Children’s Books with Positive Messages about Diversity, Emotions and Purpose

Children’s books are a wonderful way to introduce young minds to positive messages you want them to carry through their lives.

I haven’t met a baby who didn’t love books, especially my little girl. When Cora began to crawl, she would go over to our bookcase and pull all of her books off of her shelf multiple times a day. Though it created a mess, I smiled seeing her look through each book, pointing and jabbering as she flipped the pages.

With at least four former librarians in her family, Cora gets her love of books honestly.

We have books of all kinds on her shelf, but we definitely wanted a selection of stories focused on positive messages, like diversity, emotions, culture, kindness and how to be a friend.

Here’s a collection of some of our favorite children’s books. These are not just for babies – these books have messages that will resonate with young children as well.

Please note: This post contains affiliate links. As a participate in the Amazon Associate Program, I may earn from qualifying purchases connected with these links. However, all opinions of these products are honest and my own.

The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld

The Rabbit Listened is a favorite children’s book of mine. It focuses on a little boy and the emotions he feels when his block castle comes tumbling down. Through the rabbit’s character, we learn that sometimes being a good friend doesn’t mean solving your friend’s problem – it means listening to them and letting them feel all of their emotions.

The Rabbit Listened is an endearing story. I think it’s great for toddlers, who often have big emotions they don’t yet understand. Feeling and learning these emotions is part of growing up.

Think Big, Little One by Vashti Harrison

Think Big, Little One shows inspirational women of different backgrounds who influenced culture, science, technology and more. With messages like, “Discover New Things,” “Color Outside the Lines,” and “Shine a Light on Your Culture,” this book encourages young readers to be brave, bold and true to themselves. Vashti Harrison has several books on Amazon and we are excited to pick up more in the future.

The Big Umbrella by Amy June Bates and Juniper Bates

The Big Umbrella is a sweet, welcoming story. The big umbrella grows and grows to have room for all kinds of characters and creatures of every shape and size – it doesn’t discriminate. There’s always room for one more under the big umbrella.

I Am Enough by Grace Byers

I Am Enough is a great story for showing our connection to all things. It finds similarities in its characters and the nature around them – the moon, the trees, the wind – but it also celebrates the beauty of differences – from talents, to cultures, to opinions.

Be Kind by Pat Zietlow Miller

Be Kind is a book that shows how a small act of kindness and practicing empathy can have a major impact on the world. It reminds me of something my mother told me when I was having a hard time, “To have a friend you must first be a friend.”

You Matter by Christian Robinson

You Matter shows how everything in the universe that is or was, no matter how big or how small, has a purpose. From the ants to the sun, from people near and people far, everything around us is connected and has meaning.

Can You Say Peace? by Karen Katz

This sweet book follows children around the world as they celebrate International Peace Day. It shows little readers diverse people, places and cultures through its illustrations and introduces them to other languages as they learn how to say “peace” around the world (this definitely appeals to my husband Seth, the linguist in the family). It also has a beautiful message of how the people all around the world want the same things – to learn, to explore, to feel safe, to share time with loved ones and to have peace.

If you pick up any of these books for your kid, I hope you enjoy them as much as we have! What are some children’s books in your collection that you love? Maybe some with messages that resonate with you?

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My First Year with Baby Must-Haves

Please note: This post contains affiliate links. As a participate in the Amazon Associate Program, I may earn from qualifying purchases connected with these links. However, all opinions of these products are honest and my own.

I remember feeling fairly confident going into motherhood though I was told soon before my daughter’s birth that nothing can truly prepare you for the challenges of parenthood – you just have to experience it. While the parenting book I read did give me some idea of what I was doing, this was accurate – I mostly learned as I went. It was stressful at times during the first year, but along the way, I found a few items that my baby and I loved. Maybe they can help you and provide some comfort on your parenting journey!

