Understanding the Problem
The Cooperative Children's Book Center, based out of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has been annually documenting books for children and teens by and about Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) since 1994. CCBC's yearly diversity statistics paint a picture of enduring inequities in the children's literature field. Each year since data collection began, the American publishing industry has produced more children's books starring animal characters than children of color.
We Need Diverse Books
We Need Diverse Books™ began as a trending Twitter campaign in 2014. Today, it is a "grassroots organization of children’s book lovers that advocates essential changes in the publishing industry to produce and promote literature that reflects and honors the lives of all young people."
- Where to Find Diverse BooksCheck out this extensive listing of websites that offer recommendations of diverse books.
- Walter AwardsThe Walter Dean Myers Awards for Outstanding Children's Literature recognize diverse authors whose works feature diverse main characters and address diversity in a meaningful way.
- Internship Grant ProgramThe Internship Grant Program awards supplemental grants to applicants from diverse backgrounds to help further their goals of pursuing a career in children’s and adult publishing.
- WNDB in the ClassroomWNDB in the Classroom provides free diverse books to low-income schools around the country. By helping children find stories and authors that they can relate to, we can help foster in them a lifelong love of reading.
Mirrors, Windows & Sliding Glass Doors
Watch Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop explain her theory of "mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors" to understand the importance of diverse representation in children's literature.
Helpful Websites
- CCBC StatisticsHistorically, the CCBC has documented the number of books it receives annually by and about Black, Indigenous and People of Color. Over the years, we’ve seen those numbers grow, but they still represents a small percentage of the overall number of books published for children and teenagers. Beginning in 2018, we began documenting the content of every book we receive around other aspects of diversity and representation in children’s and young adult literature as well, including LGBTQ+, disability, and religion. This page provides links to CCBC diversity resources, and selected links to resources beyond the CCBC.
- American Indians in Children's LiteratureEstablished in 2006 by Dr. Debbie Reese of Nambé Pueblo, American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL) provides critical analysis of Indigenous peoples in children's and young adult books. Dr. Jean Mendoza joined AICL as a co-editor in 2016.
- Disability in KidlitThough this blog is on permanent hiatus, the archives are filled with useful book reviews and articles about different kinds of disability representation in children's media.
- Hijabi LibrariansA blog where hijabi librarians review children’s and young adult literature that feature Muslim characters and communities. We aim to recognize and honor the books and authors that give authenticity, respect nuance, honor the humanity of, and celebrate the diversity of Muslim communities.
- The Open Book BlogA blog on race, diversity, education, and children's books from the children's publishers Lee & Low Books.
- I'm Your NeighborI’m Your Neighbor Books facilitates engagement with children’s books that represent Immigrant and New Generation communities. By curating, loaning, and gifting these diverse titles with educational materials, they aim to start conversations on modern immigration, refute false narratives about communities of color, and build the cultural competency of all readers.
Research
- Center for the Study of Multicultural Children's Literature"CSMCL is among the leading educational research centers in the field of multicultural literature. Our mission is to preserve the richness of the many cultures in the field of children’s and young adult literature. Further, our mission is to provide children, teachers, parents, educators, students, and librarians access to multicultural children’s books with high literary and artistic standards."
- Evaluating Cultural Authenticity in Multicultural Picture Books: A Collaborative Analysis for Diversity Education"This study examines cultural authenticity reflected in multicultural picture books. Specifically, this study attempts to reframe issues surrounding the topic of cultural authenticity based on a systematic and empirical analysis of picture books that represent three different ethnic groups: African Americans, Asian Americans, and Hispanic Americans."
- Children's Literature as Fun-House Mirrors, Blind Spots, and Curtains"Although children's literature offers the potential to validate readers’ communities and teach about others, it can also create barriers to understanding by only sharing partial stories, obscuring some stories by overrepresenting others, and revealing information that should not be shared."
Diverse Book Finder
- Diverse Book Finder"We collect all depictions of Black and Indigenous people and People of Color (BIPOC) in mainstream picture books published or distributed in the U.S. since 2002. Our collection is uniquely comprehensive -- to serve research and education -- and uniquely accessible through most libraries -- to serve general use."
