Finding Diverse Books 2024 | Easy Readers & Bridging Fiction

Updated December 13, 2023
Drag items up and down to your preferred order then select the "Save Order" button.
Who will win?
David, Arihhonni
Paper Book
Bear has fast legs. Turtle has a fast mind. Who will win the race? A fun Native American tale that kindergarteners and first graders can read on their own. Ready, set, go! Bear will go over the ice. Turtle will go under the ice. ...

A Haudenosaunee storyteller shares a traditional story about a race between Bear and Turtle that highlights the importance of working together. This could pair nicely with Aesop's The Tortoise and the Hare as students discuss how a similar concept (a race between a fast creature and a slow creature) can be told in different ways to convey different meanings, or write their own stories about animal races. Includes a pronunciation guide and translations for Mohawk words used in the story. The entire I Like to Read series contains simple yet engaging stories, perfect for beginning readers.

Easy Reader Level 1

Race & Ethnicity | Indigenous

Maxie Wiz and her dragon
Meadows, Michelle
Paper Book
A rollicking, rhyming, magical adventure in this Step 1 Reader featuring a young wizard in training! Maxie Wiz wants a pal. HOCUS-POCUS-a dragon egg appears! Soon, he almost grows too large for the castle! What spells will Maxie come up with to help with her new pet? ...

From Dragon Masters to Wings of Fire, dragons are increasingly popular with elementary school students. With fewer than 10 words per page, this story of a young witch bonding with her new baby dragon is accessible for beginning readers. The series continues to grow with a second book, Maxie Wiz and the Magic Charms, which hit the shelves in December 2023.

Easy Reader Level 1

Race & Ethnicity | Black

Tacos today
Raúl the Third
Paper Book
An Eisner Award Nominee! An NPR Books We Love Selection An ALA Best Graphic Novels for Children Selection A Children's Book Council Children's Favorite A Children's Book Council Librarian Favorite A Children's Book Council Teacher Favorite ...

El Toro and his fellow luchadores can't afford their lunchtime tacos, so they team up for an amazing street show to earn some extra cash. Raúl the Third's iconic illustration style, the widespread appeal of Mexican wrestling, and the mix of English and Spanish words crafts a colorful, action-packed story for beginning readers.

Easy Reader Level 2

Race & Ethnicity | Latine

Awesome orange birthday
Ruths, Mitali Banerjee
Paper Book
In this full-color early chapter book series, Priya starts a party-planning business to help save the planet -- one party at a time! Pick a book. Grow a Reader! This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line, Branches, aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to...

Thanks to popular graphic novels like The Baby-Sitters Club and PAWS, kids are fascinated by the idea of running their own businesses. The Party Diaries series features budding party planner Priya, who throws events for family and friends to raise money for endangered animals (another popular cause with many young animal lovers). Written in a graphic novel hybrid style (a mix of traditional text and illustrations with speech bubbles) and clocking in at just under 100, the Scholastic Branches books are also a great tool for young readers who love graphic novels and need support building their capacity for reading narrative fiction.

Bridging Fiction Grades 2-4

Race & Ethnicity | Asian & Pacific Islander

The absent alpacas
Whaley, Kayla
Paper Book
Solve Animal Mysteries from A to Z! Young clue hunters Abbi, Daniel, and Lydia sniff out the mystery behind a group of missing alpacas. Inspired by Ron Roy's beloved A to Z Mysteries series, this spin-off is perfect for budding young chapter-book readers--and future detectives!

Disability in KidLit founder and author Kayla Whaley launches this spinoff series inspired by Ron Roy's A to Z Mysteries. In the first book, Abbi--who, like the author, uses a power wheelchair--teams up with her friends to solve a mystery at the Maine State Fair. While representations of disability in children's books have been increasing in the last several years, many of those books are written by non-disabled authors or authors who became disabled as adults. Whaley draws on her own experiences as a disabled kid to provide a much-needed mirror for young readers in similar circumstances.

Bridging Fiction Grades 2-4

Disability


Library staff! You can create and contribute to lists. Contact your catalog administrator or log in here.