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My favourite Montessori books for diversity and inclusion for young children

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During the break, I’ve been looking through the books in our classroom and admit there is a lack of diversity in the books. Children need to be able to see themselves represented in books, art and media around them.

So these are some of the books I’ve found that are as much as possible by BIPOC authors, with beautiful illustrations of children of different skin colours, with different family types, children in wheelchairs and showing the diversity of the world around us so we can all see ourselves.

There is a brilliant guide here by Social Justice Books for choosing books for young children, for example, to look for and avoid stereotypes.

I also love the suggestions here from Raising Yannis and on instagram Diverse Reads, Here Wee Read, and The Tutu Teacher. I also write down any book suggested by Tiffany Jewell and Britt Hawthorne who are both Montessori and anti bias educators.

  1. Saturday by Oge Mora – Spending Saturdays together are the best
  2. Another by Christian Robinson – A book without words, illustrations of a child and their cat, and representation of diversity in other children. A little whimsical.
  3. Antiracist Baby by Imran X Kendi – Gives messages that we see all colours and stand up for justice for all
  4. Whistle for Willie by Ezra Jack Keats – Also “Snowy day” and “Letter for Amy.” Beautiful everyday stories with Black children.
  5. Little You by Richard van Camp – A book of love and acceptance
  6. Global babies – Babies love to see pictures of other babies and these are beautiful babies from around the world.
  7. Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox – A sweet rhyming stories with babies of many skin tones.
  8. IntersectionAllies by Chelsea Johnson – This is a book for older children 3-6 years with beautiful stories of children from all countries, all backgrounds and all abilities and how we help each other.

1. An ABC of Equality by Chana Ginelle Ewing – for older children 3-6 years, a beautiful ABC book based on ideas around equity. (via Tiffany Jewell)

2. Love makes a family by Sophie Beer – it’s hard to find toddler-friendly books about different families. You see a great variety of types of families doing every day things.

3. Heather has two Mommies by Leslea Newman – Heather has to answer a lot of questions about having two mommies when she starts school.

4. Stella brings the family by Miriam B Schiffer – When it’s mother’s day, Stella is not sure what to do. She has two daddies, so she comes up with a good solution.

5. Counting on community by Innosanto Nagara – an original counting book all about working in community with one another. (via Tiffany Jewell)

6. Different Differenter by Jyoti Gupta – A beautiful workbook for older children about skin colour (via Britt Hawthorne)

7. I Got the Christmas Spirit by Connie Schofield-Morrison – A sweet story about the spirit of Christmas with beautiful illustrations

8. Lola’s Sint (nearly out of stock) by Kristina G Langarika – Beautiful handcut illustrations by a Jacaranda Tree Montessori parent who couldn’t find a book about Sinterklaas where her Black daughter was represented.

I’ve added links so you can view the books easily but please try to buy from Black bookstores, your local bookseller or via Tiffany or Britt‘s Bookshop.org stores.