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This is a list of multicultural books for children - picture books through elementary chapter books. A good multicultural book should:
- present the character's culture accurately and sensitively;
- feature marginalized protagonists or protagonists of color;
- empower children of different ethnic backgrounds;
- have strong literary merit.
Books that do not meet these criteria are subject to removal from this list, as there are many books out there that feature characters of ethnicity, but are not respectful toward their culture.
- present the character's culture accurately and sensitively;
- feature marginalized protagonists or protagonists of color;
- empower children of different ethnic backgrounds;
- have strong literary merit.
Books that do not meet these criteria are subject to removal from this list, as there are many books out there that feature characters of ethnicity, but are not respectful toward their culture.
Score
A book’s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book.
| 401 |
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One Grain of Rice: A Mathematical Folktale
by
4.31 avg rating — 3,189 ratings
score: 67,
and
1 person voted
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| 402 |
|
The Fantastic Adventures of Krishna
by
3.87 avg rating — 132 ratings
score: 66,
and
1 person voted
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| 403 |
|
Gandhi
by
3.96 avg rating — 301 ratings
score: 65,
and
1 person voted
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| 404 |
|
The Family Nobody Wanted
by
4.31 avg rating — 1,679 ratings
score: 64,
and
1 person voted
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| 404 |
|
Liang and the Magic Paintbrush
by
4.06 avg rating — 390 ratings
score: 64,
and
1 person voted
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| 406 |
|
Indian Summer
by
3.46 avg rating — 72 ratings
score: 63,
and
1 person voted
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| 407 |
|
Flying the Dragon
by
Natalie Dias Lorenzi (Goodreads Author)
3.86 avg rating — 1,133 ratings
score: 62,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 408 |
|
Day of Tears (Coretta Scott King Author Honor Title)
by
4.15 avg rating — 4,260 ratings
score: 61,
and
1 person voted
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| 408 |
|
The Great Wall of Lucy Wu
by
Wendy Wan-Long Shang (Goodreads Author)
4.02 avg rating — 2,901 ratings
score: 61,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 410 |
|
My Friend the Enemy
by
3.95 avg rating — 110 ratings
score: 60,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 411 |
|
Muhammad
by
3.96 avg rating — 263 ratings
score: 59,
and
1 person voted
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| 412 |
|
Little Mamá Forgets
by
3.90 avg rating — 67 ratings
score: 58,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 412 |
|
Thin Wood Walls
by
David Patneaude (Goodreads Author)
3.78 avg rating — 815 ratings
score: 58,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 414 |
|
Red Berries, White Clouds, Blue Sky
by
3.96 avg rating — 1,741 ratings
score: 57,
and
1 person voted
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| 414 |
|
The Girl Who Drew a Phoenix
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3.74 avg rating — 176 ratings
score: 57,
and
1 person voted
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| 416 |
|
Tutankhamun
by
3.93 avg rating — 129 ratings
score: 56,
and
1 person voted
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| 417 |
|
The Last Cherry Blossom
by
Kathleen Burkinshaw (Goodreads Author)
4.18 avg rating — 1,042 ratings
score: 55,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 417 |
|
The Greatest Power
by
3.99 avg rating — 182 ratings
score: 55,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 419 |
|
Freedom Songs
by
Yvette Moore (Goodreads Author)
3.69 avg rating — 32 ratings
score: 54,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 420 |
|
Buddha Stories
by
3.99 avg rating — 102 ratings
score: 53,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 421 |
|
The Freedom Maze
by
Delia Sherman (Goodreads Author)
3.86 avg rating — 1,134 ratings
score: 52,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 422 |
|
Yard War
by
3.90 avg rating — 225 ratings
score: 51,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 422 |
|
The Magic Pillow
by
3.89 avg rating — 188 ratings
score: 51,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 424 |
|
Talking to God: Prayers for Children from the World's Religions
by
3.77 avg rating — 22 ratings
score: 50,
and
1 person voted
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| 425 |
|
Noodle Pie
by
3.47 avg rating — 142 ratings
score: 49,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 426 |
|
Making Friends with Billy Wong
by
Augusta Scattergood (Goodreads Author)
3.86 avg rating — 320 ratings
score: 48,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 426 |
|
Mother Teresa
by
4.14 avg rating — 176 ratings
score: 48,
and
1 person voted
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| 428 |
|
Buddha
by
4.17 avg rating — 175 ratings
score: 47,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 429 |
|
Liberty
by
Kirby Larson (Goodreads Author)
4.01 avg rating — 298 ratings
score: 46,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 429 |
|
The Boy Who Painted Dragons
by
4.01 avg rating — 226 ratings
score: 46,
and
1 person voted
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| 431 |
|
Faith, Hope, and Ivy June
by
3.92 avg rating — 4,558 ratings
score: 45,
and
1 person voted
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| 431 |
|
The Hungry Coat: A Tale from Turkey
by
4.22 avg rating — 352 ratings
score: 45,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 433 |
|
In the Eyes of the Cat : Japanese Poetry for All Seasons
by
3.85 avg rating — 68 ratings
score: 44,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 434 |
|
Kimchi & Calamari
by
3.64 avg rating — 1,402 ratings
score: 43,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 434 |
|
The Great Voyages of Zheng He
by
4.13 avg rating — 63 ratings
score: 43,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 436 |
|
Genghis Khan
by
4.28 avg rating — 103 ratings
score: 41,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 437 |
|
The Emperor's New Clothes: A Tale Set in China
by
3.82 avg rating — 111 ratings
score: 39,
and
1 person voted
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| 438 |
|
Happy, Happy Chinese New Year!
