The Diverse Families bookshelf was created and funded through numerous grants. Due to lack of additional grants and the loss of key personnel, the project has come to an end. We have tremendously enjoyed creating this database and hope that it can help bring readers and books together.
Browse by Race & Culture:
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Merrow
Ananda Braxton-Smith
Enduring whispers about her absent mother's alleged merrow origins after her father drowns, twelve-year-old Neen questions her identity as she becomes increasingly torn between the worlds of the sea and her island home.
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Mexican Whiteboy
Matt de la Peña
Sixteen-year-old Danny searches for his identity amidst the confusion of being half-Mexican and half-white while spending a summer with his cousin and new friends on the baseball fields and back alleys of San Diego County, California.
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Mia's Family (All Kinds of Families)
Elliot Riley
Easy reader introduces a young girl and her two moms, highlighting their family dynamics, volunteer work, and celebrating diversity.
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Midnight Without a Moon
Linda Williams Jackson
Rose Lee Carter, a thirteen-year-old African-American girl, dreams of life beyond the Mississippi cotton fields during the summer of 1955, but when Emmett Till is murdered and his killers are unjustly acquitted, Rose is torn between seeking her destiny outside of Mississippi or staying and being a part of an important movement.
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Migrant
Jose Manuel Mateo
A Mexican boy tells of his journey to the U.S. with his family. They must face many dangers to cross the border, only to experience the uncertainty felt by all illegal immigrants. The narrative is accompanied by one long, beautifully vivid illustration reminiscent of pre-Hispanic codices, packaged as an accordion-style foldout frieze.
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Milly and the Macy's Parade
Shana Corey
It's 1924 and the holidays are approaching. Milly lives in NYC with her Polish family and frolics daily in holiday displays at the Macy's store under the watchful eye of Mr. Macy. But Milly's family misses their homeland and traditions. In an effort to cheer people up, Milly convinces Mr. Macy to combine old country traditions with new American heritage in a celebration for all to enjoy. Everyone agrees that the resulting parade will become a wonderful new tradition. This heartwarming story beautifully captures the creation of a uniquely American event.
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Miss Bridie Chose a Shovel
Leslie Connor
Miss Bridie immigrates to America in 1856 and chooses to bring a shovel, which proves to be a useful tool throughout her life.
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Missing in Action
Dean Hughes
While his father is missing in action in the Pacific during World War II, twelve-year-old Jay moves with his mother to small-town Utah, where he sees prejudice from both sides, as a part-Navajo himself and through an unlikely friendship with Japanese American Ken from the nearby internment camp.
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Mitzi Tulane: What's That Smell?
Lauren MacLaughlin
Mitzi Tulane uses her detective skills to discover her own birthday cake.
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Mixed Blessing: A Children's Book About a Multi-Racial Family
Marsha Cosman
A young son discovers he does not have exactly the same skin colour as either parent. He questions this revelation and his parents explain using animals during a visit to the zoo. A candid look at children of mixed race and multiculturalism learning about their identity for the first time through a colourful illustrative story.
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Mixed Heritage: Your Source for Books for Children and Teens About Persons and Families of Mixed Racial, Ethnic, and/or Religious Heritage
Catherine Blakemore
Presents annotated lists of juvenile books on individuals and families with mixed ethnic, religious, and racial identities.
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Mixed Me!
Taye Diggs
Mom and Dad say I'm a blend of dark and light: "We mixed you perfectly, and got you just right." Mike has awesome hair. He has LOTS of energy! His parents love him. And Mike is a PERFECT blend of the two of them. Still, Mike has to answer LOTS of questions about being mixed. And he does, with LOTS of energy and joy in this charming story about a day in the life of a mixed-race child.
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Mixed Me: A Tale of a Girl Who is Both Black and White
Tiffany Catledge
Little Mixie wonders why everyone wants to know WHAT she is. Isn't it obvious? She is clearly a human being. And anyway, isn't WHO she is what matters most? Coming from a family with a black dad and a white mom makes her extra special, and maybe a little different too. But different is good. Mixie embraces her uniqueness and determines to be the best "Me" she can be.
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Mixed: My Life in Black and White
Angela Nissel
A look at growing up biracial in America in an interracial family, the complications of her parents' divorce and her move to an all-black neighborhood, and how she learned to define herself and embrace all aspects of her background.
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Mixed: Portraits of Multiracial Kids
Kip Fulbeck
From beloved writer and artist Kip Fulbeck, author of Part Asian, 100% Hapa, this timely collection of portraits celebrates the faces and voices of mixed-race children. At a time when 7 million people in the U.S. alone identify as belonging to more than one race, interest in issues of multiracial identity is rapidly growing. Overflowing with uplifting elements including charming images, handwritten statements from the children, first-person text from their parents, a foreword by Dr. Maya Soetoro-Ng (President Obama's sister), and an afterword by international star Cher (who is part Cherokee) this volume is an inspiring vision of the future.
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Molly Bannaky
Alice McGill
Relates how Benjamin Banneker's grandmother journeyed from England to Maryland in the late seventeenth century, worked as an indentured servant, began a farm of her own, and married a freed slave.
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Mommy Far, Mommy Near: An Adoption Story
Carol Antoinette Peacock
Elizabeth, who was born in China, describes the family who has adopted her and tries to sort out her feelings for her unknown mother.
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Mommy's Heart went Pop: An Adoption Story
Christina Kyllonen and Peter Greer
International adoptions have steadily increased over the past decade, yet there is a surprising lack of resources to introduce the beauty of adoption to children. Adopted children want to know their story. Siblings want to know what to expect. Parents want to know how to convey the deep love they feel. Mommy's Heart Went POP! is a children's book that brings the beauty of international adoption to the entire family through a simple story of love for a child.
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Monicka's Papa is Tall
Heather Jopling
Monicka's Papa and Daddy are different in many ways. See how their family puzzle fits together! This comparative book of opposites highlights the differences between Monicka's Papa and Daddy while using a puzzle motif to create a picture of families in the new millennium.
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More More More Said the Baby
Vera B. Williams
Three babies are caught up in the air and given loving attention by a father, grandmother, and mother.
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Moses Goes to a Concert
Isaac Millman
When Moses and his class of hearing-impaired students go on a field trip to a concert, they meet the orchestra's deaf percussionist, in a story that includes signed phrases and the manual alphabet.
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Moses Goes to School
Isaac Millman
A day at a school for the deaf is like a day at any school. Moses goes to a special school, a public school for the deaf. He and all of his classmates are deaf or hard-of-hearing, but that doesn't mean they don't have a lot to say to each other! They communicate in American Sign Language (ASL), using visual signs and facial expressions. Isaac Millman follows Moses through a school day, telling the story in pictures and written English, and in ASL, introducing hearing children to the signs for some of the key words and ideas. At the end is a favorite song -- "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" -- in sign!
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Moses Goes to the Circus
Isaac Millman
Moses, who is deaf, has a good time with his family at the circus, where they communicate using sign language. Includes illustrations of some of the signs they use.
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Moses Sees a Play
Isaac Millman
Moses and his classmates, who are deaf or hard of hearing, attend a play at their school, and Moses makes a new friend from another class.
