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Great Books for Children

Finding the words to explain to young children America’s issues of race, religion, gender and equity are tough. At Paddington we recognize the power of story in children’s literature and celebrate it! Stories can convey the virtues and values we want our children to learn and live by every single day. There are many children's books that promote kindness, inclusiveness, equity, the importance of diversity and the power of voice to make a change. We hope you'll use the resources below to add some of these wonderful titles to your story-time rotation.

Fifty Lists of Multicultural and Social Justice Books for children, young adults and educators

Best multicultural and social justice board books for younger children
​
What types of books are appropriate by age-level?

Books for Under-Two and Two-year-olds:
This age group likes to sit on a lap and listen to a book. Board books are a perfect choice! Books for toddlers are usually short and rhyming. They are about concrete subjects (farm animals or pets) and include first words and simple language that is easy to read. Books that encourage singing are also highly recommended for this age. Children need to ‘see’ themselves in books as well as be exposed to books that depict other children and families that are similar different from their own.

Books for Three-year-olds:
Three-year-olds are just beginning to learn about humor and they love funny picture books. They enjoy books with concrete topics that reflect their passions, such as ‘dinosaurs’, but, they also begin to enjoy ‘silly’ humor like Duck on a Bike, by David Shannon, because they know that ducks don’t really ride bikes…. Or do they?

Books for Four-year-olds (PreK):
Four-year-olds enjoy the wacky sort of humor that is found in many picture books. They also love to dive into topics and learn all about their interests. They have a seemingly insatiable appetite to learn at this age and they are happy to tell you all about their newly attained knowledge!

​Books for Kindergartners:
Kindergartners love the idea of reading. They want to listen to read-alouds and they want to do it for themselves. They are working on sounding out words. Their emerging reading skills are fun and exciting for them. They have great success with books they can memorize and also with books that have lots of pictures to give them clues.

