Leo: A Ghost Story

Mac Barnett

A heartening parable of seeing through difference, meeting the unfamiliar with friendliness, and dignifying the reality of the other:

Pecan Pie Baby

Jacqueline Woodson

Lovely children’s book celebrating diversity, single moms, and the power of community from the winner of the 2014 National Book Award:

Umbrella

Taro Yashima

Umbrella – a tender illustrated love letter to time, anticipation, and the art of waiting by mid-century Japanese illustrator Taro Yashima, and a refreshing touch of diversity in children’s books to this day

Happy Birthday, Madame Chapeau

Andrea Beaty

Here is a book about an independent middle-aged woman who defies the still-prevalent stigma against singletons and is financially self-sufficient by her own creative labor, who is white and services a wealthy black client, and who is helped into the dénouement of her challenge not by a patronizing Prince Charming but by a little black girl dressed in preppy plaid.

A sweet reminder that however different the hats we wear may be, we are united by a common thread of goodwill, subtly subverting cultural stereotypes in a celebration of diversity.