This collection contains materials from the DIVerse Families bibliography organized by Grades PK-1.
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:
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Spork
Kyo Maclear
His mum is a spoon, his dad is a fork, and he's a bit of both: he's Spork, a utensil who just doesn't seem to fit into the regimented world of the cutlery drawer, and this is his "multi-cutlery" tale, a humorous commentary on individuality and tolerance, that capture the experience and emotions of all who have ever wondered about their place in the world.
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Standing on My Own Two Feet: A Child's Affirmation of Love in the Midst of Divorce
Tamara Schmitz
Addison's parents are divorced and he lives in one house with his mom and another with his dad, but one thing he knows above all is that both his parents love him and they always will.
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Stellaluna
Janell Cannon
After she falls headfirst into a bird's nest, a baby bat is raised like a bird until she is reunited with her mother.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Susan Laughs
Jeanne Willis
Rhyming couplets describe a wide range of common emotions and activities experienced by a little girl who uses a wheelchair.
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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.
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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.
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Ten Days and Nine Nights: An Adoption Story
Yumi Heo
A young girl eagerly awaits the arrival of her newly-adopted sister from Korea, while her whole family prepares.
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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?!
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The Amazing Erik
Mike Huber
Playing at the water table is fun. But Erik thinks getting splashed is not fun. When his sleeve gets wet, Erik gets sad, and he can't imagine ever being happy again. Then, with a classmate by his side, Erik becomes absorbed by a new idea: making the water disappear. As it does, Erik discovers his sadness has vanished and happiness has reappeared, like magic. Airdah-taroo!
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The Aunt in Our House
Angela Johnson
When The Aunt comes to live with them, the entire family enjoys her company and helps her forget about the home she has lost.
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The Best of Both Nests
Jane Clarke
One day, Mrs. Stork tells Stanley that Dad is going to fly off and build his own nest. At school, Stanley worries about Dad missing Fathers' Flyday Friday. But his friend Stella tells him, "Two nests are better than one."
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The Boy and the Bindi
Vivek Shraya
A playful story about a young boy's fascination with the dot on his mother's forehead.
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The Can Man
Laura E. Williams
After watching a homeless man collect empty soft drink cans for the redemption money, a young boy decides to collect cans himself to earn money for a skateboard until he has a change of heart.
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The Chalk Rainbow
Deborah Kelly
Zane is different to other kids. He has his own made-up language. He likes to line things up. And he is frightened of things that don’t seem to bother other people — like the colour black. His father gets frustrated and angry with Zane. His mother tries hard to explain things to him. But nothing seems to work. Zane just scrunches himself up into a ball and screams. Things are looking pretty bleak for Zane and his family; that is, until Zane’s big sister starts to draw a chalk rainbow at the top of the front steps … The Chalk Rainbow explores difference and diversity through a family living with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It’s also a story of unconditional love, of trust and of learning to look at the world through the eyes of others. The story is told by Zane’s older sister in a way that young children can easily relate to. The ending is uplifting as all members of the family learn to look at things differently and find a way to move forward together.
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The Crayon Box that Talked
Shane DeRolf
Although they are many different colors, the crayons in a box discover that when they get together they can appreciate each other and make a complete picture.
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The Daddy Machine
Johnny Valentine
Two children who have two mothers dream of what it would be like to have a father and pretend to invent a daddy machine.
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The Day Santa Stopped Believing in Harold
Maureen Fergus
Santa Claus stops believing that Harold, a small child, exists, and comes up with a plan to find out once and for all if Harold is real.
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The Days of Summer
Eve Bunting
As summer ends and they get ready to go back to school, two young girls try to deal with the news that the grandparents they love are getting a divorce.
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The Day We Met You
Phoebe Koehler
Mom and Dad recount the exciting day when they adopted their baby.
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The Deaf Musicians
Pete Seeger and Paul Dubois Jacobs
Lee, a jazz pianist, has to leave his band when he begins losing his hearing, but he meets a deaf saxophone player in a sign language class and together they form a snazzy new band.
