New Multicultural Children’s Books

In honor of Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2022, we are sharing some of our favorite new multicultural children’s books! Two of the books I received as part of MCBD 2022 – find more information about it below!

I received complimentary copies of some of the books below for review purposes; however, all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

New Multicultural Children’s Books

These are some of our favorite new multicultural children’s books! Some are about historical figures, others about identity, and still others are simply sweet stories that feature multicultural characters.

If you have a little art lover in your life – or one that just loves playing with modeling clay! – then they will love The Magic of Clay, a wonderful new picture book from Star Bright Books, a MCBD Bronze sponsor! It is a deep dive into the science and art of clay, including how it is formed and how it can be used to make new creations. It contains a wealth of information on terminology and techniques, all shared in clear and accessible language for budding artists.

Juana & Lucas: Muchos Changes, is part of the beloved Juana and Lucas series from Pura Belpré Award-winning author Juana Medina. This great new chapter book is from Candlewick Press, a MCBD Gold Sponsor! This is a wonderful book to help children deal with changes, as Juana adjusts to the muchos changes happening in her own life – including a new baby! This is a fun early chapter book, and I love the sprinkling of Spanish throughout! It’s great to reinforce language learning for Spanish speakers, or to help introduce Spanish to those that want to start. I also love having my kids read a story that helps them identify with a child living in another country.

Dumpling Day is a beautiful multicultural counting book about one of the world’s most popular dishes – dumplings! Young readers count dumplings as they follow diverse families preparing dumplings in their own traditional ways. In the end, all of the families gather for a neighborhood potluck! This book is such a beautiful way of normalizing diversity and showing how we are all enriched when we celebrate our differences.

Inspire your little artists with the lovely new picture book biography Between Two Worlds: The Art & Life of Amrita Sher-Gil. It tells the true story of Amrita Sher-Gil, an amazing female artist from the early 20th century that you’ve probably never heard of. Yet she is known in the art world for her pioneering style and blending of western and traditional Indian traditions. And for children like mine that have mixed cultural backgrounds, it is especially fascinating to read about how she was inspired by the art of her father’s home country of India and that of her mother’s home in Europe. The lyrical text from Sriram is accompanied by gorgeous artwork by Ruchi Bakshi Sharma. And you can even see examples of Sher-Gil’s art at the end! You can watch my IG live interview with author Meera Sriram.

Most parents have the experience of dealing with children who hesitate to try new foods and wish their family would be a bit more adventurous. Sushi & Samosas: A Trip of Tasty Transformations is a fun journey around the world with food, as two foodie parents work to expand their children’s culinary horizons. I love that the parents in this book are so patient with their children but also persistent in offering new foods. There is no pressure, just exposure to new foods and modeling the joy of trying new things. Although the children seem to be immune to their parents’ efforts, little by little they discover new foods that they love – and a new attitude towards what’s for dinner!

Where Three Oceans Meet is a gorgeous tale of three generations traveling together to the southern tip of India and reveling in all the ways they are different and alike. The grandmother knows the landscape well, while it holds childhood memories for the mother, and for the daughter, it represents a new experience. The book is full of sweet moments between the generations as they experience India together. It also contains beautiful metaphors about how their lives are separate yet entwined with each other, stronger together than alone.

Time for Bed, Old House is a sweet story about a boy having his first sleepover at his grandfather’s house. But Isaac’s excitement turns to nervousness about his first night away from home. His grandfather calms his nerves by having Isaac help put the old house to sleep. In the process, the grandfather demystifies the house’s creaks and squeaks, helping Isaac grow more comfortable – and more sleepy! A cozy story to read together at bedtime.

Princesses Wear Dresses – or do they? In this fun book, readers question their assumptions about princesses. Do they have to wear dresses? What about tiaras? The wonderful multicultural children in the book help demonstrate that what really defines a princess is how she treats others. A great message for kids about what’s really important: compassion, respect, and love.

Coco la cotorra puertorriqueña (Spanish Edition) is a wonderful picture book about the endangered Puerto Rican parrot. Through this book, children get to learn about the conservation efforts to save this bird and its habitat in El Yunque rainforest in Puerto Rico. Even more special to me, as the mother of three bilingual kids, is the story of this “bilingual” bird helps children see that being bilingual or having an accent doesn’t make them “weird”: it’s a super power!

What did family mean to you? The lovely new picture book Mi Casa Is My Home dives into this question, celebrating the love and warmth of a large family. This is a home where someone is always at the door, and everyone is always welcome. I love the diversity of skin tones and the affection that comes through in every scene. And of course I love that the book incorporates so many Spanish words and phrases as well as so much about Latinx culture.

