Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources for Children, February 2023
prepared by Alvin R. Blount
Diocese of East Tennessee
Costs of items may vary depending on where they are purchased. Also, check with the Children’s Diversity & Justice Library at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, 2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919 for resources that circulate.
Stacey’s Extraordinary Words
-Stacey Abrams
-Kitt Thomas, illustrator
-hardcover, $10.44
-paperback, $12.95
-32 pages
-ages 4-8
-Balzer + Bray
-2021
-description: This debut picture book from well-known voting rights advocate and bestselling author, Stacey Abrams, is a New York Times bestseller and NAACP Image Award winner. In the book, Stacey is a lover of words, but when her teacher chooses her to compete in the local spelling bee, she isn’t so excited due to anxiety. She later learns her words are powerful if she wins or loses, and perseverance is more important than anything.
Abrams, S. (2021). Stacey’s Extraordinary Words. Balzer + Bray.
Absalom Jones: America’s First Black Priest
-Mark Francisco Bozzuti-Jones
-Kindle, $14.18
-paperback, $14.20
-64 pages
-ages: 3-12
-Morehouse Publishing
-2021
-description: This is the story of a former slave and America’s first Black Episcopal priest who was an inspiring model for living to love and serve others. It is also engaging enough for adults and begins by describing the reality of slavery as Jones had to purchase is wife’s freedom before his own. One will find encouragement, guidance, and hope when reading of Jones’s dedication to the Christian faith.
Bozzuti-Jones, M. F. (2021). Absalom Jones: America’s First Black Priest. Morehouse Publishing.
A Green Piano: How Little Me Found Music
-Roberta Flack
-Tonya Bolden
-Hayden Goodman, illustrator
-Kindle, $11.99
-hardcover, $18.99
-40 pages
-ages 4-8
-Anne Schwartz Books
-2023
-description: This autobiographical book by Roberta Flack, a Grammy Award winning singer who recounts her childhood living in a home full of love and music. She didn’t grown up with much, but she has fond memories of her old, upright piano that her father found in a junkyard and later painted it green.
Flack, R. (2023). The Green Piano: How Little Me Found Music. Anne Schwartz Books.
Juneteenth Day Coloring Book
–paperback, $7.99
-60 pages
-ages: 4-8
-Tireless Ambition
-2022
-description: This is an activity book designed for tiny little hands to build fine motor skills. Kids will enjoy coloring hair styles, sportsfigures, children playing, Black excellence, and more. Makes a great gift any time of the year!
Tireless Ambition. (2022). Juneteenth Day Coloring Book. Tireless Ambition.
The Adventures of Qai Qai
–Serena Williams
-Yesenia Moises, illustrator
-Kindle, $10.99
-hardcover, $9.49
-40 pages
-ages 6-8
-Feiwel & Friends
-2022
-description: Superstar athlete, Serena Williams, with the help of Yesenia Moises’s illustrations, writes a magical picture book where a little girl learns to the importance of believing in herself with the help of her doll, Qai Qai. The doll is her best friend and always has her back.
Williams, S. (2022). The Adventures of Qai Qai. Feiwel & Friends.