Kids can relate to books about individuality

All children want to see themselves reflected in the books they read. Here are some picture books featuring diverse characters and a variety of experiences.

The Colors of Us by Karen Katz

Square Fish, 2002

For age 4 and up

Lena wants to paint a picture of herself and get the color just right — brown is brown, right? Her mom explains that people come in a variety of skin tones. For example, Lena is cinnamon and her mom is French toast. Together they explore their neighborhood and meet many people, all beautiful shades of color.

Using words children can relate to instantly — think peanut butter, honey, chocolate and peach — this book shows the diversity of color with lovely illustrations that partner well with Lena’s desire to paint a true reflection of the world around her.

Do Princesses Really Kiss Frogs? by Carmela LaVigna Coyle

Cooper Square Publishing, 2005

For age 3 and up

As a princess and her father go on a hike, she peppers him with questions about what princesses REALLY are. What do they wear? (“Whatever they like.”) Can they wade in streams? (“If they don’t mind that it’s cold.”) Together the duo have an adventure in the woods complete with animals, a pretend dragon and a picnic. The computer-generated illustrations are by Mike and Carl Gordon, a father-son team.

I Like Myself! by Karen Beaumont

HMH Books for Young Readers, 2004

For age 4 and up

This ode to self-esteem shows a young girl singing about all the things she likes about herself. She’s having too much fun to care what anyone else thinks and knows that true beauty is a reflection of what’s inside. The joyous rhyming text — “Inside, outside, upside down, from head to toe and all around. I like it all! It all is me! And me is all I want to be.” — pairs well with fun illustrations to create an anthem to liking yourself just exactly the way you are.

I Love Saturdays y Domingos by Alma Flor Ada and Elivia Savadier

Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2002

For age 4 and up

The narrator of this story loves all her grandparents. She spends Saturdays with Grandma and Grandpa doing things like eating pancakes, seeing a movie about the circus and watching the fish in Grandpa’s aquarium.

On los domingos (Sundays), she spends time with her other grandparents, Abuelito and Abuelita. They drink papaya juice, feed chicks and fly a kite. For the girl’s birthday, the four grandparents attend her party and enjoy both American and Mexican traditions — a cake, a piñata and birthday songs joyfully sung in both English and Spanish.

English-speaking readers will pick up the Spanish words sprinkled throughout the text, and the colorful hand-drawn illustrations clearly convey a warm message that while the two sets of grandparents have many differences, they also have much in common — especially a strong love for their granddaughter.

It’s Okay to be Different by Todd Parr

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2001

For age 3 and up

Todd Parr’s signature artistic style reminds children that being who you are makes you special and important, and that it’s OK to be different — whether that means missing a tooth, needing a wheelchair or eating macaroni and cheese in the bathtub. Both silly and subtle, the illustrations empower kids to stand up for themselves, accept differences and celebrate things that make us unique.

Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress by Christine Baldacchino

Groundwood Books, 2014

For age 4 and up

Morris loves lots of things, among them having great adventures, painting and pancakes. Most of all, however, he loves his tangerine dress. He loves the noise it makes when he walks and that it’s the same color as his mother’s hair. But when the other kids make fun of Morris and exclude him from their pretend spaceship excursion, it hurts.

After staying home sick, Morris has a dream about an incredible adventure. He wants to share it, so he paints a picture of himself riding an elephant during a space safari — and he’s wearing that tangerine dress. The other kids are curious and Morris includes them in his pretend space play. Once they get to know him, the others realize they no longer care about the dress.

Isabelle Malenfant’s gorgeous illustrations always highlight the beautiful tangerine dress and repeat its striking color in images throughout the book — the pet cat, tigers and Morris’ own hair — to showcase a story that is vibrant, warm, vulnerable and strong.

Not All Princesses Dress in Pink by Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2010

For age 3 and up

Not all princesses look or act alike. In this story, the authors seamlessly illustrate what it’s like to be a girl for whom being a princess is just one role. Whether she’s wearing a gown with soccer cleats or hip-hop dancing in overalls, a girl should be exactly who she is. Anne-Sophie Languetin’s gorgeous illustrations show girls playing sports, using power tools, gardening and fighting dragons — all while wearing their sparkly crowns.

The message here is that being a princess doesn’t mean sitting in a tower waiting to be rescued. It means being yourself, no matter who you are — and no matter what color you prefer to wear.

This story was originally published April 28, 2015 at 1:01 PM with the headline "Kids can relate to books about individuality."