# data[].attributes.body
Format: Padlet

Favorite Resource: Common Sense Media

Favorite Book: We Are Water Protectors - This is my favorite book because it shares my own culture and depicts illustrations of my people and the battles we are facing with making sure there is clean water in our area. We have been fighting the battle for not just our own area, but areas of other indigenous families as well.

Tool Use: I will use this tool in future programs at my school to ensure students know of the books available to them in our media center. I will also share this tool with teacher so they can begin to increase their knowledge of different cultures and how they can include them in their classroom as well.

# data[].attributes.body
Format: Google sites, because it's easy to work with.

Favorite Resource: I'm Your Neighbor. I think the site is really well organized for finding books based in specific communities and cultures.

Favorite Book: "They Call Me Güero: A Border Kid's Poems". I included this book because it was a hit with the boys in my homeroom this year (most came from a similar background), and one of my kids did a lovely book talk on how he connected with it.

I would like to grow this tool and share it with teachers and admin to help advocate for a diverse collection, in both the school and individual classroom libraries.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
"Literature which embraces many cultures and where culture itself is an integral part of the story." (Boston University)

Use the top navigation to explore resources for Multicultural Literature for Children.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
What is Multicultural Literature? "Literature which embraces many cultures and where culture itself is an integral part of the story." (Boston University) Use the top navigation to explore resources for Multicultural Literature for Children.

# data[].attributes.body
Format: Google Sites (can be linked to Literature Log)

Favorite Resource: I really explored and enjoyed the Reading Rockets Diverse Bookshelf. This site has great booklists as well as research and resources that can help teachers understand the significance of a diverse literature focus.

Favorite Book: I liked discovering the title Sufiyan Goes to Guyana when putting together my Caribbean American picture book selections. Guyana is such a small country but there is a major immigrant population in NYC and other parts of the U.S.

Using This Tool: Great to maintain as a working document; I plan to share it with my cousin who is the director of a public library in case she wants to add to it. Will also put it to use in my own school library one day.

# data[].attributes.body
Format: Google Sites

Favorite Resource: Diverse Book Finder

Favorite Book: It's Pride Baby by Allen R. Wells

1. As a School Librarian I plan to use this tool to advocate for a diverse collection by continuing to seek out and read more multicultural literature while keeping a log of the ones I find. I will use this log to identify the gaps in my collection and create a development plan that will highlight titles that address the identified gaps. I also want to collaborate with the teachers to align multicultural literature with the curriculum and show how diverse books can enrich the learning experience for our students.

2. As a School Librarian, I will share my website and literature log with students, parents, and teachers as a way to give book recommendations and access to the resources I used to find these titles. I also want my students to join in and submit reviews for the titles I have listed in my log. Receving feedback directly from the students will help me to advocate for budgets that support the development of a diverse and inclusiove collection. They will also have the opportunity to recommend titles that they enjoyed and made them feel seen/included.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Shay Brown's LIS Literature Log - Multi-Cultural Passport

# data[].attributes.body
Format: Google Sites

Favorite Resource: The Diverse Bookshelf because it provides diverse book titles along with research and articles to help explain why diversity is important.

Favorite Book: The Night Diary by Veera Hirandandani because it tells the story of the Indian Partition from the perspective of a young girl. This is a part of history that I have taught in my World History classes for years, and this is a great resource to help students better understand and relate to what happened in India when they gained independence from Britain and the impact it had on the people.

Use: Since I work with High Schoolers, many of these titles may not be as useful as others, but this is a great tool that I can replicate in pulling together resources for my high schoolers and teachers, so they can quickly see what diverse titles they might be interested in reading or using.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Multicultural literature may embrace many cultures and diverse backgrounds that can include ethnicity, race, gender, and socio-economic status, among other things. In multicultural literature, the culture itself is an integral part of the story.

# data[].attributes.body
Format: Google Sites (my website has multiple categories of multicultural literature; if you choose African American or Middle Eastern, that's what I focused on for this assignment)

Favorite Resource: I jumped around a bit with resources - Lee & Low, Amazon, Good Reads, plain old Google searches...

Favorite Book: When Stars Are Scattered is just a beautiful book and story. Very inspiring.

Hopefully I will not have to advocate for a diverse collection, it will just be an accepted practice in any future school I work in. If I do find myself in the position of having to advocate for diversity in my collection, I will point to the mirrors and windows analogy and explain how providing diverse books can connect kids to the curriculum and reassure them that they have value, in their school and in society.

