This resource list is a labor of love that includes publisher's descriptions along with links for more information. Publishing dates may change for a variety of reasons. These books were submitted to us by publishers, authors, and the Helping Kids Rise community.
If you notice a book that fits our mission that is not featured here, please send us an email to let us know. We'll be happy to add them to our Bookshop.
Related Reading: Check out our previous lists here: Gigantic List of Diverse Books Published
A story about a little troublemaker with a big heart from the New York Times bestselling author and noted speaker Luvvie Ajayi Jones
Whoops!
Little Luvvie loves her mom. She loves her sister. And she loves doing nice things for other people.
But what happens when doing something nice means breaking some rules? Little Luvvie is about to find out.
Written by the New York Times bestselling author Luvvie Ajayi Jones with bright, bold art by Joey Spiotto, this funny, sweet story about a bighearted girl with the best of intentions is sure to become a family favorite.
From parents and actors Jazmyn Simon and Dulé Hill comes a picture book filled with beautiful, inspiring affirmations reminding kiddos of their infinite wonder. Perfect for children of any age!
I am worthy. I am loved. I am enough.
Every child, no matter their age, needs to know how loved they are and, more importantly, should love themselves. In this gorgeously illustrated book of affirmations, young readers are told how cherished, deserving, and gifted they are.
In their tender picture book, actors Jazmyn Simon and Dulé Hill tell children about the magic of self-love and standing firm, regardless of outside voices and doubt. Children will feel their confidence grow as they repeat the encouraging words on the page, take in the warm illustrations, and learn to believe in themselves!
The follow-up to the bestselling book The Noisy Classroom, this new adventure explores how creative thinking can lead to fun and unexpected surprises.
Ms. Johnson is a bit, well, odd. So when she announces she's taking the class on a field trip to the natural history museum, one young girl can't help but worry. Everyone at school already knows Ms. Johnson, but what will strangers think of her? As the day of the field trip draws nearer, the girl and her friends decide to hatch a plan for their teacher's sake.
From the same award-winning team who had brought you the first book, The Noisy Classroom Goes to the Museum playfully combines science and humor in this new adventure of Ms. Johnson and her noisy class.
From an award-winning author, a New York Times bestselling artist, and a Coretta Scott King Honor artist, lyrical text about how we are all one is paired with beautiful illustrations of two girls and their families.
If you're a star, I'm a moon.
Together we dream.
When we are together,
we are one.
Two girls--one from a city who lives with her mom, and one who lives by the beach with her dads and brother--come together at a lantern festival in a beautiful story of how we are all one, whether near or far, friend or newcomer.
From an award-winning trio, this celebration of community, friendship, and the natural world features poetic, lyrical text paired with a vibrant visual tale of two characters, each illustrated by a different artist.
A Family Prayer is a beautifully illustrated children's book that celebrates all the family--biological and chosen alike--who keep us safe and teach us to dream
In A Family Prayer, acclaimed novelist Shay Youngblood brings to life the prayer of a little brown girl who finds joy in asking God to keep her family safe. Young readers will celebrate every auntie, cousin, and grandmother in their life. But more than just her biological relatives, each family member is a maternal or paternal archetype, someone in her community who represents the title of mother, father, auntie, and the like.
My sister is a blessing
She keeps my secrets
Braids my hair
And helps me find my way
Sisters are a blessing
Keep them safe from harm
My Auntie is a blessing
She sings sweet songs
Rocks me to sleep
and whispers stories in the dark
Aunties are a blessing
Keep them safe from harm
A Family Prayer champions the age-old wisdom that raising a family takes a village--and that the love of a community runs soul deep.
A day in the park sparks an unlikely connection between a young girl and a street musician without a home. From acclaimed author-illustrator Daria Peoples, Hello, Mister Blue is a powerful picture book that emphasizes the importance of history, bravery, and community.
A young girl always creates special memories when she visits her grandfather. He lets her sip his creamy coffee, they take a stroll through the park, and they play music together. But this time, something unexpected happens: she meets Papa's longtime friend, Mister Blue.
Mister Blue lives outside, and he and his music have always brought Papa's community together. At the end of the day, the young girl has many questions for Papa. Is Mister Blue safe? Scared? Lonely, hungry? With her curiosity and kindness, she can change things for the better, for at least one person and one night.
Featuring a lyrical text, stunning illustrations, and a resonant message, Hello, Mister Blue presents a difficult, universal topic with sensitivity and warmth for the youngest of readers. Every person belongs to a community, and generosity can make a difference for everyone.
