PK-1 Books | University of Central Florida

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.

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Emma and Meesha My Boy: A Two Mom Story

Kaitlyn Considine

Emma lives with her two moms and a chubby housecat. Follow along as Emma gets in trouble while trying to play with Meesha Kitty; and cheer as she learns to treat him with care.
Emmanuel's Dream

Laurie Ann Thompson

Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah's inspiring true story—which was turned into a film, Emmanuel's Gift, narrated by Oprah Winfrey—is nothing short of remarkable. Born in Ghana, West Africa, with one deformed leg, he was dismissed by most people—but not by his mother, who taught him to reach for his dreams. As a boy, Emmanuel hopped to school more than two miles each way, learned to play soccer, left home at age thirteen to provide for his family, and, eventually, became a cyclist. He rode an astonishing four hundred miles across Ghana in 2001, spreading his powerful message: disability is not inability. Today, Emmanuel continues to work on behalf of the disabled. Thompson's lyrical prose and Qualls's bold collage illustrations offer a powerful celebration of triumphing over adversity.
Epossumondas Plays Possum

Coleen Salley

Forgetting his mother's warnings, Epossumondas goes into the swamp alone then must pretend to be dead time and again as he hears frightening sounds and fears they are being made by the dreaded loup garou.
Everett Anderson's Christmas Coming

Lucille Clifton

Relates, in verse, the excitement and joy of a young boy anticipating as well as celebrating Christmas in the city.
Everett Anderson's Friend

Lucille Clifton

Having eagerly anticipated the new neighbors, a boy is disappointed to get a whole family of girls.
Every Year on Your Birthday

Rose A. Lewis

Each year on the birthday of her adopted Chinese daughter, a mother recalls the moments they have shared, from the first toy to the friends left behind in China.
Families

Susan Kuklin

In frank interviews, children from fifteen different types of families talk about the ups and downs of their home lives and offer a look at diversity in American society
Families

Ann Morris

A simple explanation of families, how they function, how they are different, and how they are alike.
Families

Shelley Rotner and Sheila M. Kelly

Big or small, similar or different-looking, there are all kinds of families. Some have one parent, some have two, and many include extended family. This inclusive look at many varieties of families will help young readers see beyond their own immediate experiences.
Families

Meredith Tax

Realities such as divorce, stepfamilies, adoption, single parenting, and gay and lesbian parenting are explored through the curious, affectionate, and nonjudgemental eyes of six-year-old Angie as she introduces readers to her multicultural groups of friends, who are loved and cared for within many different types of families.
Families are Forever

Craig Shemin

Rain meets Bo and her new "forever" Mom and they become a brand new family. Families are Forever is a heartwarming tale about family love and beginnings. The story introduces Rain, a nearly six year old Chinese-American adopted girl, and tells how she found her 'forever family,' a single mother in America.
Families, Families, Families!

Suzanne Lang

A host of animals portrays all kinds of non-traditional families.
Family

Isabell Monk

Hope's new and unusual dessert blends well with the traditional dishes prepared by her cousins and Aunt Poogee at their annual summer get-together.
Felicia's Favorite Story

Lesléa Newman

It's bedtime, but before Felicia goes to sleep she wants to hear her favorite story, the story of how she was adopted by Mama Nessa and Mama Linda.
Flying Free

Jennifer C. Gregg

Narrated by a firefly captured by a five-year-old girl named Violet, who plans to use the firefly as her nightlight. Violet's mommies, Mommy Blue and Mama Red, go along with the idea, but the firefly refuses to live in a glass jar. After several attempts, the firefly devises the ultimate escape plan.
Forever Rhen

Sandra Athans

Rhen's parents are getting a divorce, and Rhen worries about the change. Find out what changes and what stays the same.
Foster Parents

Rebecca Rissman

Defines family, discusses what families are like, and explains the work of foster parents.
Free to Be...You and Me

Marlo Thomas

This is the book we all know and love by Marlo Thomas and her friends—brought to new life with brand new illustrations to captivate and inspire a new generation of readers on a journey of the heart. Whether you are opening Free to Be . . . You and Me for the first time or the one hundredth time you will be engaged and transformed by this newly beautifully illustrated compilation of inspirational stories, songs, and poems. The sentiments of thirty-five years ago are as relevant today as when this book was published. Celebrating individuality and challenging stereotypes empowers both children and adults with the freedom to be who they want to be and to have compassion and empathy for others who may be different. Working closely with Marlo and co-creator Carole Hart, Peter H. Reynolds, the New York Times Best Selling Children’s Book Author/Illustrator, conjured his whimsical drawings throughout the book bringing a new sense of unity and warmth to the pages. You will find yourself marveling at the illustrations, nodding in agreement with the stories and poems, and singing the words to all the classic songs! It is wonderful that the thoughts, ideas, and emotions the creators envisioned so many years ago can still have a magical effect on children today.
Friends in the Park

Rochelle Bunnett

Full-color photographic essay of a group of disabled preschoolers playing in the park. Depicts children with Down's syndrome, cerebral palsy, and other less physically obvious disorders.
From the Stars in the Sky to the Fish in the Sea

Kai Cheng Thom

A magical gender variant child brings transformation and change to the world around them thanks to their mother's enduring love. In the magical time between night and day, when both the sun and the moon are in the sky, a child is born in a little blue house on a hill. And Miu Lan is not just any child, but one who can change into any shape they can imagine. The only problem is they can't decide what to be: a boy or a girl? A bird or a fish? A flower or a shooting star? At school, though, they must endure inquisitive looks and difficult questions from the other children, and have trouble finding friends who will accept them for who they are. But they find comfort in the loving arms of their mother, who always offers them the same loving refrain: "whatever you dream of / I believe you can be / from the stars in the sky to the fish in the sea." In this captivating, beautifully imagined picture book about gender, identity, and the acceptance of the differences between us, Miu Lan faces many questions about who they are and who they may be. But one thing's for sure: no matter who this child becomes, their mother will love them just the same.
Gal and Noa's Daddies

Shosh Pinkas

Noa and Gal have two fathers, Itai and Yoav. They call them by their nicknames, Daddy-Yo and Daddy-I. Noa and Gal were born to gay parents in a process called surrogacy, with the help of two special women that enabled the arrival of the twins into the world. In this unique book, the writer, Shosh Pinkas, shares the story of many same-sex families around the world.
Girls Will Be Boys Will Be Girls: A Coloring Book

Jacinta Bunnell and Irit Reinheimer

Cartoons by several contributors with captions satirizing traditional gender roles for children.
GoblinHeart: A Fairy Tale

Brett Axel

Julep longs to grow up. Julep hopes he grows up to be a goblin rather than a fairy.
Goodbye, Mousie

Robie H. Harris

A boy grieves for his dead pet Mousie, helps to bury him, and begins to come to terms with his loss.
Gracias, the Thanksgiving Turkey

Joy Cowley

Trouble ensues when Papa gets Miguel a turkey to fatten up for Thanksgiving and Miguel develops an attachment to it.