Books

The Reason Kids Like Hearing the Same Story over and over...

Every Day Books To Talk About Biblical Themes:

Storypath - Storypath is a website that connects children's literature with our stories of faith by providing concise but detailed book reviews. Extra bonus...it aligns with the lectionary and comes out WEEKS ahead of time so you can be sure to get the book from the library or buy it BEFORE you need it.

Books Read by Astronauts (in Space!):

Story Time From Space - That's right! Astronauts at the International Space Station, in zero gravity, reading some of our favorite children's books!

Books Read by Actors:

Storyline Online - Children's books read by actors encourages reading of diverse books.

Did you know only 31% of children’s books feature a female character,
and only 13% feature a person of color?

Little Feminist wants to change those statistics. Check out their list of children’s books.

Native American, First Nation, and Indigenous People's Book List recommended for 2-9 year olds

Their recommended 9 best books about gender identity for ages 3-11.

And their Books on Muslim Faith & Culture.

Books for Littles run by Ashia Ray offers books about Disability Rights,
Gender Equality, Wealth Inequity and Racial Justice.

Eight! Yes eight different websites to browse to intentionally get books that have multicultural characters and stories.

Indigenous People's Day: Family Action Toolkit by the Student Ignition Society - Includes a variety of resources for the very young through elementary age and beyond.

LGBTQ Friendly Books for kids - compiled by blogger Jen Walshaw, in The Mad House.

LEE & LOW BOOKS is the largest multicultural children's book publisher in the country. Their motto, "About everyone, For everyone" explains their priority as one of the few minority-owned publishing companies in the United States. They have over 500 free incredibly well done Teacher guides, here.

Activism:

What Do You Do With an Idea? —
by Kobi Yamada and Mae Besom What do you do with an idea...you change the world!

Malala: Activist for Girl's Education by Raphaele Frier and illustrated by Aurelia Fronty. Malala at 17 is the youngest person to win the Noble Peace Prize. Her activist started at home, with her family's passion for education, and they would not let religious extremists reduce their freedoms.

I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood up for Education and Changed the World written by Malala Yousafzai and Patricia McCormick

My Two Blankets is an excellent book for preschool and elementary age youth, as it follows a young girl who must leave her home and who moves to a new country. Now she is a girl who not only has two countries but two blankets where she belongs and feels at home.

Alzheimer's:

the remember balloons Written by Jessie Oliveros illustrated by Dana Wulfekotte. A 2019 Schneider Family Award Honor Book! What’s Happening to Grandpa meets Up in this tender, sensitive picture book that gently explains the memory loss associated with aging and diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

A Doll for Grandma: A Story about Alzheimer's Disease - A Doll for Grandma poignantly and sensitively tells the story of a girl's empathy and kindness in the face of her grandmother's growing dementia.

Arts:

Ada's Violin: The Story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay - by Susan Hood shares the story of children living in garbage dumps, learning how to make improvised instruments and AMAZING music now touring worldwide!

Luis Paints the World - For ages 5-10 about a brother's deployment into the army and the artful way his brother paints about the things he hopes his brother remembers while he is away. By Terry Farish, illustrated by Oliver Dominguez.

Bodies:

I Love Me! -by LaRonda Gardner Middlemiss and illustrated by Beth Hughes. This energetic picture book teaches all kids to celebrate their bodies.

Beautiful - Short, poignant book whose words and pictures together tell a liberating story for young girls (and boys) written by Stacy McAnulty and illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff.

Cancer:

The Lemonade Club - by Patricia Polacco captures the journey of a cancer diagnosis without shying away from its realities.

Cancer Hates Kisses - by Jessica Reid Sliwerski and Mika Song. A simple and appropriate way to talk with kids about cancer.

Emotions:

Tough Guys (Have Feelings Too) written and illustrated by Keith Negley has brief but powerful words paired with trimmed down modern illustrations.

