Infants and Toddlers – Photo Books and Story Books

Celebrating the Human Family

Here are books to support identity development and teach joy in human diversity that are just right for babies and toddlers   – although sometimes they need to be “told” rather than “read”.

To find more books like these, use the book search page. Look under “ages” for Infant/Toddler.

Infant Toddler Photo Books


All Kinds of People - Cover
Shelley Rotner, Holiday House 2009
Ages 0 - 2


“There are all kinds of people. They come in different shades” is the opening line in this latest photo book by Rotner & Kelly. With vivid photos and simple sentences, the book clarifies, delights, and gives language to describe the great range in human skin color.
Goal 1 & 2
 
 
American Babies - Cover
x, Global Fund for Children 2010
Ages 0 - 2


A simple book of vivid multi-ethnic and multi-racial portraits of babies from across the U.S. – all of them loved and treasured. Babies as young as three months will be fascinated.
Goal 1 & 2
 
 
Carry Me: Babies Everywhere - Cover
Rena Grossman, Star Bright Books 2009
Ages 0 - 2


“Carry me on your front. Carry me on your back… Carry me on your chest. Carry me the way you know best”. Wonderful, bright photos of men and women on five continents carrying babies in baskets, rebosas, arms – carrying them the way moms and dads know best. Global awareness without words!
Goal 1 & 2
 
 
Cradle Me - Cover
Debby Slier, Star Bright Books 2012
Ages 0 - 2


Wonderful photos of Native American children in various kinds of cradle boards. There are portraits of Paiute, Ojibwe, Arapaho, Northern Ute, Pueblo, Salish, Navajo, Nez Perce, Shoshone, Bannock, and Yurok babies with one word descriptions – such as smiling, sleepy, crying. The book opens with an invitation to reader, “Say each word in your own language.”
Goal 1 & 2
 
 
Families: Babies Everywhere - Cover
Rena Grossman, Star Bright Books 2010
Ages 0 - 2


Bright, easily understood, photos showing human and animal families in all their wonderful diversity. We see babies being cuddled by Dads and Moms, being cared for by animal parents, and everywhere being treasured and kept safe.
Goal 1 & 2
 
 
Glasses - Cover
Ann Gwinn Zawistoski, Peeps Eyewear 2014
Ages 0 - 4


This beautiful books shows photographs of children of all ages wearing colorful and beautiful glasses. NEEDS MORE
Goal 1 & 2
 
 
Hands Can - Cover
Cheryl Willis Hudson, Candlewick Press 2003
Ages 0 - 2


A racially diverse collection of children are shown using their hands — touching, planting seeds, catching, throwing, clapping.  A great photo book celebrating some of the oh so competent things small hands can do.
Goal 1 & 2
 
 
I Am Latino; the Beauty in Me - Cover
Sandra l. Pinkney, Little Brown & Co 2007
Ages 0 - 2


This book is a celebration of Latino children in all of their various shades, cultures, and customs. Poetic, affirmative text accompanies the striking photographs of children and refers to the five senses to lead the reader on an exploration of Latino foods, music, language, loving families, and more. One of very few books of its kind, representing the beauty and diversity of Latino American children.
Goal 1 & 2
 
 
I Can, Can You? - Cover
Can You?, Marjorie W. Pitzer Woodbine House
Ages 0 - 2


Delightful photographs of infants and toddlers with Down Syndrome playing, eating, learning and acting just like … infants and toddlers!
Goal 1 & 2
 
 
I See Me - Cover
Margaret Manuel, Everbest Books 2009
Ages 0 - 2


Wonderful photographs of Native American babies and toddlers sleeping, eating, drumming, and playing.
Goal 1 & 2
 
 
Let’s Play Outside - Cover
Pat Rumbaugh, Star Bright Books 2021
Ages 0 - 2


Bold, lively photographs of children of many racial and ethnic groups some of which are disabled, playing outside alone and with each other. Simple text “Playing outside makes us strong”. “You jump, I hop on a hopscotch square”! Filled with energy and playfulness.
Goal 1 & 2
 
 
Lots of Feelings - Cover
Shelley Rotner, Millbrook Press 2003
Ages 0 - 2


Rotner’s close up portraits of children of multiple racial and ethnic groups show all kinds of feelings: happy, sad, grumpy, excited, shy, proud, angry, loving, surprised, frightened, thoughtful, sleepy, serious, silly, curious, and confused. Great book for exploring feelings a building a feeling vocabulary.
Goal 1 & 2
 
 
Loving Me - Cover
Debby Slier, Star Bright Books 2013
Ages 0 - 2


Clear, expressive photos of babies and toddlers of Native American families loving their little ones. Families shown are Shoshone Bannock, Lakota Sioux, Navajo, Iroquois and Potawatomi.
Goal 1 & 2
 
