint colors to make her own brown skin tone.
Her mom then pulls her on an adventure out in the real world to see just how many diverse skin tones there are around us.
Lena learns that not only does the color brown have so many different shades, but that there are even really light and tan skin tones.
The Colors of Us helps teach your child that different colors come in many shades, all with their own name.
Reading this book with your child can help encourage them to view the world with an open mind and a welcoming perspective.
8. Skin Like Mine by Latashia M. Perry
This diverse picture book is geared toward building strong self-esteem in children of color.
Multiracial children often come in many shades, and helping your child understand why they look different from their parents or even their siblings is important.
Help your child understand themselves better with this engaging book of creative comparisons between skin tones and all your child’s favorite snacks and sweets.
9. Know Your Heritage: Zara’s Wash Day by Zenda M. Walker
A beautiful read for mixed-race children and any child with curly, thick, or textured hair that requires a bit more patience and care.
Women of color, in particular, have coined the term wash day because this is the day of the week or month when they dedicate a lot of time to taking care of their wonderfully textured hair.
This book is a story about a young girl named Zara who has very thick and long hair.
She wakes up on Saturday morning prepared for a relaxing wash day with her mother.
This book can help your child feel more comfortable and excited for days that can otherwise be quite stressful, especially for children.
This post was all about diverse picture books.
Between battling with social constructs, self-identity, and acceptance, mixed-race children have a unique perspective of the world around them.
These are just a few of the wonderful picture books available to help your child identify with the characters better and begin to process and break down difficult concepts and ideas.
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