by
3.74 avg rating — 129 ratings
score: 37,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 439 |
|
The Dalai Lama: Foreword by His Holiness The Dalai Lama
by
4.24 avg rating — 106 ratings
score: 36,
and
1 person voted
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| 440 |
|
The Greatest Treasure
by
4.18 avg rating — 148 ratings
score: 35,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 441 |
|
The Legend of Lao Tzu and the Tao Te Ching
by
3.84 avg rating — 110 ratings
score: 34,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 442 |
|
Rumi: Whirling Dervish
by
4.12 avg rating — 139 ratings
score: 33,
and
1 person voted
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| 443 |
|
The Stonecutter
by
3.94 avg rating — 93 ratings
score: 32,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 444 |
|
The Magic Tapestry: A Chinese Folktale
by
4.16 avg rating — 56 ratings
score: 31,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 445 |
|
Mary
by
3.90 avg rating — 49 ratings
score: 30,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 446 |
|
Jesus
by
3.94 avg rating — 47 ratings
score: 29,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 447 |
|
Life of a Genius: Su Dongpo
by
3.87 avg rating — 38 ratings
score: 28,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 448 |
|
The Dragon's Tale and Other Animal Fables of the Chinese Zodiac
by
3.83 avg rating — 59 ratings
score: 27,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 449 |
|
Kites: Magic Wishes That Fly Up to the Sky
by
3.88 avg rating — 50 ratings
score: 26,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 450 |
|
The Donkey and the Rock
by
3.53 avg rating — 79 ratings
score: 25,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 451 |
|
The Shady Tree
by
3.78 avg rating — 190 ratings
score: 24,
and
1 person voted
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| 452 |
|
Daisy Comes Home
by
3.94 avg rating — 904 ratings
score: 23,
and
1 person voted
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| 453 |
|
Mouse Match: A Chinese Folktale
by
4.14 avg rating — 35 ratings
score: 22,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 454 |
|
Who Was Frederick Douglass?
by
April Jones Prince (Goodreads Author)
4.31 avg rating — 672 ratings
score: 18,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 455 |
|
A Picture Book of Frederick Douglass (Picture Book Biography)
by
3.96 avg rating — 99 ratings
score: 17,
and
1 person voted
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| 456 |
|
Sojourner Truth: American Abolitionist
by
W. Terry Whalin (Goodreads Author)
3.96 avg rating — 111 ratings
score: 16,
and
1 person voted
|
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| 457 |
|
A Picture Book of Sojourner Truth (Picture Book Biography)
by
3.96 avg rating — 76 ratings
score: 15,
and
1 person voted
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| 458 |
|
What Is Hanukkah?
by
3.77 avg rating — 13 ratings
score: 12,
and
1 person voted
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| 459 |
|
Hanukkah For Kids
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it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings
score: 11,
and
1 person voted
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| 460 |
|
Ramadan
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3.81 avg rating — 96 ratings
score: 10,
and
1 person voted
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| 461 |
|
My First Ramadan
by
3.85 avg rating — 161 ratings
score: 9,
and
1 person voted
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| 462 |
|
A Sweet Passover
by
Lesléa Newman (Goodreads Author)
3.87 avg rating — 85 ratings
score: 8,
and
1 person voted
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| 463 |
|
The Passover Lamb
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3.84 avg rating — 107 ratings
score: 7,
and
1 person voted
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| 464 |
|
Brothers in Hope: The Story of the Lost Boys of Sudan
by
4.25 avg rating — 613 ratings
score: 4,
and
1 person voted
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| 465 |
|
Hang a Thousand Trees with Ribbons
by
3.88 avg rating — 2,970 ratings
score: 2,
and
1 person voted
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Liz
1329 books
138 friends
138 friends
Donna-Lee
508 books
39 friends
39 friends
Susan
4296 books
50 friends
50 friends
Jacqueline
1056 books
384 friends
384 friends
Dolly
16136 books
66 friends
66 friends
Dori Jones
221 books
31 friends
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2168 books
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3975 books
71 friends
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More voters…
Comments Showing 1-5 of 5 (5 new)
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message 1:
by
Donna
(last edited Feb 08, 2013 05:41PM)
(new)
Feb 08, 2013 05:21PM
To what age are you headed here? Do you want primary/picture books only, or are books for young adults also considered? Also, I don't know who added the Amityville Horror, but it should be removed.
reply
|
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Are you kidding me? FIVE CHINESE BROTHERS on a "multicultural" list of children's books?This list is "multicultural" in the way that White Castle hamburgers are "beef": Barely, and not in a way that anyone should be exceedingly proud of.
Tad, you forgot to talk about the ballad to sensitivity that is Tikki Tikki Tembo.
A lot of these books don't really meet what I'd hope a quality list of multicultural books would be. I'm going to be adding a description and removing books that are straight-up racist as opposed to good books featuring characters of color. Bear with me while I work on this!
Thaddeus wrote: "Are you kidding me? FIVE CHINESE BROTHERS on a "multicultural" list of children's books?This list is "multicultural" in the way that White Castle hamburgers are "beef": Barely, and not in a way t..."
Yes thank you for that response. As a child my teacher read the Five Chinese Brothers to our class and I enjoyed it. I was innocent and didn't realize how wrong this book was. Fast forward years later as an adult I thought I would pick up a book I enjoyed as a child and was disgusted at how racist it was. It reminds me of Mickey Rooney's foul portrayal of an Chinese man in Breakfast at Tiffany's. I wonder if my teacher didn't realize how insensitive this book was for Asian children. I want to become a teacher one day and I will introduce my students to books on diversity. This book will NOT be on my list.
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Adam Fites reads, writes, and makes his home in Seattle. He works in the library of a public school in nearby Kent, where he was the 2023–2024...
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