I am excited about the website I've developed that includes a lot resources Dr. Gruer has shared in class. I think it will be extremely useful for me when the time comes for me to work in my own school library - whether I get to develop my own collection or need to evaluate an existing collection, having this website to use as a resource gives me confidence in my ability to best serve my students.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Children's Literature Log - Multicultural

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
"Our cultural strength has always been derived from our diversity of understanding and experience." ~Yo-Yo Ma

# data[].attributes.body
Format: This version is on Google Sites. I originally made a Smore for the assignment, but the site refuses to publish it so I copied my work to Google Sites. Given my experience with Smore (which was difficult to customize and then refused to publish) I don't think I will use it again, but Google Sites has proven much more user friendly and will allow me to edit it more easily later.

Favorite resource: I discovered Reading Rockets and I really like it! Their book finder tool is great and allows you to choose as many or few fields to narrow your search as you would like.

Favorite book: I have two. I tried to explore mostly "new to me" titles for this project, but in each category I included a personal favorite. In the disability category I included El Deafo. I love this book on a personal level, and I actually gave it to some family members when it came out. I am not hearing impaired, but I am visually impaired. I am fully blind in my left eye and have a narrow field of vision in my right eye due to an optic nerve problem. Cece Bell absolutely nails how it feels to grow up with a disability that is always there, but sometimes not well understood or perceived as a disability by those around you. My other favorite I reviewed was Paletero Man. It's just such a fun, bright, colorful story and my students really enjoyed it this year.

Using this tool to advocate or in my program: I don't honestly have specific plans for it at the moment, but now that I've started a Google site that is easy to build on, it could be something that I eventually link to our school media center website, which is very much a work in progress and a goal for next school year - at the moment there's nothing on it but a link to Destiny Discover and a link to email me. I can definitely see the benefit of letting teachers and students see this site, but I would want to include more areas of interest and book recommendations before I think it's ready for that.

# data[].attributes.body
Format- Google Sites

Favorite Resource- The Military wife and mom, School Library Journal.

Favorite Book- Hero Mom. I like this book because it shows that the military is not just for guys and that women serve as well. Women provide essential jobs for the military and now, you see more women military pilots, commanders, and leaders.

Even though I am not an elementary school librarian, I can see using this tool to feature more diverse books in a library collection. One of my goals for this upcoming school year is to promote more diverse authors and books through student led book talks and student made book videos. I will teach a yearbook class this fall, and this will be the perfect opportunity to push out our diverse book collection.

# data[].attributes.body
Format: I built my Passport as a continuation of my Literature Log using Google Sites. Their is a Passport to Multicultural Literature page that includes the definition, resources, advocacy sites, and links to each cultural area. It's designed in a way that can be built upon in the future.

Favorite Resource: I wouldn't want to use just one resource because it would limit the selections you might consider, but my favorite in terms of usability is Teaching Books (https://school.teachingbooks.net/). I like the fact that you can filter by grade level, curricular area, genre, and cultural experience.

Favorite Book: The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson and Rafael López.

I love the message this book presents. It talks about how at first we all seem different, especially if your skin is a different color or you speak in a different accent. But as we begin to share stories with each other, we discover that we're all much more alike than we realized.

I will use this resource in a few different ways. We have groups of students that travel to our elementary schools to read aloud to younger students, and this will be a good list of books for them to choose from. I'd also invite my high school students to contribute to this list. They could choose a cultural area to represent and help find books that fit that category. This would help them learn to evaluate children's literature as well as remind them of the positive messages found in these books.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Children’s Literature Log - Passport to Multicultural Literature

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
‘There will be times when you walk into a room and no one there is quite like you until the day you begin to share your stories.’ — Jacqueline Woodson

# data[].attributes.body
Format: Google Site

Favorite Resource: diversebooks.org: I found all the links to be extremely helpful and will absolutely use this resource in the future.

Favorite Book: "Sal & Gabi Break the Universe" by Carlos Hernandez is an exciting blend of science fiction and fantasy. The book has a really fast-paced story that mixes time and space manipulation, and the crazy effects they could have on the whole universe.

How will you use this tool to advocate for a diverse education: I will definitely use the information to speak to those who order books for our library. It is a great tool to share with our children's librarian to encourage the inclusion of more diverse titles in our collection. I appreciate that it's a dynamic document that allows me to continue adding to it, while also helping me keep track of the titles we already have and what we can add to our branch's shelves.

