BOOKS

Inclusive/Diverse Picture Books

• Mommy’s Khimar by Jamilah Tompkins-Bigelow 

• We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom 

• Julián is a Mermaid by Jessica Love 

• Carmela Full of Wishes by Matt de la Peña 

• Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall 

• Fauja Singh Keeps Going by Simran Jeet Singh 

• Watercress by Andrea Wang 

• Going Down Home with Daddy by Kelly Starling Lyons 

• Me & Mama by Cozbi A. Cabrera 

• Our Favorite Day of the Year by A. E. Ali 

• Yo Soy Muslim: A Father’s Letter to His Daughter by Mark Gonzales 

• ¿De Dónde Eres? Where are you from? By Yamile Saied Méndez 

Early Chapter Books

• Sadiq and the Pet Problem by Siman Nuurali 

• 13th Street: Battle of the Bad Breath Rats by David Bowles 

• Astrid & Apollo and the Starry Campout by V.T. Bidania 

• Jojo Makoons: The Used-To-Be-Best Friend by Dawn Quigley 

• Our Friend Hedgehog: The Story of Us by Lauren Castillo 

• Make Way for Dyamonde Daniel by Nikki Grimes 

• Sherlock Sam and the Missing Heirloom in Katong by A. J. Low

• Meet Yasmin! By Saadia Faruqi 

• Diary of an Ice Princess by Christina Soontornvat

• Jaden Toussaint, the Greatest Episode 1: The Quest for Screen Time

Older Elementary Books

• The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon 

• The First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Pérez 

• See You in the Cosmos by Jack Cheng 

• Ghost by Jason Reynolds 

• Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston 

• Ways to Make Sunshine by Renée Watson 

• The Sea in Winter by Christine Day 

• When you Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller 

• Efrén Divided by Ernesto Cisneros 

• Tight by Torrey Maldonado 

• More to the Story by Hena Khan 

• In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse by Joseph Marshall III

 Young Adult

• The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo 

• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas 

• Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi 

• Almost American Girl by Robin Ha 

• Love, Hate, and Other Filters by Samira Ahmed 

• You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson

• Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi 

• Indivisible by Daniel Aleman 

• Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram 

• Charming as a Verb by Ben Phillippe

LGBTQ+ 

• Red: A Crayon’s Story by Michael Hall

• I Am Jazz by Jazz Jennings

• Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslia Newman

• And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell

• George by Alex Gino

• Calvin by Vanessa Ford

• Introducing Teddy by Jessica Walton

• Marlon Bundo by Jill Twiss

• Plenty of Hugs by Fran Manushkin

• Julián at the Wedding & Julián is a Mermaid by Jessica Love  

• Be Amazing: A History of Pride by Desmond Is Amazing 

• Call Me Max (Max and Friends Book 1) by Kyle Lukoff 

• "Uncle Bobby’s Wedding" by Sarah S. Brannen 

•  When Aidan Became a Brother by Kyle Lukoff 

• Stonewall: A Building. An Uprising. A Revolution by Rob Sanders

Activism Stories

• The Wedding Portrait by Innosanto Nagara 

• Woke: A Young Poet’s Call to Justice by Mahogany L. Browne 

• I Will Be Fierce by Bea Birdsong, illus. by Nidhi Chanani 

MOVIES

Family-Friendly Movies

(viewer discretion is always advised based on the disposition of your child)

BIPOC

• Hidden Figures 

• Ruby Bridges 

• Remember the Titans 

• Teach Us All

• We are The Radical Monarchs https://wearetheradicalmonarchsmovie.com

• RACE: The Power of an Illusion

Autism/Aspergers

• I Am Greta - Documentary Film

LGBTQ

• We are The Radical Monarchs https://wearetheradicalmonarchsmovie.com

• Out

November 25th is Native American Heritage Day.

• https://americanindian.si.edu/explore/exhibitions/item?id=535 - Return to a Native Place: Algonquian Peoples of the Chesapeake Ongoing Washington, DC

• Infinity of Nations: Art and History in the Collections of the National Museum of the American Indian - George Gustav Heye Center, New York (si.edu)

• Why We Serve (si.edu)

• Circle of Dance - October 6, 2012 through October 8, 2017 - The National Museum of the American Indian in New York (si.edu)

• https://www.goartivate.org/artist/dovie-thomason/

• https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-american-indian/2020/11/14/five-ideas-teach-thanksgiving/

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

MLKJr Day

January 17th, is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. 

• A great way to honor King is to perform acts of service.  You can find some local (including virtual) ideas for acts of service at: https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/volunteercenter/volunteers/MLK.html

• Another great place to volunteer is at our local foodbank: https://volunteer.capitalareafoodbank.org/

• If you and your family are looking for ways to learn more about Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Civil Rights Movement, consider the following activities.

  • Visit the Memorial downtown DC: https://www.nps.gov/mlkm/index.htm

  • Check out these websites as resources:

    • https://www.scholastic.com/parents/family-life/parent-child/teaching-kids-about-martin-luther-king-jr.html

    • https://www.today.com/parents/how-tell-kids-story-martin-luther-king-jr-day-t147051

    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNnu2cj3-pU

  •  Pick one of these quotes and ask your child what it means to them:

    • “Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

    • “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”

    • “The beauty of genuine brotherhood and peace, is more precious than diamonds or silver or gold.”

If you and your family are looking for ways to learn more about MLKjr, here is a list of resources:

Books:

• All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold

• I am Martin Luther King, Jr. by Brad Meltzer & Christopher Eliopoulous

• I am Brave: A Little Book about Martin Luther King, Jr. by Brad Meltzer & Christopher Eliopolous

• My Little Golden Book About Martin Luther King, Jr. by Bonnie Bader & Sue Cornelison

• Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Martin Luther King by Doreen Rappaport

• Child of the Civil Rights Movement by Paula Young (Author), Raul Colón (Illustrator)

Movies:

• Our Friend, Martin

• Ruby Bridges (see also book listed above)

• Selma, Lord, Selma

• March On! The Day My Brother Changed the World (see also book listed above)

• Hidden Figures

• An American Girl Story – Melody 1963: Love Has to Win

• The Color of Friendship

• Remember the Titans

International Women’s Month

To honor Women's History Month the CSES DEI Committee recommends the following children's books:

• A is for Awesome, Eva Chen

• Before She Was Harriet, Lesa Cline-Ransome

• Fantastically Great Women Who Made History, Kate Pankhurst

• Hidden Figures, Margot Lee Shetterly

• I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark, Debby Levy

• Think Big Little One, Vashti Harrison

• She Persisted, Chelsea Clinton