The Pet Dragon by: Christoph Niemann

It seems hard to find good books that are diverse without being stereiotypical or cheesey. I think that it is important to incorporate true culture in ways that go beyond just giving skin color to an imaginary character. For children especially, it is important to celebrate different cultures instead of avoiding it and staying mainstream with phrases like, "Holiday Break." Books that help to explain culture for children are a fantasitc way of celebrating that difference instead of shunning it.
The Pet Dragon does just this by celebrating Chinese culture in a multitude of creative ways. The most striking thing about the book is the Chinese characters that are on every single page of the book. They describe what is going on alongside the english text of the book and are placed in a way that actually look like the chinese character (for example the symbol for river is placed along the river in the picture). There are many historical aspects of China that are included such as the Great wall and traditional Chinese attire. I also enjoyed the celebration of the Chinese dragon in a way that children could relate to (having a dragon for a pet!). Celebrate Chinese culture with kids ages 4-8!