On this blog post, I’ll share with your four diverse children’s books that your elementary students will love.  Children’s books when used as read alouds can be a great way to create bonds and relationships with your students.

It’s an amazing feeling when your students are attentively listening to you read aloud a book that speaks to their cultures and backgrounds.

Keep reading because the suggested books will bring a light to your students’ eyes while helping you to teach important content and concepts.

The first book that your students will love is Under my Hijab.

Author: Hena Khan

llustrator: Aaliyah Jahleel

This book is about a little girl who looks and admires how the women in her everyday life wear the hijab.

She walks around her neighborhood and sees the different types of women such as doctors, lawyers, teachers who cover with a hijab.

The book makes the point that Muslim women choose to wear a hijab for their own specific reasons and are happy about their choice. The hijab serves as a beautiful expression of what they believe.

It also shows how the hijab can be worn in many different ways depending on how that woman likes to wear it. “These wonderful girls and smart women inspire me with all they do. I can wear my hijab like each of them or try something totally new” Khan

At the end of the book, the author gives information about the hijab and how it is worn for religious reasons by Muslim women.

The book also points out that some Muslim women choose not to wear a hijab for personal reasons, but may do so in certain situations out of respect.

Use this book to teach: religious diversity, self-acceptance

The second children’s book that your students will enjoy is Suki’s Kimono.

Author: Chieri Uegaki

Illustrator: Stephane Jorisch

This children’s book is about a little girl, named Suki who wants to wear her kimono like her obachan or grandmother despite what anyone else says.

She loves her kimono because it reminds her of the time she spent with her grandmother at the festivals.

Her sisters even tell her not to wear it to school but she decides to anyway. At first, some of the children made fun of her but once she talks about her kimono during a class presentation and why she wears it, the children in the class come to accept her and her kimono.

This  children’s book  teaches students that sometimes they may have to what they want to do because it makes them happy and no one else, instead of giving into peer pressure they learn that can make their own good choices.

Use this book to teach: making choices for one self, positive peer pressure, cultural diversity

The third book that your students will love to learn more about is Ada Twist, Scientist.

Author: Andrea Beaty

Illustrator: David Roberts

This book features a little African American girl who is very, very curious about her environment and is always asking why, how, when do different things work.

In the process, she breaks things and does experiments on her cat and her parents end up punishing her but she can’t help herself.  She’s still thinking and asking questions about her experiment.

Her parents realize that she has a gift and gives her a thinking wall to write and supports her curiosities. This book teaches students how to accept things others may not like about themselves and how those qualities can become an advantage to them.

Use this book to teach: self-acceptance, curiosity, careers in stem.

The fourth book your is Star Struck: The Cosmic Journey of Neil Degrasse Tyson.

Author: Kathleen Krull

Illustrator: Paul Brewer

This book is a biography about Neil Degrasse Tyson, an African American astrophysicist, for students in grades K-3.

It tells the story of how his first visit to the Hayden Planetarium sparked his love for astrophysics and his journey to becoming an astrophysicist.

This book is great for students because it talks about a career that children may not be familiar with.

Teachers can also use this book to teach important science concepts.

Use this book to teach: careers in stem, space unit/astronomy, perseverance

These four children’s books are sure to help you teach different concepts and content while also fostering the joy of diversity and inclusion.

What children’s book do your students love?