A lyrical narration and luminous illustrations tell an uplifting intergenerational story of kindness and confidence, loss and remembrance, with resonance for any child who feels other-than.
"Sora means 'seashell' in Korean," her mother said. "Halmoni always said finding a perfect shell is like receiving a wonderful gift. That's why she suggested we name you Sora."
Every summer, when Sora's Halmoni, or grandmother, visits from South Korea, the two of them take the bus to the beach to search for seashells. While Sora likes to take all of them back with her, Halmoni always leaves the prettiest shell for someone else to find and treasure. As summer turns to fall, Halmoni returns home and Sora starts kindergarten, where some of the kids tease her about her "weird" name. One day, Sora's parents receive a sad call about her grandmother, and Sora feels more lost than ever about who she is and how she fits in. But when her parents reveal the origin of her name, Sora channels a newfound pride and, inspired by Halmoni, combats her peers' hurtful comments by sharing her shells with everyone in her class. This story, told by Helena Ku Rhee and illustrated by Stella Lim, based on art by Ji-Hyuk Kim, speaks to the prevailing power of kindness and will resonate with anyone who's been made to feel different.
When Amy Wu learns about Chinese ribbon dancing, she can't wait to try it out herself in this charming and brightly illustrated fourth installment in the Amy Wu picture book series.
Amy Wu loves to move. From wriggling to shimmying to toe-tapping, she just can't keep still, not when there's music all around her! So when Amy sees Chinese ribbon dancing for the first time, she has to try it out. Only, how can she throw the perfect dance party when she doesn't have the perfect ribbon for her dance?
A special story from Mom may be just the thing to get Amy moving to the music again. Mom may be just the thing to get Amy moving to the music again.
CROWNED by Kahran and Regis Bethencourt is a book designed to foster and encourage imagination, equipping young kings and queens with the creativity and ability to overcome any obstacles in their way.
Filled with stunning photography, these magical tales of the diaspora bring to life past, present, and future visions of Black culture to create a society where all kids are created equal and feel empowered to move in the world as their true authentic self.
Included in the collection:
The Poisoned Apple
Asha the Little Cinder Girl
The Little Mermaid
Sleeping Beauty
Hansel and Gretel
Little Red Riding Hood
Anasi and the Three Trials
Aku The Sun Maker
How the Zebra Got His Stripes
The Legend of Princess Yennenga
John Henry, the Steel Driving Man
The Cloud Princess
And more!
This collection is a must-have for children and parents everywhere and is a joyous celebration of Black beauty and imagination.
An uplifting picture book that reminds children all over the world of God's love for them--affirming their standing in His kingdom and reinforcing their God-given identity.
I am beautifully made and crowned with glory and strength!
I am filled with God's power!
I am building my life on Jesus, the solid rock!
I am not afraid, for the Lord is always with me!
Join children from Haiti, India, Korea, Rwanda, Spain, New Zealand, and many more countries as they each declare God's truth about their identities. Each page is a joyful exploration of how God has uniquely made every child to reveal His glory, but also serves as a beautiful reminder for kids about who they are--and, most important, whom they belong to.
Featuring simple, biblically based affirmative statements and bold and vibrant illustrations, this inspirational celebration of a young believer's identity in Christ is a must-have for every church and Christian family.
A must-read that belongs in every home and classroom, A Day With No Words invites readers into the life of an Autism Family who communicates just as the child does, without spoken language.
The American Library Association Booklist starred review boasts, "The story is written from the boy's first-person perspective, however--a clever choice in that it gives readers a direct look into his mind and reinforces the book's crucial statement that nonverbal people have as many words and as much intelligence as anyone else. Cosgrove's art, throughout, does an amazing job of transporting readers into his perspective, employing various color tones, metaphoric imagery, and 'camera' angles to reflect the deep expressiveness contained in every page [...] through this book, neurotypicals' eyes will be opened, and everyone in Autistic Families will feel seen--and heard."
A Day With No Words is a colorful and engaging picture book for young readers shares what life can look like for families who use nonverbal communication, utilizing tools to embrace their unique method of "speaking."
The story highlights the bond between mother and child and follows them on a day where they use a tablet to communicate with others.
Written by an autistic mother of two autistic sons and the creator behind the popular @Fidgets.and.Fries social media platform and illustrated by Kate Cosgrove, A Day With No Words successfully normalizes communication methods outside of verbal speech and provides representation of neurodiversity and autism in a way that affirms and celebrates.
A picture book edition of the board book about body liberation, offering adults the opportunity to begin important conversations with young children in an informed, safe, and supported way.
