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Resources for Ethnic Diversity in Books

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Exploring the world of Latinx YA, MG, & children's literature. Kids' & YA Books About Native American History and Experience. I traveled in and out of the U.S. often during my childhood, but was in Silver Spring, Maryland, at four years old, in time to celebrate a “First Thanksgiving” with my kindergarten class. I remember the boys building a fort with those cardboard brackish-looking giant blocks, while us girls, as “Pilgrim women,” wore dresses and tore hunks of baked chicken into smaller bits for the big meal.

I don’t know which is sadder: the fact that I, along with my (not that many) Black classmates were playing the roles of white colonizers in this theatre of the absurd, or that I don’t remember who played the Indians. I don’t even remember if anyone did; they are erased from my memory, as Native and Indigenous people so often are erased from the narrative of the American past, present, and future. November, designated as Native American Heritage Month, offers an opportunity for all of us to become more educated about that complex history and current state of affairs.

Diverse BookFinder Collection Analysis Tool (CAT) Coming Out as LGBTQ Asian and Pacific Islander Americans. 20 Picture Books for 2020: Readings to Embrace Race, Provide Solace & Do Good. Joy’s rhythmic verses and Holmes’s vivid artwork combine to offer a celebration of Black American culture and history that connects current movements for social justice to past Civil Rights movements, offering context and continuity between generations.

20 Picture Books for 2020: Readings to Embrace Race, Provide Solace & Do Good

On one spread, “Black is the power of a movement in pain” accompanies pictures of people holding signs saying “I am a man,” “Equal Rights,” and “Black Lives Matter.” The powerful images alternate between everyday children and families, and famous historical figures such as Thurgood Marshall, Billie Holiday, and Paul Lawrence Dunbar, whose work is referenced poetically in the text. Two verses repeat throughout the pages: “Black is a color. / Black is a culture” and “My color is Black.” While the references to history, art, and culture will be familiar to many adult readers, an afterword provides details for sharing with children.

Janae Marks's Flipgrid Response. 10 Books for Kids and Teens That Love Hamilton. Hamilton is one of my all-time favorite musicals.

10 Books for Kids and Teens That Love Hamilton

Besides having an incredible soundtrack, the story is utterly captivating. With politics, romance, blackmail, betrayal, and patriotism, it’s no wonder the musical adaptation of Alexander Hamilton’s life is such a big hit. The Broadway musical is centered on the American Revolution, but it’s about so much more than that. 10 Books About Mindfulness and Meditation for Younger Kids. If the year so far has demonstrated anything, it is the importance of practicing mindfulness, developing coping mechanisms, and indulging in self-care.

10 Books About Mindfulness and Meditation for Younger Kids

Whether it’s meditation, yoga, or simply making time for the things that make us happy, being mindful of our emotional and mental wellbeing is key to being fulfilled in life. Children of all ages can benefit from mindfulness techniques to help reduce stress, focus on their thoughts, and unpack their emotions. Fortunately, there are plenty of books to introduce them to mindfulness at various ages and stages. Here are 10 books that will help younger kids learn how to slow down, focus on their breathing, and become more mindful of big emotions swirling around inside them. Let's Talk About Race. A Year of Meaningful Reads: Brightly's Monthly Themes. Friendships look different now than they ever have before.

A Year of Meaningful Reads: Brightly's Monthly Themes

This separation is especially hard on kids, who look forward to spending more time with their friends (and even making new ones) during the summer through camps and other fun activities that have been largely cancelled or greatly scaled back this year.Though maintaining these important friendships with the people who see kids through life’s many changes isn’t as easy as it used to be, there are still ways kids can keep in touch — including social distancing, video chatting, and beyond! The anti-racist classic 'Blazing Saddles,' the race-class narrative, and how to beat Trump in 2020. In the movie, the racist villains are not defeated because the non-wealthy racist whites realize that racism is wrong, and are shamed into abandoning it.

The anti-racist classic 'Blazing Saddles,' the race-class narrative, and how to beat Trump in 2020

What defeats racism is the fact that these whites realize their bigotry is hurting their direct economic interests. They realize that they are being played for fools by their real enemies: the ultra-rich who prey on their racial fears and anxieties, and use these as diversions to hide their real agenda. This actually echoes recent research on what can most effectively move voters today to embrace progressive candidates.

One other thing before I connect the movie to The Man Who Lost The Popular Vote and 2020 (after all, this post isn’t a review of a 45-year-old movie). Watch the Webinar: Teaching About Slavery Using Lee & Low Children’s Books. Thank you to everyone who joined us last week for our webinar, “Teaching About Slavery Using Lee & Low Children’s Books”.

Watch the Webinar: Teaching About Slavery Using Lee & Low Children’s Books

If you missed it live, or just want to watch it again, here is a recording of the webinar: Click below for our Teaching About Slavery Diverse Reading List for more information and resources about the topics discussed, and our Teaching About Slavery collection on our website. Readbrightly. Library Journal. Library Journal. Spotlight on Black Authors and Characters: Books for Ages 0-8. Picture books can be impressive and effective tools to help teach young children about both history and modern-day life.

Spotlight on Black Authors and Characters: Books for Ages 0-8

What’s more, they tell important stories in straightforward, yet gentle ways that open kids eyes to the world around them. Picture books can also be used to support social emotional learning and can inspire conversations about diversity and make them something that happen naturally and routinely, not just when there is a problem to be solved. Here are a few of our favorite picture books to read now: Let’s Talk About Race This is a great book to read with kids of any age. I Got Next Time to put your game face on. Not Quite Snow White Tameika is cute. Diversity Archives - HarperCollins Children's Books. 31 Children's books to support conversations on race, racism and resistance. Our children's book lists have been SUPER popular, not least of all in the past week.

