by TeachThought Staff
Teaching complex and nuanced themes through novels makes sense, if only for the reason that complex and nuanced themes are the reason so many novels exist.
You are reading: Diverse books for elementary school
A good book offers readers the chance to see through someone else’s eyes, allowing them to immerse themselves in a life, place, and experiences they might not otherwise have, or the gift of recognizing bits of themselves in the inner characters, and the comfort and sense of belonging that comes with the realization that many human struggles are universal.
george eliot said: “the only effect that I ardently desire to produce by my writings is that those who read them will be better able to imagine and feel the pains and joys of those who differ from them in all but the broad fact of being human creatures who fight and make mistakes.”
see also 30 of the best books to teach empathy to children
Put simply, literature is an excellent vehicle for demonstrating empathy and diversity in an impactful way. both can be difficult to teach, and yet our current cultural conversation makes it clear that there is a need to bring greater understanding and context to these concepts that are such an integral part of community and, in a broader sense, humanity. .
as terry heick said in how to teach empathy:
”In your classroom, there are dozens of natural sources of empathy. but what about authenticity? there is nothing worse than “schooling” something that a child really needs to know. A lot of great teaching is about packaging content so that students recognize it as something they need to know and can actually use, rather than something to do because I said so and you don’t want a zero, do you? /p>
books manage to do just that: students are not instructed, nor are they expected to feel a certain way about a character or situation, but the art of storytelling allows for an appreciation of others, their perspective, and the experiences that unfold in a more natural sense.
The San Francisco Public Library developed the following list of books that represent diversity to encourage students to recognize that despite our differences, we are all very much alike.
23 Books to Teach Diversity to Primary & high school students
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1. happy in our skin
just savor these baby bouquets: cocoa brown, cinnamon, peach and cream. as they grow, their intelligent fur does too, enjoying cuddles and tickles, protecting them inside and out, and making them unique.
Fran Manushkin’s playful text and Lauren Tobia’s delightful illustrations paint a joyful and compelling picture of the human family and how wonderful it is to be who you are.
sfpl summary: grades: preschool – k. age range: 2-5. depicts families of different colors and orientations as they play in a park, swim, and celebrate at a block party.
2. a family
From veteran picture book author george shannon and up-and-coming artist blanca gomez comes a fun, interactive book that shows how a family can be big or small and made up of people of a variety of genders and races.
sfpl summary: grades: preschool – 2. age range: 4 – 8. “one is one and all. one land one world a family.” celebrates families of different sizes, ages, races, and genders in a story that features groups numbered one through ten.
3. the same sun here
the same sun here summary: pen pals meena and river have a lot in common: parents forced to work outside the home to make ends meet, grandmothers who mean everything to them, and loyal dogs. But Meena is an Indian immigrant girl living in New York City’s Chinatown, while River is the son of a Kentucky coal miner. With honesty and humor, Meena and River (each voice clearly articulated by a talented independent author) bridge the miles between them, creating a friendship that inspires courage and defeats cultural misconceptions.
4. Juna’s jar
juna and her best friend, hector, have many adventures together and love to collect things in empty kimchi jars. Then one day, Hector unexpectedly moves out without getting a chance to say goodbye. Juna is heartbroken and wonders who will go on adventures with her.
Determined to find Hector, Juna turns to her special jar of kimchi for help each night. she dives into the depths of the ocean, swings on vines through the jungle, and flies through the night sky in search of her friend.
sfpl summary: grades: preschool – 2. age range: 5-9. After her best friend, Hector, moves out, Juna tries to make herself feel better by finding things to put in her special jar of kimchi, and every night, whatever is in the jar takes her on a magical journey in search of Hector.
5. a word from sophia
sophia tries various techniques to get the giraffe she wants more than anything in this fun illustrated story about the nuances of negotiation.
sfpl summary: grades: preschool-3. age range: 4-8. All Sophie wants for her birthday is a pet giraffe, but while she tries to convince different members of her complicated family to support her cause.
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6. last stop on market street
every sunday after church, cj and his grandmother ride the bus around town. But today, CJ wonders why they don’t have a car like his friend Colby’s. Why doesn’t he have an ipod like the guys on the bus? how come they always have to get off in the dirty part of town? Each question receives an encouraging response from Grandma, who helps him see the beauty and fun in his routine and the world around them.
sfpl summary: grades: k-2. age range: 3-5. a boy, cj, travels by bus around the city with his grandmother and learns to appreciate the beauty of everyday things.
