Ada, Alma Flor.
I Love Saturdays y Domingos.
Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2002.
2–5 PB

A little girl loves her two sets of grandparents, each from a different culture.

Austin, Margot.
A Friend for Growl Bear.
HarperCollins Publishers, 1999.
K–1 PB

Once creatures get to know the little bear with a scary growl, they like him.

Bryan, Ashley.
Beautiful Blackbird.
Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2003.
K–3 PB

A folktale from the Ila people of Zambia tells how birds got their black markings. The message of the tale is that beauty comes from within and is not dictated by appearance.

Cannon, Janell.
Stellaluna.
Harcourt Inc., 1993.
2–5 PB

When a baby bat is raised as a bird, the bat and the birds discover how they are different and how they are alike.

Carle, Eric.
Slowly, Slowly, Slowly, said the Sloth.
Philomel, 2002.
K–5 PB

The sloth explains to his friends that he moves slowly, but he is not lazy, or boring.

Cruz Martinez, Alejandro.
The Woman Who Outshone the Sun: The Legend of Lucia Zenteno.
Children’s Book Press, 1999.
4–5 PB

Villagers learn an important lesson about respecting differences.

Cutler, Jane.
Mr. Carey’s Garden.
Houghton Mifflin Company, 1996.
2–3 PB

Mr. Cary’s neighbors learn how to see things in a different light.

Dwight, Laura.
We Are All Alike, We Are All Different.
Scholastic Inc., 1991.
K–1 PB

Kindergarten children share ways in which they are alike and the ways they are different.

English, Karen.
Nadia’s Hands.
Boyds Mills Press, 1999.
2–5 PB

Nadia is caught between following a Pakistani tradition and being teased at school.

Fassler, Joan.
Howie Helps Himself.
Albert Whitman, 1987.
K–1 PB

Howie is determined to help himself get around.

Fleischman, Paul.
Weslandia.
Candlewick Press, 1999.
2–5 PB

Wesley’s differences make him a target of teasing. His unique talents earn him respect, as well as new friends.

Gantos, Jack.
Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key.
HarperTrophy, 2000.
4–5 CB

Joey, his teachers, and his friends must adjust to the fact that Joey has Attention Deficit Disorder.

Golenbock, Peter.
Teammates.
Gulliver Books, 1990.
4–5 PB

Pee Wee Reese, a member of the 1940’s Brooklyn Dodgers, takes a public stand in support of his teammate, Jackie Robinson.

Henkes, Kevin.
Chester’s Way.
Greenwillow, 1988.
K–3 PB

When Lilly moves into the neighborhood she shakes up an established relationship between
Chester and his buddy, Wilson.

Hesse, Karen.
Just Juice.
Scholastic Inc., 1998.
4–5 CB

”Juice” and her father overcome problems ranging from reading disabilities to poverty.

Howe, James.
Horace and Morris Join the Chorus (but what about Dolores?)
Atheneum, 2002.
2–5 PB

Three friends audition for the school chorus, but only two of them are selected.

Keller, Holly.
Farfallina and Marcel.
Greenwillow Books, 2002.
K–1 pB

A caterpillar and a gosling remain friends despite changes in their physical forms.

King, Casey.
Oh, Freedom! Kids Talk About the Civil Rights Movement with the People Who Made it Happen.
Alfred A. Knopf, 1997.
4–5 CB

Young people interview adults who had experience with the Civil Rights Movement.

Lester, Helen.
Tacky the Penguin.
Houghton Mifflin, 1988.
K–3 PB

Tacky uses his unique qualities to save some fellow penguins from hunters.

Linn, Grace.
The Ugly Vegetables.
Charlesbridge Publishing, 1999.
2–5 PB

A mother teaches her daughter that their garden is different in a delicious way.

McPhail, David.
Something Special.
Joy Street Books 1988.
K–3 PB

Sam discovers his special talent — painting.

Mitchell, Margaree King.
Uncle Jed’s Barbershop.
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1993.
3–5 PB

Uncle Jed and his niece, Sarah, experience the hardships of segregation in the 1920’s.

Mochizuki, Ken.
Baseball Saved Us.
Lee & Low Books, 1995.
4–5 PB

While a Japanese boy and his family are living in an internment camp during Word War II, they cope with stress by playing baseball.

Polacco, Patricia.
Thank You, Mr. Falker.
Philomel Books, 1998.
4–5 PB

In this autobiographical story, the author describes the shame of not being able to read.

Puttock, Simon.
The Big Bad Wolf is Good!
Sterling Publishing Co., 2001.
K–3 PB

Wolf has a difficult time convincing neighbors that he wants to be their friend.

Recorvits, Helen.
My Name Is Yoon.
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003.
2–3 PB

Yoon is reluctant to reveal her Korean name to her classmates.

Scieszka, Jon.
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs.
Puffin, 1996.
2–5 PB

The Big Bad Wolf tells his side of the story!

Snyder, Zilpha Keatley.
Cat Running.
Delacorte Press, 1994.
4–5 CB

A young girl must overcome prejudice in order to help a family of itinerant workers.

Suess, Dr.
The Sneetches.
Random House, 1961.
K–5 PB

Being different can give you special advantages, or it can make you a target of negative feelings. Dr. Suess examines this problem in The Sneetches.

Uegaki, Chieri.
Suki’s Kimono.
Kids Can Press, 2003.
2–3 PB

Suki decides to wear a kimono, a gift from her grandmother, on the first day of school. Her sisters warn her that she will look “weird.”

Walsh, Melanie.
My Nose, Your Nose.
Houghton Mifflin, 2002.
K–1 PB

In very simple language, the author compares the basic differences among people and, most importantly, their similarities.

Whitcomb, Mary E.
Odd Velvet.
Chronicle Books, 1998.
2–3 PB

Once her classmates get to know Velvet, they appreciate her talents and interests.

Wiles, Deborah.
Freedom Summer.
Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2001.
4–5 PB

The implementation of the Civil Rights Bill in the 1960’s fails to meet the high hopes and expectations of Joe, who is white, and John, who is African American.

Woodson, Jacqueline.
The Other Side.
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2001.
4–5 PB

A friendship develops between two girls, despite fear and prejudice among grown-ups who make the rules and build the fences.