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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Grandpa, Is Everything Black Bad?

Sandy Lynne Holman

An illustrated story of an African American boy who comes to appreciate his dark skin by learning about his African heritage from his grandfather.
Grandparents Song

Sheila Hamanaka

A rhyming celebration of ancestry and of the diversity that flourishes in this country.
Great Joy

Kate DiCamillo

Just before Christmas, when Frances sees a sad-eyed organ grinder and his monkey performing near her apartment, she cannot stop thinking about them, wondering where they go at night, and wishing she could do something to help.
GreenBean: True Blue Family

Elizabeth Blake

Greenbean is worried that she does not belong in her family because she is different, but discovers that belonging is about something different.
Hairs=Pelitos

Sandra Cisneros

A girl describes how each person in the family has hair that looks and acts different: Papa's like a broom, Kiki's like fur, and Mama's with the sweet smell of bread before it's baked. Desde el corte de pelo tipo cepillo de papá, hasta la espesa cabellera de Kiki o el pelo resbaloso de Nenny, ésta es una familia con todo tipo de pelo. Y luego está mamá, cuyo pelo tiene un olor dulce como el pan. El pelo de mamá es único e incomparable.
Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

Lisa Dunn-Dern

An interracial family enjoys a Saturday ritual. After a pancake breakfast, the mother goes to a hair salon, while the little girl and father style each other's hair. Because her father is bald, the little girl must use her imagination, play-dough, and ribbons to create his hair-do. Each week, the family enjoys each other's new hairstyles.
Happy Adoption Day!

John McCutcheon

Parents celebrate the day on which they adopted their child and continue to reassure the new addition to their family that they are wanted, loved, and very special.
Happy Birthday, Bertie!

Marcus Pfister

It's Bertie's birthday and he's going to have a birthday party. There's a birthday cake to be made, and decorations to be hung, and games to be played, and best of all, presents to be opened. But where is Daddy's present? Daddy has hidden it so well, he cannot find it himself.
Happy Birthday to Me (Amy Hodgepodge, #2)

Kim Wayans and Kevin Knotts

Amy is very excited about the special sleepover she has planned for her tenth birthday until her friends get the chance to go to a concert the same night, and meanwhile, she worries that her family will be moving again.
Harriet gets Carried Away

Jessie Sima

While shopping with her two dads for supplies for her birthday party, Harriet, who is wearing a penguin costume, is carried away by a waddle of penguins and must hatch a plan in order to get herself back to the store in the city.
Harry and Willy and Carrothead

Judith Caseley

Harry was born with no left hand. When he got to school, the kids asked him what was wrong with his arm. "Nothing," said Harry. "That's my prosthesis." Harry's hand didn't keep him from being a good baseball player -- or a good friend. Harry and Willy and Carrothead are three of the most real kids you are apt to meet between book covers, and you will like them as much as they like each other!
Heart of Mine: A Story of Adoption

Dan Hojer and Lotta Hojer

Offers young readers a story about adoption as two parents explain how their daughter, Tu Thi, came into their lives from a country so very far away.
Heidi (Classic Starts)

Johanna Spyri and Lisa Church

When Heidi's Aunt Dete brings the orphaned girl to live with her grandfather, no one can imagine the bitter, solitary old man caring for a child. But, to everyone's surprise, the two grow to love each other - and Heidi blossoms in her new home.
Hello Goodbye Dog

Maria Gianferrari

Zara's dog, Moose likes nothing more than being with her favorite girl. However, dogs aren't allowed at school, so Moose has to stay home. Moose, though, is determined to always find her way back to Zara by escaping over and over again. Finally with a great idea and a little bit of training the two friends find a way to be together all day long.
Hello, Lulu

Caroline Uff

Simple text and illustrations introduce Lulu and her family, Lulu's pets, best friend, and new shoes.
Hello, My Name is Octicorn

Kevin Diller and Justin Lowe

The octicorn--half octupus and half unicorn--introduces himself and tells readers why, though strange and unique, octicorns make great friends.
Helping Sophia

Anastasia Suen

When Sophia's helper is absent, her fellow third-graders help out by learning how to push her wheelchair.
Henry the Boy

Molly Felder

This is not a story about a heron or a robot or a chicken but an ordinary boy with daily struggles, triumphs, and an extraordinary imagination.Henry uses forearm crutches decorated with animal stickers. He sometimes feels out of place at school, especially when he gets made fun of, but through his own rich imagination and his friendship with Joel, Henry learns to define himself on his own terms.
Here I Am

Patti Kim

Newly arrived from their faraway homeland, a boy and his family enter into the lights, noise, and traffic of a busy city in this dazzling wordless picture book. The boy clings tightly to his special keepsake from home and wonders how he will find his way.
Here's a Penny

Carolyn Haywood

Follows the adventures of six-year-old William, an adopted boy nicknamed Penny for his copper-colored hair, as he attends a Halloween party, adopts kittens, and finds an older brother to join his family.
He's My Brother

Joe Lasker

A young boy describes the experiences of his slow learning younger brother at school and at home.
Holes in the Sky

Patricia Polacco

Soon after her beloved grandmother's death, Trisha's family moves to a diverse California neighborhood where she meets Stewart and his grandmother, Miss Eula, who brings people together to help a grieving neighbor.
Home: A Collaboration of Thirty Distinguised Authors and Illustrators of Children's Books to Aid the Homeless

Michael J. Rosen and Franz Brandenberg

Thirteen authors and seventeen illustrators celebrate the places and things that make up the home, in support of Share Our Strength's (SOS) fight against homelessness.
Home At Last

Vera B. Williams

After Lester is adopted from his foster home by Daddy Albert and Daddy Rich, he can't fall asleep in his new bed. What will it take to make Lester feel home at last?
Hope

Isabell Monk

During a visit with her great-aunt, a young girl learns the story behind her name and learns to feel proud of her biracial heritage.