Children's Literature -- Picture Book Genres

Multicultural Picture Books / Books on Community & Belonging

Multicultural and international picture books develop the reader's appreciation of children from different cultures and those with various exceptionalities, and they can help children appreciate their own unique cultures and experiences as well.

Selected Books

These multicultural picture books and many more can be found in the Children's Collection on the main floor of Montgomery Library.

Multicultural Books by Topic

The books below are categorized by topic, demographic group, and/or cultural regions of the world. Some books appear in multiple categories.

1. Self-Confidence & Breaking Down Barriers
2. Children with Exceptionalities and/or Disabilities
3. African American & African Heritage
4. East Asian and Pacific Island Cultures
5. Jewish Culture / Heritage
6. Latin American and Caribbean Cultures
7. Middle East / North Africa
8. Native American Cultures / First Nations
9. South Asian Cultures
10. Foods, Holidays, and Special Events
11. Music & Arts
12. Immigration

*Go to banned library books
*Go to full list of multicultural library books 

Find these multicultural picture books and many others in the Children's Collection on Montgomery Library's main floor.

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1.Self-Confidence & Breaking Down Barriers

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2. Children with Exceptionalities and/or Disabilities

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3. African American & African Heritage

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4. East Asian and Pacific Island Cultures

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5. Jewish Culture / Heritage

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6. Latin American, Hispanic, and Caribbean Cultures

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7. Middle Eastern / North African Cultures

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8. Native American Cultures / First Nations

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9. South Asian Cultures

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10. Foods, Holidays, and Special Events

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11. Music & Arts

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12. Immigration & Migration

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Banned Multicultural Books Available at Montgomery Library

In 2020, the Central York School District in Pennsylvania banned hundreds of multicultural children's books and other educational resources. The purpose of the book ban was to prevent white children from feeling guilty. Most of the books did not even explicitly address race or racism, but simply featured characters of color or other diverse backgrounds. Read more about this situation in the New York Times: How Students Fought a Book Ban and Won, for Now.

Nationwide, other school districts in the United States have instituted similar book bans, which you can read about here at Goodreads. Furthermore, the American Library Association has reported a sharp increase in the overall number of books that have been challenged or banned from libraries in recent years. 

The following list includes multicultural books held at Montgomery Library that were banned in Central York School District and/or in other school districts. Students especially in the field of education are encouraged to evaluate these books objectively and be prepared to explain the criteria for selecting children's books that deal with multicultural topics. The American Library Association has also published an easy-to-use collection of "book résumés" to help readers find reviews, summaries, recommended age ranges, and reports of censorship proposals for a wide range of books.

Find these banned multicultural picture books on Montgomery Library's main floor in the Children's Collection.

Multicultural Book Awards

The Coretta Scott King Book Awards have been given annually since 1970 to outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults who demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values.  The award commemorates the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and honors his wife, Mrs. Coretta Scott King.

The Pura Belpré Award, established in 1996, is presented annually to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays the Latino cultural experience in a work of literature for children and youth. The award is named after Pura Belpré, the first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library. It is co-sponsored by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), and REFORMA, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking, an ALA affiliate. 

The Mildred L. Batchelder Award is given annually by the American Library Association to an American publisher of an outstanding children's book translated into English for publication in the United States.

The Schneider Family Book Award is given annually by the American Library Association to an author or illustrator of books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience.

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Full list of multicultural books