The number of Americans identifying as more than one race has been growing steadily, and the current generation of kids (Gen Alpha) is estimated to be 6 percent biracial or multiracial. If your family is not already multiracial or multicultural, there’s a strong likelihood that your kids will meet mixed race friends or even be part of a mixed race family in the future.
The experience of growing up with mixed heritage can be rich, rewarding, and complex. From enjoying multiple cultural traditions, to wondering which identity box to check, to finding role models they can relate to, multiracial kids have unique experiences that aren’t always reflected back to them in the dominant culture — even though people of mixed ancestry have existed for centuries.
Stories can be a great way for families to start conversations, self reflect, and find meaning in identity. Luckily, there are plenty of books that provide glimpses into the experiences of growing up biracial or multiracial. Whether you or your kids are mixed race, or you just want to help them gain empathy for their friends’ experiences, these picture books and chapter books are worth a read!
10 picture books about mixed race families
Mixed: Portraits of Multiracial Kids by Kip Fulbeck
Talk about representation! Multiracial artist Kip Fulbeck photographed a hugely diverse group of mixed race kids and brought their voices to the pages of this unique portrait collection for all ages.
Buy: AbeBooks | Amazon | Barnes & Noble (eBook)
The Colors of Me by Ekaette Kern
Written by a mother of a biracial child, this picture book for kids aged 2 to 4 celebrates the beauty, uniqueness, and richness of biracial or multiracial identity.
Buy: Bookshop | Barnes & Noble
Lulu the One and Only by Lynnette Mawhinney
In this story written by a biracial author, a girl with a Black mom and a white dad isn’t sure how to answer the question that mixed race people are all too commonly asked, “What are you?” She eventually comes up with her own unique, empowering response!
I Am Mixed by Garcelle Beauvais & Sebastian A. Jones
With relatable details throughout, this book follows along as two siblings explore and celebrate what it means to be of mixed heritage. A foreword by Halle Berry may inspire the grownups.
Buy: Bookshop | Better World Books | Barnes & Noble
Many Things at Once by Veera Hiranandani
The main character, who (like the author) is the child of a Jewish mother and a South Asian father, learns about her family history and reflects on her own identity.
Buy: Bookshop | Better World Books | Barnes & Noble
Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match by Monica Brown
A red-headed Peruvian and Scottish main character celebrates her uniqueness in this colorful, energetic picture book by an author who identifies as a mestiza Peruvian American of European, Jewish, and Amerindian heritage.
Buy: Bookshop | Better World Books | Barnes & Noble
I Love Saturdays y Domingos by Alma Flor Ada
As the main character visits both sets of grandparents on the weekends, she learns about her Mexican American, Native American, and European American heritage, and has tons of fun!
Buy: Bookshop | Better World Books | Barnes & Noble
All Kinds of People by Shelley Rotner & Sheila M. Kelly
This simple board book full of joyful photographs introduces the youngest readers to a diversity of skin tones and hair textures, showing how they can vary within the same family.
Buy: Bookshop | Better World Books | Barnes & Noble
A Family Is a Family Is a Family by Sara O’Leary
This book beautifully and humorously celebrates families of all kinds, through the main character’s classmates’ stories. Adoption and foster care, mixed race families, disabled parents, divorced and blended families, same-sex couples, and more are represented.
Buy: Bookshop | Better World Books | Barnes & Noble
Mixed: A Colorful Story by Arree Chung
Through a simple allegory featuring dots of different primary colors, the author hints at a story of integration, interracial relationships, and mixed heritage. Kids can visualize the increased “diversity” on the pages as the colors mix.
Buy: Bookshop | Better World Books | Barnes & Noble
10 chapter books featuring biracial or multiracial protagonists
Lola Levine Is Not Mean! by Monica Brown
Lola Levine is a second grader who loves soccer and has a Jewish dad and a Peruvian mom. She’s navigating school drama in the first of this fun series for young readers.
Buy: Bookshop | Better World Books | Barnes & Noble
Cilla Lee-Jenkins: Future Author Extraordinaire by Susan Tan
In this late elementary/middle grade novel that’s the first in a series, the spunky, biracial main character wants to write a book before her baby sibling is born. Along the way, she explores family dynamics with her Chinese American grandparents and her white American grandparents.
Buy: Bookshop | Better World Books | Barnes & Noble
Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Donte and Trey are brothers who are both biracial (Black and white), but Donte’s much darker skin gives him a different life experience. Through brushes with discipline and law enforcement, and spending time in two very different neighborhoods, he discovers more about who he is.
Buy: Bookshop | Better World Books | Barnes & Noble
Step Up to the Plate, Maria Singh by Uma Krishnaswami
In this historical fiction book set in 1940s California, fifth grader Maria is part of an Indian and Mexican family. She wants to play in her city’s first-ever girls’ softball team, while her parents struggle against discriminatory laws.
Buy: Bookshop | Better World Books | Barnes & Noble
Blended by Sharon M. Draper
Eleven-year-old protagonist Isabella’s Black dad and white mom are divorced, and are both getting remarried. It’s a balancing act to navigate race, class, two homes, and two families — and on top of that, an incident with the police.
Buy: Bookshop | Better World Books | Barnes & Noble
I Can Make This Promise by Christine Day
The 12-year-old protagonist knows she is Native American and white, but doesn’t know much about her Indigenous ancestry because her mother was adopted. Then she finds a box full of artifacts — but why has her family kept it hidden?
Buy: Bookshop | Better World Books | Barnes & Noble
The Whole Story of Half a Girl by Veera Hiranandani
The protagonist, who is both Indian and Jewish, is trying to make friends after having to change schools suddenly because her father lost his job, in this relatable middle grade novel.
Buy: Bookshop | Better World Books | Barnes & Noble
This Is Just a Test by Madelyn Rosenberg & Wendy Wan-Long Shang
In this novel that takes place in the 1980s, a 12-year-old boy is preparing for his bar mitzvah while facing pressure from both his Jewish grandmother and his Chinese grandmother — not to mention navigating friend drama and the threat of nuclear war.
Buy: Bookshop | Better World Books | Barnes & Noble
Lupe Wong Won’t Dance by Donna Barba Higuera
This confident protagonist, who is proud to be Mexican and Chinese, is really into playing baseball, but really not into square dancing. How is she going to pass PE so that she can get to meet her favorite “Mexinese” pitcher?
Buy: Bookshop | Better World Books | Barnes & Noble
Becoming Naomi León by Pam Muñoz Ryan
The shy Mexican and white protagonist in this middle grade novel lives in a trailer with her great-grandmother. In the midst of custody issues, a trip to Mexico, and trying to protect her little brother, she finds her voice.
Buy: Bookshop | Better World Books | Barnes & Noble