For information on which titles are selected for inclusion in the database and why, read the Our Collection page.
Diverse Book Finder now offers a free, online tool designed to help you diversify your picture book collection. Teachers, parents, and librarians can upload a file containing ISBNs and titles for their picture book collection (including nonfiction).The CAT will cross-reference this file with the Diverse BookFinder collection to identify multicultural picture books. CAT then provides a report of who (which racial/cultural groups) is represented and how (what themes predominate for each group) within this subset of your collection. This approach reveals the strengths and gaps in the racial/cultural representation within your collection.
Scholarly Books
Rebellious Read Alouds by Call Number: ebookISBN: 9781071844144Publication Date: 2022Spark meaningful conversations about race, identity, and social justice in your classroom using read alouds as an entry point. Students need to see themselves and their peers in the books they read, and to engage with varying viewpoints. How can educators create a safe and nurturing space that inspires young children to explore diversity and ask curious questions? In Rebellious Read Alouds, author Vera Ahiyya--beloved by educators worldwide as The Tutu Teacher (@thetututeacher and @diversereads on Instagram)--empowers teachers to encourage classroom conversations about important and culturally relevant topics using daily read alouds as an entry point.
Multicultural Literature for Latino Bilingual Children by Call Number: ebookISBN: 9781475814934Publication Date: 2015While there are volumes that fall into the category of children's literature, there appears to be relatively few that explore the needs of bilingual learners and the linguistic and sociocultural context of Latino children's literature. This volume makes a needed contribution by addressing the social, cultural, academic, and linguistic needs of Latino bilingual learners who are still underserved through current school practices. This volume presents a balance of theory, research, and practice that speak to authentic multicultural Latino literature and helps ensure its availability for all students.
(Mis)Reading Different Cultures by Call Number: ebookISBN: 9781475836899Publication Date: 2018International literature reflects a country's and a region's unique cultural values and practices and is usually not written for people outside the country of origin. Therefore, it is possible that readers in other countries may not understand/be aware of those values and misinterpret the stories. Since Asian and the Western countries, including the U.S., hold maximum sociocultural differences and the perceived cultural distance has remained significantly wide, reading and interpreting literature from Asia can present tremendous challenges to Americans. The book addresses the challenges teachers face when interpreting and teaching with international children's literature from Asia. The book engages readers with comprehensive coverage on theories, concepts, pitfalls, and applications when endeavoring to use international children's literature from Asia in classrooms.
Diversity in Youth Literature by Call Number: PS 153 .M56 D58 2013ISBN: 9780838911433Publication Date: 2013Surveying the landscape of children's and YA literature, this contributed volume shows how books have grown to include the wide range of our increasingly diverse society. Identifying both exemplary and problematic titles, the contributors: Provide context by sketching out the historical trajectory of diversity in youth lit; Organize titles into sections that range from familiar themes (African American, Asian, Latino) to the lesser known (such as literature dealing with incarceration, transnational adoption, and homelessness); Offer guidelines for evaluating and selecting the best in diversity literature; Suggest youth-tested programs and strategies to promote multicultural books in the library and classroom.
Teaching Tough Topics by Call Number: ebookISBN: 9781551383415Publication Date: 2020Teaching Tough Topics shows teachers how to lead students to become caring citizens as they read and respond to quality children's literature. It focuses on topics that can be challenging or sensitive yet significant for building an understanding of social justice, diversity and equity. Racism, homophobia, bullying, religious intolerance, poverty, and physical and mental challenges are just some of the themes explored. The book is rooted in the belief that, by using picture books, novels, poetry, and nonfiction, teachers can enrich learning with compassion and empathy as students make connections to texts, to others and to the world.
Queer Anxieties of Young Adult Literature and Culture by Call Number: ebookISBN: 9781496831033Publication Date: 2020Young adult literature featuring LGBTQ+ characters is booming. In the 1980s and 1990s, only a handful of such titles were published every year. This explosion of queer representation, however, has prompted new forms of longstanding cultural anxieties about adolescent sexuality. What makes for a good "coming out" story? Will increased queer representation in young people's media teach adolescents the right lessons and help queer teens live better, happier lives? What if these stories harm young people instead of helping them?
