Misty Copeland, perhaps one of the most iconic ballerinas of all time, didn’t start dancing until she was 13, ancient in ballet terms. Growing up among difficult circumstances in California — her life story captured in her 2017 memoir Life In Motion — Copeland didn’t see too many faces like hers among the ranks of the corps de ballet. Nevertheless, she persisted and in 2015 was named the first African-American principal dancer at the American Ballet Theater. “My entire career has been devoted to inclusion, making all people feel welcome in spaces like ballet that hadn’t felt open or promising to them in the past,” she says. To that end, in 2020, she turned her story into a children’s book, the New York Times best-selling Bunheads. Along the way, Copeland steeped herself in the world of children’s literature.“Each of these books speaks to the spirit of inclusion and the celebration of diversity, told through the lenses of truly dynamic characters and voices. I hope that as you delve into each book’s pages, you’ll come away with a renewed appreciation for the humanity in us all.”

Below are Misty Copeland’s favorite children’s books, available to purchase individually or as a set.