I originally wrote this blog post to share at my workplace for an internal initiative. But the content is relevant to all of us, so I’m sharing it here too. Children’s literature - meaning board books up to young adult books - is very close to my heart. Whether they’re your own children, nieces or nephews, grandchildren or your friends’ children, reading is one of the biggest gifts you can give a child. Reading daily to children allows them to understand the meaning of language and build key language, literacy and social skills.
However, one of the biggest challenges - and ways we can all strive for a more inclusive future - is in making sure that children have a diverse library of books featuring protagonists and experiences of underrepresented ethnicities, disabilities, cultural or religious backgrounds, gender nonconformity and LGBTQIA+ orientations.
Diversity is sorely lacking in children’s literature. In fact, a 2015 study on diversity found that the main characters in children’s books published that year were: 73.3% white main characters, 12.5% non-human characters (trucks, animals, etc.), 7.6% Black main characters, 3.3% Asian Pacific main characters, 2.4% Latinx main characters and .9% American Indian main characters.
Despite these disappointing stats, there are so many great, diverse children’s books available. I’ve shared some resources below to help you build diverse libraries for the children in your lives. If you’d like specific recommendations, I’d be happy to help! While you’re at it, I challenge you to examine your own libraries and see where you can diversify.
Also, please consider shopping at your local independent and/or minority-owned bookstores. They need our support now more than ever.
The Danger of a Single Story - A truly eye-opening TEDTalk from author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on how a single story can impact our perception.
We Need Diverse Books - A non-profit organization that advocates for diversity in children’s books.
LGBTQ Reads - A site dedicated to promoting curated LGBTQIAP+ literature for all ages.
Brown Book Box - A subscription service that makes sure kids have access to books with characters that look like them.
Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices - A new Netflix initiative featuring prominent Black voices reading children's books from Black authors highlighting the Black experience.
IndieBound - A great way to locate your nearest independent bookstore.