 
Mom and Me - Cover
Marla Stewart Konrad, Tundra Books 2012
Ages 0 - 2


Beautiful photos of mothers and their children in daily tasks that all children will recognize. Families from Asia, Africa and Latin America portrayed in brilliant color.
Goal 1 & 2
 
 
Mi familia / My Family - Cover
x, Adirondack Books 2013
Ages 0 - 2


Written in Spanish and in English, this wonderful photo book shows a range of diverse families loving their babies. There are mommies, daddies, sisters, brothers, aunts and uncles, and grandparents. Joyful and beautifully photographed. And at last a book where aunts and uncles are included!!
Goal 1 & 2
 
 
Our Grandparents: A Global Album - Cover
Shelia Kinkaid, Global Fund for Children 2010
Ages 0 - 2


Grandpa, Bibi, Yeye and Grann . . . This striking album captures the inter-generational relationships between children and grandparents around the world. The brief text and striking photographs bring their joy and affection into focus. Includes a touching foreword by Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Goal 1 & 2
 
 
Shades of Black - Cover
Sandra Pickney, Scholastic Books 2000
Ages 0 - 2


This wonderful photo books celebrates the many beautiful shades of “Black” children’s skin, eyes, and hair. The text is aimed at 4 – 8 year olds, but the photos are fascinating to babies and toddlers. A joyful book for all children, and an essential one for African American children. Available in board book and regular forma.
Goal 1 & 2
 
 
Thank You! - Cover
Betsey Chessen, Scholastic Inc 1999
Ages 0 - 2


A “beginner reader” with wonderful multi-racial photos of children doing helpful things, and the adults in their lives saying, “Thank you”. A sweet declaration of adults appreciating children as models for children appreciating others.
Goal 1 & 2
 
 

 Infant & Toddler Story Books

Mirrors & Windows: I see me and my family! I see you and your family!

Clean Up Up Up - Cover
Clean Up Up Up
Ellen Mayor, Star Bright Books 2018
Ages 0 - 2


Up, under, over, in, beside, or behind…as Daddy cleans up the house he plays with his toddler and together they figure out where everything goes! A sweet STEM book delightfully illustrated with an African American Dad in a bi-racial family.
Goal 1 & 2
 
 
Families Can - Cover
Dan Saks, Penguin Random House 2021
Ages 0 - 2


Great illustrations of many different kinds of families. Single parents, grandparents, co-parents, immigrant parents, families that eat on a carpet and those that have outside barbecues. Multiple racial and cultural images. Simple and diverse and delightful. Perfect for 2-year-olds.
Goal 1 & 2
 
 
A Fish to Feed (Small Talk Books) - Cover
Ellen Mayer, Star Bright Books 2015
Ages 0 - 2


An African American Dad takes his toddler to a pet store to buy a fish, and then helps him learn to take care of the new little life they have purchased. Delightful illustrations. Back section with suggestions to adults for ways to have conversations with their little ones and to build children’s language skills.
Goal 1 & 2
 
 
Golden Bear - Cover
Ruth Young, Viking Press 199
Ages 0 - 2


“Golden Bear, Golden Bear, I have seen him everywhere, dancing up the golden stair, rocking in my rocking chair.” So begins this rhyming, tender poem about a young African American boy and his golden teddy bear. A perfect bedtime story.
Goal 1 & 2
 
 
Hi! - Cover
Ann Herbert Scott, Philomel Books 1994
Ages 0 - 2


A Latinx Mother and her toddler walk to the post office. The little one says “Hi” to everyone who passes, but no one responds and the toddler grows quieter and slower as they go. But then, the postal clerk smiles and says “Hi” back, and, happiness restored, Mother and toddler head home.
Goal 1 & 2
 
 
Daddy; Papa; and Me - Cover
Leslea Newman, Tricycle Press 2009
Ages 0 - 2


A toddler plays and romps with their Daddy and Papa as the two fathers move through tea parties, dress up, pizza making, and more family fun. This simple, playful book celebrates both parent’s relationships with their child in delightful play. (Newman also wrote the companion book “Mama, Mommy, and Me”)
Goal 1 & 2
 
 
Dear Child - Cover
John Farrell, Boyds Mills Press 2008
Ages 0 - 2


“Dear child, / I never knew / clouds were so beautiful, / the sky so blue.” So begins this lovely book in which three families (a single dad, two moms, a biracial couple) celebrate the delight their child brings to their lives. Gorgeous artwork shows the families at home, at the beach, in the city, and, finally, dropping their children off at a pre-school saying, “So wherever you go / and whatever you do / remember dear child, / my love goes with you.” Joyful to read and to look at!
Goal 1 & 2
 
