In partnership with Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading and Pinellas Campaign for Grade Level Reading, Embracing Our Differences Reading Day celebrates literacy through a wide variety of books for pre-K through third grade students. These age appropriate stories focus on themes of inclusion, kindness, and respect, stimulating conversations about what we share and what makes us unique.
Educators select either an in-person volunteer reader or an on-demand video read along, and all students and classes are provided with activity videos and their own copy of the selected book for their grade level.
Last year's Embracing Our Differences Reading Day event on March 11, 2025 reached 14,013 students in 727 classrooms Manatee and Sarasota County classrooms and early learning centers. Click here for pictures.
The twelfth annual Embracing Our Differences Reading Day event will take place in Pinellas County on March 3, 2026, and in Manatee and Sarasota counties on March 10, 2026. Registration will open in January.
This program is open to all public, private and charter pre-k through third grade classrooms in Manatee, Pinellas and Sarasota counties. Early learning centers in Manatee and Sarasota County are also invited to participate.
There are two read-along modalities for teachers to choose from:
In the unfortunate event in-person readings are not possible due to A) individual school or district protocols or B) low volunteer registration numbers, engaging pre-recorded webisodes featuring VIP readers and accompanying activities will be utilized for some/all classrooms.
In addition to read-alongs, each participating classroom, as well as each student, are gifted with a copy of the book selected for their grade. 2026 Embracing Our Differences Reading Day book selections are:
PreK: Bunnybear (by Andrea J. Loney, illustrated by Carmen Saldana)
Although Bunnybear was born a bear, he feels more like a bunny. He prefers bouncing in the thicket to tramping in the forest, and in his heart he’s fluffy and tiny, like a rabbit, instead of burly and loud, like a bear. The other bears don’t understand him, and neither do the bunnies. Will Bunnybear ever find a friend who likes him just the way he is?
Kindergarten: I Promise (by LeBron James, illustrations by Nina Mata)
Full of simple promises kids can make to rise to their best selves, this empowering book is perfect for shared reading in and out of the classroom. With upbeat rhymes and vibrant illustrations, this slam-dunk picture book inspires children to strive for greatness—in and out of school.
First Grade: Maybe Something Beautiful (by Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell, illustrations by Rafael Lopez)
What good can a splash of color do in a community of gray? As Mira and her neighbors discover, more than you might ever imagine! Based on the Urban Art Trail of San Diego, California, Maybe Something Beautiful reveals how art can inspire how even the smallest artists can accomplish something big. Pick up a paintbrush and join the celebration.
Second Grade: Tia Isa Wants A Car (By Meg Medina, illustrated by Claudia Munoz)
Tía Isa wants a car. A shiny green car the same color as the ocean, with wings like a swooping bird. A car to take the whole family to the beach. But saving is hard when everything goes into two piles – one for here and one for Helping Money, so that family members who live far away might join them someday. While Tía Isa saves, her niece does odd jobs for neighbors so she can add her earnings to the stack. But even with her help, will they ever have enough? Meg Medina’s simple, genuine story about keeping in mind those who are far away is written in lovely, lyrical prose and brought to life through Claudio Muñoz’s charming characters.
Third Grade: Imani’s Moon (by JaNay Brown-Wood, illustrations by Hazel Mitchell)
Imani is a young Maasi girl with a loving mother and a desire to do something great. When she decides she wants to touch the moon, she works hard to reach her goal, even in the face of teasing from the naysayers around her.
Reading Day books have met the criteria of the Florida Department of Education, and have also been reviewed and approved by certified media specialists from Sarasota County Schools, the School District of Manatee County and Pinellas County Schools.
This massive outreach reflects Embracing Our Differences collaborating with the Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, sponsored by The Patterson Foundation, the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, the Pinellas Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, sponsored by the Juvenile Welfare Board and United Way Suncoast.
