By Jessica Sanders

Teach your students about the importance of race equality on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, but don’t stop there. Teach them about gender, marriage and family equality too. These eight children’s books teach important lessons with gorgeous illustrations and plot lines that do more than entertain.

The Story of Martin Luther King Jr.

By Johnny Ray Moore

This children’s book tells the important story of Martin Luther King Jr. in just 200 simple words and plenty of vibrant pictures.

The Sneetches

By Dr. Seuss

“Now, the Star-Belly Sneetches, had bellies with stars. The Plain-Belly Sneetches, had none upon thars.”

Whoever You Are

By Mem Fox

“Little one, whoever you are, wherever you are, there are little ones, just like you, all over the world.”

Ballerino Nate

By Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

“I want to learn ballet,” Nate said when he got home.

“You can’t,” Ben said. “You’re a boy.”

“But I want to,” Nate said. “Can I, Mom, can I, please?”

The Sissy Duckling

By Harvey Fierstein

“Elmer was the happiest duckling in the whole forest. He loved to build things and paint pictures and play make-believe. He also enjoyed helping around the house and was especially fond of decorating cookies. Yes, Elmer was one happy duckling doing all the things he loved to do. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a single other boy duckling who liked to do ANY of the stuff Elmer did. Not one.”

The Princess Knight

By Cornelia Funke

“No one would dare tell the king how to do anything—especially not how to raise his little girl. So he decided to teach her the same lessons he had taught his sons… even though she was so small she could hardly left a sword at all! Her brothers teased her and called her names. ‘Itsy-Bitsy Little Vi—little girl can’t hurt a fly!’”

The Family Book

By Todd Parr

“Some families are small, some families are the same color, some families are all different colors. All families like to hug each other.”

Prince Cinders

By Babette Cole

“Prince Cinders was not much of a prince. He was small, spotty, stuffy and skinny. He had three big hairy brothers who were always teasing him about his looks. They spent their time going to the Palace Disco with princess girlfriends. They made poor Prince Cinders stay and clean up after them. When his work was done, he would sit by the fire and wish he was big and hairy like his brothers.”

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