SJPL Recommends: Antiracist Books for Grades K-2Like this list

43 items

• Do You Even Know Me?

  Faruqi, Reem,

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  Salma is Muslim, an identity she takes pride in. But not everyone understands Salma’s religion the way she does, including news reporters, and even a boy in her class, who bullies Salma for belonging to the culture and faith she loves.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• For Our Daughters

  Nyoko, Mel,

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  A Black mother replaces common misconceptions with empowering statements and lets her daughter know there are no limits to what she can achieve.

• My Powerful Hair

  Lindstrom, Carole, 1964-

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  After generations of short hair in her family, a little girl celebrates growing her hair long to connect to her culture and honor the strength and resilience of those who came before her.

• A Crown for Corina

  Kemp, Laekan Zea,

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  Corina's Abuela helps her select flowers that mean something to Corina from the garden for her Mexican flower crown that she will wear on her birthday, and explains the symbolic meaning of a birthday crown.

• The Masjid Kamal Loves

  Franklin, Ashley,

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  Written in the cumulative style of "The House that Jack Built," this picture book builds a rhythmic list of reasons a young Muslim boy, Kamal, loves going to his masjid on Fridays for Jumu'ah prayer.

• Challah Day!

  Offsay, Charlotte,

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  Follows a family as they make homemade challah bread from the heart. Includes information about challah and a recipe.

• Goodnight Racism

  Kendi, Ibram X.,

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  Illustrations and text show children the language to dream of a better world.

• Dear Black Child

  Rodaah, Rahma,

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  Lyrical and beautifully illustrated, Dear Black Child is an anthem for young, Black readers--one that defiantly centers the endless, joyful possibilities of Black children's futures. Dear Black Child, The universe is vast. So take as much…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Beautiful You, Beautiful Me

  Spillett-Sumner, Tasha, 1988-

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  A simple story exploring the feelings of a mixed heritage child who begins to notice the physical differences between her mother's features and her own. One day, Izzy notices that her skin looks different from her mama's. "Mama," exclaims…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Eyes That Speak to the Stars

  Ho, Joanna,

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  A young Asian boy notices that his eyes look different from his peers' after seeing his friend's drawing of them. After talking to his father, the boy realizes that his eyes rise to the skies and speak to the stars, shine like sunlit rays,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Black Gold

  Obuobi, Laura,

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  When the Universe decides to create a child, she draws from the earth--rich, dark, and full of everything that gives life, including eyes like black star sapphires and full lips to speak the truth. With help from the Sun and the Moon, they…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Black

  the Many Wonders of My World

  James, Nancy Johnson,

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  A girl describes the many wonders of the color black, which is the amalgam of all colors: the starry sky at night, her own black puppy, and even the color of her eyes.

• Our Skin

  a First Conversation About Race

  Madison, Megan,

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  An age-appropriate introduction to the concepts of race, gender, consent and body positivity, developed by early childhood and activism experts, combines clear text with engaging artwork to help the youngest children recognize and confront…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• We Are Still Here!

  Native American Truths Everyone Should Know

  Sorell, Traci,

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  A group of Native American kids from different tribes presents twelve historical and contemporary time periods, struggles, and victories to their classmates, each ending with a powerful refrain: we are still here.

• I Am An American

  the Wong Kim Ark Story

  Brockenbrough, Martha,

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  A timely and important picture book that introduces readers to Wong Kim Ark, who challenged the Supreme Court for his right to be an American citizen.

• Eyes That Kiss in the Corners

  Ho, Joanna,

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  A self-confident and strong young girl recounts how she shares her eyes--and so much more--with her mother, her amah and her little sister.

• In My Mosque

  Yuksel, M. O.,

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  A picture book featuring culturally rich artwork celebrates the joys, rituals, and traditions that are practiced in mosques throughout the world, and includes a glossary and information about many historical and significant mosques.

• Laxmi's Mooch

  Anand, Shelly,

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  After Laxmi's friend Zoe points out the hairs on her lip, Laxmi is very self-conscious until her East Indian parents help her to accept and celebrate her appearance.

• Your Name Is a Song

  Thompkins-Bigelow, Jamilah,

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  Saddened by her classmates' and teacher's mispronunciations of her name, a girl is empowered by her discovery that names are like songs when she and her mom celebrate the musicality of African, Asian, Black-American, Latinx, and Middle…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• I Am Brown

  Banker, Ashok,

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  I am brown. I am beautiful. I am perfect. I designed this computer. I ran this race. I won this prize. I wrote this book. A joyful celebration of the skin you're in--of being brown, of being amazing, of being you.