Reading can help you understand other people and feel what it's like to be them. Here are some books that will help you learn to be more tolerant.

For 3-to 5-year-olds

Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
This book is about a girl named Chrysanthemum. She thinks her name is "absolutely perfect" until kids at school start to tease her about it. Their teasing hurts Chrysanthemum and makes her doubt her name and herself. Find out how a special teacher and her family's support help her out.

Shades of Black: A Celebration of Our Children by Sandra L. Pinkney
How many shades of black are there? Look at photos of different kids that are "gingery brown like a cookie," "brassy yellow like popcorn," and "midnight blue like a licorice stick." See why we're all different and why we're all beautiful.

Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
Stellaluna is a baby bat who is being raised in a family of birds. Her bird mom wants her to be more bird-like, won't let her hang by her feet, and makes her eat bugs. Although she loves her adopted family, Stellaluna has to learn to be herself. Will her adopted family accept her?

For 6-to 8-year-olds

Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman
Grace loves to sing and act. When she finds out her class is going to perform Peter Pan, she's disappointed. The other kids say she can't be the lead, Peter Pan, because she's black and a girl. Will they change their minds when they realize that Grace is the best person for the role?

How My Parent's Learned to Eat by Ina R. Friedman
An American sailor in Japan meets a young Japanese woman and they fall in love. The sailor tries, in secret, to eat with chopsticks while the woman tries to eat with a fork. How do you learn about other cultures?

Wings by Christopher Myers
Ikarus Jackson can fly! He's new to the block and when his neighbors see him fly, they don't like it at all. They whisper about him, laugh at him, and even get him dismissed from school! Only one quiet girl doesn't think Ikarus is strange, and she finds the strength to tell him so.

For 9-to12-year-olds

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
This is a story about a boy who can outrun dogs, hit home runs off the best pitcher in the neighborhood, and tie knots that no one can undo. But Maniac Magee has a hard time when he confronts racism in his small town. Can he find a home without racial tension?

Join a discussion with the author, Jerry Spinelli! He will be discussing his book Loser from August 26 until September 13 on Scholastic's Online Reading Club.

Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges
When she was 6 years old, Ruby Bridges became the first black student in an all-white school in New Orleans, Louisiana. Surrounded by federal marshals, Ruby entered the school every day surrounded by people who hated her just because of the color of her skin. This is Ruby's story told through her eyes.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
The year is 1687, and Kit Tyler is starting her life all over again when she moves to her aunt and uncle's Puritan community. Kit is different than the other teenagers around her. She is so different that people might think she's a witch. Is her life in danger?

For 12-to 14-year-olds

The Journey: Japanese-Americans, Racism, and Renewal by Sheila Hamanaka
Look at and learn Japanese-American history through a five-panel mural that depicts the experience of Japanese-Americans during World War II.

Samir and Yonotan by Daniella Carmi
Samir is a Palestinian boy living in the West Bank, a disputed area controlled by Israel. When he shatters his knee in a bicycle accident, he has to go to what he calls a "Jews hospital," where he meets a Jewish patient named Yonotan. Can they learn to be friends?

Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman
Planting a garden is a great way to build a community. This is the story of a little girl who plants a few lima beans in an abandoned lot and grows a feeling of community in her neighborhood. Hispanics, Haitians, Koreans — young and old — come together to help grow their garden.