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.

Browse by Grade Level:

Printing is not supported at the primary Gallery Thumbnail page. Please first navigate to a specific Image before printing.

Switch View to Grid View Slideshow

We are Adopted

Jennifer Moore-Mallinos

An adopted girl welcomes her baby brother whom her parents have also adopted from Russia, and she describes the reasons for adoption, what life is like as an adopted child, and her interactions with other adopted children.
We Are Family

Patricia Hegarty

Explore the differences and similarities of eight families in this gentle, rhyming picture book.
Wednesday, A Walk in the Park

Phylliss DelGreco, Jaclyn Roth, and Kathryn Silverio

Jessie spends a glorious day in the park with Grandpa, frolicking, in the falling leaves, swinging on the swings, and encountering a variety of other people. In the ordinary course of walking and talking and playing, Grandpa imparts his wisdom and love of life, and Jessie see in him what she hopes to be. "Wednesday, A Walk in the Park" is the third book in The Jessie Books series, which offers an inspiring story for each day of the week, featuring a precocious little girl who lives with her two moms in Queens, New York.
Weekends with Max and His Dad

Linda Urban

Third-grader Max pursues neighborhood adventures with his dad as they both adjust to recent changes in their family.
Welcome to the Family

Mary Hoffman

Introduces different types of households and discusses families with children, adoption, foster parents, same-sex parents, and fertility treatments.
We're All Wonders

R. J. Palacio

Augie enjoys the company of his dog, Daisy, and using his imagination, but painfully endures the taunts of his peers because of his facial deformity.
We See the Moon

Carrie A. Kitze

A story written from the children's perspective, asking the questions that dwell in their hearts about their birthparents. It helps children use the moon as a private tool to connect with a family that is always with them in their hearts.
We the Children

Andrew Clements

Sixth-grader Ben Pratt's life is full of changes that he does not like--his parents' separation and the plan to demolish his seaside school to build an amusement park--but when the school janitor gives him a tarnished coin with some old engravings and then dies, Ben is drawn into an effort to keep the school from being destroyed.
We Wanted You

Liz Rosenberg

Parents tell how they waited and prepared for the child that they wanted so much.
What a Beautiful Morning

Arthur A. Levine

When his grandpa seems to have forgotten how to do the things that they love, Noah's grandma steps in, while Noah tries to find something he can share with his grandpa.
What Can I Do?: A Book for Children of Divorce

Danielle Lowry

A young girl tries everything she can think of to keep her parents from getting a divorce, but with the help of her school counselor, she comes to realize that the divorce is not her fault.
What Can You Do with Two Mommies?

Tara Theresa Hill

Annie is a little girl growing up in a house with two Mommies and a big, orange cat named Pumpkin. Annie has always had two Mommies. But when Annie's new best friend, Emily, starts asking why she doesn't have a Daddy, Annie starts wondering if her parents are different from other kids' parents. As Annie talks to Emily about her life with Mommy Susan and Mommy Sharon, they both discover that in the end, it is love that makes a family.
What if the Zebras Lost Their Stripes?

John Reitano

If the zebras lost their stripes and became different from one another, some white and some black, would they turn and fight each other and stop living life as loving friends?
What is Jail, Mommy?

Jackie A. Stanglin

A mother explains to her young daughter why the girl's father is in prison and what his life is like as an inmate.
What's a Foster Family, Anyway?

Martine Golden Inlay and Jodi Jensen

This book provides a much needed resource in helping children cope with placement into foster care.
What's Wrong with Timmy?

Maria Shriver

Making friends with a mentally retarded boy helps Kate learn that the two of them have a lot in common.
What to Expect When Your Family Becomes a Foster Family

Cindy Unruh

Foster parenting can change your life, as well as the lives of others. It's a great opportunity for your family to learn about love, sacrifice, and relationships. This book will help younger children begin to understand how their family will change when strangers come to live in their home.
What Will Happen to Me?

Howard Zehr and Lorraine Stutzman Amstutz

Pairs portraits of children whose parents are incarcerated with the reflections of grandparents who are caring for them and includes resources for caregivers and advice on dealing with the unique emotions of these children.
When Aidan Became a Brother

Kyle Lukoff

When Aidan was born, everyone thought he was a girl. His parents gave him a pretty name, his room looked like a girl's room, and he wore clothes that other girls liked wearing. After he realized he was a trans boy, Aidan and his parents fixed the parts of his life that didn't fit anymore, and he settled happily into his new life. Then Mom and Dad announce that they're going to have another baby, and Aidan wants to do everything he can to make things right for his new sibling from the beginning--from choosing the perfect name to creating a beautiful room to picking out the cutest onesie. But what does "making things right" actually mean? And what happens if he messes up? With a little help, Aidan comes to understand that mistakes can be fixed with honesty and communication, and that he already knows the most important thing about being a big brother: how to love with his whole self.
When Charley Met Emma

Amy Webb

Five-year-old Charley gets teased for daydreaming and drawing more than his friends, but when he meets Emma, who is physically different, he needs help remembering that being different is okay.
When Christmas Feels Like Home

Gretchen Griffith

When his family moves from a small Mexican village to North Carolina, Eduardo asks how soon he will feel at home, and slowly his Tio Miguel's seemingly impossible replies come true until, at last, he can put out the Nativity scene he carved with his grandfather.
When Grown-Ups Fall in Love

Barbara Lynn Edmonds

This book is a sweet poem which shows families with mom and dad, two moms, and two dads. The large, colorful illustrations are great for group storytime or for one child sitting on your lap. Suitable for reading to children from newborns to 7-year-olds. The book also includes coloring pages as well as space for children to write their own family stories. Gay-friendly preschool literature is a long overdue resource for parents and teachers, both gay and straight. The author wants children with gay parents to feel included in the world of children's literature, and also wants to help straight parents provide their children with books which promote an appreciation of diversity.
When I Grow Up...

Paula Vasquez

All of the children in Miss Ester's class know what they want to be like when they grow up: their families! And each family is special and unique. Readers will be surprised and delighted to find that Johnny the duckling's mom and dad have curly tails, stubby noses, and hooves. Johnny and his classmates make it easy for parents to show their little ones that there are many types of families, and they're all made of love.
When Jessie Came Across the Sea

Amy Hest

When a young girl from a poor eastern European village learns that she must leave her beloved grandmother for a new life - and a new love - in America, they both feel that their hearts will break. The sure and inspired narrative by award-winning author Amy Hest is paired with paintings by P.J. Lynch that glow with warmth and carefully observed detail, creating an unforgettable tribute to the immigrant experience.
When Katie's Parents Separated

Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York

Katie learns that there are both good and bad things about her parents no longer living together.