Teachers of young children at Lowell know how vital it is to help children as they develop their identities, experience people’s many differences, and learn to form caring friendships and communities. One of the many ways they dive into this important work is through books. Second grade teacher April Green explains, “Using literature is critical to this work with young children because it allows us to broach new or challenging topics in age appropriate ways.”
Kindergarten teacher Tasha Jackson-Jones adds, “For children, it is crucial that they see adults celebrating difference. Children will naturally gravitate toward commonality. We want them to develop confidence in and appreciation for unique experiences and perspectives, and in order to do that we need to normalize ‘difference.’” Books can provide both a reflection of who we are and windows into the lives of others.
Getting the Conversation Going
Parents, too, can use books to jump-start conversations with young children about “all of the parts that make us who we are” (identity), “what is fair and unfair” (social justice), and “how we can change things we believe are unjust” (activism).
Lowell’s Kindergarten through 2nd grade teachers have developed the following lists of go-to books for exploring these concepts with children. Some of the books are on more than one list, as they can be discussed from multiple angles. The lists are by no means exhaustive; teachers adjust the lists each year in response to the questions and experiences that children bring forth. And, teachers are always looking to expand their lists! The books listed here were chosen with the following criteria in mind:
- The language is age-appropriate
- Children are often featured as main characters
- Portrayals of people avoid stereotypes
- The stories are relatable to children
Here are a few conversation starters you can use as you turn the pages of these wonderful books with your child:
- How do you think that character felt when . . .?
- What would you have done differently if you were in that situation?
- What do you notice about this (character)/(action)/(situation)?
Kindergarten Books
ABC I Like Me! Nancy Carlson
A Chair for My Mother, Vera B. Williams
Chrysanthemum, Kevin Henkes
Click Clack Moo, Doreen Cronin
Duck for Turkey Day, Jacqueline Jules
Heather Has Two Mommies, Leslea Newman
I Am Jazz, Jessica Herthel
It’s Okay to be Different, Todd Parr
Last Stop on Market Street, Matt de la Peña
Little Blue and Little Yellow, Leo Lionni
One Family, George Shannon
Red, Michael Hall
Same, Same but Different, Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw
Stella Brings the Family, Miriam B. Schiffer
Tango Makes Three, Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
The Colors of Us, Karen Katz
The Day the Crayons Quit, Drew Daywalt
The Dot, Peter H. Reynolds
The Family Book, Todd Parr
The Name Jar, Yangsook Choi
The Skin You Live In, Michael Tyler
Those Shoes, Maribeth Boelts
Whoever You Are, Mem Fox
Who’s in a Family? Robert Skutch
Wolfie the Bunny, Ame Dyckman
Worm Loves Worm, JJ Austrian
You Are (Not) Small, Anna Kang
You Were Loved Before You Were Born, Eve Bunting
Zero, Kathryn Otoshi
1st Grade Books
ABC I Like Me! Nancy Carlson
A Chair for My Mother, Vera B. Williams
All I Want to Be is Me, Phyllis Rothblatt
Chrysanthemum, Kevin Henkes
Click Clack Moo, Doreen Cronin
Elmer, David McKee
How Full is Your Bucket, Tom Rath
I Am Jazz, Jessica Herthel
It’s Okay to be Different, Todd Parr
Jacob’s New Dress, Sarah and Ian Hoffman
Last Stop on Market Street, Matt de la Peña
Lena Likes Lizards, Liza Dora
My Name is Yoon, Helen Recorvits
Red, Michael Hall
Ruby Bridges, Robert Cole
Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation, Duncan Tonatiuh
Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun: Having the Courage To Be Who You Are, Maria Dismondy
The Colors of Us, Karen Katz One, Kathryn Otoshi
The Day the Crayons Quit, Drew Daywalt
The Name Jar, Yangsook Choi
The Skin You Live In, Michael Tyler
Those Shoes, Maribeth Boelts
Whoever You Are, Mem Fox
2nd Grade Books
Click Clack Moo, Doreen Cronin
Emmanuel’s Dream, Laurie Ann Thompson
Giant Steps to Change the World, Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee
Ghandi, Demi
I Am Jazz, Jessica Herthel
It’s Okay to be Different, Todd Parr
Last Stop on Market Street, Matt de la Peña
Mandela, Kadir Nelson
Matchbox Diary, Paul Fleischman
Moses Goes to a Concert (and other books in the series), Isaac Millman
My Brother Charlie, Holly Robinson Peete and Ryan Elizabeth Peete
Red, Michael Hall
Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation, Duncan Tonatiuh
Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down, Andrea Davis Pinkney
The Colors of Us, Karen Katz
The Day the Crayons Quit, Drew Daywalt
The Librarian of Basra, Jeanette Winter
Who Are You: The Kid’s Guide to Gender Identity, Brook Pessin-Whedbee
Book lists courtesy of: Kindergarten Teacher Tasha Jackson-Jones and 2nd Grade Teachers April Greene and Kristin Peck
