In the month of February, love is in the air. We love to celebrate Carnival, Valentine's Day and more with these amazing Diverse Picture Books About Love in our classrooms and homes, and hope you will too.
Comment below with other love-filled books to help our readers diversify
their bookshelves at home and in the classroom!
• Diverse Picture Books About Love •
A charming story about a young girl who loves fixing automobiles with her grandfather on the warm grounds of Jamaica, Natasha Tripplett's debut picture book is a perfect pick for fans of My Papi Has a Motorcycle and The Old Truck.
Ju-Girl's favorite days are the ones spent with Granddad in his garage, fixing cars and hearing stories about his old blue pickup.
Granddad used to drive the blue pickup all over the island, bringing happiness to many. And now it just sits in the driveway.
One day, Ju-Girl asks Granddad if he'd ever fix it, and he's unsure at first. But the pair soon finds out just what it takes to restore the memory of the blue pickup and to create new stories along the way.
This heartwarming layered tale, brought to life with lush illustrations by Monica Mikai (Thank a Farmer), reminds us about the joy of repairing things with our hands and preserving stories with our hearts.
THE BLUE PICKUP
Written by Natasha Tripplett and Illustrated by Monica Mikai
Published by HarperCollins
LOVE, LAH LAH
Caribbean soca artist, Nailah Blackman, invites you to shimmy, fete, and spread the joy of Carnival with Lah Lah and her grandfather in this vibrant and heartwarming story set in Trinidad & Tobago!
Come on, Come on
Carnival is waiting!
It's Carnival morning, and Lah Lah is awake bright and early, ready to take part in the festivities of the day. Join Lah Lah and her papa as they dance through the streets of Trinidad and Tobago, cheer on the King and Queen of the Carnival parade, and end with a grand performance onstage!A moving and lyrical tribute to Nailah Blackman's grandpa Ras Shorty I, the creator of soca music, which blends African and East Indian rhythms, Love, Lah Lah thrums with the colors and the beat of Carnival.
LOVE, LAH LAH
Written by Nailah Blackman and Illustrated by Jade Orlando
Published by Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
CIRCLE OF LOVE
Everyone is welcome in the circle.
In this warmhearted book, we join Molly at the Intertribal Community Center, where she introduces us to people she knows and loves: her grandmother and her grandmother's wife, her uncles and their baby, her cousins, and her treasured friends.
They dance, sing, garden, learn, pray, and eat together. And tonight, they come together for a feast! Molly shares with the reader how each person makes her feel–and reminds us that love is love.
Through tender prose and radiant artwork, author Monique Gray Smith (Cree/Lakota) and illustrator Nicole Neidhardt (Diné) show how there is always room for others in our lives. Circle of Love is a story celebrating family, friends, community, and, most of all, love.
Includes an author's note, contextual notes, and glossary.
A CIRCLE OF LOVE
Written by Monique Gray Smith and Illustrated by Nicole Neidhardt
Published by Heartdrum
CUTE TOOT
An explosive ode to the love and bonds of sisterhood, the time-honored tradition of hide and seek, and the hilarious gas we pass.
Everyone knows attics are the best place to play hide and seek on a rainy day. That is, unless your stomach is rumbling with a bubbly gas that you absolutely cannot keep in. When Baby sister lets one sneaky fart slip out, she betrays her hiding spot and begins the most phenomenal fart fest this attic has ever seen…
A battle of the good, the bad and the stinky, young readers will surely revisit Cute Toot time and again, improving their various mouth fart sounds with each read.
Published by Henry Holt and Co.
DREAM STREET
Visit a truly special street bursting with love, joy, hope, and dreams. Inspired by the neighborhood where they grew up as cousins, this gorgeous picture book from an award-winning illustrator and critically acclaimed author is the perfect gift or keepsake for every generation.
Welcome to Dream Street–the best street in the world! Jump rope with Azaria–can you Double Dutch one leg at a time? Dream big with Ede and Tari, who wish to create a picture book together one day. Say hello with Mr. Sidney, a retired mail carrier who greets everyone with the words, “Don't wait to have a great day. Create one!” On Dream Street, love between generations rules, everyone is special, and the warmth of the neighborhood shines.
A magical story from the critically acclaimed author of Nana Akua Goes to School and a Caldecott Honor and Coretta Scott King Award winning illustrator. Illuminating this vivid cast of characters are vibrant, joyful illustrations that make this neighborhood–based on the Roxbury neighborhood in Boston where the author and illustrator grew up together as cousins–truly sing. This book is a perfect way for parents to share with their children the importance of community.
DREAM STREET
Written by Tricia Elam Walker and Illustrated by Ekua Holmes
Published by Anne Schwartz Books
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Bethany Edwards is an elementary educator as well as a reading and literacy specialist. On Biracial Bookworms, she focuses on multiracial and multicultural resources for teaching literacy skills using reading, travel, and learning multiple languages. Additionally, she offers online and self-paced courses for parents and caregivers on Biracial Bookworms Academy.
Connect with Bethany on Biracial Bookworms
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