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38 Picture Books about Belonging and Identity

These excellent picture books about belonging promote a sense of acceptance and community whether it is within our own family or the wider world.

Belonging and Community in the Classroom

How will lockdowns and distance learning affect your back to school planning? I am sure creating a sense of belonging and community in your classroom is top of the list.

Fostering a sense of belonging in a classroom helps your students feel supported, respected, valued and accepted. It will also improve attention span, perseverance, mental health and positive behaviour. The suggested books about belonging will help you with this.

Picture Books about Belonging and Community

Within this list, you will find characters who move home and make new friends. Some books illustrate being yourself, family cultural identities and supportive communities, while others explore different emotions.

The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat

Beekle longs for a child to imagine him and give him a special name. His wish comes true when his special friend Alice imagines him. Promotes a sense of belonging, friendship and perseverance.

Angus all Aglow by Heather Smith

Angus loves sparkly things but when he wears a beautiful necklace from his gran he is teased by his classmates. Crushed, he loses his love of shiny objects until a new friend helps him remember why he loved the sparkle in the first place and helps him accept himself for who he is. Promotes gender roles, individuality, tolerance and self-acceptance.

The Banana-Leaf Ball: How Play Can Change the World by Katie Smith Milway

Deo lives in a refugee camp in Tanzania, separated from his family. A gang leader, Remy, targets Deo, but when they come together on the football field, they find common ground and a sense of belonging.

The Bear and the Piano by David Litchfield

The first of two books about belonging from David Litchfield. A bear discovers a piano in the forest and returns every day to practise. A chance encounter takes him to the city where he plays sold-out concerts. When he gets homesick, he makes the hard decision to return to the forest and his friends. Promotes a sense of belonging, courage, perseverance and wellbeing.

Beegu by Alexis Deacon

Beegu is lost on Earth. Despite her friendly nature, she finds the Earth unwelcoming, except for a litter of puppies and a group of children. Reinforces themes of acceptance, belonging, differences, friendship and loneliness.

The Boy Who Grew Flowers by Jen Wojtowicz

Rink Bowagon is ignored by his teacher and classmates because he sprouts flowers from his body. He notices the new girl wears a flower in her hair and has one leg shorter than the other, so Rink makes her a special pair of shoes. Excited, she invited him to the school dance where he discovers the flower behind her ear is just his flowers. Use to teach inferring, self-acceptance, and identity.

A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni

A chameleon searches for his identity. He wants his own colour just like the other animals but soon realises this is not as important as friendship. Promotes belonging, growth mindset and acceptance.

Coming to England: An Inspiring True Story Celebrating the Windrush by Floella Benjamin

Baroness Floella Benjamin recalls her journey from Trinidad to London as part of the Windrush generation. The ten-year-old grew up to educate millions of children on TV and become a member of the House of Lords. Use to discuss overcoming adversity, hope, and determination.

The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson

The Day You Begin considers the difficulty of entering a room where you don’t know anyone. In these situations, we are “an only” until we share our personal stories. Woodson reminds us that we are all outsiders and it takes courage to be ourselves.

Exclamation Mark by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

The first of two books about belonging from Amy Krouse Rosenthal. An exclamation mark lacks self-esteem because it doesn’t fit in. A question mark grilles the exclamation mark until he exclaims “STOP!” He finally understands his role in the punctuation family. This book promotes a sense of belonging, identity, self-awareness and a growth mindset.

The Fearsome Five by Wolf Erlbruch

Hyena visits his friends, four ugly misfits. They are all despondent because “it’s generally agreed that we’re revolting”. Hyena rallies the group and guides them to find their special talents. They all convey the message that it’s what you do with your life and not what you look like. Promotes a sense of belonging, self-esteem, wellbeing and a growth mindset.

Four Feet, Two Sandals by Karen Lynn Williams

In a Peshawar refugee camp, Lina and Feroza find matching sandals. They share the sandals, wearing them on alternate days. Lina and her mother emigrate to America and gives her sandal to Feroza. Feroza hands it back telling Lina they will share the sandals again one day. Promotes a sense of belonging, compassion and social awareness.

Grandad’s Secret Giant by David Litchfield

Billy’s grandad tells stories of a giant who helps him. Billy doesn’t believe these stories but one night, a frightened Billy discovers the giant is real. He learns his first assumptions were incorrect and the giant is a person like them. Promotes open-mindedness and a sense of belonging.

Guji Guji by Chih-Yuan Chen

Guji Guji was raised as a duck but discovers he is actually a crocodile. Other crocodiles want Guji Guji to help them eat his duck family but he instead formulates a plan to save them. Promotes acceptance, identity, problem-solving and a sense of belonging.

Her Right Foot by Dave Eggers

This non-fiction picture book explores the right foot of the Statue of Liberty. The authors, Dave Eggers and Shawn Harris, find the purpose of her right foot pushing off the ground is to walk toward those who are emigrating to America.

Home Is a Window by Stephanie Ledyard

The reader follows a family as they move from their beloved, comfortable home to a new one. When they move to a new house they take all the things they love from their old house to make it feel like home.

Islandborn by Junot Díaz

Lola collects memories of the Caribbean island where she was born. She finds out about music, beaches, sweet mangoes, a colourful environment and destructive forces. These tales help Lola’s feel pride in her heritage. Reinforces themes of belonging, identity, immigration and inquiry.

