“Thank you for reading to me.”
On a school visit, surrounded by preschoolers who crowded around the base of my chair, their eyes looked up, eager and wide. It was those six words that stayed stuck in my head long after the visit was over.
Muchas gracia por leerme!
Merci d’avoir lu!
Asante kwa kunisoma!
It does not matter the language spoken, nor how soft or loud those words resounded. It does not matter if those words were said at all, because often the reward for reading a story to a child is as simple as a smile. With minds as vast as our universe, those words hold more than gratitude. They are a thank you for seeing, valuing, hearing, caring about, and investing in a kid's present and future- all they will grow to be.
The depths of where a single book can lead is a roadmap to understanding the world, building empathy, strengthening kindness, and instilling courageousness within kids who will grow into mighty adults. It is important that we as educators, parents, storytellers, librarians, health care professionals, and more, know the importance of choosing quality books for growing minds, especially stories that truthfully represent the diverse world in which we live. These are the stories that showcase the joy within identity and belonging. These stories honestly confront regular life and tackle issues children face daily, such as racism and stereotypes. Diverse books leave each reader with a renewed sense of hope.
The story, Eyes that Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho, depicts the beauty and history within a young girls Asian-shaped eyes. The Proudest Blue, by Ibtihaj Muhammad, tells the story of an American Muslim in hijab who confidently and fiercely contended and won the Olympics. Fly by Brittany J. Thurman, shows a young Black girl named Africa, who joyfully soars toward her goals because she’s always known her capabilities. Just as these books and more are for the children depicted in the illustration on the cover and throughout the pages, diverse books are always for the 7.8 billion (and counting) people who roam our Earth.
Books are for everyone.
Throughout the literary world, Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop is often referenced and quoted, having developed the term, “windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors.”
“Books are sometimes windows, offering views of worlds that may be real or imagined, familiar or strange. These windows are also sliding glass doors, and readers have only to walk through in imagination to become part of whatever world has been created and recreated by the author. When lighting conditions are just right, however, a window can also be a mirror. Literature transforms human experience and reflects it back to us, and in that reflection we can see our own lives and experiences as part of the larger human experience.” Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop, Ohio State University, 1990
Here are the reasons why we each need to read diverse books to growing minds:
They are a looking glass in which a child can see themselves as whole.
Diverse books read to kids of diverse backgrounds (be it race, disability, orientation, family structure, and more) allow kids to feel seen, heard, witnessed, appreciated, and valued. They see themselves and their experiences through images and words, which helps to counter the all too familiar self-conscious thoughts and depreciation that comes when a mirror in media is not found.
In 2016, the University of Pittsburgh Office of Child Development researched and created the PRIDE report, Positive Racial Identity Development in Early Education. Within this report, they found, “When children have positive sense of self at an early age, when they’re met with challenges, they’re grounded. They have a sense of personal agency and confidence.” – Page 14. But, also, “Children of color experience daily messages, explicit and subtle, from individuals and institutions- you are not as good, not as loveable, not as beautiful and not as smart as children of the dominant race.” – Page 1.
To develop strong, confident, self-assured children means that we make the conscious effort to read to kids as early as possible (birth!). Read books that reflect the children they are, the children they will grow to be, and the children that make up our world.
They are a bay upon which a child not exposed to diversity and representation can glimpse the world.
Lack of representation is not only a fight that exists on bookshelves, but it is a struggle within the classroom, child development centers, libraries, and homes. This occurs when parents avoid reading diverse books because they assume it is only intended for the diversity contained within. This struggle continues when books are banned, and classrooms aren’t allowed to expand or touch upon books outside of their curriculum. It also happens in libraries, when display shelves and booklists aren’t expanded, renewed, and refreshed.
As a former children’s specialist in a library, I loved walking to nearby daycares and schools. I tugged a cart full of books and read to kids starting at birth to preschool, kindergarten and up. On one visit, I entered a preschool classroom and was confronted by a child, no more than five, with a racial slur. My emotions ranged from flustered to confused, hurt, and frustrated. To this day, I don’t understand the reason why, but I do know with young children, so much starts at home. This child, who smiled her way through the session, did not understand the word she said, the effects of her actions, and the consequence it could have had on myself, or a peer if she had chosen to say it to a classmate.
