The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi

Unhei, a Korean girl, moves to America and struggles with her name, feeling pressure to fit in. She considers adopting a new name but learns to appreciate her unique identity with the help of her classmates

 My Diary from Here to There by Amada Irma Pérez

It is the story of a young girl named Amada who overhears her parents discussing a significant move from Mexico to Los Angeles in search of better opportunities. As her family embarks on this challenging journey north, Amada takes to her diary to express her feelings, fears, hopes, and dreams about their new life in the United States. The story is about the emotional complexities of migration through Amada's lens, highlighting her personal growth and resilience as she navigates the uncertainties of leaving her homeland and embracing a new culture.

“All Are Welcome" by Alexandra Penfold

  This picture book celebrates diversity in a school setting, showcasing children from various backgrounds coming together to learn, play, and support each other

Banana Dream by Hasan Namir

This book, Banana Dream, is about a little boy named Mooz. His name means banana in Arabic, and because of that, he does not like his name. At school, everyone makes fun of him for his name. His parents named him after bananas because his mom was having trouble getting pregnant. However, she had a dream that she was feeding her baby bananas. So, she told her husband and he rushed to get bananas. After she ate bananas, a few weeks later, they were finally going to have a baby. After learning about this story of his name, Mooz finds a new appreciation of his name and is proud of it.

Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match by Monica Brown

Marisol McDonald doesn’t match, is a bilingual book in both Spanish and English and  is about a little girl named Marisol who is mixed race. Her dad is of Scottish descent, while her mom is of Peruvian descent. She goes about her day where people make comments about how her hair doesn’t match her skin, her clothes don’t match, etc. Marisol isn’t afraid to be different and to stand up for herself for being who she wants to be. She doesn’t fit any mold. She is truly her own self, Marisol. One day, she decides she will try to match. However, she ends up not feeling right the whole day. She realizes she is the happiest when she is herself, Marisol, who doesn’t need to match.

The Partition Project by Saadia Faruqi

In The Partition Project, Mahnoor (Maha) is a young aspiring journalist whose life is disrupted when her grandmother, Dadi, moves from Pakistan to live with her family in Houston. Maha is forced to give up her room and become Dadi’s unofficial caretaker, which causes tension. At school, Maha is tasked with creating a documentary for her journalism class, an assignment she initially disliked. However, as she converses with Dadi about her childhood and the Partition of India in 1947, Maha begins to see Dadi's life story as a powerful subject for her project. Through these conversations, Maha learns about Dadi’s experiences during Partition, her forced relocation to Pakistan, and the emotional and historical weight of that period. As the story unfolds, Maha discovers the human element behind historical events, blending her love for journalism with storytelling

 Rain School by James Rumford

Rain School, is set in the African country of Chad. It is the first day of school and all the children including the main character, Thomas, are heading to school. However, once they arrive they realize there is no school, just a teacher. The teacher says their first lesson is building the school. So, Thomas learns to make mud walls, mud desks, and all together they complete the school. Once they are in class, they begin their lessons. Throughout the nine months of school, the children gain knowledge and have a successful year. On the last day of school, once they leave, the heavy rains begin and the school’s mud walls start to slump and fall. The school is now all on the ground, but next school year, the children will build it up again.

"Last Stop on Market Street" by Matt de la Peña

CJ, a young boy, takes a bus ride with his grandmother through the city. Along the way, he learns to appreciate the beauty in diversity and the importance of community.

 Homeland by Hannah Moushabeck and Reem Madooh

The story follows three young girls who listen to their father’s vivid memories of Palestine, a homeland they have never visited. Through his stories, the Old City of Jerusalem comes alive, filling the girls with a sense of connection to a distant place they can only experience through his words. The story highlights the themes of diaspora, family bonds, and the power of storytelling to preserve cultural identity.

A Bindi Can Be … by Suma Subramaniam and Kamala Nair

In this story, a young girl learns about the cultural and spiritual significance of the bindi from her grandmother, Paati. Together, they create a bindi from natural ingredients, and through this experience, the girl learns that a bindi can take many forms and hold various meanings. It can be worn for celebrations or everyday moments, helping her feel connected to her heritage, tradition, and inner peace.