Reading Across America with 50 Inclusive Picture Books

You may not be aware yet, but as of last year NEA changed the focus of Read Across America away from Dr. Seuss and to "Celebrating a Nation of Diverse Readers" - moving away from a singular focus on, and raising up of, one white male author who has a history of racist imagery* and toward a year-long celebration of the diversity that makes our country what it is. Dr. Seuss can be both a beloved author AND ALSO problematic. So it's time to move away from a day celebrating Seuss and into a year-long focus on inclusive choices

Because we cannot let nostalgia guide our decisions. Because we cannot allow racist or stereotyped imagery to be part of what we promote through our read aloud choices. Because we cannot refuse to move on from the past and bypass our responsibility to represent the entirety of what America is about today. 

As we head into Read Across America Day, here is a list of some alternative titles that would all make valuable choices as a replacement for Dr. Seuss in your read alouds this week.

50 Inclusive Picture Books to Celebrate Reading Across America
*You can shop this list, through my Bookshop affiliate link supporting independent bookstores + my work.

Blue Sky White Stars 

by Sarvinder Naberhaus, illustrated by Kadir Nelson

Grand Canyon 

by Jason Chin

Lulu & Rocky in Milwaukee

by Barbara Joosse, illustrated by Ren Graef

Under My Hijab

by Hena Khan, illustrated by 

Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut

by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Gordon C. James

Rolling Thunder

by Kate Messner, illustrated by Greg Ruth

We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga

by Traci Sorell, illustrated by Frané Lessac

The President Sang Amazing Grace: A Book About Finding Grace After Unspeakable Tragedy

by Zoe Mulford, illustrated by Jeff Scher

Secret Engineer: How Emily Roebling Built the Brooklyn Bridge

by Rachel Dougherty

Undocumented: A Worker's Fight

by Duncan Tonatiuh

Going Down Home With Daddy

by Kelly Starling Lyons, illustrated Daniel Minter

What Is Given From the Heart

by Patricia C. McKissack, illustrated by April Harrison

The Many Colors of Harpreet Singh

by Supriya Kelkar, illustrated by Alea Marley

Her Fearless Run: Kathrine Switzer’s Historic Boston Marathon

by Kim Chaffee, illustrated by Ellen Rooney

Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story

by Kevin Noble Maillard, illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal

Bilal Cooks Daal

by Aisha Saeed, illustrated by Anoosha Syed

My Papi Has a Motorcycle

by Isabel Quintro, illustrated by Zeke Peña

The Roots of Rap: 16 Bars on the 4 Pillars of Hip-Hop

by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Frank Morrison

Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag

by Rob Sanders, illustrated by Steven Salerno

Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré

by Anika Aldamuy Denise, illustrated by Paola Escobar

Chester Nez and the Unbreakable Code: A Navajo Code Talker's Story

by Joseph Bruchac, illustrated by Liz Amini-Holmes

Imagine

by Juan Felipe Herrera, illustrated by Lauren Castillo

Always Anjali

by Sheetal Sheth, illustrated by Jessica Blank

All Are Welcome

by Alexandra Penfold, illustrated by Suzanne Kaufman

Saturday

by Oge Mora

Let the Children March

by Monica Clark-Robinson, illustrated by Frank Morrison

Jingle Dancer

by Cynthia Leitich Smith, illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu

Mission to Space

by John Herrington

umpling Dreams: How Joyce Chen Brought the Dumpling from Beijing to Cambridge

by Carrie Clickard, illustrated by Katy Wu

Her Right Foot

by Dave Eggers, illustrated by Shawn Harris

Maya Lin: Artist-Architect of Light and Lines

by Jeanne Walker Harvey,  illustrated by Dow Phumiruk

Early Sunday Morning

by Denene Millner, illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton

Marvelous Cornelius: Hurricane Katrina and the Spirit of New Orleans

by Phil Bildner, illustrated by John Parra

When Penny Met POTUS

by Rachel Ruiz, illustrated by Melissa A. Manwill

Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson's Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions

by Chris Barton, illustrated by Don Tate

The Quickest Kid in Clarksville

by Pat Zietlow Miller, illustrated by Frank Morrison

Maybe Something Beautiful: How Art Transformed a Neighborhood

by F. Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell, illustrated by Rafael López 

The Man Who Walked Between the Towers

by Mordicai Gerstein

Little Humans

by Brandon Stanton

Last Stop on Market Street

by Matt de la Peña, illustrated by Christian Robinson

Coming Home

by Greg Ruth

Sequoia

by Tony Johnston, illustrated by Wendell Minor

Drawn Together

by Minh Lê, illustrated by Dan Santat

Baseball Is...

by Louise Borden, illustrated by Raúl Colón

Charlie Takes His Shot: How Charlie Sifford Broke the Color Barrier in Golf

by Nancy Churnin, illustrated by John Joven

Peaceful Fights for Equal Rights

by Rob Sanders, illustrated by Jared Schorr

Salamander Sky

by Katy Farber, illustrated by Meg Sodano

Enough! 20 Protestors Who Changed America

by Emily Easton, illustrated by Ziyue Chen

Just Read!

by Lori Degman, illustrated by Victoria Tentler-Krylov 

The Perfect Seat

by Minh Lê, illustrated by Gus Gordon

*If you're unaware of the issues with Dr. Seuss, these links will be helpful:
The Cat is Out of the Bag: Orientalism, Anti-Blackness, and White Supremacy in Dr. Seuss's Children's Books

Is the Cat in the Hat Racist? Read Across America Shifts Away From Dr. Seuss and Toward Diverse Books (School Library Journal)

Thread from The Conscious Kid in the #DisruptTexts slow chat

New Study Published on Racism and Dr. Seuss (School Library Journal)