Book Lists

Diverse Family Styles - Picture Books

Black is brown is tan / Arnold Adoff ; pictures by Emily Arnold McCully.

Adoff, Arnold.

JEASY ADO

Describes in verse a family with a brown-skinned mother, white-skinned father, two children, and their various relatives.

Daddy Christmas and Hanukkah Mama / by Selina Alko.

Alko, Selina.

JEASY ALK

A child relates how the family celebrates both Christmas and Hanukkah, enjoying the rich traditions of both religions.

Amelia's road / written by Linda Jacobs Altman ; illustrated by Enrique O. Sanchez.

Altman, Linda Jacobs, 1943-

JEASY ALT

Tired of moving around so much, Amelia, the daughter of migrant farm workers, dreams of a stable home.

Maddi's fridge / written by Lois Brandt ; illustrated by Vin Vogel.

Brandt, Lois, author.

JEASY BRA

Maddi's fridge is almost empty, while Sophia's fridge is full of food. How can Sophia help her friend Maddi without breaking her promise not to tell anyone?

The big umbrella / Amy June Bates ; cowritten with Juniper Bates.

Bates, Amy June, author, illustrator.

JEASY BAT

A spacious umbrella welcomes anyone and everyone who needs shelter from the rain.

The blue roses / by Linda Boyden ; illustrated by Amy Córdova.

Boyden, Linda.

JEASY BOY

A Native American girl gardens with her grandfather, who helps to raise her, and learns about life and loss when he dies, and then speaks to her from a dream where he is surrounded by blue roses.

Marisol McDonald doesn't match = Marisol McDonald no combina / story/cuento, Monica Brown ; illustrations/ilustraciones, Sara Palacios ; Spanish translation/traducción al español, Adriana Domínguez.

Brown, Monica, 1969-

JEASY SP BRO

Marisol McDonald, a biracial, nonconformist, soccer-playing pirate-princess with brown skin and red hair, celebrates her uniqueness.

Just one more story / by Jennifer Brutschy ; illustrated by Cat Bowman Smith.

Brutschy, Jennifer.

JEASY BRU

Austin and his parents travel around the country in their trailer performing with their band, and every night Austin's father tells him one bedtime story, until the night they stay in a two-story house instead of their trailer.

Mama and Papa have a store / story and pictures by Amelia Lau Carling.

Carling, Amelia Lau.

JEASY CAR

A little girl describes what a day is like in her parents' Chinese store in Guatemala City.

La abuela en la ciudad / Lauren Castillo ; traducción al español, Ana Galán.

Castillo, Lauren, author, illustrator.

JEASY SP CAS

A young boy is frightened by how busy and noisy the city is when he goes there to visit his Nana, but she makes him a fancy red cape that keeps him from being scared as she shows him how wonderful a place it is.

The name jar / Yangsook Choi.

Choi, Yangsook.

JEASY CHO

After Unhei moves from Korea to the United States, her new classmates help her decide what her name should be.

Grayboy / Kay Chorao.

Chorao, Kay.

JEASY CHO

A girl, her friend Robert, and her grandparents spend a summer enjoying nature and the creatures that live in an East Coast bay, especially one wounded seagull they name Grayboy.

Fred stays with me / by Nancy Coffelt ; illustrated by Tricia Tusa.

Coffelt, Nancy.

JEASY COF

A child describes how she lives sometimes with her mother and sometimes with her father, but her dog is her constant companion.

Carmela full of wishes / Newberry medal-winning author, Matt de la Pe©ła ; Caledecott honor-winning illustrator, Christian Robinson.

de la Peña, Matt, author.

JEASY DEL

Carmela, finally old enough to run errands with her brother, tries to think of the perfect wish, while his wish seems to be that she stayed home.

Last stop on Market Street / words by Matt de la Peña ; pictures by Christian Robinson.

de la Peña, Matt, author.

JEASY DEL

A young boy rides the bus across town with his grandmother and learns to appreciate the beauty in everyday things.

Los deseos de Carmela / Matt de la Peña ; Christian Robinson ; traducción de Teresa Mlawer.

de la Peña, Matt, author.

JEASY SP DEL

Carmela, finally old enough to run errands with her brother, tries to think of the perfect wish, while his wish seems to be that she stayed home.

Última parada de la calle Market / words by Matt de la Peña ; pictures by Christian Robinson.

de la Peña, Matt, author.

JEASY SP DEL

A young boy rides the bus across town with his grandmother and learns to appreciate the beauty in everyday things.