Reading Resources by Topic

Picture
5 Senses
My Five Senses, Aliki
Blue Goose, Nancy Tafuri
Hello, Red Fox, Eric Carle
Dog Breath! Horrible trouble with Hally Tosis, Dav Pilkey
Walter the Farting Dog books, William Kotzwinkle and Glenn Murray
Olivia Forms a Band, Ian Falconer
Quiet, Loud, Leslie Patricelli
Picture
Adoption
Over the Moon, Karen Katz
Tell me Again About the Night
​I was Born,
 Jamie Lee Curtis
Horton Hatches the Egg, Dr. Seuss
Picture
Alphabet
LMNO Peas, Keith Baker
Eating the Alphabet, Lois Ehlert
Alpha Oops! The Day Z Went First, Alethea Kontis
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Bill Martin
Picture
Anger
When Sophie Gets Angry- Really Really Angry, Molly Bang
Mouse was Mad, Linda Urban
Angry Arthur, Hiawyn Oram
Mad isn’t Bad, Michaelene Mundy
Sometimes Moms Get Angry, a Caillou book
I Was So Mad, Mercer Mayer
Picture
Being Different
It’s Okay to be Different, Todd Parr
Elmer The Patchwork Elephant, David Mckee
Different Just Like Me, Lori Mitchell
The Big Orange Splot, Daniel Pinkwater
Giraffes Can’t Dance, Giles Andreae
The Dot, Peter Reynolds
Love Monster, Rachel Bright
Beautiful Oops, Barney Saltzberg
I’m Here, Peter Reynolds
So Few of Me, Peter Reynolds
Picture
Body Atonomy
Body Boundaries Make Me Stronger, Elizabeth Cole
But How'd I Get in There in the First Place?, Deboradh M. Roffman
The Science of Babies, Deborah Roffman
Bodies are Cool, Tyler Feder
Yes! No!, Megan Madison, Jessica Ralli, and Isabel Roxas
Amazing You!, Dr. Gail Saltz
Picture
Challenging Behaviors
No More Biting from Billy Goat, Bernette Ford and Sam Williams
Little Dinos Don’t Bite, Michael Dahl
Teeth are not for Biting, Elizabeth Verdick
Hands are Not For Hitting, Martin Agassi
Picture
Community 
Rose’s Garden, Peter Reynolds
How to Fill a Bucket, Carol McCloud
Good People Everywhere,  Lynea Gillen
Picture
Confidence Building
Ish, Peter Reynolds
The Dot, Peter Reynolds
The Museum, Susan Verde
Picture
Counting
Ten, Nine, Eight, Molly Bang
Feast for 10, Cathryn Falwell
Zero is the Leaves on the Trees, Betsy Franco
Ten Little Fingers, Ten Little Toes, Mem Fox
Counting Birds, Alice Melvin
Counting in a Garden, Kim Parker
Zeal of Zebras, Woop Studios
Picture
Creativity & Imagination
Ain’t Gonna Paint No More, Karen Beaumont
Sky Color, Peter Reynolds
The North Star, Peter Reynolds
Picture
Diversity
Walk This World, Jenny Broom
Whoever You Are, Mem Fox
We’re Different, We’re the Same, Kates and Mathieu
The Colors of Us, Karen Katz
Children Just Like Me: A Unique Celebration of Children Around the World, Anabel Kindersley
Everywhere Babies, Susan Meyers
Bread, Bread, Bread, Ann Morris
Shoes, Shoes, Shoes, Ann Morris
Shades of People, Shelley Rotner
Global Babies, The Global Fund for Children
For more books, visit our Family Toolkit
Picture
Death
The Invisible String, Patrice Karst
The Rabbit Listened, Cori Doerrfeld
Something Very Sad Happened, Bonnie Zucker
I Had a Friend Named Peter, Janice Cohn
When Someone Dies, Sharon Greenlee
Dog Heaven, Cynthia Rylant
Cat Heaven, Cynthia Rylant
I’ll Always Love You, Hans Wilhelm
The 10th Good Thing About Barney, Judith Viorst
Nana Upstairs, Nana Downstairs, Tommie DePaola
Water Bugs and Dragonflies: Explaining Death to Young Children, Doris Stickney
When a Pet Dies, Mr. Rogers
Picture
Divorce
Mom and Dad Glue, Kes Gray
Dinosaur Divorce, Marc Brown
Was it The Chocolate Pudding?, Sandra Levins
Two Homes, Claire Masurel
Picture
Early Readers/Read-Aloud
Magic Far Away Trees, Enid Blyton
My Father’s Dragon Series, Ruth Stiles Gannett
The Toys Go Out, Emily Jenkins
Frog and Toad Series, Arnold Lobel
Picture
Empathy & Bullying
Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun, Maria Dismondy
One, Kathryn Otoshi
Little Quack’s New Friend, Lauren Thompson
Stand in my Shoes, Bob Sornson