All About Anxiety tackles tough questions kids have about what's going on in their brains when they feel anxious and equips readers with new strategies to manage anxiety so they can thrive in their daily lives.

The Branch - Author Mireille Messier explores a young child's experience with loss and renewal. Good for lessons on perseverance, teamwork and initiative, also an example of caring for the environment by reusing salvaged materials. Illustrated by Pierre Pratt.

Faith:

Noah's Bark - Noah's trying to build an ark, but with the snakes quacking, the beavers crowing, and the pigs howling, he can't even hear himself think, much less make a giant boat. Discover how each animal came to make the noise it does today in this whimsical retelling of the beloved Noah's ark story. Written by Stephen Krensky.

Who Will I Be, Lord? by Vaunda Michaeux Nelson and illustrated by Sean Qualls. This book provides realistic examples of people's jobs and lives as this young girl looks at their examples and explores who they are and who she wants to be in light of God's calling.

Picturing God
Gorgeous handcrafted mosaics and poetic language bring to life the many metaphors for God found in the Bible.

Regina Persisted: An Untold Story - From a young age, Regina Jonas loved to read stories from the Bible. She loved to read Hebrew. She wanted to be a rabbi.

When God Was a Little Girl- By Joan Lindeman and David Weiss about God, creation and what it means to be human.

Godparenting:

Living Lutheran - This ELCA magazine has monthly content on parenting. Check out this one on Godparenting!

Someday We Will: A Book for Grandparents and Grandchildren
In Someday We Will, kids and grandparents separated by many miles dream of all the wonderful things they'll do together someday, from bicycling down a hill to whiling away the hours on a beach. Before they know it, someday is here!

Water of Baptism, Water for Life: An Activity Book by Anne E. Kitch and Illustrated by Shelley Dieterichs makes for a wonderful family devotional or upper elementary kid's devotional. Includes inclusive language for God as well as diverse pictures and wonderful connections between baptismal water and daily water use.

Military:

Deployment: Strategies for Working with Kids in Military Families - by Dr. Karen Petty

Welcome:

The Visitor - Author and Illustrator Antje Damm. An older woman named Elise lives alone as a recluse, scared of everything outside her home. The play of a little boy named Emil brings him to her doorstep. A bond of friendship forms and Elise’s worldview brightens. Great for discussions about the importance of intergenerational relationships. Read how to make more connections here.

A Piece of Home by Jeri Watts and illustrated by Hyewon Yum. A well thought out book on welcome and belonging for people of all backgrounds; this particular character is Korean.

Big Bob, Little Bob - Despite the fact that they share a name, Big Bob and Little Bob are different. No matter what they do, they do not do it the same. Could they possibly be friends despite these differences? With humor and tenderness, James Howe and Laura Ellen Anderson depict the struggles and rewards that come when friendships are forged between different kinds of people.

Four Feet, Two Sandals- by Karen Lynn Williams & Khadra Mohammed, illustrated by Doug. When relief workers bring used clothing to the refugee camp, everyone scrambles to grab whatever they can. Ten-year-old Lina is thrilled when she finds a sandal that fits her foot perfectly, until she sees that another girl has the matching shoe...

Lost and Found Cat: The True Story of Kunkush's Incredible Journey by Doug Kuntz and Amy Shrodes, illustrated by Sue Cornelison. This is a true story of one lost cat’s journey to be reunited with his Iraqi refugee family.

Varied Abilities:

Not So Different: What You Really Want to Ask About Having a Disability by Shane Burcaw and Matt Carr A great introduction to young children about varied abilities. Like the cover says, "Go ahead ask me!"

Benji, The Bad Day, And Me - by Sally J.Pla and illustrated by Ken Min. In this tender story about siblings, author Sally J. Pla shares her experience of raising sons with different personality traits and needs. Benji, the Bad Day, and Me embraces the philosophy that we are all part of a wide spectrum of neurodiversity. And on those really bad, rotten days, you can always count on family to be there for you. Amazing FREE Teacher Guide pdf available here.