Our pick of children’s books with dual-heritage characters

A Welcome Song for Baby by Marsha Diane Arnold (2-3 years)

“Mummy's tummy is growing round – the new baby's coming. What will I do, I wonder, to welcome the new baby?”

Emma is awaiting the arrival of her new baby brother, and as the season's pass, she invents new songs for him from the changing sounds she hears. This beautiful, comforting book celebrates nature and family – and helps any child to prepare for their new sibling. 

My Mummy is Magic by Dawn Richards (2-3 years)

“I think my mummy's MAGIC - I notice every day… That whenever MAGIC happens, Mummy's never far away!”

Mummy can make even the most ordinary, everyday situations seem magical! From that early morning snuggle to a bedtime kiss, this clever rhyming picture book follows a mother and baby through their day. With her magic wand at the ready, mummy can make bruises disappear and bath time fun! This heart-warming tale celebrates mums and their everyday magic, just as the bestselling Daddy is My Hero celebrates dads.

Baby Ruby Bawled by Malaika Rose Stanley (5+ years)

 “Theo loved his little sister, Ruby, but there was one big problem. Baby Ruby would not sleep.”

Baby Ruby is crying her eyes out – and the whole family will do anything to try and help her stop! A soothing bath with dad, a comforting feed from mum, a drive with Nana and a garden stroll with Grandad… but nothing works and Ruby is still bawling. Finally, her brother Theo makes up a special song for his screaming little sister. After everything, everyone’s exhausted – all except Ruby…

The Chocolate Box Girls: Cherry Crush by Cathy Cassidy (9-11 years)

“Because you don’t look anything like your dad! You look… I dunno, Chinese, or Japanese, or something.”
“I’m Scottish!” I protested. “Just like Dad!”

Made to feel like an outsider at Clyde Academy, Cherry Costello now faces a different life in Somerset with dad, where her new mum and a bunch of brand-new sisters await. Cherry knows she must make an effort to fit in, but she’s majorly distracted by the gorgeous Shay – who happens to be her stepsister Honey’s boyfriend. Cherry knows her crush could jeopardise everything. But that doesn’t mean she can stop herself…

How High the Moon by Karyn Parsons (9-12 years)

“Boston was nothing like South Carolina. Up there, coloured folks could go anywhere they wanted.”

In 1944, growing up in a small, segregated town in South Carolina is tough. Especially for 11-year-old Ella. Bullied for her skin tone, Ella misses her mother who moved away to pursue a jazz singing career. But then she receives an invitation to visit her mother in Boston and jumps at the chance. The trip proves to be life-changing. Ella learns about the father she never knew and experiences what life outside segregation could be like. Upon her return back home, Ella’s newfound happiness is shattered when she learns that a school friend has been arrested for the murder of two white girls.

The Red Pyramid: The Graphic Novel by Rick Riordan (9-16 years)

“Dad’s an archaeologist so we’re always on the move. Mostly we go to Egypt since that’s his speciality. Go into a bookstore, find a book about Egypt, there’s a pretty good chance it was written by Dr. Julius Kane.”

The Gods of Egypt are waking in the modern world… Carter and Sadie Kane’s father is a famed Egyptologist; since their mother’s death, Sadie has lived with their grandparents in London whilst Carter’s travelled the world with Dr Kane. The siblings have drifted apart, but one night at the British Museum, they are drawn together by a terrifying chain of events. When their father accidentally unleashes Set, the Egyptian god of chaos, he’s banished to oblivion and Carter and Sadie run for their lives. Now they must embark on a deadly journey across the globe, coming ever closer to their family’s connection to a secret order that’s existed since the time of the Pharaoh’s…