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.

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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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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?

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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!

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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