We love to recommend diverse books for you to read all year long, but the votes are in and we want to share our list of absolute favorites of the year. Grab one of our Top 10 Diverse Children's Books of 2024 to share with the children in your life before we ring in the new year.
Comment below with other new titles to help our readers
find new favorites for their bookshelves at home
and in the classroom!
•Top 10 Diverse Children's Books of 2024•
How does a kid grow up to become a scientist? This enthralling nonfiction picture book from New York Times bestselling author Kate Messner explores the unexpected beginnings behind some of the most fascinating discoveries in scientific history.
Before the world's great scientists were scientists, they were, in fact, doing all the things kids do:
Taking things apart,
putting things together,
gazing up at the night sky,
drawing, imagining, building, and exploring.
Things that scientists do, too.This book of unexpected beginnings powerfully shows that the great scientists of the future could be practically anyone . . . including you. Written by Kate Messner, bestselling author of the acclaimed Over and Under nature book series and more than fifty books for young readers, and beautifully illustrated by Julia Kuo, this is a book to gift to any curious kid interested in STEM topics, fascinated by scientific discoveries, and inspired by biographies of people whose work has had an impact on the world.
THE NEXT SCIENTIST
Written by Kate Messner and Illustrated by Julia Kuo
Published by Chronicle Books
MY MAMA IS A WORK OF ART
Celebrate tattooed moms with this delightful, loving, and inclusive picture book.
A young boy whose mama is tattooed from head to toe discovers that beauty in the world is subjective and learns to value difference when he sees the world through the lens of his creative mother–a living work of art. Author-illustrator Hana Acabado crafts a celebratory and colorful picture book of accepting differences and sharing one's unique story with the world.
MY MAMA IS A WORK OF ART
Written and Illustrated by Hana Acabado
Published by Rp Kids
A 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.
A CIRCLE OF LOVE
Written by Monique Gray Smith and Illustrated by Nicole Neidhardt
Published by Heartdrum/HarperCollins
THE BLUE PICKUP
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
HAIR OIL MAGIC
A beautiful picture book about the joyful magic in the tradition of hair oiling and a celebration of the bond between parent and child.
Meenu loves Magic Hair Days, when Mommy mixes sweet-smelling oils together and massages the potion into Meenu's scalp and hair. It always leaves Meenu with a fuzzy, magical feeling. And after bath time, when Mom washes the oils out, Meenu's hair is soft and shining.
When Meenu decides one day to mix the oils without any help, she discovers something's wrong: No matter how many oils she mixes, the magic just isn't there!What is she missing? But when Mommy comes to help, massaging Meenu's head, the fuzzy, magical feeling returns! Was it really in the oils, or something else? Inspired by Anu Chouhan's own memories and family, this author-illustrator debut is a lovely depiction of a cultural tradition and a delightful story that emphasizes that magical bond between parents and children.
HAIR OIL MAGIC
Written and Illustrated by Anu Chouhan
Published by Bloomsbury Publishing
Gather the midnight strands,
tend the roots that gave you life,
weave hopes into pathways–
paths that lead you home.Day after day, Nemy sows seeds, pulls weeds, and strips leaves in the sugarcane plantation where she is enslaved. But one night, she follows a woman called Big Mother to a hidden shack. There, she finds a group of women braiding each other's hair. But these are no ordinary braids. Hidden in each elaborate pattern is a secret–a message signaling their intent to flee and a map to guide them in their escape. Will the paths these courageous women weave bring Nemy to a new home where she can be free?
A picture book of love, liberation, and legacy inspired by the true story of enslaved African women in Colombia braiding maps to freedom.
FREEDOM BRAIDS
Written by Monique Duncan and Illustrated by Oboh Moses
Published by Latana Publishing
CICELY TYSON
From New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Renée Watson and quilt artist Sherry Shine comes a biography for children chronicling the life of an iconic and trailblazing actress who left an indelible mark on the world through her roles onscreen, from The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman to Sounder, Roots, and more.
Cicely Tyson was born in New York City to parents originally from the Islands. No matter where she was, Cicely always carried light within her, a light that she let shine. After many years of discovering herself, Cicely finally found where her light could shine the brightest and touch others: in film.
Spinning gorgeous verse, and weaving in the history of Black America, Watson beautifully introduces children to Cicely’s world–the world that shaped a woman who went on to bring unparalleled grace to the stage and screen. Young readers will be inspired by Cicely Tyson’s life and adult fans will marvel at this stunning keepsake.
CICELY TYSON
Written by Renée Watson and Illustrated by Sherry Shine
Published by Amistad Books for Young Readers
ALREADY ALL THE LOVE
In this gorgeous board book, when thoughts of a baby's future start to pull at a parent's attention, they pause to reflect on the joy, wonder, and love already overflowing in their lives. This gentle, calming text will help any caregiver slow down and marvel at the remarkable baby in front of them.
ALREADY ALL THE LOVE
Written by Diana Farid and Illustrated by Shar Tuiasoa
Published by Little Bee Books
AMIL AND THE AFTER
Published by Kokila Books
Don’t miss the Educator’s guide for AMIL AND THE AFTER from Penguin Classroom. 
Perfect for fans of The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise and Merci Suárez Changes Gears, Sing It Like Celia is a revelatory story about a Mexican American girl who finds her voice and herself with the help of her role model and icon, Celia Cruz.
Twelve-year-old Salva Sanchez has always been a fan of Celia Cruz, also known as “the queen of salsa.” Her love of Celia stems from her mother, who leaves Salva without explanation one awful day. Now Salva is stuck with her investigative journalist father in an RV campground. In the middle of nowhere.
As Salva acclimates to her new environment and desperately tries to figure out why her mother left, she befriends a posse of campground kids who have started a band. When the kids discover that Salva has an amazing singing voice, they convince her to join their group. Soon, Salva learns how to find her voice–and herself–with the help of her newfound friends, her dad, and the one and only Celia Cruz.
SING IT LIKE CELIA
Written by Mónica Mancillas
Published by PenguinRandomHouse
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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.
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