Good modern children’s picture books?

[wifey1281]

Howdy all! Not a parent here, I’m actually a college student. I’m currently taking a children’s literature course and we have to do an essay and presentation on an “unfamiliar picture book.” Essentially, a book we didn’t read as a child. The books we select are supposed to focus on more “modern” issues, or at least issues that up until recently, we haven’t been teaching kids about much.

(Ex: feminism. Sure, as a kid I read books about women doing great things. But I was never taught to be a feminist in my children’s books or shown the word. I don’t think I even heard the word “feminist” or “feminism” until I was eleven or twelve years old.)

But I digress, I figured I’d ask some parents here, what books have you read to your kids and recommend for teaching them about issues like feminism, racism, other cultures/cultural acceptance, LGBTQ. That sort of thing.

If it helps, some of the books that have already been selected by my peers are A is for Ambitious by Meena Harris, There was a Hole by Adam Lehrhaupt, 321 Awesome by Eva Chien, and The Other Side by E.B. Lewis.

I was considering doing Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry. I used to read that one with a little boy I nannied (technically breaks the whole “unfamiliar” rule but I won’t tell if you don’t.) I was also considering The Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Muhammad & S.K. Ali and Sulwe by Lupita Nyong'o. Those I found through google. Any thoughts on these books? Have any of you read them to your kids?

I hope it’s okay that I post this here! I’ve just been searching for a good children’s book and I thought who better to ask than parents?

 

[randomthought12]

@wifey1281 A Day in the Life if Marlond Bundo is a good story about a boy rabbit falling in love with another boy and struggling with being told boys cant love boys.

Wolfie the Bunny is about a rabbit family.adopting a baby wolf and the daughter having trouble adjusting.

 

[jotdbible]

@wifey1281 Red: A crayons story is a good book that normalizes transgender experiences of feeling differently from what you were born/labeled. It doesn’t overtly discuss the trans experience, but I liked how it introduced the concept and emphasized acceptance.

 

[marshmelly]

@wifey1281 You could check out amightygirl.com they have lots of great suggestions for diverse, feminist etc. children's books.

 

[diz86]

@wifey1281 Joan Proctor Dragon Doctor. It’s a picture book that is non-fic about a woman who worked with reptiles, the first woman to work as an animal expert in the London Zoo. (Loved komodo dragons)

This one would be so easy for you to do a report on. There’s nothing in between the lines. It’s literally all right there that she was the first woman and encountered hardship because of it. One of the most interesting modern picture books I’ve read. I learned a lot.