30 books for more diversity and variety in the nursery - Jane Wayne News

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"'Mama Superstar' takes us to war-torn South Korea, hot India, vibrant Mexico and hopeful Iraq, among others.

Above all, the book takes us to the places where the daughters of migrant mothers grew up: quiet Kelkheim, orderly Stuttgart and multicultural Berlin.

The impressions are inspiring, funny and extremely honest!"

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TAGS: racism, children's books

28 Comments

Dear Nike, I'm actually a silent reader of your magazine. Due to the current situation, I was looking for children's books with more diversity this morning (unfortunately it's not that easy) - and I was all the more happy about today's post. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!
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What do you think of the book by Riccardo Simonetti? It's called "Raffi and his pink tutu". I haven't held it in my hands yet, but I would be very interested to know if any of you know it and if it is recommended. ◠‿◠
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1. Ohh, I don't know that yet! I'll make myself smart. Thanks for the tip!
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2. Riccardo Simonetti's book is wonderful. We recently bought it for our children (4 years). I like to recommend it!!!
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Thanks for the great compilation! Since it is also part of diversity for me, I would like to add the following book: https://www.spiegelburg -shop.de/product/63313/lilly-belongs-to-picture-book-about-disability-and-inclusion/
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1. THANK YOU.
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Very great! I would also like to add a great book: DISCO! by Frauke Angel and Julia Dürr. 🙂
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So great, thanks Nike!Another tip for researching children's books: The Kolibiri list of recommendations, which is published annually for the Frankfurt Book Fair, reviews books that enable children and young people to encounter other cultures and aspects openly of cultural diversity and intercultural coexistence in a differentiated manner. This way: https://www.baobabbooks.ch/de/kolibri/
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Great Nike! Popo and the Schnetts & Schmoos ordered immediately! Many thanks & Big compliments to your editors. We can still learn so much thanks to you & take us to you a great example! Lots of love and admiration from Hamburg! xo Steffi
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Dear Nike, thanks for the great post! It's actually frighteningly difficult to find good diverse children's books. Especially when I think of all the non-fiction books about firefighters and police, etc., which should be completely thrown away, both for diversity reasons and from a feminist point of view... I got another list from a friend. I'll link them here: https://www.situationssatz.de/vor judgement-conscious-children-buecher.html
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Dear Nike, in our hidden object book we dealt with diversity. Maybe it fits in your list of suggestions. Many thanks, Annahttps://www.beltz.de/kinder_jugendbuch/produkte/produkt_produktdetails/33632-das_wimmelbuch_der_weltreligionen.html
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A wonderful list. I think Cornelia Funke also makes great books. Igraine Fearless was my childhood hero :).
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That's a great list, I'll definitely buy something for my niece. I bought "When I took away Papa's fear of strangers" for my studies. I found that very nice too!
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Great list! I could also recommend "Green Rice and Blueberry Bread" - it's about recipes from all over the world and a household that shares these delicacies simply and without prejudice or tension.
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My children loved this book: "To Mr. Günther with best regards". The story is great, the characters are wonderfully diverse without being the subject of the book, and I love the illustration.
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I also have another tip: The picture book "I'm almost exactly like you" by Thienemann. Thanks for the great list and best regards!
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Thank you for compiling this list! However, I think that it shows above all how much still needs to be done! Diversity should be standard (not just in children's books). And (also) without making it a direct topic. I think it's a pity that I can't find a book like “My first day at daycare” with a black child in the leading role. Just like that, without any culture-blah being discussed. If anyone has any tips in this regard (apart from Nelly and the Berlinchen), I would be very happy about them! It is also a pity that it is often pretended that such books are then for the children who are represented. Of course that's also important, but white people (children) in particular have to learn that they can't/shouldn't always be the main role....I'm looking forward to feedback!
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1. You are so right! I search really hard for children's books that don't deal with "being different" and that don't only feature girls if it's a book for girls. My boys do ask me why there are almost only boys and men in the stories and in fact female characters or POC are always in a special position or decorative accessories.
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  1. I recently gave away the book “My friends, happiness and I”. Everything that exists is discussed there, but without going into differences, rather incidentally and naturally. The book was very well received.
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2. Hello, I am also very happy about the list. The other books I can think of that I bought for my 1-year-old daughter are "I like...swing, painting, soccer, noise" and "I'm now...happy, angry, strong". Many children are shown what they like and how they feel or are at the moment. I found it very pleasant that just a lot of different children are shown and the beautiful pictures can stimulate dialogue. I agree that it would be important for Conni not only to exist as a white girl in a heteronormative family in which the dad doesn't even cook if the mother broke her leg (which makes me very angry, because at that point I don't see it as empowerment that Conni is allowed to go shopping and cook...)
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Thank you very much for the great compilation. I can also recommend Laura Lichtblau's book "Kamilla - Great excitement in Meisenhüttenstadt"!
https://www.arena-verlag.de/artikel/kamilla-978-3-401-80695-2
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Yesterday evening "Akissi" arrived and my bonus daughter (6) and I have already read more than half of it. Akissi is snotty and hilarious! Thanks for the tip.
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I would also like to add “Pembo” by Ayse Bosse to the list ◠ ◡ ◠
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Visit @afrokids_germany on Instagram. There are great books with black children in the leading role presented. It's a very nice site
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Maria Benson Verlag (http://mariabenson-verlag.de/buecher/) has a variety of books that have been translated from Swedish. The blog Buuu.ch (https://buuu.ch/) also presents many books that depict "diverse and progressive role models".
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