Diverse Books for Spanish Learners

Books that reflect the diversity of human experience around the globe are the future of children’s literature. Today, however, we need to advocate for more titles with diverse characters and celebrate the authors and publishers who are creating diverse books.

Be sure to visit our Spanish Books for Kids Resource Page for reviews and activities for favorite books.

What are Diverse Books?

Diverse books are children’s books that feature diverse characters. These characters represent the different experiences and viewpoints of ethnic, cultural, and religious minorities, people of color, LGBTQ, and people with disabilities.

Why We Need Diverse Books

Diverse Books

1. Teach respect for other cultures
2. Inspire pride in home cultures
3. Break down stereotypes
4. Give all children the opportunity to identify with the books they read
5. Show people from diverse groups working together
6. Show we all share the same emotions
7. Teach geography and history
8. Expose children to other languages
9. Tell all children “Each and every one of you is an important part of the story.”

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Spanish Playground is happy to co-host Multicultural Children’s Book Day again this year and spread the word about the importance of diverse books. This event is an opportunity to discover and celebrate wonderful multicultural titles for kids.

When Multicultural Children’s Book Day kicks off on January 25, 2019 you will find reviews of multicultural picture books by over 500 librarians, teachers and parents. There will also be educational activities for many of the books. It’s a fabulous event, with plenty of content to keep you reading diverse books all year long.

Don’t miss the Multicultural Children’s Book Day Annual Twitter Party. We are giving away Book Bundles while we discuss the state of diversity in children’s book publishing. The free sign-up for the Twitter Party will be here shortly.

The MCBD team has also created educational materials including a Free Classroom Empathy Kit for Homeschoolers, Organizations, Librarians and Educators, a Free Kindness Classroom Kit for Homeschoolers, Organizations, Librarians and Educators and a set of thematic Diverse Books Lists with activities for teachers and parents.

Learn more about the event on the Multicultural Children Book Day website and follow the MCBD Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts. You can find all the great content using the hashtag #ReadYourWorld.

Diverse Books in Spanish

Diverse books in Spanish are are a rich source of culture and language for both heritage speakers and language learners. Read about some of our favorite diverse books for children learning Spanish.

Latino Picture Books for Home and Classroom
Cuban History for Kids: Bilingual Book and Activities
Spanish Words for Daily Life: Picture Book Activities
Rainbow Weaver: Bilingual Window to a Mayan World
Spanish Tongue Twisters: Book and Activities
Marisol McDonald and the Monster Spanish Activities
Spanish Early Reader Books: Rafi y Rosi
Spanish Places Vocabulary: Book and Writing Activity
Latino Culture from Lucha Libre to Chanclas
Spanish Stories for Kids: Nos fuimos todos de safari
Maya’s Blanket: Bilingual Book by Monica Brown
Middle-Grade Novel Shares Experiences of Mixed-Status Families
Spanish Stories Kids Will Love: Marisol McDonald Books
Fiesta Femenina: Enchanting Stories for Children Learning Spanish
Spanish Story for Kids: El Fandango de Lola Activities

Putting diverse books into the hands of children is important. Teachers and parents need to ask for multicultural books and books with characters that represent a range of diverse life experiences. We also need to celebrate and support the authors and publishers who are bringing us multicultural and diverse titles. Join us January 25, 2019 to explore books that reflect and celebrate the amazing diversity of our world.