31 Children's books to support conversations on race, racism and resistance

We hope you find this list useful. Please share this resource forward using the share buttons on the side or bottom of the page. Also, this is one of hundreds of resources we offer and we want to invite you to explore others. Also, if you're looking to support these authors and illustrators by buying their books, we recommend that you go through Bookshop because that allows you to support local, independent bookstores near you. Another great alternative, support Black-owned bookstores such as these. Home & Classroom Teaching: Native American Children's-Teens' Books & Resources - Cynthia Leitich Smith. Compiled by Cynthia Leitich Smith With tremendous appreciation of all the teachers and child-caregivers who’re navigating this difficult time, I have assembled a list of Native children’s and young adult (teen) books along with supplemental educational and/or entertaining resources.

Home & Classroom Teaching: Native American Children's-Teens' Books & Resources - Cynthia Leitich Smith

It reflects only a few highlights from the quickly growing, engaging body of literature for young readers, created by Native creators. The books were selected in part due to their curriculum tie-in potential and in part due to the tie-in activities, lesson plans, interviews, articles, etc. readily available for each. Let's Talk About Race. Diversity - Children's and YA Services - LibGuides Home at Connecticut State Library, Division of Library Development. Skip to main content Children's and YA Services: Diversity Page Contents.

Diversity - Children's and YA Services - LibGuides Home at Connecticut State Library, Division of Library Development

Black Kids Camp, Too...Don't They?: Embracing "Wildness" in Picture Books. My mother was a Girl Scout leader, my father was a Boy Scout leader, and my brother was a Tiger Cub in the Boy Scouts. Practically from the time I could walk, I tagged along with family to scout meetings and events. My mother was a Girl Scout leader, my father was a Boy Scout leader, and my brother was a Tiger Cub in the Boy Scouts. Practically from the time I could walk, I tagged along with family to scout meetings and events. When I became a Girl Scout, and eventually earned the Gold Award (the highest award in Girl Scouting), I took advantage of every opportunity to get out into the woods.

Though an English major, I took almost enough physical education classes at the College of William and Mary to minor in PE. 20 Must-Read YA Novels by Women of Color. Coming up with 20 of the best young adult novels by women of color is no easy feat—there are so many out there, and it’s tough to narrow it down to a short list. Here, you’ll find novels old and new from the vibrant and brilliant women of color who have shared their talents with us. While some of their stories focus on themes of the hardships of racism—both historical and modern—in other stories the characters’ race is just as incidental as what time they go to bed at night.

How Underrepresentation Affects Racial Narratives and American Kids. Underrepresentation of Minorities in Children’s Media In 2016, roughly 12% of children’s books from U.S. publishers were written by racial minorities. But in the same year, minorities (including white Hispanics) made up 39% of all Americans. Even in the limited cases where kids’ books feature non-white characters, these are rarely written by authors of the same racial background. Rudine Sims Bishop: ‘Mother’ of multicultural children’s literature. A short stroll from The Ohio State University’s Columbus campus, a stately Victorian house serves as a keeper of treasures. A stunning collection by African American children’s book illustrators lines the walls. Floor-to-ceiling shelves hold volumes about famous painters, the black American experience; books written by Alice Walker, Ismael Reed and Henry Louis Gates. And then there is all the children’s literature. When she was teaching at the College of Education and Human Ecology, from 1986 to 2002, Rudine Sims Bishop could have walked to campus from her house.

But she always had so many books to carry. “I read them to my graduate students,” she said. Literacy Today September/October 2019. AAPI Children’s Book Authors and Illustrators. A podcast where we explore diverse books for kids and teens through conversations with authors and those that love reading children's literature. The Best of Asian YA - 21 Young Adult Novels by Authors of Asian Descent. Asian YA (and Asian literature) in general, was largely unknown to me until last year. An Updated Look at Diversity in Children's Books. If Kids Can’t Read What They Want in the Summer, When Can They? Teachers Push for Books With More Diversity, Fewer Stereotypes. In these 2017 photos, students in Noelle Mapes' 3rd grade class complete an audit of the books in their library. They tracked the racial breakdown of the main characters in the stories and determined that they were overwhelmingly white. The exercise is meant to illuminate the lack of diversity in children's literature.

—Noelle Mapes Most texts feature white characters. Brightly Storytime: Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag. 10 Female-Led Novels That Tween Boys (and Girls) Love. Explanation of Awards. Spotlight on Diverse Book Awards. Looking to add more diverse books to your classroom, library, or reading list? Take Action: Diversity Audit.

School Library Journal. Five picture books by Yuyi Morales and more titles named as the 2019 Global Read Aloud choices. The 2019 Global Read Aloud (GRA) selections were announced this week. It is the 10th year for the six-week event that fosters global connections through shared reading, from picture books through young adult. "The GRA is an invitation into a world that we can share together. School Library Journal. Celebrating Asian Americans for #WomensHistoryMonth – PragmaticMom. Surprise! It’s Racist! Unwanted Children’s Book Surprises. I think many of us have done this at some point. You’ve picked up a favorite old children’s book to read to your own kiddos. Kids Need to Read Everything On This Banned Book List.

Banned Books Week began after the 1982 Island Trees School District v. 500 Internal Server Error. In a vibrant, multicultural society, representing the richness of students’ lives in a class or school library takes a conscious effort. Books That Promote Tolerance and Diversity. Readbrightly. Diversity Book Lists & Activities for Teachers and Parents - Multicultural Children's Book Day. Welcome! Diversity in KidLit Presented as Every Day - Multicultural Children's Book Day. Where to Find Diverse Books.