Mia discovers the joy of community and friendship when she and Mama share the delicious fruit from their mango tree with their new neighbors.
Oscar’s Tower of Flowers written by Lauren Tobia
Staying in his Nana’s apartment while his mother is away, young Oscar helps tend a thriving flower garden that he then shares with neighbors in his community.
Our Little Kitchen written by Jillian Tamaki
A crew of resourceful neighbors comes together to prepare a meal for their community. Includes a recipe and an author’s note about the volunteering experience that inspired the book.
Ernestine’s Milky Way written by Kerry Madden
In Maggie Valley, North Carolina, in the 1940s, Ernestine, who is five years old and a big girl, carries fresh milk to needy neighbors through thickets, down paths, and over a barbed-wire fence, despite her fears.
May I Come in? Written by Marsha Diane Arnold
Raccoon does not want to be alone on a stormy night but his neighbors, Possum, Quail, and Woodchuck, each tell him they have no room to spare.
Good Morning, Neighbor written by Davide Calì
From a mouse’s simple request for an egg to make an omelet, animal neighbors donate ingredients to make and share a delicious cake.
A little girl and her dog find unexpected ways to spread the light in their dreary town where it always rains, showing that happiness is contagious.
Good Morning, Good Night: a book of opposites in the city written and illustrated by Anita Lobel
A family’s day spent in the city reveals a wealth of contrasting images.
Billie and Bean in the city written and illustrated by Julia Hansson
A child walks her dog around the block alone for the first time, navigating their vibrant city neighborhood in this picture book full of color, light and shadow.
The City Tree written by Shira Boss
A newly planted sidewalk tree in the city transforms the neighborhood as residents nurture it through the seasons.
Our Pool written and illustrated by Lucy Ruth Cummins
Today is a pool day in the city! The sun is shining, so what are you waiting for? Friends and family. Kids and grandparents. Big bodies and small bodies. Everybody is welcome at our pool! Get ready for swimming and splashing, zigzagging and dunking, and racing and laughing.
Frances in the Country written by Liz Garton Scanlon
A spirited girl visits her cousins in the country for a chance to break free from the clamor and crowd of life in the city.
Song in the City written by Daniel Bernstrom
From Daniel Bernstrom, the acclaimed author of One Day in the Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus Tree, comes a charming and irresistibly fun picture book about a young blind girl and her grandmother who experience the vibrant everyday music of their busy city. A young girl, filled with the sounds of her beloved city, shares a song with her grandmother that changes the two forever. After helping Grandma realize that the city makes music as beautiful as the sounds they hear in church on Sunday morning, the two sit down and take in all the sounds of the city…together. Song in the City bridges the gap between generations of music and family, while centering love, understanding, and joy.
Off the Wall written and illustrated by Theodore Taylor
Missing the city life, a young girl starts to feel a sense of belonging in her new town when she discovers vibrant graffiti splashed throughout the neighborhoods, proving street art can be found everywhere–as well as a sense of home.
The Crayons go Back to School written by Drew Daywalt
The crayons are getting ready to go back to school, and each crayon has a subject they’re looking forward to the most. They’re also ready to meet new friends … and let loose during their very favorite time of day: art class.
The World’s Best Class Plant written by Liz Garton Scanlon
A class that is terribly disappointed in their lack of a class pet discovers that having a class plant is the best thing ever.
This is a School written by John Schu
A school is more than just a building. It’s a community of people, a place for discovery, and a place to explore!
Dress-up Day written and illustrated by Blanca Gómez
Sick at home, a young girl misses the costume party at school, so she decides to wear her rabbit costume the next day; but when the other children laugh at her, she is sad–until a boy turns up in his carrot costume, and soon the other children join in their play.
John’s Turn written by Mac Barnett
Every Friday, in the cafeteria, one of the kids gets up in front of the whole school and does something. A performance. Today it’s John’s turn.
The Homesick Club written by Libby Martinez
Mónica and Hannah are school kids in the big city. Together, they have formed the Homesick Club, since they are both from far away. Mónica misses the family of hummingbirds that she and her grandmother would feed in her backyard in Bolivia every day. Hannah misses the sunshine and the tiny tortoise that lived near her house in Israel. When a new teacher, Miss Shelby, arrives from Texas, the girls discover that she misses her home, too, especially the huge sky full of stars and a Southern treat known as Hummingbird Cake. The girls ask Miss Shelby to join their club, then Mónica decides she will bring a surprise for show and tell.
Henry at Home written by Megan Maynor
Liza is Henry’s big sister, and Henry is Liza’s little brother. As long as there has been a Henry and Liza, they have always done everything together. Haircuts, birthday parties, tree climbing, even flu shots. Liza and Henry. Henry and Liza. But that all changes when Liza starts school for the first time, heading off to kindergarten and leaving her little brother behind. Henry is incredulous. How can Liza do this to him?
In Our Garden written by Pat Zietlow Miller
Students create a vegetable garden on their school’s rooftop.
Rhyming verses celebrate a diverse group of young children who are free to explore their identity through a variety of fun and engaging activities in gender neutral, non-judgmental environments.
Becoming Charley written by Kelly DiPucchio
Unlike all the other caterpillars Charley sometimes wonders what it would be like to be a fawn or a waterfall, so when the day comes to form her chrysalis, Charley must decide who she will become.
You are a Story written and illustrated by Bob Raczka
Who are you exactly? What makes you, you? You are a living thing, a friend, a mystery, a miracle. You can be whatever you chose: it’s your life to write, because you are a story.
What I Am written and illustrated by written and illustrated by Divya Srinivasan
A young narrator describes herself as many things at the same time – a girl, a granddaughter, Indian, American, both selfish and generous, mean and kind – and these seeming contradictions are precisely what makes her a unique individual.
Patchwork written by Matt de la Peña
An ode to the richly varied tapestry of experiences and identities that make every child unique.
Who are Your People? Written by Bakari Sellers
When you meet someone for the first time, they might ask, “Who are your people?” and “Where are you from?” In these pages is a timeless celebration of the individuals and experiences that help shape young children into the most remarkable and unique beings that they can be.
My Shape is Sam written by Amanda Jackson
In a place where jobs are based on shape, Sam, who looks like a square but longs to roll like a circle, discovers his true, unique shape.
Why am I Me? Written by Paige Britt
In a poetic, philosophical exchange, two children of different races ask themselves why they are who and what they are, and speculate on how they could be different.
Mo’s Mustache written by Ben Clanton
Monster Mo’s big, beautiful mustache inspires all of his friends to copy his style by growing fabulous mustaches of their own, leaving Mo to wonder how he will continue to distinguish himself.
From the Stars in the Sky to the Fish in the Sea written by Kai Cheng Thom
A magical gender variant child brings transformation and change to the world around them thanks to their mother’s enduring love. In the magical time between night and day, when both the sun and the moon are in the sky, a child is born in a little blue house on a hill. And Miu Lan is not just any child, but one who can change into any shape they can imagine. The only problem is they can’t decide what to be: a boy or a girl? A bird or a fish? A flower or a shooting star? At school, though, they must endure inquisitive looks and difficult questions from the other children, and have trouble finding friends who will accept them for who they are. But they find comfort in the loving arms of their mother, who always offers them the same loving refrain: “whatever you dream of / I believe you can be / from the stars in the sky to the fish in the sea.
Science in Storytime 