The Invisible by Tom Percival

Isabel has moved with her family to a poor part of town. Living on a council estate, she fades away as one sees her as a person. She notices other people are invisible, including an immigrant, the homeless and the elderly. Isabel makes a positive difference to her community and the people often ignored by society.

King of the Sky by Nicola Davies

A lonely, Italian boy moves to the Welsh countryside. An unexpected friendship with an old man who races pigeons helps him feel like he is no longer a stranger and that he belongs in his new home. Reinforces themes of belonging, friendship, immigration, loneliness, and patience.

Leila in Saffron by Rukhsanna Guidroz

Leila learns self-acceptance from her grandmother and an understanding of her heritage. Her grandmother complements the saffron beads on her scarf, leading Leila to seek out characteristics that make up her unique identity as a Pakistani American.

A Lion in Paris by Beatrice Alemagna

After a weary day exploring Paris, a lion finds the perfect place to call his new home - on the plinth where the real lion statue, at the Place Denfert-Rochereau, stands today. Promotes a sense of belonging and loneliness.

The Little Ghost Who Was a Quilt by Riel Nason

A little ghost is a quilt. It can’t whirl and whirl in the sky because it gets very hot each time it flies. It feels very left out when it can’t keep up with its friends. One Halloween, the lonely little quilt finds its place in the world and makes new friends. Promotes individuality, belonging, self-acceptance and overcoming challenges.

Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers

When a boy finds a penguin at his door he sets out to help the sad-looking bird find its way home. After dropping the penguin on the ice he starts his journey home. It felt strange to be on his own so he searched for the penguin. After a fruitless search, the boy sets off home only to discover the penguin searching for the boy. Promotes compassion, loneliness and a sense of belonging.

My Two Blankets by Irena Kobald

Cartwheel’s new home is an immigration camp where she struggles to settle. With the help of a new friend she makes a smooth transition and is no longer lonely. Reinforces themes of acceptance, belonging, friendship and immigration.

The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi

When Unhei moves from Korea to America her classmates can’t pronounce her name. She wants to choose a new name that is easier to pronounce but decides she likes her name just the way it is. Reinforces themes of acceptance, identity, integrity, open-mindedness, principled and tolerance.

Odd Dog Out by Rob Biddulph

In a city full of sausage dogs one feels like she doesn’t belong. She travels to a place where she belongs but another odd dog makes her realise it is about being herself and not everyone else. Promotes acceptance, belonging, identity, perspective and self-esteem.

The Quiet Place by Sarah Stewart

After moving to America, Isabel describes her new life in letters to her aunt. She writes about her new school, seeing snow for the first time and her difficulties learning English. She describe her “quiet place’, a space that comforts her as she gradually adjusts to her new life. A book to discuss adaptability, a sense of belonging, perspectives and wellbeing.

Red: A Crayon’s Story by Michael Hall

Red’s label says red but no matter how hard he tries he can only create blue. Red’s new friend, Berry, suggests he casts aside his label, opening a whole new world to Red. Deals with adaptability, identity, self-awareness and acceptance.

Spoon by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Spoon is happy, but he feels something is lacking as he watches Fork, Knife and the Chopsticks enjoy their lives. The little spoon believes they have it much better than him and he is jealous. It is not until he finds out they all envy him he accepts himself for who he is. Promotes a sense of belonging, identity, self-esteem and self-acceptance.

Stanley Paste by Aaron Blabey

Stanley Paste is small, and he hates it. When he meets new student Eleanor Cabbage, the tallest person he has ever met, he finds out she hates being tall as much as he hates being small. These two lonely children become friends and develop their self-esteem together. Promotes resilience, belonging, relationship skills and self-esteem.

Teacup by Rebecca Young

A boy has to leave his home and takes with him a teacup full of earth from his home. Some days his journey is peaceful and other days are stormy. When he finds land another traveller, carrying a seed, makes him feel complete.

There Is a Tribe of Kids by Lane Smith

A story of a lonely child who struggles to find friends among different groups of animal, starting with ‘a tribe of kids’. The illustrations show his joy in finding new friends and the sadness he feels as they leave. He finally finds acceptance with a different tribe of kids, children. Reinforces resilience, belonging and relationship skills.

Welcome by Barroux

Three lost polar bears drift away from their home when the ice breaks away. They search for a new home but other animals consider them strange, say there is no room or ignore their pleas for help. They find an inhabited island and soon welcome three monkeys looking for a new home, This Amnesty endorsed book promotes discussions on empathy, immigration, belonging, climate change, inclusion, tolerance, respect, and human right.

Where Are You From? by Yamile Saied Méndez

When someone asks a girl where she’s from she doesn’t have a simple answer. Her Abuelo gives her an answer, but not one she expects. Promotes acceptance, identity and a sense of belonging.

Wild by Emily Hughes

A little girl has known nothing but nature from birth. She is unabashedly, irrefutably, irrepressibly wild, until one day when she meets a new animal that looks oddly like her. They take her home and try to make her live like them. In the end, she is returned to where she belongs... the wild.

Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku by Lee Wardlaw

A cat narrates the story of its adoption in haiku poems. The poems illustrate how a boy builds trust with the cat, naming him Won Ton. After a life of fear and pride, the cat reveals its real name.

You Belong Here by M. H Clark

This story of belonging takes the reader on a journey around the world. Parents tell their children about the world, its nature and its animals emphasising they are where they belong and they are loved.

What Next?

How have you changed your back to school planning after Covid? How are you planning on developing a sense of belonging and community in the classroom?

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