Diversity in children’s books is extremely important, yet it can be difficult to find picture books that feature African American characters. To celebrate Black History Month and encourage reading more diverse books, I thought I’d share 10 of our favorite kid’s books that star black children.

As the mom of two girls, it’s incredibly important to me that my daughters are exposed to books with lots of strong, fierce female characters. While I have no problem with pretty, pretty princesses, I also want my daughters to read stories filled with determined girls building and getting dirty and not ticking off all of the stereotypically “female” boxes.

Multi-dimensional, diverse characters are so important in children’s literature. Kids need to see depictions of children that are just like them doing a wide range of things. They also need to see stories of children who are not just like them. It helps build empathy and a connection between people who are different from them.

Did you know that a study by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that only about 12% of children’s books published in 2016 star black characters? If you regularly read children’s books, that’s probably not so surprising—but it’s definitely unacceptable.

Since February is Black History Month, I thought now would be as good a time as any to feature a few of our favorite books that star African American children. Please note that these are not (with the exception of one) about historical figures (for a great list of those check out the Brightly article 22 Books That Celebrate Lesser-Known African Americans and Their Contributions to History). Instead, these books star highly relatable girls and boys that your kids will love.

We are always looking for books to add to our To Be Read list. We look for books of all levels: picture books, beginner chapter books, middle-grade fiction, and books that busy moms can enjoy. Figuring I can’t possibly be the only one out there who is hunting for good reads for a variety of age levels, I put together a list each month of the books my family has been reading. Sometimes our thoughts on them will be gushy and glowy. Other times they’ll be lukewarm. Either way, we’ll let you know if we think they’re worth your time.

How is it that January feels like the longest month of the year, yet I can’t wrap my mind around the fact that it’s February already? Somehow I can remember very little about the last month, yet I feel like it’s been an epically long time since the holidays. I can’t be alone, can I?

I feel the same way about our January reading. When I sat down to write this list, I had a tough time remembering what was this month and what was last month. I blame it on a long, cold, gray winter—all the days start to bleed together a little. The only bright spot is that it’s perfect reading weather! So let’s get to it.

Raise your hand if the thought of your kids cooped up in the house alternating between wreaking havoc and singing I’m bored songs makes you want to pack a bag and head somewhere tropical for a week or so.

So I’m not alone?

I could’ve used this list over our snow-extended winter break, but better late than never. Plus, there are bound to be more snow and ice days (not to mention rainy days once we defrost) when this great big list of indoor activities for kids will be the only thing that saves my oh-so fragile sliver of sanity.

Take a look at this list. Study it. Collect any supplies you might need. And then feel free to send me gifts of dark chocolate for buying you enough time to head to the bathroom alone the next time the kids are stuck inside.

When my daughter stepped off the bus, I could immediately tell by the pout of her lips and the little wrinkle between her eyebrows that something was wrong.

She walked to the front door looking defeated.

After a big hug and a little stroking of her hair, she was ready to launch into the epic tale of a fight with her friend. Her story was rife with drama, lies, and a heartbreak-fueled vow to never speak to the girl again.

I listened as she told her story and watched as she tried not to cry. My momma heart ached for her.

The fixer in me wanted to march right to my phone and call up the other girl’s mother to hash it all out. To explain the misunderstandings and put a Band-Aid on the emotional booboo.

But what purpose would that serve (except, of course, for making me feel better and temporarily soothing her pain)?

My daughters need to learn how to get back up when they’re knocked down—and they need to learn how to do it themselves.

As parents, we don’t want our babies to suffer heartbreak or disappointment. We just want them to be happy. But life is full of frustration and failures. That’s how we learn. And if we don’t allow our children to bounce back on their own, we’re doing them a grave disservice.

One of the ways we can help them is by exposing them to as many stories of resilience as we can. I wrote an in-depth article for A Fine Parent on the topic (including the story above) called 20 Awesome Children’s Books About Resilience (Sorted by Age). You should most definitely head over there to check it out (it includes board books through YA novels). When you’re done, come on back to check out the five bonus picture books I included below.

To kick off the year, I’m sharing some of the best children’s books of 2017. Our list is by no means exhaustive, but these picture books are true gems! If you’re looking for more books that we’ve been reading, check out our monthly On Our Bookshelf series.

Some of our family’s favorite traditions revolve around cozying up together with a good book. Whether it’s bedtime reading every night (I still read to my tween!), our holiday book advent calendar tradition, or heading to the bookstore on ugly days to grab a treat in the cafe and a stack of new books to thumb through, we love a good book and we read a lot of them. Some are so-so and others are downright craptastic (this is usually the licensed character books my six-year-old gravitates toward gleefully), but every year there are a few that shine so brightly we can’t stop thinking about them.

I decided to take a break from my On Our Bookshelf series this month to do a roundup of some of the children’s books that shined the brightest for us this year. These are the books that make me gush and give me warm and fuzzy feelings that I just can’t shake.