16 Diverse Children’s Books for Spring

16 Diverse Children's Books for Spring

Spring is almost here! Which means that it is time to refresh our home library. I have been trying to make a conscious effort to diversify our son’s book selection. When I searched for books with main characters that were minorities, I was having a hard time finding them. A lot of books for Spring either had main characters that are white or animals. Some had no characters at all. So, I decided to compile a list of 16 diverse children’s books for Spring and share them with you.

Diversity in Children’s Literature

Every year, the Cooperative Children’s Book Center releases a report with the amount of children’s and young adult books are written by or about BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color). In their 2019 report, it showed that the majority of children’s book have main characters that are white. There are even more books with animals as the main characters than all of the minority groups together. This needs to change.

Bar Graph Showing Diversity in Main Characters of Children's Books

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List of Diverse Children’s Books for Spring

Here is a list of diverse children’s books for Spring that you can enjoy with your children. Almost all of these books have a minority as the main character. They show diversity among people and inclusion.

In a Garden by Tim McCanna

In a Garden

Written by Tim McCanna

Illustrated by Aimée Sicuro

Grade Level: Preschool-3rd

A little boy closely watches what happens in his community’s garden. Read all about the bugs, animals, and weather in the garden. Watch the garden grow and change through the seasons.

Lola Plants a Garden by Anna McQuinn

Lola Plants a Garden

Written by Anna McQuinn

Illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw

Grade Level: Preschool-Kindergarten

A little girl named Lola wants to grow her own flower garden. Her mom helps her buy and plant seeds. Lola takes care of her flowers and decorates her garden. She shares her beautiful garden with her friends.

Errol's Garden by Gillian Hibbs

Errol’s Garden

Written and Illustrated by Gillian Hibbs

Grade Level: Preschool-3rd

Errol loves to grow plants, but he is running out of space in his apartment. He dreams of having a garden some day. Then, he discovers the empty rooftop of his building and decides to create a rooftop garden. Everyone in the building pitches in to help Errol bring it to life.

City Green by DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan

City Green

Written and Illustrated by DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan

Grade Level: Preschool-3rd

Marcy lives on a city block where there is a neglected vacant lot. She decides to turn it into a garden. Her neighbors join her in transforming this lot into a community garden. She even builds a special bond with one of the neighbors.

The Tree in Me by Corinna Luyken

The Tree in Me

Written and Illustrated by Corinna Luyken

Grade Level: Preschool-3rd

This book is wonderfully illustrated with bright pinks, oranges, and yellows splashed throughout the pages. This poetic book shows how we each have an inner tree with strength and a connection to nature.

The Falling Flowers by Jennifer B. Reed

The Falling Flowers

Written by Jennifer B. Reed

Illustrated by Dick Cole

Grade Level: Preschool-2nd

Mayume’s grandmother surprises her with a trip into the big city in Japan. She takes her to see the Japanese cherry blossom trees in full bloom. Mayume loves her surprise and loves playing in the falling flowers.

A Garden to Save the Birds by Wendy McClure

A Garden to Save the Birds

Written by Wendy McClure

Illustrated by Beatriz Mayumi

Grade Level: Preschool-3rd

Callum and his sister, Emmy, want to learn more about birds. They learn that the number of birds in the world is decreasing, and they decide that they want to help change that. Follow along with the changes that they make in their home and garden and throughout the neighborhood to help the birds.

Ruby's Birds by Mya Thompson

Ruby’s Birds

Written by Mya Thompson

Illustrated by Claudia Dávila

Grade Level: Preschool-3rd

Ruby is a spirited girl who loves everything loud. Then, one day her neighbor takes her for a walk in Central Park and teaches her about bird watching. Ruby learns to be quiet, watch, and listen for birds. Did you know that New York City’s Central Park has over 200 different species of birds living in it or passing through it?

Senorita Mariposa by Ben Gundersheimer

Señorita Mariposa

Written by Ben Gundersheimer

Illustrated by Marcos Almada Rivero

Grade Level: Preschool-3rd

This lyrical book follows along the journey of a monarch butterfly’s migration to Mexico. The book is written in both English and Spanish. The illustrations are vibrant and fun and show the diversity of people along the way.

My Friend Earth by Patricia MacLachlan

My Friend Earth

Written by Patricia MacLachlan

Illustrated by Francesca Sanna

Grade Level: Preschool-Kindergarten

Look at Earth through the eyes of Mother Nature. See the animals, land, sea, weather, and more. This book is beautifully illustrated with flaps and cutouts in the pages to make it more interesting. This book would be perfect to read for Earth Day.

Come On, Rain! by Karen Hesse

Come On, Rain!

Written by Karen Hesse

Illustrated by Jon J. Muth

Grade Level: Preschool-3rd

A little girl is calling for rain as a heat wave takes over the city. The way that the author uses description makes you feel as if you were there and the gorgeous illustrations transport you. As the rain finally comes, the little girl, her friends, and their mothers dance and play barefoot in the rain in the alley.

The Big Umbrella by Amy June Bates and Juniper Bates

The Big Umbrella

Written and Illustrated by Amy June Bates and Cowritten by Juniper Bates

Grade Level: Preschool-3rd

The book is easy to read and is all about inclusion. The umbrella is friendly, protective, and helpful and gathers people of all walks of life within its shelter. It always has room for more.

Who Likes Rain? by Wong Herbert Yee

Who Likes Rain?

Written and Illustrated by Wong Herbert Yee

Grade Level: Preschool-1st

This book follows a little girl on a rainy day to see who likes the rain. Which animals like the rain? Which do not? I love the lyrical rhythm of the book. There are also a lot fun sounds that you can act out.

Rain! by Linda Ashman

Rain!

Written by Linda Ashman

Illustrated by Christian Robinson

Grade Level: Preschool-3rd

This story is about how two different people — one grumpy old man and one happy little boy — experience a rainy day. Follow these two along to see their reactions to the same things. Find out what happens when they meet. The book is an easy read and perfect for little ones.

Puddle by Hyewon Yum

Puddle

Written and Illustrated by Hyewon Yum

Grade Level: Preschool-2nd

On a rainy day, a little boy is bored inside and grumpy that he couldn’t play outside. Then, he creates a rainy day drawing with his mom. Afterwards, they decide to take a walk in the rain. Watch out for the puddles!

Singing in the Rain illustrated by Tim Hopgood

Singing in the Rain

Based on the Song by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown

Illustrated by Tim Hopgood

Grade Level: Preschool-3rd

This beautifully illustrated book follows a diverse group of friends on a rainy day. I love the vibrant rainbow of colors. The story is set to the lyrics of the song “Singing in the Rain.”


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9 thoughts on “16 Diverse Children’s Books for Spring

  1. This looks like a great list of Children’s books! I’ve read one or two of them but definitely need to check out the rest.

    • All of the books are great. My son’s favorite book was “A Garden to Save the Birds.”

  2. We’re all big readers in our family, so we’re always on the lookout for books we can read together. We’ll definitely check some of these out 🙂 Thank you for sharing!

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