William’s Doll (1972), written by Charlotte Zolotow and illustrated by William Pene Du Bois, is the story of a little boy named William who wants a doll to nurture like he will nurture his future children. The text opens: “William wanted a doll.” All the ways William will care for […]
Through the Eyes of Om: Exploring Malaysia, written by Sonny Tannan and illustrated by Agus Prajoro, is a sweet story told from the perspective of Om, a young boy with light-brown skin and big brown eyes. Om’s going on his first trip to Malaysia, his mother’s native country, where he […]
Antonio’s Card, written by Rigoberto González and illustrated by Cecilia Concepción Álvarez, was published in 2005 by Children’s Book Press, a non-profit publisher of multicultural children’s literature. The protagonist, a Latinx boy named Antonio, lives with his mother and her partner, Leslie. Antonio’s peers make fun of Leslie, a tall […]
Kimberly Ballou’s When Daronte’s Father Went to Prison is a story told from the point-of-view of Daronte Williams, a young African American boy, who has the perfect life at the beginning of the story. Things quickly unravel and Ballou follows Daronte through the spiral, movingly representing his inner turmoil as […]
The Sissy Duckling (2002), written by Harvey Fierstein and illustrated by Henry Cole, is the story of Elmer, a little boy Duck who loves to build, paint, cook, and play make-believe. Elmer is quite happy, even though he spends a lot of time playing alone – not quite fitting in […]
A lot of stereotypical representations inevitably make their way onto young readers’ bookshelves. Elizabeth Rhodes’ Feminism is for Boys challenges near ubiquitous gender stereotypes by providing an accessible introduction to feminism. The first page proudly declares: “Feminism is for Everyone… Including Boys!” Bright images of children with many different complexions […]
A Gift from Greensboro, a poem by Quraysh Ali Lansana, illustrated in black and white with meaningful splashes of color by Skip Hill, is a joyful story about a friendship between a black boy and a white boy in the segregated South. The two friends race their bicycles through Greensboro, […]
The Origin of Day and Night (2018), written by Paula Ikuutaq Rumboltand and illustrated by Lenny Lishchenko, is an Inuit tale passed orally from generation to generation. It’s the story of a fox who can only see to find food at night and a hare who can only see to […]
Ballerino Nate (2006), written by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley with pictures by R.W. Alley, tells the story of a young boy named Nate who becomes fascinated with ballet after seeing a student performance. He decides he wants to be a ballerina, but his slightly older brother tells him ballerinas are all […]
Let the Children March, written by Monica Clark-Robinson and illustrated by Frank Morrison, is a brilliant and bold children’s picture book that brings the Birmingham Children’s Crusade of 1963 to life for young readers. In the South, Jim Crow laws enforced segregation, which led to unequal access to education, employment, […]
Raise Them Righteous 