7. Emmanuel’s dream
born in ghana, west africa, with a deformed leg, he was dismissed by most people, but not by his mother, who taught him to achieve his dreams. When he was a child, Emmanuel skipped school more than two miles each way, learned to play soccer, left home at thirteen to support his family, and eventually became a cyclist.
he rode an astonishing four hundred miles across ghana in 2001, spreading his powerful message: disability is not disability. Today, Emmanuel continues to work for the disabled.
sfpl summary: grades: k-2. age range: 4-8. a biography of emmanuel ofosu yeboah, a young man from west africa who pursued an education, helped support his family and became an unprecedented cyclist despite a disability.
8. mango, grandma and me
mia’s grandmother has left her sunny house with parrots and palm trees to live with mia and her parents in the city. The night she arrives, Mia tries to share her favorite book with Grandma before they go to sleep and discovers that Grandma can’t read the words inside. an endearing story of an award-winning duo who speak loud and clear about learning new things and the love that binds family members.
sfpl summary: grades: k-3. age range: 5-8. When a girl’s distant grandmother arrives to stay, love and patience transcend language in a tender story.
9. I’m new here
three students are immigrants from guatemala, korea, and somalia and have trouble speaking, writing, and sharing ideas in english at their new american elementary school. Through self-determination and with the support of their peers and teachers, students learn to feel safe and comfortable in their new school without losing a sense of their country of origin, language, and identity.
sfpl summary: grades: k-3. age range: 5-8. Three children from other countries (Somalia, Guatemala and Korea) struggle to adjust to their new home and school in the United States, but with happy results.
10. mama’s nightingale
After Saya’s mother is sent to an immigration detention center, Saya finds solace in hearing her mother’s warm greeting on the answering machine. To ease the distance between them while she’s in jail, Mom starts sending Saya bedtime stories inspired by Haitian folklore on cassette tape.
Moved by her mother’s stories and her father’s attempts to reunite her family, Saya writes her own story, one that could bring her mother home forever.
sfpl overview: grades 2-5. age range: 5-8. When Saya’s mother is sent to jail as an undocumented immigrant, she sends her daughter a cassette tape with a song and bedtime story, inspiring Saya to write a story of her own, one that could bring her mother back. home.
11. the jumbies
corinne la mer says she’s not afraid of anything. not scorpions, not the boys who make fun of her, and certainly not jumbies. they are nothing more than tricksters invented by parents to scare their children. Then one night, Ella Corinne chases an agouti into the Forbidden Forest, and her glowing yellow eyes follow her to the edge of the trees. they couldn’t belong to a jumbie. or could they?
sfpl summary: grades: 3-5. age range: 9-12. Eleven-year-old Corinne must use her courage and ancient magic to stop an evil spirit and save her home island in the Caribbean.
12. funny bones
funny bones tells the story of how the funny skulls, skeletons that perform various daily or festive activities, emerged. They are the creation of Mexican artist José Guadalupe (Lupe) Posada (1852-1913). In a country not known for free speech, he first drew political cartoons, to the amusement of the local population but not the politicians.
Juxtaposing his own art with that of Lupe, author Duncan Tonatiuh brings to light the remarkable life and work of a man whose art is loved by many but whose name has remained in the dark.
sfpl summary: ratings: 1-5. age range: 6-10. presents the life of Mexican artist Jose Guadalupe Posada, who became famous for his drawings of skeletons in multiple everyday poses that have been identified with the Mexican Day of the Dead.
13. crazy in alabama
Award recipient Coretta Scott King Gone Wild in Alabama for a Newbery honor and New York Times bestselling author Rita Williams-Garcia tells the story of the Gaither sisters as they travel from the streets of Brooklyn to the rural South to the summer of a lifetime.
sfpl summary: grades: 3-7. age range: 8-12. tells the story of the gaither sisters as they travel from the streets of brooklyn to the rural south for the summer of their lives. this is the third and final book in the one crazy summer series.
14. the deaf
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summary of the deaf: “starting at a new school is scary, especially with a giant hearing aid strapped to your chest! At his old school, everyone in Cece’s class was deaf. here, she is different. she is sure that the children are looking at the phonic ear, the powerful aid that will help her listen to her teacher. she pity that she also seems sure that she repels potential friends.
then cece makes a startling discovery. With the phonic ear, you can hear your teacher not only in the classroom, but anywhere in the school where your teacher is: in the hallway. . . in the teacher’s room. . . in the bathroom! this is power, maybe even superpowers! cece is on her way to becoming the deaf one, the listener of all. but the fun of being a superhero is that it’s just another way to feel different. . . and lonely. Can Cece channel her powers to find what she wants most, a true friend?”