1. Baby Dove Tip to Toe Body Wash Sensitive Moisure and Baby Dove Face and Body Lotion Rich Moisture

When my daughter was a couple of months old, patches of eczema started showing up on her limbs and torso. After doing some research and reading tons of reviews, I decided to try these Dove products that I saw many moms raving about. I used Dove products when I was younger because of my sensitive skin, so I figured it might be more gentle on my baby. We use these a couple of times a week and my daughter’s eczema has decreased dramatically. I’ve since heard of several other eczema products that mamas swear by but these provided a quick fix for us!

2. Silicone Bibs

Starting solids is an exciting time, but it is also an extremely messy time. When Cora started finger foods, I would watch again and again as she practiced her pincer grasp, went to put a piece of food in her mouth and then dropped it before it got there. While we were using normal bibs when feeding her pureed foods, I bought a couple of silicone bibs to try because I liked the idea of having a little pouch to catch fallen food. It worked! Now when Cora has eaten all the food on her tray, those sticky fingers grab pieces of food that fell in her pouch (instead of falling on and staining her clothes). I also appreciate how easy these are to clean!

3. Silicone Fruit Teethers

The silicone fruit teethers aren’t a necessity, but they were a favorite in our household! I found as we were transitioning from pureed foods to finger foods, these helped her get more texture out of fruits that she couldn’t easily pick up and chew yet, but could smush around in one of these teethers! With these, she was still able to get some mango, peaches, etc. in her diet while getting used to eating foods with more texture.

4. Sleep and Plays

With how much Cora hated to change clothes and how wiggly she was from the get go (coupled with my fatigue), I really didn’t have much energy to put her in anything but sleep and plays for the first month or two. Zippered sleep and plays kept her warm, provided easy transitions when changing diapers or going into naps and came with cute designs!

5. Hatch Sound Machine

We LOVE our Hatch sound machine. It also acts as a night light and time-to-rise, but we only use it for the sounds and lights. I love how you can customize your favorite sound and light pairings to find something that soothes your little one best. We like to use the rain sounds at night and the waves for naps!

6. Portable White Noise Maker

If you want to visit a friend, go for a walk, or go on a car ride and you know your baby will need a nap somewhere in there, this portable white noise maker can help make them feel more comfortable in an unfamiliar place. When Cora was still sleeping in our room, we put the Hatch by her bassinet and used the portable white noise maker for naps in her crib.

7. Blackout Curtains

So many articles will tell you to make your baby’s room as dark as possible to limit any distractions that might keep them awake at night or during naptime. These work so well – better than the blackout curtains I bought from a department store for our room.

8. NoseFrida

This is not a glamorous topic, but at some point, your baby might catch a cold. The usual nasal aspirators were difficult for me to use. Even with as a gross of a concept as this is, the NoseFrida worked so well for us. Even the pharmacist said she loved it for her grandkids over the bulb syringe.

9. Stroller Fan

It stays hot in the South for a looonnngg time. This stroller fan brings relief on our trail walks and on car rides!

10. Halo Swaddle and Sleep Sack

A local pediatrian recommended the Halo Swaddle for us during our first visit. At almost a year old, Cora still uses Halo products but is now in the sleep sack. It’s like a wearable blanket. With the Halo swaddle, we liked that it was designed in a way that you didn’t have to buy another product when transitioning your baby to arms-free sleep.

11. The Montessori Toddler by Simone Davies

This is a bonus item! The days are long but the months are short, and pretty soon, your baby burrito will be an always-wiggling, never-sitting-down, picking-up-every-crumb toddler who will want to explore everything. And you know what? It’s an exciting time as a parent. You’ll still be tired but you’ll be watching your toddler’s personality bloom as they experience so many firsts.

The Montessori Toddler taught me the benefits of letting my child lead. It reminded me that when we let a child try and try again, get messy and explore the world around them on their own terms (with the limit’s of their safety and the safety of others), instead of rushing them through the process, they can actually learn to be more independent. I believe that mindset can help strip away any perceived frustrations of parenting a toddler. I’m excited to try out the suggestions in this book as my little girl grows into toddlerhood.

Every mama has her own tried-and-true products that she loves. What were yours? If you are a mama-to-be (congratulations!), what is on your registry that you are excited to try?