Inclusive Board Books on Bookshop
Dani Glass
Pride and Less Prejudice sends free books to educators in preschool through third grade classrooms. However, there are so many more resources out there for children both younger and older than the preschool to third grade age range, and they only continue to grow. In 2021, we did a review of board books and found X inclusive board books. Now, three years later in 2024, we went back and were excited to see how that list has grown. It has grown not only in numbers, but also in diversity and representation, with many more multilingual books, biographical books, and books about LGBTQ+ families, interracial families, consent, pronouns, and more. We are excited to share this resource, put together by PLP intern Erin Mutchler, for younger children with you.
It is important that very young children hear verbal inclusive language and see inclusive illustrations. Board books serve a unique and important role for infants and very young children. Reading with an infant or young child can provide opportunities for bonding between the child and the caregiver. They help children create a connection between books and reading with love, closeness, the comforting sound of their caregiver’s voice and the warmth of their lap. It also sets the child up for a love of literacy and reading in myriad ways. Board books also offer a unique experience in that infants and young children can physically interact with them in a way they cannot interact with other picture books. Their sturdiness allows children to touch, feel, hold (and yes, even taste!) books. We know that children are tactile learners; they learn best when they are able to physically interact with a material, and board books provide the appropriate sturdiness for the age!
It is even better when the board books very young children interact with show diversity and use inclusive language. This exposure from such an early age helps to normalize diverse identities, families, and even language. If you are a parent, educator, or caregiver of young children, don’t hesitate to check out some of PLP’s favorite board books here!
Bookshop.org is a wonderful supporter of independent bookshops; they send the profits from their sales directly to independent bookshops around the nation. While PLP is not a bookshop or bookseller, we do receive a small portion of the profits from books you purchase from this link. Purchasing books through Bookshop is a great way to support both PLP and local independent bookstores!
