Multicultural Celebrations: 9 Diverse Children's Books to Get Excited about this Holiday Season

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The holiday season is fast approaching - oh how time flies! Before you know it, these wonderfully diverse books will be sitting on bookshelves everywhere. If these gorgeous covers are any indication of how engaging these stories will be, it's safe to say we have something to get excited about!

Whether it's gathering together after a big meal or grabbing a book just before bed, these picture books will make a great addition to any holiday celebration. Which picture books are you looking forward to adding to your bookshelf?

A cumulative all-holiday carol packed to the brim with family, food, love, and Black joy, especially perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, graduations, and all family celebrations.

Every holiday, aunties, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and neighbors come over to eat, sing, and celebrate life. But all our main character can think about is the sweet potato pie Granny makes just for her. As tables fill with baked macaroni and cheese, chitlins, and other sides a-steaming, she and Granny move the pie to keep it intact. The task becomes tricker as the room grows with dancing and card games and pie cravings. Just when all seems lost and there's no more pie, Granny pulls out a sweet surprise.

Written to the tune of "The Twelve Days of Christmas," Twelve Dinging Doorbells is exuberant. Author Tameka Fryer Brown's cumulative rhyme is impossible to resist, and the humorous details in Ebony Glenn's cut-paper collage will welcome readers to this party again and again. (October 18, 2022)

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An empowering holiday picture book by Meena Harris, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Ambitious Girl.

Amalia the Elf loves everything about making teddy bears . . .

Watching Grandma and Mama sew!

Feeling the soft, velvety fur!

Imagining the bears in their new homes!

. . . except the bear-making part.

Worried about disappointing her family, Amalia goes straight to Santa for advice. But it's Mrs. Claus who knows how to solve Amalia's problem--and who needs help with a secret of her own.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Meena Harris, The Truth About Mrs. Claus is an empowering story about being true to yourself, honoring family traditions, and believing in Christmas magic. (October 18, 2022)

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Explore harvest festivals from around the globe! Lyrical, rhyming text and lush, detailed artwork from Italian artist Martina Peluso immerse young readers in some of the most ancient traditions in the world. Nine pages of rich, educational endnotes dive deep with more information about the 12 cultures explored in the book and invite young readers to ask questions about food and the labor that produces it. (September 20, 2022)

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Count along in celebration of Diwali, the Indian Festival of Lights, in this luminous picture book from bestselling mother-son duo Surishtha and Kabir Sehgal.

Count up to ten and back down again to the tune of "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe" while learning about the traditions that make Diwali a fun-filled festival! Celebrated during autumn harvest, Diwali symbolizes the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. From sweet treats to intricate henna designs to exciting firework displays, kids will delight in this vibrant glimpse into the Festival of Lights. (September 6, 2022)

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A little girl helping her grandmother prepare a holiday meal learns about the origins of soul food in this powerful picture book that celebrates African American cuisine and identity from an award-winning author.

Know what I like most about Grandma's kitchen?

More than jambalaya? More than sweet potato pie? Even more than pralines?

Grandma's stories! Every meal Grandma cooks comes with a story.

What will today's story be?

While visiting her grandma in Louisiana, nine-year-old Frances is excited to help prepare the New Year's Day meal. She listens as Grandma tells stories--dating back to the Atlantic Slave Trade--about the food for their feast. Through these stories, Frances learns not only about the ingredients and the dishes they are making but about her ancestors and their history as well.

A celebration of the stories that connect us, this picture book urges us to think about the foods we eat and why we eat them. This book was inspired by the author's own childhood and includes her family's very own recipe for pralines in the back! (September 6, 2022)

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