K-3 Books | University of Central Florida

This collection contains materials from the DIVerse Families bibliography organized by Grades K-3.

DIVerse Families is a comprehensive bibliography that demonstrates the growing diversity of families in the United States. This type of bibliography provides teachers, librarians, counselors, adoption agencies, children/young adults, and especially parents and grandparents needing to empower their children with materials that reflect their families.

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Stand Beautiful

Chloe Howard

A whimsical and inspiring picture book that encourages children to embrace their own uniqueness and celebrate the differences in others.
Stand Straight, Ella Kate: The True Story of a Real Giant

Kate Klise

Ella Kate Ewing was born in 1872. She started out small, but she just kept on growing. Soon she was too tall for her desk at school, too tall for her bed at home, too tall to fit anywhere. Ella Kate was a real-life giant, but she refused to hide herself away. Instead, she used her unusual height to achieve her equally large dreams. The masterful Klise sisters deliver a touching and inspiring true story about a strong-minded girl who finally embraced her differences. It's the perfect book for every child who has ever felt like an outsider.
Star of the Week: A Story of Love, Adoption, and Brownies with Sprinkles

Darlene Friedman

As her turn to be "Star of the Week" in her kindergarten class approaches, Cassidy-Li puts together a poster with pictures of her family, friends, and pets, and wonders about her birthparents in China.
Steggie's Stutter

Jack Hughes

Steggie has a stutter and sometimes it takes her a bit longer than others to get her words out. Her friends are in a hurry to play a game and rush off without listening to her warning into the Deep, Dark and Scary Forest. Before long, the friends get into trouble and it's up to Steggie to rescue them. But will they listen to her advice?
Stella Brings the Family

Miriam B. Schiffer

Stella brings her two fathers to school to celebrate Mother's Day.
Stewie BOOM! and Princess Penelope: Handprints, Snowflakes and Playdates

Christine Bronstein

At school, Penelope’s teacher encourages the class to play with someone new at recess so that they can see that minds, like handprints and snowflakes, are one of a kind. Penelope chooses Eric and they have so much fun she invites him over for a play-date. Before he arrives, Penelope’s Mom tells her that Eric’s mind is called “on the spectrum,” and so his unique preferences might be different from the ones she’s used to. To prepare, they practice using quiet voices, listening with their eyes, and being flexible. As their play-date unfolds, Penelope and Eric show readers the many ways that families can embrace neuro-diversity.
Still a Family

Brenda Reeves Sturgis

A little girl and her parents have lost their home and must live in a homeless shelter. Even worse, due to a common shelter policy, her dad must live in a men's shelter, separated from her and her mom. Despite these circumstances, the family still finds time to be together. They meet at the park to play hide-and-seek, slide on slides, and pet puppies. While the young girl wishes for better days when her family is together again under a roof of their very own, she continues to remind herself that they're still a family even in times of separation.
Stinky

Ted Staunton

Janice, who really wants to be know as Greer, is a little overweight and more than a little bossy when it comes to struggling to be heard at school. The fact that her parents are separated and she spends half her life living in a trailer at the edge of town visited by skunks that don't hesitate to spray if they hear a sudden noise does not help her self-confidence. Janice wants to get her parents back together in time for her birthday, but this proves harder than she realizes.
Stork M.I.A.

Sandro Isaack

Dad Dad Mom Mom is a picture book series that features the episodes in the lives of Dad and Dad, and Mom and Mom. Its aim is to create a picture book universe for children of Same Gender Couples. STORK M.I.A. is the first volume of this self-published children's book series. It follows the story of Dad and Dad, who were tired of waiting for the Stork, and decided to find her and ask for a baby. They search for the Stork around the world, with the help of Mom and Mom, turning this story into an adventure, rather than a didactic book for children of same gender couples.
Stuck with the Blooz

Caron Levis

When a monster named the Blooz comes to visit, a child copes with emotions in this whimsical debut picture book about having--and getting rid of--the blues.
Stumpkin

Lucy Ruth Cummins

A stemless pumpkin that yearns to be a Halloween jack-o-lantern watches sadly as all of the other pumpkins in the shop are chosen.
Sunday Shopping

Sally Derby

Every Sunday night a young girl and her grandmother go on an imaginary shopping trip using play money and the advertisements in the newspaper as a guide for their purchases.
Swap!