How will you use this resource in a future program: The activities and lesson plans could potentially be included in some of our programs or recommended to parents as an additional project for their kids when suggesting these titles.

# data[].attributes.body
Format: Padlet

Favorite Source: Diverse Book Finder

Favorite Book: Lovely Day

Using this tool to advocate for a diverse collection: I plan on using this resource in one of my classes. In the beginning of the year I plan on doing a few classes on library rules and usage, using Destiny, the Dewey Decimal System, choosing the proper books etc. This would be a good place to introduce the resource as I'm helping students find books they are interested in.

I also plan on sharing this resource with administration as well as teachers. I also plan on posting a link on Class Dojo so that parents will have access to it.

# data[].attributes.body
I used a Google Site

My favorite resource I used in this project was the Diverse Book Finder because I love having access to a website where I can search for specific types of diverse literature.

My favorite book I used for this project was My Town/ Mi Pueblo. The book is a bilingual children's book and I think it is a great to for creating connection in the classroom.

I will use this tool to advocate for a Diverse collection by referring to the tool when I need more information on diverse books and resources.

# data[].attributes.body
Format: Google Sites (I wanted to work with building a Google Site on my own after we did it for our class project. I believe it is a tool I will be using a lot in the library, so I wanted to practice with it more.)

Audience: Teachers, Teacher Librarians, and Guardians of young children.

Favorite Resource: Dolly Gray Children's Literature Award because it highlights books or merit that accurately depict people with developmental disabilities. These individuals are more than just illustrated side characters, so they allow children with developmental disabilities to see themselves and their lives within children's picture books.

Favorite Book: Sulwe written by Lupita Nyong'o and illustrated by Vashti Harrison because the writing and illustrations beautifully combine to tell the story of how Sulwe is bullied even with the Black community because of the darkness of her skin. The story interweaves the tale of two sister, Day and Night, to guide Sulwe on her journey to self-love, and it is an amazing book to discuss that we shouldn't be color blind but color appreciative for others experiences.

Advocacy: I plan to continue to add to this tool so that it is fully-stocked with an array of diverse concepts when I have my own library one day. I plan to share it with teachers for them to have access to diverse books as well as research proving why diversity is needed in a child's education. The resources speak for themselves to prove that diversity in a collection allows a child to walk different paths and grow empathy.

Future Use: I fully intend to use these lesson plans one day. I do not think that Black American children's literature should be used only during Black History Month, so this allows for a resource to pull from. Forsyth county schools have a large Latino population that I will be able to turn these books and their activities into library lesson plans or even events!

# data[].attributes.body
Format: Google Sites

Favorite Resource: I really liked the We Need Diverse Books campaign and also the Jane Addams Book Award. Both are doing really important work on amplifying stories for marginalized groups with an emphasis on empathy.

Favorite Book: I enjoyed Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao. It was a sweet and simple story that showed Chinese culture in a very accessible way to young children.

Using this tool to advocate for a diverse collection: The articles and video that I shared on the tab for why to include multicultural books in a library collection will be very useful to advocate for a diverse collection. I will continue to add more research, so it stays relevant.

How I will use this tool: I created this website with the intention that it would be a great tool to share with teachers, to show them the benefits of multicultural books and also to give them a starting point on books to highlight in their classrooms. I can continue to tailor the recommended titles list further to meet the needs of the student demographics.

# data[].attributes.body
Format: Pages within my Literature Log (Google Site)

Favorite Resource: A Curriculum Resource Center's Libguide--it was a resource for all sorts of awards/award winning books

Favorite book: Star Child: A Biographical Constellation of Octavia Estelle Butler. This was just an amazing book. I also liked it because it is a book that my student's have access to and might check out.

Using This Tool: It's a working document that I can continue to pull from and add to. I will use it when someone asks for recommendations, and it is also easily shared to any teacher/librarian/parent that would like to have this resouce to use.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Children's Literature Log - Passport to Multicultural Literature

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
What is Multicultural Literature? Muticultural literature embraces and celebrates culture within the story being told. Through multicultural literature, readers will learn about their own or others' cultures and beliefs. As such, multicultural literature serves as windows for others to see and

# data[].attributes.body
Format: Google Sites

Favorite Resource: I found the Lee & Low website very helpful.

Favorite Book: "Something Happened in Our Town: A Child's Story About Racial Injustice" There are few harder topics to talk about with kids and this book does a great job addressing it from multiple angles. I like that it gives kids an actionable thing they can do at the end.

