Want to teach your child the importance of diversity? Check out these children’s books about acceptance and embracing our unique traits.
Kids notice the slightest details about others. From the way a person looks, walks, talks and acts, they learn the differences that separate them. They also mention the obvious, even things that may seem socially inappropriate.
But rather than see these traits as divisions, we should celebrate them instead, both in others and in ourselves. Answer with the truth when they ask about other people’s differences, speaking to their level.
For instance, if your child notices her classmate’s different-colored skin, don’t shush her. (That can make it seem like a bad thing, a taboo.) Instead, say, “I know, isn’t she beautiful?”
And sometimes it’s our kids who are different. Maybe your child longs to fit in with her friends, but for whatever reason struggles to do so. Perhaps she isn’t into the same things as other kids her age and you wonder if that’s okay. Or she might even have different abilities that stand out from the crowd.
From social justice to tolerance, reading these picture books can help you discuss these issues on a level she can understand.
Pink Is for Boys reminds us that boys can like pink and princesses and girls can like race cars and trucks. Giraffes Can’t Dance and Perfectly Norman introduce us to characters who don’t fit in yet have their own strengths.
And Whoever You Are reminds us that, despite our different upbringings, we share the same sentiments and emotions.
These children’s books about acceptance — of others and ourselves — remind us to welcome and respect all people.
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Children’s books about acceptance
All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold and Suzanne Kaufman
The Big Umbrella by Amy June Bates and Juniper Bates
Pink Is for Boys by Robb Pearlman and Eda Kaban
The World Needs More Purple People by Kristen Bell and Benjamin Hart
Julian Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love
An ABC of Equality by Chana Ginelle Ewing and Paulina Morgan
Free to Be Elephant Me by Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees
Our Skin by Megan Madison, Jessica Ralli, and Isabel Roxas
Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn by Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham
We Are All Equal by P. Crumble
Perfectly Norman by Tom Percival
Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae
Calvin Can’t Fly by Jennifer Berne
The Cow That Laid an Egg by Andy Cutbill
The Sissy Duckling by Harvey Fierstein
Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox
Freckleface Strawberry by Julianne Moore
Willow by Denise Brennan Nelson
It’s Okay To Be Different by Todd Parr
Suki’s Kimono by Chieri Uegaki
Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed by Mo Willems
The Boy Who Grew Flowers by Jennifer Wojtowicz
Read these next:
- Why We Need to Encourage Our Children’s Interests
- On Accepting Your Children for Who They Are
- How to Help Your Sad Child Handle Their Feelings
- Why We Need to Stop Telling Boys to “Man Up”
- How to Discipline a Child with Autism
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