Diverse Book List
The Parent Advisory Council (PAC) Equity Committee has created a Diverse Book List, geared toward consistently representing all students in an equitable and inclusive way. The book list is extensive and broken down into curriculum units that are often seen in the Co-op classrooms. From Dinosaurs to Friendship, Outer Space to Families, you are sure to find some excellent ideas for reading aloud with your children.
Introducing Teddy
Jessica Walton | Ages 3+
This gentle story about gender and friendship is a sweet, accessible book to help the youngest readers understand gender identity and being an accepting friend.
Yaffa and Fatima; Shalom, Salaam
Fawzia Gilani-Williams | Ages 3+
Two friends, one Jewish and one Muslim fall on hard times. Can they find a way to help each other?
Sign Up Here: A story about friendship
Kathryn Cole | Ages 4+
Dee-Dee is frustrated when all of her friends exclude her from their clubs, so she comes up with her own club that shows what friendship really is.
My Two Blankets
Irena Kobald | Ages 4+
A girl from Sudan struggles with loneliness in her new home as a refugee until she makes a friend at the park.
My Three Best Friends and Me, Zulay
Cari Best | Ages 4+
Zulay is a blind first grader who helps her friends at school and runs a race on field day.
Mrs. Katz and Tush
Patricia Polacco | Ages 4+
Larnel makes friends with his neighbor, Mrs. Katz, and brings her a kitten. They bond over finding Tush when she’s lost and over Passover dinner.
Maddi’s Fridge
Lois Brandt | Ages 4+
When Sofia discovers that Maddi’s family doesn’t have money to buy healthy food, she struggles with how best to help her friend.
Four Feet, Two Sandals
Karen Lynn Williams & Khadra Mohammed | Ages 4+
Two girls at a refugee camp in Pakistan become friends while sharing one pair of sandals between them.
Someone New
Anne Sibley O’Brien | Ages 4+
Even though the new kids seem so different, Jesse, Jason, and Emma find ways to be their friends.
The Girls
Lauren Ace | Ages 4+
These four best friends navigate challenges and fun times together as they grow up along with their favorite apple tree.
When Charley Met Emma
Amy Webb | Ages 4+
When Charley goes to the playground and sees Emma, a girl with limb differences who uses a wheelchair, he doesn’t know how to react. But after they start talking, they quickly become friends.
It Feels Good to Be Yourself: A Book About Gender Identity
Theresa Thorn | Ages 4+
This sweet, straightforward exploration of gender identity in a group of friends will give children a fuller understanding of themselves and others.