Abuela / by Arthur Dorros ; illustrated by Elisa Kleven.

Dorros, Arthur.

JEASY DOR

While riding on a bus with her grandmother, a little girl imagines that they are carried up into the sky and fly over the sights of New York City.

Islandborn / by Junot Díaz ; illustrated by Leo Espinosa.

Díaz, Junot, 1968- author.

JEASY DIA

"Lola was just a baby when her family left the Island, so when she has to draw it for a school assignment, she asks her family, friends, and neighbors about their memories of her homeland...and in the process, comes up with a new way of understanding her own heritage"-- Provided by publisher.

Lola / por Junot Díaz ; ilustrado por Leo Expinosa ; traducido por Teresa Mlawer.

Díaz, Junot, 1968- author.

JEASY SP DIA

When she has to draw a picture of where she immigrated from, Lola asks her family, friends, and neighbors about their memories of her homeland.

Feast for 10 / Cathryn Falwell.

Falwell, Cathryn.

JEASY FAL

Numbers from one to ten are used to tell how members of a family shop and work together to prepare a meal.

Howie helps himself / Joan Fassler ; illustrated by Joe Lasker.

Fassler, Joan.

JEASY FAS

Though he enjoys life with his family and attends school, Howie, a child with cerebral palsy, wants more than anything else to be able to move his wheelchair by himself.

How my parents learned to eat / Ina R. Friedman ; illustrated by Allen Say.

Friedman, Ina R.

JEASY FRI

An American sailor courts a Japanese girl and each tries, in secret, to learn the other's way of eating.

Yo soy Muslim : a father's letter to his daughter / Mark Gonzales ; illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini.

Gonzales, Mark, 1975- author.

JEASY GON

A lyrical celebration of multiculturalism as a parent shares with a child the value of their heritage and why it should be a source of pride, even when others disagree.

Antonio's card / story, Rigoberto González ; illustrations, Cecilia Concepción Alvarez = La tarjeta de Antonio / cuento, Rigoberto González ; ilustraciones, Cecilia Concepción Alvarez.

González, Rigoberto.

JEASY SP GON

With Mother's Day coming, Antonio finds he has to decide about what is important to him when his classmates make fun of the unusual appearance of his mother's partner, Leslie.

All the colors of the Earth / Sheila Hamanaka.

Hamanaka, Sheila.

JEASY HAM

Reveals in verse that despite outward differences children everywhere are essentially the same and all are lovable.

Hero dad / by Melinda Hardin ; illustrated by Bryan Langdo.

Hardin, Melinda.

JEASY HAR

A young boy demonstrates that while Dad differs from a traditional superhero, as an American soldier he is a superhero of a different kind.

Hero mom / by Melinda Hardin ; illustrated by Bryan Langdo.

Hardin, Melinda.

VETERANS JEASY HAR

A tribute to moms who serve their country in the military reveals their contributions as unsung heroes who construct buildings, fly planes, drive tanks and do many other important things to make the world a safer place.

Who's in my family? : all about our families / Robie H. Harris ; illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott.

Harris, Robie H.

JEASY HAR

Nellie and her little brother Gus discuss all kinds of families during a day at the zoo and dinner at home with their relatives afterwards.

We are family / by Patricia Hegarty ; illustrated by Ryan Wheatcroft.

Hegarty, Patricia, author.

JEASY HEG

Through illness and health, in celebration and disappointment, families stick together. Some families are made up of many people, and some are much smaller. Sometimes family members look like each other, and sometimes they don't! But even though every family is different, the love is all the same.

Say hello! / Rachel Isadora.

Isadora, Rachel, author, illustrator.

JEASY ISA

Carmelita loves to greet everyone in her colorful neighborhood. There are people from so many different cultures! They all like to say hello too, so now Carmelita can say hello in Spanish, English, French, Japanese, and many other languages. And her dog, Manny? Well, he seems to understand everyone, and gives a happy "Woof!" wherever he goes.

My abuelita / written by Tony Johnston ; illustrated by Yuyi Morales ; photographed by Tim O'Meara.

Johnston, Tony, 1942-

JEASY JOH

With great gusto, a child's grandmother performs deep knee bends, consumes a breakfast of "huevos estrellados," and practices vocal exercises before going to work as a storyteller.

The hello, goodbye window / story by Norton Juster ; pictures by Chris Raschka.

Juster, Norton, 1929-

JEASY JUS

A little girl loves going to her Nanna and Poppy's house because their kitchen window is a magical portal to a world of discovery and imagination, in a delightful story that celebrates childhood and the love of family.

