Books by Theme

Multicultural Board Books

12 Lucky Animals: A Bilingual Baby Book

12 Lucky Animals: A Bilingual Baby Book

By: Vickie Lee
Illustrated by: Joey Chou
Genre: Nonfiction
Age Level: 0-3
Reading Level: Pre-Reader

Meet each animal in the Chinese zodiac and learn about their basic characteristics. Stylized, geometrically shaped creatures are presented in Mandarin and English, with the Chinese transliterated to guide pronunciation.

All Fall Down

All Fall Down

By: Helen Oxenbury
Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 0-3
Reading Level: Pre-Reader

Young children will appreciate the game played by children (also in Tickle Tickle) in this sturdy book. Rhyming text and uncluttered illustrations are just right to share with the youngest child.

American Babies

American Babies

By: Global Education Fund
Genre: Nonfiction
Age Level: 0-3
Reading Level: Pre-Reader

Simple sentences connect babies from diverse backgrounds, each portrayed in a full-color photograph on sturdy pages.

Black Bear Red Fox (Colours in Cree)

Black Bear Red Fox (Colours in Cree)

By: Julie Flett
Genre: Nonfiction
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

Provides the English and Cree words for colors, along with the pronunciation.

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Brown Sugar Baby

By: Kevin Lewis
Illustrated by: Jestenia Southerland
Age Level: 0-3
Reading Level: Pre-Reader

“Brown sugar baby, dark eyes spark bright with glee ... Pie of my eye, stay right here with me.” This lyrical first book in the Brown Sugar Baby series is a celebration of the powerful love and protective, comforting instincts of a mother for her child. 

Count Me In! A Parade of Mexican Folk Art

Count Me In! A Parade of Mexican Folk Art

By: Cynthia Weill
Illustrated by: The Aquilar Sisters
Genre: Nonfiction
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

Join the parade and count from one to ten in Spanish and in English. Numbers and a one-sentence description of the ceramic figures in regional dress from Oaxaca, Mexico are presented in both languages, punctuated by lively folk art figures.

Everywhere Babies

Everywhere Babies

By: Susan Meyers
Illustrated by: Marla Frazee
Age Level: 0-3
Reading Level: Pre-Reader

Every day, everywhere, babies are born. They're kissed and dressed and rocked and fed — and completely adored by the families that love them. With rhyming text and charming illustrations, this board book is an exuberant celebration of playing, sleeping, crawling, and, of course, very noisy babies doing all the wonderful things babies do best.

Feliz Cumpleanos, Tengo Un Ano

Feliz Cumpleanos, Tengo Un Ano

By: Matteo Faglia
Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 0-3
Reading Level: Pre-Reader

Un conejito cumple un año y celebra con un pastel/torta, una vela y su familia. El libro contiene ilustraciones brillantes que se enfocan en lo básico sobre un cumpleaños para un niño de un año, dejando espacio para una foto y otras notas para recordar la fecha. (La editorial también tiene libros comparables para niños de 2, 3 y 4 años.) Saltitos the rabbit celebrates his first birthday with a cake, a birthday wish, and singing.

Gossie/Gansi

Gossie / Gansi

By: Olivier Dunrea
Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 0-3
Reading Level: Pre-Reader

Gossie, a small yellow gosling thinks she has lost her favorite red books until she sees them on her friend's feet. This small board book is presented in Spanish and English.

I See Kitty

I See Kitty

By: Yasmine Surovec
Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

Chloe is charming child in a red and white polka dot dress who sees kittens everywhere, even dreaming about them. When she awakens, her dream becomes reality and she gets her own kitten. Clean lines and simple language present a satisfying, recognizable story.

Island Counting 1 2 3

Island Counting 1 2 3

By: Frane Lessac
Genre: Nonfiction
Age Level: 0-3
Reading Level: Pre-Reader

Count people and animals doing what they do on a Caribbean island. From one to ten, the rhyming text combines with brightly colored, child-like illustrations to produce the sense of place and people.

Maisy's Animals/Los animales de Maisy

Maisy's Animals / Los animales de Maisy

By: Lucy Cousins
Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 0-3
Reading Level: Pre-Reader

Maisy’s favorite animals are introduced in both English and Spanish accompanied by Cousin’s signature illustrations on sturdy pages. Maisy is a familiar character with a simplicity of illustration and text that captivates young children.

Mama, Do You Love Me?

Mama, Do You Love Me?

By: Barbara M. Joosse
Illustrated by: Barbara Lavallee
Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

This story of an Inuit child testing the limits of her independence, and a mother who reassuringly proves that a parents love is unconditional and everlasting. Beautiful illustrations of Alaska and the characters convey the cultural richness of this timeless story.

More, More, More Said the Baby

More, More, More Said the Baby

By: Vera Williams
Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 0-3
Reading Level: Pre-Reader

In each of these three short, colorfully illustrated stories, the grandmother loves her Little Pumpkin as only a doting grandmother can. Chubby, multi-ethnic children are brightly portrayed in sparkling watercolors.