Good People Everywhere, Lynea Gillen
Picture
Engineering
Not a Book, Antoinette Portis
The Most Magnificent Thing, Ashley Spires
Iggy Peck, Architect, Andrea Beaty
How a House is Built, Gail Gibbons
Dream Something Big: The Story of Watts Towers, Dianna Hutts Aston
13 Buildings Children Should Know, Annette Roeder
Rosie Revere, Engineer, Andrea Beaty
The Three Little Pigs – An Architectural Tale, Steven Guarnaccia
You Wouldn’t Want to Be a Skyscraper Builder!, John Malam
Dreaming Up – A Celebration of Building, Christy Hale
Big Friends, Linda Sarah and Benji Davies
Picture
Family Structures
The Family Book, Todd Parr
Mommy, Mama, and Me, Carol Thompson
Daddy, Papa, and Me, Carol Thompson
Who’s in my Family?, Robie Harris
And Tango Makes Three, Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
Horton Hatches the Egg, Dr. Seuss
Who’s in a Family? Robert Skutch
Love is a Family, Roma Downey
Why Don’t I have a Daddy? Georigre Anne Clay
All the World, Liz Garton Scanlon
Papa Please Get the Moon for Me, Eric Carle
Daddy is a Doodlebug, Bruce Degan
Guess How Much I Love You, Sam McBratney
Me and My Dad, Alison Ritchie
Fly Away Home, Eve Bunting
Daddies Are for Catching Fireflies, Harriet Ziefert
Picture
Feelings
The Feelings Book, Todd Parr
The Secret Olivia Told Me, N. Joy
My Blue is Happy, Jessica Young
Duck and Goose, How are You Feeling? Tad Hills
Feelings, Aliki
Feelings to Share from A to Z, Todd Snow
Have you Filled a Bucket Today? Carol McCloud
Today I Feel Silly, Jamie Lee Curtis
How are You Peeling? Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers
Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day, Judith Viorst
Courage, Bernard Waber
Picture
Friendship
Big Al, Andrew Clements
Friends, Helme Heine
Best Friends, Miriam Cohen
Will I Have a Friend? Miriam Cohen
Friends, Mies Van Hout
The Gift of Nothing, Patrick McDonnell
Making Friends, Fred Rogers
I’m Here, Peter Reynolds
How to Fill a Bucket, Carol McCloud
Have you Filled a Bucket Today? Carol McCloud
One, Kathryn Otoshi
Little Quack’s New Friend, Lauren Thompson
Picture
Giving
Beatrice’s Goat, Paige McBrier
Julia’s House for Lost Creatures, Ben Hatke
Always Room for One More, Sorche Nic Leodhas
Red Knit Cap Girl to the Rescue, Naoko Stoop
The Three Questions, Jon J. Muth
Mr. Bow Tie, Karen Barbour
Is There Really a Human Race? Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell
My Heart Will Not Sit Down, Mara Rockliff
A Shelter in Our Car, Monica Gunning
Bear Feels Scared, Karma Wilson
How to Heal a Broken Wing, Bob Graham
The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein
Picture
Growing Up
Let’s Go, Hugo, Angela Dominguez
Someday, Alison Meghee and Peter H. Reynolds
My Very Big Little World, Peter Reynolds
Picture
Health-Related
Nowhere Hair, Sue Gladen
Grandpa Doesn’t Know It’s Me, Donna Gutherie
Mommy, Was your Tummy Big? Carolina Nadel
Butterfly Kisses and Wishes on Wings, Ellen McVicker
Mom has Cancer, Jennifer Moore-Mallinos
Picture
Love
Guess How Much I Love You, Sam McBartney
I’ll Love You Forever, Roger Knapp
I’ll Always Love You, Hans Wilhelm
An Awesome Book of Love, Dallas Clayton
Wherever You Are, My Love Will Find You, Nancy Tillman
Daddies are for Catching Fire Flies, Harriet Ziefert​
Papa Please Get the Moon for Me, Eric Carle
Daddy is a Doodlebug, Bruce Degen
Plant a Kiss, Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Picture
Lying
The Berenstein Bears and The Truth, Stan and Jan Berenstein
A Big Fat Enormous Lie, Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
Sam Tells Stories, Thierry Robberecht
Ruthie and the (Not So) Teeny Tiny Lie, Laura Rankin
Picture
Moving
Moving, Fred Rogers
The Berenstain Bears’ Moving Day, Stan and Jan Berenstain
Moving House, Anne Civardi
Picture
Multilingual
