An Ethnically-Diverse Reading List for Your Toddler

This is how you build an ethnically-diverse library for a toddler. Why bother? Because if you build it, they will read it.

Because the wife and I belong to the tribe of anti-consumers who worship strong anti-princesses. The only television little E. watches are Sesame Street and The Daily Show (ok, just Sesame Street). She knows all the Sesame Street monsters and despite our best efforts, she knows quite a few Disney characters. But Sponge Bob, she calls "Yellow Box," and Ronald McDonald is just a "clown." And we aim to keep it that way.

E. loves her books. Perhaps it's not a coincidence she started with Eric Carle (Hungry Caterpillar, Brown, Bear). While she loves and has all the classics (Goodnight Moon, Curious George, Where the Wild Things Are, many by Sandra Boyton), we're constantly on the search for children's classics of the ethnically-diverse kind.

The following are what we've found so far:

1. Amy Wilson Sanger (World Snacks publishers). First Book of Sushi, Yum Yum Dim Sum, Let's Nosh! Because we're Asian and love food.
   
2. Frida, by Jonah Winter, Ana Juan.
   
3. My First Chinese New Year, Karen Katz.
   
4. Ezra Jack Keats, Snowy Day, Whistle for Willie, etc.
   
5. Taro Gomi, Everyone Poops, Bus Stops, Spring is Here.
   
6. Satoshi Kitamura, Squirrel is Hungry, Sheep in Wolves' Clothing and the Boots series
   
7. Barefoot Books (publishers).
8. The Colors of Us, Karen Katz.

If you have any favorites that I've missed, please share.