Developed by experts in the fields of early childhood and activism against injustice, this topic-driven picture book offers clear, concrete language and beautiful imagery to introduce the concept of BODY LIBERATION. This book serves to celebrate the uniqueness of your body and all bodies and addresses the unfair rules and ideas that currently exist about bodies. It ends with motivational action points for making the world more fair for all!
While young children are avid observers and questioners of their world, adults often shut down or postpone conversations on complicated topics because it's hard to know where to begin. Research shows that talking about issues like race and gender from the age of two not only helps children understand what they see, but also increases self-awareness, self-esteem, and allows them to recognize and confront things that are unfair, like discrimination and prejudice.
These books offer a supportive approach that considers both the child and the adult. Stunning art accompanies the simple and interactive text, and the backmatter offers additional resources and ideas for extending this discussion.
Malaika learns about her father, who came to Canada as a migrant farm worker when she was just a baby and who shared her love of carnival.
Malaika dreams about a man with a basket of fruit and guesses that the dream is about her father. Mummy explains that her daddy passed away long ago, and Grandma decides it's time Malaika knew more about her father's life.
The family drives to a far-off farm where they receive a warm welcome and visit the orchard where Malaika's father picked fruit. The farm workers tell Malaika that her daddy had always dreamed of celebrating carnival there, just like back home. Will Malaika agree to be their Carnival Queen for the harvest festival?
Nadia L. Hohn and Irene Luxbacher have created another compelling story about Malaika, who finds a way to cope with her sadness about her father through their shared love of carnival. Includes an author's note.
From a New York Times bestselling and award-winning creator, this deeply moving story shares valuable lessons about fitting in, standing out, and the beauty of joyful acceptance.
The first picture book written and illustrated by award-winning creator Vashti Harrison traces a child's journey to self-love and shows the power of words to both hurt and heal.
With spare text and exquisite illustrations, this emotional exploration of being big in a world that prizes small is a tender portrayal of how you can stand out and feel invisible at the same time.
Every day is different. Some days everything goes right--you're in the groove and feeling like yourself.
But some days, it's a lot harder to find happy because everything is just blah. Sometimes everything that should be fun just feels . . . flat. A young boy is having one of those dreary days, and nothing seems to help. But after trying his grandmother's way to shake the blues also fails, he discovers that happiness is easiest to find when you're not looking.
This picture book gently reminds readers that it's normal to have happy and sad days and normalizes speaking about emotions and seeking help. Heartfelt and hopeful, the story models emotional intelligence and self-awareness for readers of all ages.
A debut picture book that celebrates self-love, care, and resilience with one of the most widespread plants--the dandelion.
Both a love letter to the dandelion and a call to love ourselves in a difficult world, Âmî Osâwâpikones reminds us that we are not defined as others see us.
Following our young protagonist and the dandelions through the seasons, we are reminded that we are resilient, we are healers, we are funny, and we are loved.
From Newbery Honor author Rajani LaRocca comes a celebration of extended family and summertime fun
Summer is for cousins.
Mom and Dad,
Two uncles, two aunties,
Thatha and Pati,
Seven cousins,
All of us are together.
Ravi can't wait to spend summer vacation at the lake house with his family--especially his cousins! Summer vacation is for days at the beach, long hikes, paddleboarding, and--of course--ice cream. Ravi and his oldest cousin, Dhruv, had the same favorite flavor last year, but everything feels different now.
Dhruv's much taller and his voice is deeper. Ravi's worried that Dhruv won't be interested in spending time with him, the little cousin. The ice cream shop doesn't even have their favorite flavor this year. But on the last night of vacation, the cousins decide to make dinner, and Ravi's in charge of dessert. He only has one special thing in mind!
This picture book all about summertime fun celebrates the resilient bond between extended family members.
Ty makes his I Can Read Comic debut! Featuring a bold comic styling by New York Times bestselling illustrator Niña Mata and a compelling easy-to-read text by Kelly Starling Lyons, this Level One I Can Read Comic is the perfect summertime story for beginning readers!
Celebrate Ty's vivid imagination! Nonstop rain dampens the family's plans to go camping. But with a boost from Ty, the Camp-Out comes out just fine! Rhythmic text, vibrant art, family love, and Black Boy Joy shine on every page of this camping adventure.
Ty's Travels: Camp-Out is a Level One I Can Read Comic, which means it's perfect for shared reading with young readers new to graphic novel storytelling. This is a Guided Reading Level (GRL) J.
Children's author and illustrator Vashti Harrison on new book BIG
Join our community of BOOK LOVERS
