School Library Journal has proudly partnered with We Are Kid Lit Collective to share and promote the group’s 11th annual summer reading recommendations. In the next couple of weeks, SLJ will publish individual posts featuring their recommendations of board books, picture books, chapter books, middle grade, and young adult titles.

We Are Kid Lit Collective is pleased to present our 11th annual summer reading list. At a time of great upheaval and uncertainty, we remain committed to uplifting titles written or illustrated by BIPOC creators. As in previous years, we have sought out books that explore the intersections of these identities through stories that invite readers to celebrate, question, imagine, hope, and explore. Diversity in our list extends from characters, authors, and countries of origin to publishers, genres, and formats. Each book on the list has been carefully selected, discussed, and vetted by two or more members.
 

FUENTE-LAU, Shuli de la. Becoming Siblings. (We Are Little Feminists: Bk. 7). Little Feminist Pr. 2025. ISBN 9798986704982.
A rhyming board book portraying different types of siblings. Color photographs featuring people of different intersecting identities and experiences are presented in this entry in the “We Are Little Feminists” series.

GREEN III, Harold. The Numbers Store. illus. by DeAnn Wiley. (Sunday Adventures: Bk. 2). Running Pr. 2023. ISBN 9780762481576.
This short title incorporates numbers and types of produce into a colorful and joyful family trip to the grocery store.

KHALIL, Aya. ¡Hola, cara! Hello, Face! tr. from English by Maria A. Pérez. Barefoot. 2024. ISBN 9798888591079. BL
From smiling to eating to making expressions, babies can do a lot with their faces. Color photographs showcase a variety of little ones and their caregivers.

RUIZ, Delia. ¡1, 2, 3, Merengue! English-Spanish Instruments & Sounds Book. illus. by Graziela Andrade. Ler-ner/Soaring Kite. 2023. ISBN 9781953859815. BL
A rhythmic, visual, and sonic journey through instruments and onomatopoeia presented in merengue music and dance.

SEEBORUTH, Sumana. ¡Chones, por favor! Undies, Please! illus. by Ashleigh Corrin. Barefoot. 2022. ISBN 9781646865178. BL
A toddler can’t wait to move from diapers to undies, just like their daddy! Through patience and practice, they try on their first pair of undies and learn how to use the potty.

WYNTER, Anne. Hands On! illus. by Alea Marley. HarperCollins/Clarion. 2022. ISBN 9780062934925.
An expressive Black baby learns about their world by using their hands to touch, feel, and taste in this rhyming board book.
 

Sam Bloom is a children’s librarian at the Kenton (KY) County Public Library. Edith Campbell is a librarian at Indiana State University. Ariana Sani Hussain is a teacher librarian at the Blake School, Hopkins, MN. Sujei Lugo is a children’s librarian at the Boston Public Library and an independent researcher. Lyn Miller-Lachmann is an award-winning author and translator of children’s books. Sonia Alejandra Rodríguez is a professor of English at LaGuardia Community College (CUNY).