As an author, children’s specialist, and someone who feels the growth of a child is the only way our world will heal, I chose to not dwell on what was said, but inadvertently teach. From that moment, I decided to read more books that featured children different from the world of the child and the classroom. I hoped to expand their viewpoint and allow for a kid to see beyond the confines of their own lens. It was clear this was not happening at home. I continued to show up, proud and strong, diverse books in hand.
Kids are curious answer seekers, eager for honest conversations.
Diverse books spark needed and meaningful conversations. These important conversations help kids navigate and understand the complex world in which we live. In Alicia D. Williams picture book, The Talk, a young Black child wants to be a kid but is confronted with a conversation about growing up Black in a society that sees him as much older than a child. Daria Peoples’ picture book America My Love, America My Heart, asks if this America in which we live will love and honor the Black and Brown children in their entirety, with all they bring. In the words of John Lewis, “Never ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble." Books such as these raise the noise, spark discussions, open conversations, and counter avoiding the discussion of these much-needed topics.
There is more than one type of author.
As a child, I read a lot. But, when I reflect on those books, I recognize many of the authors did not look like myself or the background I held. While my family allowed me to self-select books, the shelves did not reflect characters who looked like myself, and thus the same when it came to authors. As adulthood rang, I began to realize that I could have pulled book after book from shelf after shelf, but educators, librarians, and more were not placing diverse books in my hands.
Today, when we read books that reflect the vastness of the people who comprise our world, it is also important to see who the author is that wrote the story. Do they share the same background as the character? Did they work with others who share that background? Look at their photo, read their bio, contact them, and say hello! Burst the bubble that only one type of person can write a story and allow kids to dig into the real-life person behind the book.
It is an avenue to continued literacy.
As a kid the roller coaster was my favorite ride at an amusement park. As the roller coaster ascended, each tick from the chain of the track let me know more was to come. Diverse books and the pages contained within are the mountains and hills, swoops and loops that push us from cover to cover. When we’re finished, we want to do it all over again.
Diverse books lead to discovering and learning about people who may seem a world apart, but in the words of poet and activist Maya Angelou, “We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.”
How can you find and choose quality diverse books for the kids in your life?
- Follow diverse creators on social media. Join their email list and watch for newsletters and updates. I love to look and see who authors and illustrators are highlighting. What books do they recommend? What authors do they follow? This is a great way to see what new books are on the horizon.
- Ask local librarians. Pop into the children’s department of your local library and ask what diverse books the librarians, library assistants, and volunteers recommend. Do they have reading lists that feature diverse topics? Check the titles on the list. Which pop out to you, and which are new?
- Ask local bookstores. Go beyond Barnes and Noble. Pop into your local indie! Check their events and go to an author event when one is in town. Be sure to ask the booksellers and book buyers at the store for their recommendations.
- Attend book conferences and festivals that are virtual and in person. These events happen all around us and take place throughout the year. Major events include, The African American Children’s Book Festival, The National Book Festival in Washington DC, NCTE, The Virginia Book Festival, the Kentucky Book Festival, the BAM Festival, and more.
- What diverse books do you own? Do you know if the author and or illustrator is from a diverse background? When you check out a book from the library or buy a book at a store that features representation, look at the author and illustrator bio. What does it say? How are they connected to the diversity represented within?
- Check publishers’ websites and social media. Many publishers are on a mission to recognize and uplift diverse creators, while many have a way to go. Research the publisher by navigating their website and social media presence. How are they working to increase authentic representation within the children’s literature they place on bookshelves?
“Thank you for reading to me.”
These words continue to echo. These are the words that keep me writing and working on the next book. We have a responsibility to the kids in our lives and those we have yet to meet. That responsibility, large or small, is to show them our world in its entirety. Books are much more than paper and covers. Books are the roadmap to navigating the past, present and what will be the future.
References:
Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop, “Mirrors, Windows and Sliding Glass Doors”
https://ncte.org/blog/2016/02/windows-mirrors-sliding-doors/
University of Pittsburgh, PRIDE Report
https://ncte.org/blog/2016/02/windows-mirrors-sliding-doors/