 
Toddler Two/Dos años - Cover
Anastasia Suen, Lee & Low Books 2002
Ages 0 - 2


Charming board book in Spanish about a little boy and girl who are two years old. And great news, two is the number they prefer! They each have two eyes and two hands and they love the number two! Available in English as “Toddler Two”.
Goal 1 & 2
 
 
Everywhere Babies - Cover
Susan Meyers, Harcourt 2001
Ages 0 - 2


From the day they are born, babies are held, carried, fed, played with, cherished, and oh! so loved. The whimsical illustrations show a multiracial community (including elders, single parents, gay parents) as each family goes through the wonder, frustration, fatigue, and joy of the first year of life. This is one to read slowly, helping children savor each page.
Goal 1 & 2
 
 
I Just Want to Say Goodnight - Cover
Rachel Isadora, Nancy Paulson Books 2017
Ages 0 - 2


In a village on the African veld (sadly, the nation is not identified), a toddler stalls going to bed by saying good night, one by one, to the many animals that surround and are part of her community. A lovely going to bed story (the illustrations show the light growing dimmer as the pages turn), that shows both the uniqueness of the child’s environment and the universality of bedtime for young children. Finally she is in bed and picks up her book (“Good Night Moon”) for one last “good night” and goes to sleep. Wonderful, evocative artwork of a warm, safe night descending, and a child’s independence and sense of being loved.
Goal 1 & 2
 
 
Love You Little Brother - Cover
John Archambault, Childcraft Education 2006
Ages 0 - 2


“I love you well my little brother, and you are fond of me. Let us be kind to one another as brothers ought to be”. So begins this charming book that children will memorize after hearing it two or three times. A lovely lesson in kindness, presenting two African American boys in a deeply loving relationship.
Goal 1 & 2
 
 
Man’s Work - Cover
Annie Kubler, Child’s Play Ltd 1999
Ages 0 - 2


A wordless board book of light-hearted, very funny illustrations of a father and son engaged in various housekeeping activities including vacuuming, ironing clothes, picking up around the house and doing laundry.
Goal 1 & 2
 
 
More More More Said the Baby (Más Más Más dijo el bebé) - Cover
Vera B. Williams, Greenwillow Books 1990
Ages 0 - 2


Three love stories about three babies who are given loving and playful attention – a white baby with his single father in one story, an African American baby with his grandmother in the next, and a Vietnamese baby with her mother in the third. Wonderful Caldecott Honor book.(Available in Spanish and English)
Goal 1 & 2
 
 
Only You - Cover
Robin Cruise, Harcourt Inc 2007
Ages 0 - 2


Three parents (Asian American, African American, White American) each tell their child how precious and beloved they are. Beautifully illustrated, written in simple, clear poetry. “When Autumn glimmers green and gold, I love your hand in mine to hold…
Goal 1 & 2
 
 
On Mother’s Lap – En las piernas de mama - Cover
Ann Herbert Scott, Clarion Books 2007
Ages p - E


An Inuit toddler gets comfort from rocking with his mother. He brings more and more of his favorite toys to share in her loving embrace. When his little sister awakes and his mother wants to include her – he’s not sure there’s enough room. But as Michael and Baby and all the toys snuggle down, his mother whispers “there is always room on Mother’s lap”.
Goal 1 & 2
 
 
Please Don’t Give Me a Hug! - Cover
Please Don’t Give Me a Hug!
Judi Moreillon, Star Bright Books 2001
Ages 0 - 2


A young one’s book about consent! A Toddler makes it very clear – “You can give a wink, a wave, a big wide smile, a fist bump, a handshake…and more…but PLEASE don’t give me a bear hug”. This important book takes place in a multi-racial, multi-ethnic neighborhood and ends with “Please wait for me to hug you”!
Goal 1 & 2
 
 
Red Socks - Cover
Ellen Mayer, Star Bright Books 2015
Ages 0 - 2


While folding laundry and dressing her child, Mama engages in lively conversation with her little one. Part of a series of books supporting adults having conversations with toddlers, this books is delightfully illustrated showing an Asian American mom and baby.
Goal 1 & 2
 
 
We Have a Baby – Tenemos un bebe - Cover
Cathryn Falwell, Clarion Books 2008
Ages y - T


Oh lovely book! A small Latino child tells the story of the new baby in their home. He and his parents have a baby to watch, to touch, to take care of, to feed, to wash, to dress, to carry. The last pages show the tenderness of this time in family life – “a baby to love, and a baby to love us”. Every household with a second (or third, or?) baby should have this book.
Goal 1 & 2
 
 
Yum Yum Dim Sum - Cover
Amy Wilson Sanger, Tricycle Press 2003
Ages 0 - 2


A great board book that transports you to a dim sum, a Chinese family-style restaurant with foods like ha gau (steamed shrimp dumplings), dau fu (tofu), jing cha siu bao (steamed pork bun), and oolong tea. Wonderful mixed-media collage illustrations.
Goal 1 & 2