15 Diverse Easy Readers & Chapter Books

During our author visit with Saadia Faruqi this week, we had a parent ask if she considered writing a series similar to her Yasmin series featuring a male main character. Saadia was quick to point out that boys should (and do) read the Yasmin series. And she doesn’t plan on creating something new in that vein.

But, that got me thinking, it’s not always easy finding diverse characters in children’s books. If all you see are the popular character easy readers at your local bookstore or online, you might not be familiar with these great titles!

This list is a combination of easy readers and chapter books. Easy readers are for kids learning how to read with a controlled vocabulary, lots of white space, and large illustrations that help to interpret the sentences on the page.

Chapter books are not merely any book with chapters in it. There are some easy readers that contain chapters (like the Yasmin series). Chapter books are for kids who have phased out of the easy readers, but aren’t quite ready for middle grade books. Chapter books are typically between 80-150 pages or so, still have a larger font and more white space than a typical middle grade novel, and often include an illustration every few pages.

If you want to learn more about the terminology of the kid lit world, check out my A to Z Glossary!

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15 Diverse Easy Readers & Chapter Books

• Clubhouse Mysteries: The Buried Bones Mystery by Sharon M. Draper, illustrated by Jesse Joshua Watson
• Dragons in a Bag by Zetta Elliott
• EllRay Jakes Is Not a Chicken by Sally Warner, illustrated by Jamie Harper
• Jada Jones: Rock Star by Kelly Starling Lyons, illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
• Jasmine Toguchi, Mochi Queen by Debbi Michiko Florence, illustrated by Elizabet Vukovic
• Juana & Lucas by Juana Medina
• Katie Woo, No More Teasing by Fran Manushkin, illustrated by Tammie Speer Lyon
• King & Kayla and the Case of the Missing Dog Treats by Dori Hillestad Butler, illustrated by Nancy Meyers
• Meet Yasmin by Saadia Faruqi, illustrated by Hatem Aly
• Sadiq and the Desert Star by Siman Nuurali, illustrated by Anjan Sarkar
• Sam and Charlie (and Sam Too!) by Leslie Kimmelman, illustrated by Stefano Tambellini
• Sherlock Sam and the Missing Heirloom in Katong by A.J. Low, Adan Jimenez, Felicia Low-Jimenez, illustrated by Drewscape
• Sofia Martinez, My Family Adventure by Jacqueline Jules, illustrated by Kim Smith
• Zapato Power: Freddy Ramos Takes Off by Jacqueline Jules, illustrated by Miguel Benítez
• Zoey and Sassafras: Dragons and Marshmallows by Asia Citro, illustrated by Marion Lindsay

As always this is just a glimpse at a few of the diverse easy readers and chapter books available for families. For even more titles, check out the Seattle Public Library’s book list!