+
upworthy
Most Shared

20 empowering children's books that celebrate diversity and social justice.

For many of us, stories shape our world — starting from a young age.

Books can take us to places we've never been. They teach us how other people think, live, dream, and thrive.

Make believe hits overdrive with "Alice in Wonderland." Image by iStock.


And stories that highlight diversity, fairness, and empathy can even change people's minds about tough issues.

But while fiction books with diverse casts of characters are on the rise overall, many books still don't include any specific cultural content. And according to data from the Cooperative Children's Book Center, parents and teachers are still more likely to find a book starring an adventurous animal or automobile than a child of color.

Illustration by David Huyck in consultation with Sarah Park Dahlen and Molly Beth Griffin.

After the election, kids (and their families) need to see examples of diversity and fairness more than ever. In the weeks immediately following the presidential election, the Southern Poverty Law Center recorded more than 700 incidents of harassment, intimidation and violence around the country. It's happening at schools, places of worship, businesses, and on the street.

That’s why hundreds of children's authors and illustrators joined forces to stand up to fear and bigotry with stories.

From the dollhouse to the White House, kids need to see themselves and people from diverse backgrounds and experiences saving the day, working hard, loving fiercely, and overcoming obstacles.

Image by iStock.

These creative professionals signed their names to a powerful statement that promises to work harder to bring more diverse kids stories to the world. The statement was written by the founders of the Brown Bookshelf, a site that signal boosts African-American authors and illustrators.

Together, these writers and illustrators pledged to use their talents "to help eliminate the fear that takes root in the human heart amid lack of familiarity and understanding of others; the type of fear that feeds stereotypes, bitterness, racism, and hatred; the type of fear that so often leads to tragic violence and senseless death."

These authors and illustrators will "plant seeds of empathy, fairness, and empowerment through words and pictures." They'll be ink and paper reminders that each life is valuable and precious, regardless of origin, skin color, religion, gender, or orientation.

The list of pledgers includes several notable authors, illustrators, and influencers too.

National Book Award recipient Jacqueline Woodson; best-selling author Daniel José Older;Newbery Medal winner Marilyn Nelson;and author/actor/host LeVar Burton all pledged their support. As of this writing, the statement is supported by more than 700 authors and illustrators.

Quotation from Woodson's "Brown Girl Dreaming." Woodson at the 32nd Annual Lab School of Washington Gala honoring Outstanding Achievers with Learning Differences. Photo by Riccardo Savi/AP.

Their mission is incredible, and fighting hate with empathy in stories and books has never been more important.

To start, here's a list of books for children of all ages that promote diverse experiences, kindness, hope. and empathy. I can't wait to see the new books that will join these ranks in the coming year.

Image designed by Michael Calcagno, Upworthy.

Preschoolers (ages 2-4)

"Counting on Community" by Innosanto Nagara

"I Know a Lot!" by Stephen Krensky, illustrated by Sara Gillingham

"Round Is a Tortilla: A Book of Shapes" by Roseanne Thong, illustrated by John Parra

Little Kids (ages 5-7)

"This Day in June" by Gayle E. Pitman, illustrated by Kristyna Litten

"Last Stop on Market Street" by Matt de la Peña, illustrated by Christian Robinson

"I Love Saturdays y domingos" by Alma Flor Ada, illustrated by Elivia Savadier

"Fish for Jimmy: Inspired by One Family's Experience in a Japanese American Internment Camp" by Katie Yamasaki

Big Kids (ages 8-9)

"Emmanuel’s Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah" by Laurie Ann Thompson, illustrated by Sean Qualls

"Thunder Boy Jr." by Sherman Alexie, illustrated by Yuyi Morales

"Penny and the Magic Puffballs" by Alonda Williams, illustrated by Tyrus Goshay

"Inside Out and Back Again" by Thanhha Lai

Tweens (ages 10-12)

"Cool Salsa: Bilingual Poems on Growing Up Latino in the United States" edited by Laurie M. Carlson

"Ghost" by Jason Reynolds

"Flying Lessons & Other Stories" edited by Ellen Oh

"The Tequila Worm" by Viola Canales

"One Crazy Summer" by Rita Williams-Garcia

Teens (ages 13+)

"Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" by Benjamin Alire Saenz

"I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World (Young Readers Edition)" by Malala Yousafzai, with contributions from Patricia McCormick

"March: Book 1" by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, illustrated by Nate Powell

"American Born Chinese" by Gene Luen Yang

Whether you're a parent, teacher, or just someone who wants to make sure the next generation arrives at adulthood being empathetic and kind, that all begins with stories.