How Penguin Says Please!, Abigail Samoun
The Empanadas that Abuela Made, Diane Gonzales Bertrand
We've Got the Whole World in Our Hands, Rafael Lopez
Laughing Tomatoes, Francisco X. Alarcon
Quinito's Neighborhood, Ina Cumpiano
Animal Poems of the Iguazu, Francisco X. Alarcon
Gracias Thanks, Pat Mora
Moon Rope, Lois Ehlert
Hairs Pelitos, Sandra Cisneros
The Tooth Fairy Meets El Raton Perex, René Colato Laînez
Make Way for Ducklings, Robert McCloskey
Tikki Tikki Tembo, Arlene Mosel
The Story for Ferdinand, Munro Leaf
A Hole is to Dig, Maurice Sendak
Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak
The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein
Caps for Sale, Esphyr Slobodkina
Sylvester and The Magic Pebble, William Steig
The Amazing Bone, William Steig
Picture
New Sibling
King Baby, Kate Beaton
The Baby Sister, Tommie DePaola
Berenstein Bears New Baby,  Jan and Stan Berenstein
Little Miss, Big Sis, Peter Reynolds
Little Rex. Big Brother, Ruth Symes
Bunny in the Middle, Anika A. Denise
Picture
Nut Allergies
The Princess and the Peanut Allergy, Wendy McClure
No Peanuts for Pete, Christina Roderick
Avril Knows,
Ginny Heenan
Tom's Secret Agents,
Jamie Waggott
Picture
Old Favorites
Good Night Moon, Margaret Wise Brown
The Big Red Barn, Margaret Wise Brown
Katy and the Big Snow, Virginia Lee Burton
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, Virginia Lee Burton
The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle
The Story of Ping, Marjorie Flack
Corduroy, Don Freeman
The Snowy Day, Ezra Jack Keats
Whistle for Willie, Ezra Jack Keats
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Bill Martin Jr.
Make Way for Ducklings, Robert McCloskey
Tikki Tikki Tembo, Arlene Mosel
The Story for Ferdinand, Munro Leaf
A Hole is to Dig, Maurice Sendak
Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak
The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein
Caps for Sale, Esphyr Slobodkina
Sylvester and The Magic Pebble, William Steig
The Amazing Bone, William Steig
Picture
Other
Rumble in the Jungle, Giles Andreae
No Two Alike, Keith Baker
Extra Yarn, Mac Barnett
Big Box for Ben, Deborah Bruss
The Curious Garden, Peter Brown
Jamberry, Bruce Degen
Where is the Green Sheep? Mem Fox
The Giant Hug, Valeri Gorbachev
Turtle’s Penguin Day, Valeri Gorbachev
My Garden, Kevin Henkes
Immi’s Gift, Karin Littlewood
Dream Animals: A Bedtime Journey, Emily Winfield Martin
Roxaboxen, Alice McLerran
To Market to Market, Anne Miranda
The Paper Bag Princess, Robert Munsch
Duck on a Bike, David Shannon
A Home for Bird, Philip C. Stead
A Sick Day for Amos McGee, Philip C. Stead
Dinosaur Roar, Paul Stickland
Mrs. McNosh Hangs her Wash, by Sarah Weeks
The Napping House, Audrey Wood
Picture
School
School’s First Day of School, Adam Rex
The Brand New Kid, Katie Couric
Kindergarten Rocks, Katie Davis
A Letter to My Teacher, Deborah Hopkinson
All Are Welcome, Alexandra Penfold
Birdie’s First Day of School, Sujean Rim
Click, Clack, Quack to School, Doreen Cronin
I Am Too Absolutely Small For School, Lauren Child
Kindergarten Countdown, Anna Jane Hays
Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come, Nancy Carlson
Maisy Goes to Preschool, Lucy Cousins
Preschool Time, Mij Kelly
Teachers Rock! Todd Parr
Welcome to Kindergarten, Anne Rockwell
Sorry Grown-Ups You Can't Go to School, Christina Geist
Picture
Science/Outdoors
An Egg is Quiet Dianna, Hutts Aston
Everybody Needs a Rock, Byrd Baylor
Andrew Henry’s Meadow, Doris Burn
If You Find a Rock, Peggy Christian
Over and Under the Snow, Kate Messner
Picture
Separation Anxiety
Mommy in My Pocket, Carol Hunt Senderak
No Matter What, Debi Gliori
The Kissing Hand, Audrey Penn
Week at Grandma’s, Stan & Jan Berenstein
Maple & Willow Apart, Lori Nichols
No Matter What, Debi Gliori