15. sitting bull
Sitting Bull (c. 1831-1890) was one of the greatest Lakota/Sioux warriors and chiefs who ever lived. From childhood as a sitting bull, to him killing his first buffalo at age 10, to being appointed war chief and leading his people against the US. uu. army, sitting bull: lakota warrior and defender of the people of he brings to light the story of the great chieftain.
sfpl overview: grades 3-7. age range: 8-12. a biography that brings to light the history of the great cacique.
16. george
when people look at george, they think they see a boy. but she knows that she is not a child. she knows that she is a girl. george thinks she will have to keep this a secret forever. then her teacher announces that her class play will be charlotte’s web. george really, really, really wants to play charlotte. but the teacher says that she can’t even audition for the part. . . because he is a boy. With the help of her best friend Kelly, George comes up with a plan. not just so she can be charlotte, but so everyone can know who she is, once and for all.
sfpl summary: grades: 3-7. age range: 8-12. when people look at george, they think they see a child. but she knows that she is not a child. she knows that she is a girl.
17. the way home is now visible
Twelve-year-old Chinese-American Peter Lee and his family always shared a passion for baseball, bonding over backlot games and the pittsburgh pirates. But when a devastating tragedy strikes, the family is torn apart and Peter’s mother is paralyzed with grief, drifting further and further away from her family.
sfpl summary: grades: 3-7. age range: 8-12. Peter Lee hopes that if he joins a minor league team, he can rekindle the passion for baseball and the family unit that all of his family members used to share before the death of his older brother. .
18. listen slowly
listen, slowly is a new york times book review notable book and publishers weekly’s best book of the year! This notable and best-selling novel by thanhha lai, author of the rookie honor book and winner of the national book award inside out & Again, she follows a young girl as she learns the true meaning of family.
sfpl summary: grades: 3-7. age range: 8-12. Born and raised in California, Mai is looking forward to spending her vacation at the beach. Instead, she has to travel to Vietnam with her grandmother, who returns to find out what really happened to her husband during the Vietnam War.
19. the invisible child
the invisible child summarizes: “a simple act of kindness can transform an invisible child into a friend. meet brian, the invisible boy. no one in the class seems to notice or think about including him in their group, game, or birthday party, until, that is, a new kid comes to class. when new guy justin arrives, brian is the first to make him feel welcome. And when Brian and Justin team up to work on a class project together, Brian finds a way to shine.
Any parent, teacher, or counselor looking for material that sensitively addresses the needs of quieter children will find The Invisible Child a valuable and important resource. includes a discussion guide and resources to read more.”
20. full moon cicada
This middle grade historical novel is told in poems from Mimi’s perspective over the course of a year in her new town, showing readers that positive change can begin with just one person speaking up.
sfpl summary: grades: 3-7. age range: 8-12. In 1969, Mimi, a twelve-year-old half-black, half-Japanese girl, and her family move to an all-white town in Vermont, where Mimi’s mixed-race background and interest in “youthful” subjects like astronomy make her feel like a stranger.
21. echo
Lost and alone in a forbidden forest, Otto meets three mysterious sisters and is suddenly thrust into a perplexing quest involving a prophecy, a promise, and a harmonica. decades later, friedrich in germany, mike in pennsylvania, and ivy in california, each, in turn, become intertwined as the same harmonica lands in their lives.
every child faces enormous challenges: rescuing a parent, protecting a sibling, keeping the family together. and finally, pulled by the invisible thread of fate, his suspenseful solo stories converge in an orchestral crescendo.
sfpl summary: grades: 5-9. age range: 10-14. Decades after a young boy becomes entwined in a quest based on a prophecy involving three mysterious sisters and a harmonica, three people from different parts of the world face daunting challenges while in possession of the same harmonica.
22. in the footsteps of the crazy horse
The book follows the heroic deeds of the Lakota leader who took up arms against the United States federal government to fight encroachments on the lands and way of life of the Lakota people, including leading a war party to victory in the battle of the little big horn.
Along with Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse was the last Lakota to hand over his people to the US Army. Through his grandfather’s tales of the famous warrior, Jimmy learns more about his Lakota heritage and, ultimately, about himself.
sfpl summary: grades: 5-9. age range: 10-14. A boy travels with his grandfather to learn about his Lakota heritage while visiting significant places in Crazy Horse’s life.
23. x
winner of the 2016 naacp image award for outstanding youth/teensa literary work 2016 coretta scott king author honor book. Co-written by the daughter of Malcolm X, this riveting and revealing novel follows the formative years of the man whose words and actions shook the world.
sfpl summary: grades: 8 and up. age range: 13 and up. By Ilyasah Shabazz, the daughter of Malcolm X and bestselling author of Malcolm Little, a novel based on her father’s formative years.
See Also: Who Is the Dragon Reborn on &x27The Wheel of Time&x27? – Thrillist