There's never a bad time to let children know how loved and valued they are. Change starts now.

A pitbull stares at the window, looking for the mailman.


Dogs are naturally driven by a sense of purpose and a need for belonging, which are all part of their instinctual pack behavior. When a dog has a job to do, it taps into its needs for structure, purpose, and the feeling of contributing to its pack, which in a domestic setting translates to its human family.

But let’s be honest: In a traditional domestic setting, dogs have fewer chores they can do as they would on a farm or as part of a rescue unit. A doggy mom in Vancouver Island, Canada had fun with her dog’s purposeful uselessness by sharing the 5 “chores” her pitbull-Lab mix does around the house.

Keep ReadingShow less

A nasty note gets a strong response.

We've all seen it while cruising for spots in a busy parking lot: A person parks their whip in a disabled spot, then they walk out of their car and look totally fine. It's enough to make you want to vomit out of anger, especially because you've been driving around for what feels like a million years trying to find a parking spot.

You're obviously not going to confront them about it because that's all sorts of uncomfortable, so you think of a better, way less ballsy approach: leaving a passive aggressive note on their car's windshield.

Satisfied, you walk back to your car feeling proud of yourself for telling that liar off and even more satisfied as you walk the additional 100 steps to get to the store from your lame parking spot all the way at the back of the lot. But did you ever stop and wonder if you told off the wrong person?

Keep ReadingShow less
Innovation

A student accidentally created a rechargeable battery that could last 400 years

"This thing has been cycling 10,000 cycles and it’s still going." ⚡️⚡️

There's an old saying that luck happens when preparation meets opportunity.

There's no better example of that than a 2016 discovery at the University of California, Irvine, by doctoral student Mya Le Thai. After playing around in the lab, she made a discovery that could lead to a rechargeable battery that could last up to 400 years. That means longer-lasting laptops and smartphones and fewer lithium ion batteries piling up in landfills.

Keep ReadingShow less
Health

8 nontraditional empathy cards that are unlike any you've ever seen. They're perfect!

Because sincerity and real talk are important during times of medical crisis.

True compassion.

When someone you know gets seriously ill, it's not always easy to come up with the right words to say or to find the right card to give.

Emily McDowell — a former ad agency creative director and the woman behind the Los Angeles-based greeting card and textile company Emily McDowell Studio — knew all too well what it was like to be on the receiving end of uncomfortable sentiments.

At the age of 24, she was diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin's lymphoma. She went into remission after nine months of chemo and has remained cancer-free since, but she received her fair share of misplaced, but well-meaning, wishes before that.

On her webpage introducing the awesome cards you're about to see, she shared,

"The most difficult part of my illness wasn't losing my hair, or being erroneously called 'sir' by Starbucks baristas, or sickness from chemo. It was the loneliness and isolation I felt when many of my close friends and family members disappeared because they didn't know what to say or said the absolute wrong thing without realizing it."

Her experience inspired Empathy Cards — not quite "get well soon" and not quite "sympathy," they were created so "the recipients of these cards [can] feel seen, understood, and loved."

Scroll down to read these sincere, from-the-heart, and incredibly realistic sentiments.

Keep ReadingShow less
Health

This woman's powerful 'before and after' photos crush myths about body positivity

"Body positivity is about saying that you are more than a body and your self-worth is not reliant on your beauty."





Michelle Elman, a body positivity coach, helps people who are struggling to find confidence in their own skin.

After persevering through numerous medical conditions and surgeries in her own life, Elman realized a few years ago that body positivity wasn't just about size or weight. Things like scars, birthmarks, and anything else that makes us feel different of self-conscious have to be a part of the conversation, and she tries to make the movement accessible to everyone.

Sharing her own journey has been one of her most effective teaching tools.

Keep ReadingShow less
via wakaflockafloccar / TikTok

It's amazing to consider just how quickly the world has changed over the past 11 months. If you were to have told someone in February 2020 that the entire country would be on some form of lockdown, nearly everyone would be wearing a mask, and half a million people were going to die due to a virus, no one would have believed you.

Yet, here we are.

PPE masks were the last thing on Leah Holland of Georgetown, Kentucky's mind on March 4, 2020, when she got a tattoo inspired by the words of a close friend.

Keep ReadingShow less