God made all colors of skin, and it is very good. These are the very best current Christian picture books about race. (UPDATED FOR 2022!)
This list is solely concerned with overtly Christian picture books that talk about different skin colors and ethnicities. That means that I did not include all of the wonderful Christian picture books that have diverse characters. I also did not include the wonderful secular picture books that talk about the different colors we can all be – if the book doesn’t say God made the skin, it didn’t make the cut. The only books on this list are overtly Christian picture books about race specifically.
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Christian Picture Books About Race
God’s Very Good Idea by Trillia Newbell
God’s Very Good Idea is about diversity in the body of Christ. I like it because it somehow just lays it all out there, but it isn’t awkward. As the cover says, it is “A true story about God’s delightfully different family!”
Plus, the pictures are super striking, and modern. It definitely has a positive tone throughout – there’s no mention that people might not like each other because of their differences. However, it doesn’t shy away from talking about the differences.
P.S. This publisher, The Good Book Company, has diverse characters in all of their Bible stories. And not just “racially ambiguous,” I’m talking EVERY shade.
God Made Me and You by Shaii Linne
God Made Me and You is a look at ethnic diversity, and how God wants his children to act. I like this one because the foundation is sound – it does not shy away from the fact that God loves diversity, and hates any sort of racism, or divisiveness in his church.
I strongly recommend a preview before reading this one aloud – the age group it is aimed at throws me off. It’s illustrated like a little kid book, and is all rhyming prose. However, the deeper message, the fact that it’s set in a Christian school classroom, and the book length make the book better for older kids. Check it out before you try to read it aloud to your toddler or preschooler, I recommend for ages 7 and up, even though it looks and sounds like a younger kid book.
Psalm Twenty Three by Tim Ladwig
Ok, I lied in the beginning when I said I would only include Christian picture books about race. This book is not overtly about race. However, it is one of the most beautiful diverse Christian picture books, and I rarely see it on book lists. I need you to know about it.
The text is Psalm 23, the pictures are an urban African American, multi-generational family. It’s gorgeous. It’s a world completely foreign to my rural, Caucasian children. It’s a reminder that God’s truths are for everyone. It should be in your book basket.
Standing in the Need of Prayer: A Modern Retelling of the Classic Spiritual by Carole Boston Weatherford
This stunningly illustrated picture book walks through African American history by rewriting the lyrics to the song, “Standing in the Need of Prayer.” It ties important events and times of change to the idea that God was there, seeing his children. It focuses solely on the fight for African American rights, both historically and current. FYI this isn’t about race in general.
This book does display the sad parts of African American history. For example, there are illustrations of people in chains. However, the text on each page is just the song lyrics. So, as you’re reading, you could share an age appropriate amount of information.
The Big Book of Christians Around the World by Sophie de Mullenheim
This is for my Catholic friends! This AMAZING book explores the Catholic church in TONS of different countries. It’s in full color, tons of illustrations, and each section talks about the saints from an area, how many Catholics live in each country, and shows church members of every nationality. It’s stunning, amazingly researched, and I tried to figure out a way to make it make sense in our Evangelical household, but alas, because of the strong emphasis on Saints, I can only recommend it for those who are Catholic. Man, if only I were Catholic…
Different Like Me by Xochitl Dixon
This beautiful Christian picture book about diversity is new in 2020. It has sweet rhyming text, and I recommend for ages 3 to 7. It would also be good for older kids who might not see themselves represented very often in picture books – there are LOTS of differences celebrated in this book, including physical differences, cultural differences, and learning differences.
Highly recommend for every book basket!
Crowned With Glory by Dorena Williamson
New in 2022! This lovely book is about how God made Black hair. It’s an ode to braids and bantu knots, and those who style them. What sets it apart from the plethora of other books on this topic that have been published in the last 18 months is that this one gives the glory to God for creating beautiful Black hair.
ColorFull: Celebrating the Colors God Gave Us by Dorena Williamson
ColorFull shares that God made all the different colors we can be, and that he isn’t colorblind, so we don’t need to be either! In the story, a grandma talks about race with her two African American grand kids and their Caucasian friend.
Heads up that I find it to be just maybe slightly heavy handed with the message. It can pull the listener out of the story. However, since that’s the point, I think you should let that slide.
Betsey Stockton: The Girl With a Missionary Dream by Laura Caputo-Wickham
This new Christian biography is not explicitly about race. However, Betsey Stockton was a freed enslaved person, so it is impossible to be true to her story without explaining the role that her race played in her journey to becoming a missionary and pioneer in education.
This lovely illustrated book is a fairly quick read, at 24 pages. You could easily read it to a preschooler, and I highly recommend for ages 4 through 8.
How Sweet the Sound by Carole Boston Weatherford
This moving picture book tells the story of John Newton – a saved slave ship owner. It is an unflinching, moving look at how God touched his heart long AFTER he was saved and a minister to help end slavery in England. I highly recommend it for 6 through 10 year olds.
Creative God Colorful Us by Trillia Newbell
New in 2021! This is not so much a picture book, because it is 116 pages. However, it is written for 6 through 12 year olds, so definitely needs a place on this list.
This is a lovely Christian book about race for elementary aged children that explains the gospel by looking at all of the different types of people God has made. The theology is sound – the main message is that God’s diverse children will be together in heaven, so we need to be friends here on earth!
I don’t think you could read this aloud in one sitting. However, it could be excellent for a classroom or children’s church program to go through in a few sittings. Highly recommend!
1, 2, 3 God Made Me by Pamela Kennedy
This board book is definitely faith based. Because it is a board book, and about counting, your toddler might miss the fact that there is a wide diversity of children, all saying how God made them. However, it is a Christian picture book about race because it shows that God made kids of every color, and he loves them all the same!
America’s Black Founders by Nancy I. Sanders
Ok, so this isn’t specifically Christian. But the author is a Christian, and there is a strong emphasis on the founding men and women’s faith. Many of them were pastors or pastors wives! I had no idea. Heads up that this is a long, almost curriculum like book, not something you’ll read aloud cover-to-cover. However, it’s an excellent resource, and something your family could work through over a few weeks. My one “ehh” thing about the book is that the illustrations are not in color. I understand why many photos aren’t in color (you know, HISTORY), but some of the illustrations that are added to clarify things and modern photographs would have benefited from not being just black and white.
