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:
Interracial
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My Brother's Husband, Volume 1
Gengoroh Tagame
Yaichi is a work-at-home suburban dad in contemporary Tokyo; formerly married to Natsuki, father to their young daughter, Kana. Their lives suddenly change with the arrival at their doorstep of a hulking, affable Canadian named Mike Flanagan, who declares himself the widower of Yaichi's estranged gay twin, Ryoji. Mike is on a quest to explore Ryoji's past, and the family reluctantly but dutifully takes him in. What follows is an unprecedented and heartbreaking look at the state of a largely still-closeted Japanese gay culture: how it's been affected by the West, and how the next generation can change the preconceptions about it and prejudices against it.
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My Family is Forever
Nancy Carlson
A young girl recounts how she came to be part of an adoptive family.
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My Friend Has Dyslexia
Amanda Doering Tourville
My friend Anna has a disability called Dyslexia. But that doesn't matter to us. We play catch, help each other with our homework, and collect food for our local food shelf. I'm glad Anna is my friend! Explains some of the challenges and rewards of having a friend with dyslexia using everyday kid-friendly examples.
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My Mei Mei
Ed Young
Antonia gets her wish when her parents return to China to bring home a Mei Mei, or younger sister, for her.
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My Mom Is a Foreigner, But Not to Me
Julianne Moore
A heartwarming new picture book about cultural diversity and the love of mums from the bestselling author and award-winning actress Julianne Moore!
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My Most Excellent Year
Steve Kluger
Three teenagers in Boston narrate their experiences of a year of new friendships, first loves, and coming into their own.
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My New Family: A First Look at Adoption
Pat Thomas
Explains adoption, the feelings of insecurity that such a situation may cause, and the nature of biological parents, adoptive parents, and foster parents.
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My Two Grandads
Floella Benjamin
Aston's granddad Harry plays the trumpet in a brass band, while Grandad Roy plays the steel drum in a steel band. But only one band can play at Aston's summer fair at school...Which band should Aston choose? Or can he find a way to bring everyone together?
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My Two Grannies
Floella Benjamin
When her two grannies want to eat different meals and tell their own stories, how can Alvina make everyone happy?
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Night Music
Jenn Marie Thorne
Ruby and Oscar are caught up in a romance despite very different backgrounds and her having given up on music, while he is the protégé of her father, a renowned composer.
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Nora & Kettle (Paper Starts #1)
Lauren Nicolle Taylor
Set in 1953, Nora & Kettle explores the collision of two teenagers facing extraordinary adversity. Kettle, an orphaned Japanese American, is struggling to make a life in the aftermath of an event in history not often referred to--the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II and the removal of children from orphanages for having "one drop of Japanese blood in them." Nora, the daughter of a civil rights lawyer who is building a compensation case for the interned Japanese Americans, is barely surviving her violent home and dreams of a life outside of the brownstone walls. Their meeting is inevitable, devastating and ultimately healing.
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No Tildes on Tuesday
Cherrye S. Vasquez
Isabella never wanted to learn to speak Spanish. But when her parents announce that they are moving the family to a predominantly Mexican-American neighborhood, Isabella becomes desperately afraid that she won't be able to fit in and grudgingly agrees to start Spanish lessons with her abuela. But the lessons aren't as easy as she thought they would be. Abuela is a strict teacher and the words are a lot more difficult to memorize than Isabella thought they would be, so at the goading of her best friend she decides to put a stop to them. Through a runaway adventure, a visit to her father in the hospital, and an introduction to a new kind of friend, Isabella comes to realize that Spanish may not be as bad as she thought, and that being able to communicate with people who share her heritage could be invaluable. Follow Isabella and author Cherrye Vasquez on a challenging journey of culture, family, and communication that just might change your mind about having No Tildes on Tuesday.
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Now That I'm Here
Aaron Meshon
A little boy describes what his parents' lives were like before he was born ... and how much more fun-filled they are now that he's here
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Of Many Colors: Portraits of Multiracial Families
Gigi Kaeser and Peggy Gillespie
Based on an award-winning photo exhibit, this collection of interviews and photographs documents the feelings and experiences of "thirty-nine families who have bridged the racial divide through interracial marriage or adoption."
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Ojiichan's Gift
Chieri Uegaki
A young girl finds a way to give the gift of a traditional Japanese garden back to her beloved grandfather and accept a difficult change.
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Olu's Dream
Shane W. Evans
Olu begs his father to be allowed to stay up and finish a project, but his father insists that he go to sleep, promising that he can have fun overnight, too.
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One Family
George Shannon
A family can be many things, in this story that introduces numbered groups from one to ten.
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One Word from Sophia
Jim Averbeck
Sophia tries varied techniques to get the giraffe she wants more than anything in this story about the nuances of negotiation. Sophia has one true desire for her birthday. But she has Four Big Problems in the way: Mom, Dad, Uncle Conrad ... and Grand-mama. Will her presentations, proposals, and pie charts convince them otherwise? Turns out, all it takes is one word.
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Open Mic: Riffs on Life Between Cultures in Ten Voices
Mitali Perkins
Let's face it: Talking about race can be difficult. It's a slippery subject, rife with as many perspectives as there are people in the world. But laughter gets us talking. It has the power to break down barriers and draw us closer together. In Open Mic, acclaimed author and speaker Mitali Perkins invites us to listen in as ten authors for young adults-some familiar, some new-step up to the mic and share their stories about what it's like growing up between cultures.
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Oscar's Half Birthday
Bob Graham
To celebrate his half birthday, Oscar, his parents, and his sister go out for a picnic. Oscar is six months old today, but the truth is that no one can wait for his whole birthday. So there's nothing else for Mom and Dad to do but pack some sandwiches, park Oscar in his stroller, and take older sister Millie-handmade fairy wings attached-to the "half country" of their urban park for a half-birthday party.
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Our Baby from China: An Adoption Story
Nancy D'Antonio
An American couple goes to China to adopt a baby.
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Our Son, a Stranger: Adoption Breakdown and its Effects on Parents
Marie Adams
In 1973 Marie and Rod Adams, brimming with idealism and keenly aware of the plight of disadvantaged aboriginal children, adopted Tim, a young Cree boy, two and one-half years old. Tim began displaying severe behavioural problems almost immediately, problems that, despite their efforts to find help, only became worse over the years. He left home at the age of twelve and died on the streets when he was twenty-one.
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Out of Darkness
Ashley Hope Perez
Loosely based on a school explosion that took place in New London, Texas in 1937, this is the story of two teenagers: Naomi, who is Mexican, and Wash, who is black, and their dealings with race, segregation, love, and the forces that destroy people.
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Over The River and Through the Woods: A Holiday Adventure
Linda Ashman
The classic song gets a fresh new twist! The fun begins when Grandma and Grandpa send invitations to their far-flung, modern, and multiracial family: Come to our house for the holidays! As each family faces an obstacle that delays their trip, they learn that sometimes the most old-fashioned form of transportation works best... neigh!
