Books in this category include stories about kinds of families and activities that families do, such as celebrating holidays, adopting children and communicating across generations.
Big Brother Dustin Carol Carter (Illustrator), Alden Carter (Author), Dan Young (Illustrator) A young boy with Down Syndrome helps his family prepare for the birth of his new born sister. Dustin comes up with a perfect name for his new sister. [Grade Level: K - 3]
Big Wind Coming! Karen English (Author), Cedric Lucas (Illustrator) An extended family and their neighbors prepare for and then wait out a fierce storm, wondering what will remain of their farms. [Grade Level: K - 3]
The Birthday Swap Written and Illustrated by Loretta Lopez A young girl looks for the perfect birthday gift for her sister and ends up with a big surprise of her own. [Grade Level: K - 3]
Black Is Brown Is Tan Arnold Adoff (Author), Emily Arnold McCully (Illustrator) First published in 1973, this book marked the first acknowledgment of an interracial family in children's book publishing. The lyrical text depicts an interracial home in which there is fun, security, and plenty of love. With an African American mother, the “skin color of chocolate,” and a Caucasian father, who's skin is “not white, but light in color with tans and pinks and all the colors of the rainbow,” this story blends colors in such a way that the beauty of this family truly shines through. In this 2004 version, McCully has updated the illustrations with watercolor paintings to show the brown-skinned momma, the white daddy, and the two children in a 21st-century setting.
[Grade Level: K - 3]
Black Is Brown Is Tan Arnold Adoff (Author), Emily Arnold McCully (Illustrator) First published in 1973, this book marked the first acknowledgment of an interracial family in children's book publishing. The author uses lyrical text--an African American mother, "the skin color of chocolate," and a Caucasian father, "who's skin is not white, but light in color with tans and pinks and all the colors of the rainbow,"--to paint a portrait of a loving and natural family setting. McCully has updated the illustrations with watercolor paintings to show the brown-skinned momma, the white daddy, and the two children in a 21st-century setting. [Grade Level: 1 - 3]