Oh My Baby, Little One, Kathi Appelt
Ready and Waiting For You, Judi Moreillon
You Are My Wonders, Maryann Cusimano Love
My Name Is Yoon, Helen Recorvits
The King of Kindergarten, Derrick Barnes
The Day You Begin, Jacqueline Woodson
A Friend For Henry, Jenn Bailey
My First Day, Leilani Sparrow
The Way to School, Rosemary McCarney
The Pigeon HAS to Go to School! Mo Willems
Ready for School, Celeste C. Delaney
Turtle and Tortoise are NOT Friends, Mike Reiss
Bird Watch, Christie Matheson
Max & Ruby's Preschool Pranks, Rosemary Wells
Picture
Sharing
I Can Share, Karen Katz 
The Rainbow Fish, Marcus Pfister
Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deed, Emily Pearson
The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein
Harriet’s Halloween Candy, Nancy Carlson
Picture
Singing & Rhyming
Hush Little Baby, Sheri Halpern
Miss Mary Mack, Mary Ann Hoberman
Hush Little Baby, Sylvia Long
Inch by inch: The Garden Song, David Mallett
Mary Wore Her Red Dress and Henry Wore His Green Sneakers, Merle Peek
Down by the Bay, Raffi
Five Little Ducks, Raffi​
Wheels on the Bus, Raffi
I’m a Little Teapot. Iza Trapani
The Itsy Bitsy Spider, Iza Trapani
Peanut Butter and Jelly: A Play Rhyme, Nadine Bernard Westcott
Picture
Social-Emotional 
I Like Myself, Karen Beaumont
Do’s and Don’ts, Todd Parr
How to Fill a Bucket, Carol McCloud
Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon, Karen Beaumont
How are you Peeling, Foods with Moods, Saxton Freymann
Tough Boris, Mem Fox
Friends, Helme Heine
Hammer Soup, Dieter Schubert
There’s Always Room for One More, Dieter Schubert
Rabbit’s Gift, George Shannon
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, Judith Viorst
Bear Feels Sick, Karma Wilson
Picture
Thankfulness/Gratitude
An Awesome Book of Thanks, Dallas Clayton
Good People Everywhere, Lynea Gillen
The Secret of Saying Thanks, Douglas Wood
The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein
Picture
Wearing Masks
Smiling from Ear to Ear, Kaitlyn Chu
If I Wear a Face Mark Can I Still Be Me?, Carrie Garvin
Protecting You...Protecting Me, Susan Poage & Dina Rosen
Why is Everyone Wearing a Mask? Por Que Todo Mundo Esta Usando Mascara?, Debbie Qiu
If You Can't Bear Hug, Air Hug, Katie Sedmak
Lucy's Mask, Lisa Sirkis Thompson
The Love Behind the Mask, Lizy Toth
Picture
Winter
Snowballs, Lois Ehlert
Ten in the Sled, Kim Norman
Tracks in the Snow Wong, Herbert Yee
Snow, Uro Shulevitz
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  • Home
    • Greeting from Head of School
    • Strategic Plan
    • History >
      • Colorado State Historic Designation
    • Giving >
      • Annual Giving
      • Annual Report
    • Blog
    • Kind Words
    • In the News
  • Why Play at Paddington?
    • Why Play?
    • Curriculum
    • Social Emotional Learning
    • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion >
      • Glossary of Terms
      • Affinity Group: Parents of Children of Color
      • Family Toolkit
    • Outdoor Classroom
    • Our Team >
      • Meet Our Teachers
      • Meet Our Administrators
      • Meet Our Staff
      • Meet Our Board
      • Meet Our PFA
      • Professional Development
    • Career Opportunities
  • Admission
    • Admission
    • Class Offerings
    • Tuition & Payment Options
    • Financial Assistance
    • Summer Camp
    • Inquire or Schedule a Tour
  • Resources
    • Great Books for Children
    • 1,000 Books by Kindergarten
    • Play-Based Articles
    • DEI Family Toolkit
    • Recommended Reading for Separation Anxiety
  • Current Families
    • Important Forms
    • All Aboard!
    • Handbook & Directory
    • 2022-23 Calendar
    • 23-24 Planning Calendar
    • Class Lists 2022-23
    • Paddington Covid Dashboard
    • Gift Giving at Paddington
  • Contact