Despite recent, increasing and widespread attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion, these three concepts remain central to the CDJL mission. We firmly believe that, not only are diversity, equity and inclusion not bad words, they are essential for a thriving and successful society.
We start with books. Books addressing diversity, equity and inclusion fight division, exclusion and intimidation. By continuing to provide and share books that demonstrate and celebrate diversity, equity and inclusion we show that everyone’s story is worthy of being told and shared and everyone’s story has something to teach and something from which to learn.
This list includes three books each featuring diversity, equity and/or inclusion for each age range we serve from board books for babies through educational books for parents, educators and other adults. Over 50 titles in total! These books all also include at least one of the fourteen primary dimensions of diversity in our collection. These, and hundreds more, are available for loan to library patrons of our free community lending library. Click “Borrow A Book” to learn how you can bring these and other books home. If you’re not local to our lending program, please refer to these suggestions when looking for diversity, equity and inclusion books. To learn how to support our efforts to provide these and other critical books for fighting division, exclusion and intimidation please visit Get Involved at www.cdjlibrary.org.
DIVERSITY
Board Books:
American Babies by The Global Fund for Children
Love Makes a Family by Sophie Beer
Hats of Faith by Medeia Cohan-Petrolino
Picture Books:
We're Different, We're the Same by Bobbi Kates & Joe Mathieu
Thank You, World by Alice B McGinty
Little Humans by Brandon Stanton
Juvenile:
Home, Sweet Home by Moira Butterfield & Clair Rossiter
Color Me Purple by Ellie Schatz & Donna Parker
I'm an American by Darshana Khiani & Laura Freeman
Middle Grades:
This Is Our Rainbow: 16 Stories of Her, Him, Them, and Us by Katherine Locke & Nicole Melleby
Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman & Judy Pedersen
The Moon Within by Aida Salazar
Teen:
American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures by America Ferrera
The Collectors: Stories by M.T. Anderson
The Breakup Lists by Adib Khorram
Adult:
Better with Books: 500 Diverse Books to Ignite Empathy and Encourage Self-Acceptance in Tweens and Teens by Melissa Hart & Sharon M. Draper
Revolutionary Mothering: Love on the Front Lines by Alexis Pauline Gumbs, China Martens, Loretta J Ross, & Mai'a Williams
Brown White Black: An American Family at the Intersection of Race, Gender, Sexuality, and Religion by Nishta J. Mehra
EQUITY
Board Books:
We Care: A First Conversation About Justice by Megan Madison, Sharee Miller, & Jessica Ralli
An ABC of Equality by Chana Ginelle Ewing & Paulina Morgan
A is for Activist by Innosanto Nagara
Picture Books:
Fair is Fair, Isn't It? by Dr. Lindsey L. Wilson & Shiela Alejandro
We Move Together by Kelly Fritsch, Anne McGuire, & Eduardo Trejos
Dirt on Their Skirts: The Story of the Young Women Who Won the World Championship by Doreen Rappaport and E. B. Lewis
Juvenile:
Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh
I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark by Debbie Levy & Elizabeth Baddeley
We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices by Wade Hudson
Middle Grades:
This Promise of Change: One Girl’s Story in the Fight for School Equality by Jo Ann Allen Boyce & Debbie Levy
Every Human Has Rights: A Photographic Declaration for Kids by National Geographic & Mary Robinson
Together We March: 25 Protest Movements That Marched into History by Leah Henderson & Tyler Feder
Teen:
How to Be a (Young) Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
Modern HERstory: Stories of Women and Nonbinary People Rewriting History by Blair Imani, Tegan & Sara, & Monique Le
The Other Talk: Reckoning with Our White Privilege by Brenden Kiely & Jason Reynolds
Adult:
Feminism Is for Everybody: Passionate Politics by bell hooks
The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee
Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to Be an Ally by Emily Ladau
INCLUSION
Board Books:
The More We are Together by Children's Press
Together by Mona Damluji & Innosanto Nagara
Together: A First Conversation About Love by Megan Madison, Jessica Ralli, & Anne/Andy Passchier
Picture Books:
All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold & Suzanne Kaufman
Everyone Belongs by Heather Avis & Sarah Mensinga
I Want To Be Like Poppin' Joe: A True Story Promoting Inclusion and Self-Determination by Jo Meserve Mach & Mary Birdsell
Juvenile:
Old Enough to Make a Difference: Be inspired by real-life children building a more sustainable future by Rebecca Hui & Anneli Bray
We Are Still Here!: Native American Truths Everyone Should Know by Traci Sorell & Frane Lessac
Start Now!: You Can Make a Difference by Chelsea Clinton
Middle Grades:
Take Back the Block by Chrystal D. Giles
Barely Floating by Lilliam Rivera
Evicted!: The Struggle for the Right to Vote by Alice Faye Duncan & Charly Palmer
Teen:
Michigan vs. the Boys by Carrie S. Allen
Black Internet Effect by Shavone Charles & Ashley Lukashevsky
We are Inevitable by Gayle Forman
Adult:
Widening the Circle: The Power of Inclusive Classrooms by Mara Sapon-Shevin
Gay Poems for Red States by Willie Edward Taylor Carver Jr.
Disability Pride: Dispatches from a Post-ADA World by Ben Mattlin