March 2nd marks the annual celebration of Read Across America Day, a time dedicated to encouraging a love of reading in students across the country. Traditionally, this day was closely associated with Dr. Seuss books and themed activities. However, in recent years, there’s been a meaningful shift in focus toward promoting multicultural and diverse children’s literature. This change is both timely and necessary. It opens the door to sharing a wider range of stories that reflect the rich backgrounds, experiences, and voices of students in our classrooms. As educators and parents, we now have a powerful opportunity to highlight books that promote acceptance, kindness, inclusion, and cultural awareness, values that are essential for nurturing compassionate and informed readers. In this post, I’m sharing a variety of meaningful activities and ideas that align with the updated focus of celebrating diverse voices in literature. These resources are ideal for Read Across
It is so important to read our students’ picture books with diverse characters. Children need to learn about new cultures, places, and traditions. They also need to be able to “see” themselves in a book. For so long there was a shortage of diverse and multicultural children’s books. And while there has been a steady increase in the past few years, there is still a long way to go. Below is a book list of 36 books that feature both multicultural and diverse characters. These include children of different races and ethnic groups as well as a child with two fathers and a boy who identifies as a girl. Before you read the book list, I want to share with you one of my favorite quotes about diversity. Across the Bay by Carlos Aponte Carlitos lives in a happy home with his mother, his abuela and Coco the cat.





