Diversity

For children to thrive in our ever-changing world, it becomes more and more important for parents, teachers and other childcare providers to help children recognize how people are alike, as well as how they are different and the guide them to learn to respect differences. Adults should encourage children to like and respect themselves for who they are-children need to feel good about their own uniqueness to grow up to be adults who accept others just as they are. The goals are to have children appreciate both themselves and others, and to recognize how we can all learn from each other.

More Diversity Resources

Books

Angel Child, Dragon Child by Michele Maria Surat, illustrated by Vo-Dinh Mai (ages 6-9)
An immigrant child from Viet Nam adjusts to a new life in America, when the red-haired boy who always picked on her thinks of the perfect way to help.

Enemy Pie by Derek Munson, illustrated by Tara Calahan King (ages 5-8) - Reading Rainbow Selection Airs 3/13/2007 at 2:00:00 p.m.
Dad has a surefire way of getting rid of enemies-Enemy Pie-but, one of the secret ingredients is spending the entire day with the enemy. A little boy learns an effective recipe from turning a best enemy into a best friend.

Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes (ages 4-8) View Video
Chrysanthemum thinks her name is absolutely perfect until she is teased about it at school. The new music teacher (whose name is Delphinium Twinkle) helps her regain her self esteem.

The Crayon Box that Talked by Shane DeRolf, illustrated by Michael Letzig (ages 4-7)
Quarrelsome crayons learn to appreciate one another when the narrator draws with them, thus showing them how each helps create a bigger picture.

Families are Different by Nina Pellegrini (ages 4-7)
Little Nico, who is adopted, learns that children come from all different kinds of families and sometimes family members can look very different from each other. What holds families together is a special glue called 'love.'

Frederick by Leo Lionni
All the mice work hard to bring in the harvest and wonder why Frederick doesn't help them. Frederick is busy collecting the wonder and beauty of the world around him. When the winter winds blow and the food supply runs low, the mice are grateful for Frederick's words, which become part of their survival. Everyone has a special role to fill.

Island of the Skog by Steven Kellog (ages 4-8)
A band of mice set sail for an island where they will be free from persecution, only to discover that something scary is already there. When asked why he had put on a monster costume, the little Skog replied that he was afraid of them. "If only we had talked to each other," said Jenny. A lesson in fear of the unknown and the value of communication.

The Land of Many Colors by the Klamath County YMCA Family Preschool in Klamath Falls, OR; illustrated by Rita Pocock (ages 3-10)
A simple message of peace, respect for differences, and learning to live together even with our differences.

Molly's Pilgrim by Barbara Cohen, illustrated by Daniel Mark Duffy (ages 6-10)
Molly came to America from Russia and her classmates giggle at her Yiddish accent. Then, her mother embarrasses her by creating a doll that looks more Russian than a Pilgrim at the first Thanksgiving. She learns there are many kinds of pilgrims.

Otis by Janie Bynum (ages 3-6)
Otis hates getting dirty, so is lonely because he is different from other pigs. He makes a friend when he meets a frog, who also doesn't like mud or swampy things. A story of self-acceptance.

What was I Scared of? from The Sneetches and Other Stories by Dr. Seuss (ages 4-8)
What were the pale green pants doing? "What could a pair of pants at night be standing in the air for?" A Seussian rhyming story about how getting to know someone can take away the scariness of the unknown.

We're Different, We're the Same from Sesame Street (ages 4-8)
How boring it would be if we were all alike.

Yoko by Rosemary Wells (ages 5-7)
Yoko brought the lunch her mother packed to school, but the reaction of her classmates when she opened it was "Ick" and "Yuck-o-rama!" Then, at International Food Day, the children finally tasted Yoko's sushi and discovered it was good.

Web Resources