My Daddy and I

My Daddy and I

By: Eloise Greenfield
Illustrated by: Jan Spivey Gilchrest
Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 0-3
Reading Level: Pre-Reader

A boy and his father, shown as African Americans in warmly hued illustrations, enjoy doing everyday activities together, from laundry to sharing a book and more. The simple pleasures of family life are conveyed affectionately through easy but flowing language and realistic paintings in a sturdy format.

Noodles, Please!

Noodles, Please! (A to Z Foods of the World)

By: Cheryl Yau Chepusova
Illustrated by: Rebecca Hollingsworth
Genre: Nonfiction
Age Level: 0-3
Reading Level: Pre-Reader

Noodles are a universally loved food, from Ash Reshteh in Iran to Zaru Soba in Japan. In this board book shaped to mimic bowls, young children will discover 26 different varieties as they eat their way through the alphabet. With each new letter, a new dish is introduced identifying its country of origin and name written in both English and the country’s native language. 

Opuestos: Mexican Folk Art Opposites

Opuestos: Mexican Folk Art Opposites

By: Cynthia Weill
Genre: Nonfiction
Age Level: 0-3
Reading Level: Pre-Reader

Cynthia Weill's book of Mexican folk art teaches kids about opposites in Spanish and English! These whimsical little animals from Oaxaca, carved and painted by hand, make learning about opposites fun. Up and down, tall and short, left and right — all inside a beautiful book.

Pretty Brown Face

Pretty Brown Face

By: Andrea Davis Pinkney
Illustrated by: Brian Pinkney
Genre: Nonfiction
Age Level: 0-3
Reading Level: Pre-Reader

Who is that beautiful face in the mirror? Why it is baby, held by a loving daddy. This simple yet appealing book is presented in a format appropriate for the youngest reader to hold.

Say Goodnight

Say Goodnight

By: Helen Oxenbury
Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 0-3
Reading Level: Pre-Reader

Even the most active baby or toddler must sleep sometime, and in this story the children "say goodnight." Similar to Tickle Tickle and All Fall Down, this is a sure hit to share with babies and toddlers.

Say Hello

Say Hello

By: Rachel Isadora
Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 0-3
Reading Level: Pre-Reader

Mama, Carmelita, and their dog Manny greet people in their diverse neighborhood as they walk to see Abuela Rosa. Everyone says "hello" but in their own language — ranging from Italian and French to Hebrew and Arabic to slang American greetings. It is Manny's "woof," however, that is universal. Textured illustrations make Carmelita’s community familiar and accessible.

Sweetest Kulu

Sweetest Kulu

By: Celina Kalluck
Illustrated by: Alexandria Neonakis
Genre: Poetry, Fairytales, Folk Tales, and Tall Tales
Age Level: 0-3
Reading Level: Pre-Reader

The lyrical lullaby begins on the day Kulu was born with, "all of the Arctic Summer was there to greet you." Each animal bestows on the baby something special, from heritage to instinct. Gentle illustrations in soft hues swirl as each creature embraces the newborn.

Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes

Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes

By: Mem Fox
Illustrated by: Helen Oxenbury
Genre: Poetry, Fiction
Age Level: 0-3
Reading Level: Pre-Reader

From the opening lines to its satisfying conclusion, readers are introduced to babies from many cultures. Though each child is different, each has some things in common — "ten little fingers & ten little toes." The rhyming text and repeated phrase make this a wonderful book to share with children of many ages.

Ten, Nine, Eight

Ten, Nine, Eight

By: Molly Bang
Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 0-3
Reading Level: Pre-Reader

This countdown to bedtime begins with "10 small toes all washed and warm" until one little girl is tucked snugly into bed by her loving dad. Richly hued illustrations, warmly detailed, combine with a straightforward text that holds up to multiple readings as well as careful examination.

The Mitten: A Ukrainian Folktale

The Mitten: A Ukrainian Folktale

By: Jan Brett
Genre: Fairytales, Folk Tales, and Tall Tales, Fiction
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

The cumulative tale of a child's lost mitten — but found to become home to a host of animals — is told in straightforward language and intricate, bordered illustrations. Now 20 years old, Brett's interpretation of a Ukrainian folktale will be enjoyed anew.

Tummy Time Friends

Tummy Time Friends

By: Pat Brisson
Age Level: 0-3
Reading Level: Pre-Reader

Photographs of infants on their tummies are accompanied by a brief and reassuring, gently rhyming text. This lively board book unfolds accordion-style and can be placed upright — tummy-time babies will lift their heads to see the beautiful, diverse faces surrounding them.

Whistle for Willie

Whistle for Willie

By: Ezra Keats
Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 0-3
Reading Level: Pre-Reader

Oh, how Peter wished he could whistle to call his dog, Willie. Try as he might, he just couldn’t seem to make the sound come out — until one day he could! The simple description of a child’s yearning is told in natural language and charming collage illustrations.

Whose Knees Are These?

Whose Knees Are These?

By: Jabari Asim
Illustrated by: LeUyen Pham
Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 0-3
Reading Level: Pre-Reader

Lilting language and bold shapes in flat colors encourage response as the narration asks who do these knees belong to? And in another book by Asim, your child will discover Whose Toes Are Those? The author's background as a poet is evident in the simple and evocative writing.

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