Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Topic: Diverse & Inclusive Books for EYFS

Six-year-old Asiya loves to go to Nanu’s house. Best among all of Nanu’s treasures is the big old chest filled with quilts that tell the stories of the women in Asyia’s family.

With gorgeous, fresh and beautifully colourful illustrations inspired by Bangladeshi katha quilts and traditional West Bengali pattachitra panel illustrations, The Katha Chest is a beautifully woven tale about the bonds of love, culture and memory.

No matter how hard she tries, Triangle doesn’t roll like the circles, or stack like the squares…so she sets off to find friends that look exactly like her. But when she finds the other triangles, playtime isn’t as fun. She misses the shapes that roll and stack; she misses being different. So she starts a new quest, one that gets all of the different shapes playing and having fun together!

From the bestselling author of How Are You Feeling Today?, this picture book encourages children to celebrate uniqueness and diversity and helps them to challenge stereotypes.

The Same but Different explores the ways in which we’re all unique as well as the similarities we all share. Using everyday examples, clear explanations and colourful illustrations by Sarah Jennings, this book prompts children to broaden their perspectives and rejoice in their differences. After all, imagine how boring the world would be if everyone was exactly the same!

This book covers lots of ways in which we’re different, including how we look, where we live, the languages we speak, what our families are like and what we believe in. It’s the perfect resource for starting important conversations with children about diversity and inclusion, with topics such as race, disability, gender, sexual orientation and religion. Early Years and PSHE expert Molly Potter also provides a glossary of terms and notes for parents and carers offering advice on tackling prejudice right from the start.

Sofia and Bilal are twins, and they love making mischief together! When their family of four becomes five, the twins realise that sharing is harder than they had ever imagined . . .

This beautifully illustrated picture book is the perfect gift for children who are about to become older siblings for the first time. Lucy Farfort’s gentle watercolour artwork combined with engaging text introduces little learners to this enormous life event in an accessible and honest light.

An emotive, poignant and lighthearted introduction to the big changes we face.

Pablo and his friends are going to the supermarket, or as they like to call it, the super place!

Tang loves the super place, but Mouse finds it too bright and too noisy .

Pablo and friends find different ways to have a lovely time among all the sights and sounds of the Super Place.

A touching story about being proud of who we are and embracing our differences, written by TV star Nadiya Hussain.

I am a boy, and this is Rayf, my bird.
Rayf is my friend.

On his first day of holiday camp, a little boy arrives with his bird best friend perched proudly on his shoulder, but he soon discovers that he is different from everyone else – no one else has a bird. He hides Rayf away to try and fit in but it’s hard to pretend to be someone else for long.

Funny, emotional and uplifting picture book about separation and love, to help children understand their emotions.

Everyone loves everyone in Tess’s house, but when Tess has to leave for school for the very first time, she is worried that her family’s love might not stretch that far. Mum explains that love is like a string, it connects people together even when they are far away. At school Tess notices that all the children have strings! Some are new, some are old, some stretch a long way, and some even stretch right up into the sky. But what happens when a string breaks?

Lift the flaps and join in the fun with Mole’s Spectacles , a brilliant story in the bestselling Tales from Acorn Wood preschool series by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, creators of The Gruffalo .

Mole has lost his spectacles. He searches all around his house, in the garden and even in Weasel’s sweetshop, but he can’t find them anywhere! Where could they be? Lift the flaps to help him find them.

With sturdy flaps on every spread and rhyming stories that are a joy to read aloud, Mole’s Spectacles joins the bestselling Tales from Acorn Wood which have been delighting parents and children for over twenty years.

Joyous and vibrant, this captures perfectly the excitement of getting ready for a celebration, as well as showcasing a dazzling array of intricate hairstyles.

This is a glorious debut from an exciting new partnership who both emerged from the FAB Prize for undiscovered BAME writers and illustrators.

There are billions of families, a million ways to be. But in my magic family it’s Mummy, Mum and me!
Let’s tell our family stories – fantastical and true – and we’ll find out who’s who to me, and who is who to you…

In this celebratory, reassuring rhyming story a little girl with two mummies shares the magic of her family and discovers how magic all her friends’ families are too. This is a warm, funny read-aloud that’s perfect for opening up conversations about different families in a playful, creative way.

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