

And while it would be ideal for children to actually meet people from different backgrounds in person, if that isn’t possible, books can serve as a wonderful next best thing and introduce kids to diverse people, experiences, and cultures. Research on prejudice shows that coming in contact with people who are different from us helps to reduce stereotypes by giving us the opportunity to learn about them and their stories. Diverse books can help cultivate compassion, awareness, and understanding. In a book, they get the chance to see things from a new perspective, in a place they may never go, and live in a culture they may never experience.

Kids need to feel confident in who they are from the earliest stages of development, and normalizing diversity is key to that goal.ĭiverse books are also a great way to allow children to walk in another’s shoes and learn about another’s world and experiences. When kids open a book and see a character that looks, thinks, feels, and loves the way that they do, they feel less alone.

And as the matriarch of a mixed family, it is extremely important for me to provide my kids with books that show diversity so they see kids that look like them and they can relate to in the stories as well. I love watching my kids turn the pages, learn, and get excited as the stories come alive. We hope you’ll add a few of these to your bookshelves or library wishlist!Īs a homeschool mama of three, books are a staple in our house. Today, we have Kathleen White, photographer and Arizona mom of 3 here sharing her family’s 10 favorite diverse nature books for kids.

Or diverse books can also deal with characters that have disabilities. Diversity can be brought out in the character’s background, race, skin color, religion, socio-economic status, or family life as well. Nature is full of color and diversity…children’s books about nature should be, too! Diverse books are incredibly important, not only for children who are looking to see their own lives reflected in literature, but to introduce new thoughts and ideas to all children so they know there is so much more to our beautiful world.