Peter's chair / Ezra Jack Keats.

Keats, Ezra Jack.

JEASY KEA

When Peter discovers his blue furniture is being painted pink for a new baby sister, he rescues the last unpainted item, a chair, and runs away.

Julián is a mermaid / Jessica Love.

Love, Jessica, author, illustrator.

JEASY LOV

While riding the subway home from the pool with his abuela one day, Julián notices three women spectacularly dressed up. Their hair billows in brilliant hues, their dresses end in fishtails, and their joy fills the train car. When Julián gets home, daydreaming of the magic he's seen, all he can think about is dressing up just like the ladies in his own fabulous mermaid costume: a butter-yellow curtain for his tail, the fronds of a potted fern for his headdress. But what will Abuela think about the mess he makes -- and even more importantly, what will she think about how Julián sees himself?

You and me and home sweet home / George Ella Lyon & Stephanie Anderson.

Lyon, George Ella, 1949-

JEASY LYO

Third-grader Sharonda and her mother help volunteers from their church to build the house that will be their very own.

Happy in our skin / Fran Manushkin ; illustrated by Lauren Tobia.

Manushkin, Fran, author.

JEASY MAN

Depicts families of different colors and orientations as they play at a park, swim, and celebrate at a block party.

Heather has two mommies / Lesléa Newman ; illustrated by Laura Cornell.

Newman, Lesléa, author.

JEASY NEW

"Heather's favorite number is two. She has two arms, two legs, and two pets. And she also has two mommies. When Heather goes to school for the first time, someone asks her about her daddy, but Heather doesn't have a daddy. Then something interesting happens. When Heather and her classmates all draw pictures of their families, not one drawing is the same. It doesn't matter who makes up a family, the teacher says, because "the most important thing about a family is that all the people in it love one another"" -- provided by publisher.

A family is a family is a family / written by Sara O'Leary ; illustrated by Qin Leng.

O'Leary, Sara, author.

JEASY OLE

"When a teacher asks the children in her class to think about what makes their families special, the answers are all different in many ways -- but the same in the one way that matters most of all. One child is worried that her family is just too different to explain, but listens as her classmates talk about what makes their families special. One is raised by a grandmother, and another has two dads. One is full of stepsiblings, and another has a new baby"--Publisher.

The family book / Todd Parr.

Parr, Todd.

JEASY PAR

Represents a variety of families, some big and some small, some with only one parent and some with two moms or dads, some quiet and some noisy, but all alike in some ways and special no matter what.

I am Latino : the beauty in me / Sandra Pinkney ; photographs by Myles C. Pinkney.

Pinkney, Sandra L.

JEASY PIN

Photographs and poetic text celebrate the beauty and diversity of Latino children.

A rainbow all around me / by Sandra L. Pinkney ; photographs by Myles C. Pinkney.

Pinkney, Sandra L.

JEASY PIN

A different pond / written by Bao Phi ; illustrated by Thi Bui.

Phi, Bao, 1975- author.

JEASY PHI

"As a young boy, Bao Phi awoke early, hours before his father's long workday began, to fish on the shores of a small pond in Minneapolis. Unlike many other anglers, Bao and his father fished for food, not recreation. Between hope-filled casts, Bao's father told him about a different pond in their homeland of Vietnam"-- Provided by publisher.

Something about Hensley's / Patricia Polacco.

Polacco, Patricia.

JEASY POL

Hensely's, a neighborhood general store, always seems to have what Molly, Kate, and their mother need.

Tiger in my soup / Kashmira Sheth ; illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler.

Sheth, Kashmira.

JEASY SHE

Left in the care of his older sister, a boy begs her to read his favorite book but she is too absorbed in her own reading even to notice when a tiger comes to life in the steam from his soup.

One family / George Shannon ; pictures by Blanca Gomez.

Shannon, George.

JEASY SHA

A family can be many things, in this story that introduces numbered groups from one to ten.

I know it's autumn / by Eileen Spinelli ; illustrated by Nancy Hayashi.

Spinelli, Eileen.

JEASY SPI

A rhyming celebration of the sights, smells, and sounds of autumn, such as pumpkin muffins, turkey stickers on spelling papers, and piles of raked leaves.

Mommy's khimar / Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow ; illustrated by Ebony Glenn.

Thompkins-Bigelow, Jamilah, author.

JEASY THO

"A young Muslim girl puts on a head scarf and not only feels closer to her mother, she also imagines herself as a queen, the sun, a superhero, and more."-- (Source of summary not specified).