Steve Light

A peg-legged youngster uses his bartering skills to trade for sails, anchors, a ship's wheel and other necessary supplies to fix their ship and make a friend in the process.
Sweet Moon Baby

Karen Henry Clark

The smiling moon watches over a baby girl in China whose parents love her but cannot take care of her, and guides a childless couple that lives far away to the daughter for whom they yearn.
Tanny's Meow

Ursula Ferro

This delightful story begins when Rachel's Mama Mariah discovers an orphan kitten which Rachel's family (two moms, Rachel and her brother, Tim) then adopt. This small 51 page chapter book with black and white illustrations continues with tales of the kitten's adventures, through the seasons, culminating with a big surprise for Rachel. Grandparents, school, and holidays are part of the story.
Tan to Tamarind: Poems About the Color Brown

Malathi Michelle Iyengar

Poems in celebration of brown skin color.
Teddy's Favorite Toy

Christian Trimmer

Teddy's favorite toy has the best manners, and the sickest fighting skills, and the ability to pull off a number of fierce looks. But when his toy goes missing, it turns out there's another woman around who's pretty fierce--it's Teddy's mom, and she will stop at nothing to reunite Teddy with his favorite toy.
Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born

Jamie Lee Curtis

A young girl asks her parents to tell her again the cherished family story of her birth and adoption.
Tell Me a Real Adoption Story

Betty Jean Lifton

A parent tells an adopted child about coming to the family.
Thank You, Mr. Falker

Patricia Polacco

At first, Trisha loves school, but her difficulty learning to read makes her feel dumb, until, in the fifth grade, a new teacher helps her understand and overcome her problem.
That's Like Me!: Stories About Amazing People with Learning Disabilities

Jill Lauren

What do a trapeze artist, an Arctic explorer, and a soccer player have in common? Meet the fifteen kids and adults profiled in That s Like Me!, a collection of first-person accounts of successful people who learn differently. Whether it was reading, math, writing, or speech problems, each person shares his or her inspiring story of facing the challenge of school, while pursuing important goals. An invaluable resource list for adults and students included, as well as a place for kids to write their own success stories.
That's My Daddy and Pop

Tina Rella

That's My Daddy and Pop is the heartwarming story of Jessie, a little girl with two fathers. Jessie doesn't realize that her family isn't 'typical' until a girl in her class asks about her mom. Jessie's Daddy and Pop tell her about the amazing journey they took to adopt her.
The Adventures of Honey & Leon

Alan Cumming

Honey and Leon are rescue mutts who love their dads very much. But their dads often have to go away on glamorous and important business, which worries the dogs. Honey and Leon are done staying home and fretting—they’re off on a dad-protecting adventure! Careful to remain incognito, the two pups shadow their dads on a trip across the sea, keeping them out of danger at every turn! How did they survive without Honey and Leon’s protection for this long?!
The Adventures of Tulip Birthday Wish Fairy

S. Bear Berman

Have you ever wondered what happens to your birthday wishes? Funny or serious, sad or wonderful, every wish gets read by a birthday wish fairy. This year, David wished for something that his wish fairy had never read before: to turn into a girl.
The Alphabet War: A Story about Dyslexia

Diane Robb

When Adam started kindergarten, the teacher wanted him to learn about letters. But "p" looked like "q," and "b" looked like "d." Adam would rather color or mold clay. In first grade, his teacher wanted him to put the letters into words so he could read. That was the beginning of the Alphabet War. "Was" looked like "saw," and "there" looked like "then." Almost everyone else in his class was learning to read, but Adam was fighting a war against letters. In second grade, he had to learn to spell, which was also impossible. Now he was so frustrated he got into trouble and had to go to the principal's office. At last, in third grade, he got the right kind of help. Slowly he began to do better. During fourth grade, he learned that he could excel in other things. That gave him the confidence to take chances with reading. One day he found himself reading a book all by himself.