Book picks similar to
Sitti's Secrets by Naomi Shihab Nye
picture-books
picture-book
multicultural
family
Where Are You From?
Yamile Saied Méndez - 2019
In which a girl who is asked where she's really from turns to her abuelo for the answer.
Knots on a Counting Rope
Bill Martin Jr. - 1987
In this poignant story, the counting rope is a metaphor for the passage of time and for a boy's emerging confidence in facing his blindness.
Juneteenth for Mazie
Floyd Cooper - 2015
She is ready to celebrate freedom. She is ready to celebrate a great day in American history — the day her ancestors were no longer slaves. Mazie remembers the struggles and the triumph, as she gets ready to celebrate Juneteenth.This beautiful story by award-winning author and illustrator Floyd Cooper will captivate both children and adults.
When We Were Alone
David Alexander Robertson - 2016
Why does her grandmother have long braided hair and beautifully colored clothing? Why does she speak another language and spend so much time with her family? As she asks her grandmother about these things, she is told about life in a residential school a long time ago, where all of these things were taken away. When We Were Alone is a story about a difficult time in history and, ultimately, one of empowerment and strength.
The Day of Ahmed's Secret
Florence H. Parry - 1990
All day long, as he maneuvers his donkey cart through streets crowded with cars and camels, down alleys filled with merchants' stalls, and past buildings a thousand years old, Ahmed keeps his secret safe inside. It is so special, so wonderful, that he can reveal it only to his family, only when he returns home, only at the end of the day.
Last Stop on Market Street
Matt de la Pena - 2015
Through energy and encouragement, CJ's nana helps him see the beauty and fun in their routine.This beautifully illustrated, emotive picture book explores urban life with honesty, interest and gratitude.Last Stop on Market Street has won multiple awards and spent time at the number one spot in the New York Times Bestseller List.
Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story
Kevin Noble Maillard - 2019
Fry bread is food.It is warm and delicious, piled high on a plate.Fry bread is time.It brings families together for meals and new memories.Fry bread is nation.It is shared by many, from coast to coast and beyond.Fry bread is us.It is a celebration of old and new, traditional and modern, similarity and difference.
Big Red Lollipop
Rukhsana Khan - 2010
Rubina is mortified, but she can't convince Ami that you just don't bring your younger sister to your friend's party. So both girls go, and not only does Sana demand to win every game, but after the party she steals Rubina's prized party favor, a red lollipop. What's a fed-up big sister to do? Rukhsana Khan's clever story and Sophie Blackall's irresistible illustrations make for a powerful combination in this fresh and surprising picture book.
Amazing Grace
Mary Hoffman - 1991
When her school decides to perform Peter Pan, Grace longs to play the lead, but her classmates point out that Peter was a boy. Besides, he wasn't black. With the support of her family, Grace learns that she can be anything she wants to be, and the results are amazing!Remarkable watercolor illustrations give full expression to Grace's high-flying imagination.
Whoever You Are
Mem Fox - 1997
Every day all over the world, children are laughing and crying, playing and learning, eating and sleeping. They may not look the same. They may not speak the same language. Their lives may be quite different from each other. But inside, they are all alike. Stirring words and bold paintings weave their way around our earth, across cultures and generations and remind children to accept differences, to recognize similarities, and--most importantly--to rejoice in both.
The Wall
Eve Bunting - 1990
A young boy and his father visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
The Sandwich Swap
Rania Al-Abdullah - 2010
They like doing all the same things, and they always eat lunch together. Lily eats peanut butter and Salma eats hummus--but what's that between friends? It turns out, a lot. Before they know it, a food fight breaks out. Can Lily and Salma put aside their differences? Or will a sandwich come between them?The smallest things can pull us apart — until we learn that friendship is far more powerful than difference. In a glorious three-page gatefold at the end of the book, Salma, Lily, and all their classmates come together in the true spirit of tolerance and acceptance.
The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq
Jeanette Winter - 2005
For fourteen years, her library has been a meeting place for those who love books. Until now. Now war has come, and Alia fears that the library--along with the thirty thousand books within it--will be destroyed forever.In a war-stricken country where civilians--especially women--have little power, this true story about a librarian's struggle to save her community's priceless collection of books reminds us all how, throughout the world, the love of literature and the respect for knowledge know no boundaries. Illustrated by Jeanette Winter in bright acrylic and ink.Includes an author's note. *From the New York Times, July 27, 2003
Lailah's Lunchbox: A Ramadan Story
Reem Faruqi - 2015
Carman.
Eyes that Kiss in the Corners
Joanna Ho - 2021
They have big, round eyes and long lashes. She realizes that her eyes are like her mother’s, her grandmother's, and her little sister's. They have eyes that kiss in the corners and glow like warm tea, crinkle into crescent moons, and are filled with stories of the past and hope for the future.Drawing from the strength of these powerful women in her life, she recognizes her own beauty and discovers a path to self love and empowerment.