Direct Diversity

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  M or F?

  Lisa Papademetriou and Christopher Tebbetts

  Gay teen Marcus helps his friend Frannie chat up her crush online, but then becomes convinced that the crush is falling for him instead.

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  Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress

  Christine Baldacchino

  Morris is a little boy who loves using his imagination. But most of all, Morris loves wearing the tangerine dress in his classroom's dress-up center. The children in Morris's class don't understand. Dresses, they say, are for girls. And Morris certainly isn't welcome in the spaceship some of his classmates are building. Astronauts, they say, don't wear dresses. One day when Morris feels all alone and sick from their taunts, his mother lets him stay home from school. Morris dreams of a fantastic space adventure with his cat, Moo. Inspired by his dream, Morris paints the incredible scene he saw and brings it with him to school. He builds his own spaceship, hangs his painting on the front of it and takes two of his classmates on an outer space adventure.

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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.

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  Motherbridge of Love

  Xinran .

  Featured in Time Magazine's Top Ten Children's Books of 2007, this beautiful poem celebrates the bond between parent and adopted child in a special way. Through the exchanges, between a little girl born in China and her adoptive parent, this title offers a poignant and inspiring message to adoptive parents and children all over the world.

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  Mother Number Zero

  Marjolijn Hof, Johanna W. Prins, and Johanna Henrica Prins

  When Fay meets a fascinating girl named Maud who asks him what it is like to be adopted, he finds himself wondering about his Bosnian birth-mother and why she gave him up, so with the help of his parents he sets out to answer his questions.

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  Mountain Dog

  Margarita Engle

  When Tony's mother is sent to jail, he is sent to stay with a great uncle he has never met in Sierra Nevada. It is a daunting move―Tony's new world bears no semblance to his previous one. But slowly, against a remote and remarkable backdrop, the scars from Tony's troubled past begin to heal.With his Tió and a search-and-rescue dog named Gabe by his side, he learns how to track wild animals, is welcomed to the Cowboy Church, and makes new friends at the Mountain School. Most importantly though, it is through Gabe that Tony discovers unconditional love for the first time.

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  Mountains to Climb

  Richard M. Wainwright

  Roberto spends two years in the U.S. with his one-eyed llama and overcomes prejudice against him and two physically disabled students.

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  Muktar and the Camels

  Janet Graber

  Muktar lives in an orphanage on the border of Kenya and Somalia. He daydreams about his old life with his family and especially tending to camels. One day, visitors arrive bearing books, and Muktar's friend Ismail is excited; so is Muktar, but for a different reason—the visitors are riding on camels. Muktar quickly discovers that one of the animals is injured and realizes this is his chance to prove himself. If there is anything Muktar knows, it is camels. Through the eyes of an endearing protagonist whose love and respect for animals shines, this beautifully told story introduces young readers to another part of the world and way of life.

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  Multiethnic Teens and Cultural Identity

  Barbara Cruz

  Discusses the many issues facing teens of multiethnic descent, including discrimination and the search for ethnic identity in an unsympathetic culture.

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  Multiracial Families

  Julianna Fields

  Describes the benefits and challenges multiracial families face in today's society, including cultural and religious differences, societal views on intermarriage, and multiracial adoption.

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  Multiracial Families (Families Today)

  Hilary W. Poole

  Explores the benefits and challenges multiracial families face in today's society.

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  Mummy and Mumma Get Married

  Roz Hopkins and Natalie Winter

  Phoebe wonders why her mummies aren't married. With her trusty sidekick, Biscuit the cat, she plans a big surprise wedding. Soon, the whole town is in on it and they are all coming along! But what about You-Know-Who? This gorgeous children's picture book tells a timeless tale about a little girl planning a big surprise - a wedding - for her parents, but with a contemporary twist as her parents are both women. With a child's innocence, the little girl, Phoebe, doesn't understand the obstacles and can't see prejudice. She soon has everyone on her side.

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  Murphy's Three Homes: A Story for Children in Foster Care

  Jan Levinson Gilman

  A dog describes the emotional ups and downs of being in multiple foster homes and living in unfamiliar surroundings. Includes note to parents.

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  Mustafa

  Marie-Loise Gay

  After leaving his war-torn country with his family, Mustafa visits a park near his new home and finds beautiful flowers, lady bugs, fall leaves, and finally, a friend.

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  My Adopted Child, There's No One like You

  Kevin Leman and Kevin Leman II

  When Panda has to make a family tree for school, his mother explains how he came to be adopted, and how very special that makes him.

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  My Almost Flawless Tokyo Dream Life

  Rachel Cohn

  On her sixteenth birthday, Elle Zoellner leaves the foster care system to live with the father she never knew in Tokyo, Japan.

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  My Beautiful Birds

  Suzanne Del Rizzo

  A moving story about one boy's refugee experience in the Syrian Civil War and the birds who help him on the road to emotional healing. Behind Sami, the Syrian skyline is full of smoke. The boy follows his family and all his neighbours in a long line, as they trudge through the sands and hills to escape the bombs that have destroyed their homes. But all Sami can think of is his pet pigeons - will they escape too? When they reach a refugee camp and are safe at last, everyone settles into the tent city. But though the children start to play and go to school again, Sami can't join in. When he is given paper and paint, all he can do is smear his painting with black. He can't forget his birds and what his family has left behind. One day a canary, a dove, and a rose finch fly into the camp. They flutter around Sami and settle on his outstretched arms. For Sami it is one step in a long healing process at last.

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  My Best Friend, Maybe

  Caela Carter

  Colette's life is near-perfect, if boring, so when her ex-best friend, Sadie, asks her to come on vacation to the Greek Islands for a family wedding, Colette agrees but is surprised to learn Sadie's true reason for the invitation.

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  My Body Belongs to Me

  Jill Starishevsky

  Presented in story format and narrated by a young child in rhyming couplets, this short book encourages children who have been sexually abused to talk to someone they trust.

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  My Brother Bernadette

  Jacqueline Wilson

  Sara tries to take care of her younger brother when he is teased and called Bernadette at summer camp, but he finds an activity that he enjoys and that gives him the chance to shed his new nickname for good.

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  My Brother, Matthew

  Mary Thompson

  Though David knows frustration and resentment at times, he feels he understands his disabled little brother even better than his parents; and together the two boys experience a great deal of joy.

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  My Brother’s Husband, Vol. 2

  Gengoroh Tagame

  As Mike continues his journey of discovery concerning Ryoji's past, Yaichi gradually comes to understand that being gay is just another way of being human. And that, in many ways, remains a radical concept in Japan even today. In the meantime, the bond between Mike and young Kana grows ever stronger, and yet he is going to have to return to Canada soon--a fact that fills them both with impending heartbreak.