The second post in my Multicultural Book List series showcases non-narrative picture books that don’t really have a protagonist and feature a diverse cast of people. These are picture books aimed primarily at toddlers and preschoolers. These are all books that have read and include illustrations of people of various skin colors, racial and ethnic identities, disabilities, and family structures. If you know of a book you would like to see on this list, please leave a comment below.
Ages 1-3
- Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury
- Everywhere Babies by Susan Meyers, illustrated by Marla Frazee
- The Babies on the Bus by Karen Katz
- If You’re Happy and You Know It by Laura Freeman
- Whoever You Are by Mem Fox
- Ten Tiny Babies by Karen Katz
- Now I’m Big by Karen Katz
- Touch and Tickle by Sanja Rešček
- Flip-a-Face: Baby Talk by Sami
- What a Wonderful World by George David Weiss and Bob Theile, illustrated by Ashley Bryan
- Ten, Nine, Eight by Molly Bang
- Clap Hands by Helen Oxenbury
- Feelings by Susan Canizares
- Sleepy ABC by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Karen Katz
- My Nose, Your Nose by Melanie Walsh
Ages 4-6
- Brothers and Sisters by Ellen B. Senisi
- Toys Galore by Peter Stein, illustrated by Bob Staake
- If You’re Happy and You Know It, by Anna McQuinn, illustrated by Sophie Flatus
- Animal Boogie by Debbie Harter
- Bread, Bread, Bread by Anne Morris, photographs by Ken Heyman
- Hats, Hats, Hats by Anne Morris, photographs by Ken Heyman
- Houses and Homes by Anne Morris, photographs by Ken Heyman
- Smiling by Gwenyth Swain
- Wash Up by Gwenyth Swain
- Only You by Robin Cruise, Illustrated by Margaret Chodos-Irvine
If you like this post, you may also like my list of Picture Books with Protagonists of Color.
The Many Hats of Celeste Bocchicchio-Chaudhri 