What are your favorite multicultural children’s books?

Multicultural Children’s Book Day

Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2022 (1/28/22) is in its 9th year! This non-profit children’s literacy initiative was founded by Valarie Budayr and Mia Wenjen; two diverse book-loving moms who saw a need to shine the spotlight on all of the multicultural books and authors on the market while also working to get those books into the hands of young readers and educators.

MCBD’s mission is to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ books that celebrate diversity in homes and school bookshelves. Read about our Mission & History HERE.

MCBD 2022 is honored to be Supported by these Medallion Sponsors!

SUPER PLATINUM: Make A Way Media

PLATINUM: Language Lizard

GOLD: Barefoot Books, KidLitTV, Candlewick, Capstone, Abrams Books

SILVER: Pack-n-Go Girls, Charlotte Riggle, Kimberly Gordon Biddle  

BRONZE: Carole P. Roman, Patrice McLaurin, Dyesha and Triesha McCants/McCants Squared, Redfin.com, Redfin Canada, Redfin Mortgage, Redfin/Title Forward, Create & Educate, Star Bright Books, Vivian Kirkfield, Dr. Eleanor Wint, Kind World Publishing, Snowflake Stories, Lisa Wee, SONGJU MA, Melissa Stoller, J.C. Kato and J.C.², Crystel Patterson, Audrey Press, Pragmaticmom, TimTimTom, Wisdom Tales 

MCBD 2022 is honored to be Supported by these Author Sponsors!

Charlene Mosley (official MCBD2022 Poster Creator)
Illustrator Isabelle Roxas (Class Kit Poster Creator)

Alva Sachs, Brianna Carter, Ebony Zay Zay, Rita Bhandari, Gwen Jackson, Lois Petren/The 5 Enchanted Mermaids, Valerie Williams-Sanchez and Valorena Publishing, Josh Funk, Afsaneh Moradian, Eugenia Chu, Maritza Martínez Mejía, Diana Huang, Kathleen Burkinshaw, CultureGroove, Sandra Elaine Scott, Dorena Williamson, Veronica Appleton, Alejandra Domenzain, Lauren Muskovitz and Sandfish Publishing, Tonya Duncan Ellis, Kimberly Lee, Susan Schaefer Bernardo & Illustrator Courtenay Fletcher, Nancy Tupper Ling, Winsome Hudson-Bingham, Amanda Hsiung-Blodgett, Sivan Hong, Michael Genhart, Debbie Dadey, Elizabeth Cureton, Stephanie Wildman, Maryann Jacob, Sherri Maret, Rochelle Melander, Dia Mixon, Kiyanda and Benjamin Young, Shereen Rahming, Linda Thornburg and Katherine Archer,  Rebecca Flansburg and BA Norrgard , Maxine Schur  Natalie McDonald-Perkins

MCBD 2022 is Honored to be Supported by our CoHosts and Global CoHosts!

MCBD 2022 is Honored to be Supported by these Media Partners!

Check out MCBD’s Multicultural Books for Kids Pinterest Board!

FREE RESOURCES from Multicultural Children’s Book Day

Diversity Book Lists & Activities for Teachers and Parents

Homeschool Diverse Kidlit Booklist & Activity Kit

FREE Teacher Classroom Activism and Activists Kit

FREE Teacher Classroom Empathy Kit

FREE Teacher Classroom Kindness Kit

FREE Teacher Classroom Physical and Developmental Challenges Kit

FREE Teacher Classroom Poverty Kit

FREE Homeschool Diverse Kidlit Booklist & Activity Kit

FREE Teacher Classroom Raising Awareness on Systemic Racism in America Classroom Kit

Gallery of Our Free Posters

FREE Diversity Book for Classrooms Program

Join us on Friday, Jan 28, 2022, at 9 pm EST for the 8th annual Multicultural Children’s Book Day Twitter Party! Be sure and follow MCBD and Make A Way Media on Twitter!

This epically fun and fast-paced hour includes multicultural book discussions, addressing timely issues, diverse book recommendations, & reading ideas.

We will be giving away an 8-Book Bundle every 5 minutes plus Bonus Prizes as well! *** US and Global participants welcome. **

Follow the hashtag #ReadYourWorld to join the conversation, connect with like-minded parts, authors, publishers, educators, organizations, and librarians. See you all very soon on Twitter!

Hashtag: Don’t forget to connect with us on social media and be sure and look for/use our official hashtag #ReadYourWorld.