How will I use this tool to advocate for a diverse collection? This tool gives a clear argument for the need of diverse collections. Without "windows and mirrors" into other ways of life, children (and grown ups!) will struggle to put themselves in another's persons shoes.

How will I use it in the future: I will make this accessible to my teachers, adding to the existing categories and expanding it to include more multicultural groups over time.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
What is Multicultural Literature? According to Dr. Barbara B. Brown at Boston University's African Studies Center, "Multicultural literature opens up the world, allowing all students to hear voices both different from and similar to their own, both from within their own community and beyond"

# data[].attributes.body
Format: Google Sites

Favorite Resource: I found Diverse Book Finder to be really effective in searching and filtering texts.

Favorite Book: Efren Divided by Ernesto Cisneros. This was a favorite because it is a text that mirrors many Latinx students realities and fears.

How I Plan on Using This Tool: I want this website to be a resource for students, parents, and teachers. I want to provide a variety of highlighted texts to create greater interest.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Multicultural Literature explores the experiences of marginalized and underrepresented groups. These texts focus on different races, ethnic groups, cultures, sexual orientations, economic backgrounds, and abilities/disabilities. Multicultural texts are written and illustrated by those who are part of these groups.

Use the resources below for more information about multicultural literature.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Ms. Sherlin's Book Recommendations - Multicultural Literature

# data[].attributes.body
Format: Google Sites

Favorite Resources: Brightly and Social Justice Books were two of my favorite sites to find books.

Favorite Book: Loujain Dreams of Sunflowers is my favorite book included in this collection. It's based on the true story of a women's rights advocate from Saudi Arabia who fought for women to have the right to drive. Her story is fascinating. She has been arrested and tortured by the government several times. She was recently released from prison but is still under a travel ban. The book tells her story through a metaphor that's appropriate for children and gives hope to readers.

Future Use: I have enjoyed compiling this collection so much. I would love to continue to add to it and to use it in my school someday. I think it would be an excellent source to share with teachers as they search for multicultural titles to share with their classes.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Multicultural literature encompasses a wide variety of genres that feature and celebrate unique cultures. Its goal is to create awareness and inspire appreciation in readers. It not simply enough for authors to present unique cultures. They must be presented authentically and respectfully.

Curating a diverse library collection demonstrates a commitment fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion. It is necessary that the library is a welcoming space for children of all backgrounds. Even communities without a diverse population have an obligation to ensure broad representation.

Reading with an open mind broadens our perspectives and challenges preexisting beliefs. Thoughtful reading inspires us to celebrate our differences. It fills us with passion and encourages a global perspective. Reading draws attention to many of the hard truths that exist around us, and it heightens our awareness of injustices and suffering. Ultimately, reading strengthens empathy. It teaches us that the world is filled with countless perspectives all of which are of equal importance.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Multicultural literature encompasses a wide variety of genres that feature and celebrate unique cultures. Its goal is to create awareness and inspire appreciation in readers. It not simply enough for authors to present unique cultures. They must be presented authentically and respectfully.

# data[].attributes.body
Format: Padlet

I used Padlet due to the ease of use and my comfort level with the tool.

Favorite Resource: diversebooks.org

This resource is extremely user friendly and with great reviews and direct links for purchasing books!

Favorite Book: I Love You, Baby Burrito

This book is just too cute! How could you not love it.

I will definitely use this tool in the future to advocate for a diverse collection. This tool will ensure that the diverse titles selected will be excellent additions to the collection. It will be hard to make a wrong choice after reviewing the book titles on the various resources.

# data[].attributes.body
1. Format: Smore

2. Favorite Resource: Teaching Books was an amazing resource for so much of this project for me. The site compiles so many resources, author book talks, and activities for tons of books, plus book recommendation lists. I will definitely continue to use this site in the future.

3. Favorite Book: If I had to pick, I would choose I Can Be All Three by Salima Alikhan. I love the message of empowering kids to embrace ALL facets of their identities and taking away the pressure of having to fit into just one box or just one label.

4. How will you use this tool to advocate for a diverse education? I think I would use this resource to illustrate the variety of diversity in the school or community I'm in, and to show how empowering these books will be for kids and how crucial it is that they not only see themselves in the literature but how important it is for kids to see that there are cultures beyond the one that they are part of, and what a cool thing that is.

5. How will I use this resource in my future program? I think this will be a living document that can be added to continually, especially in response to how the school or community grows and changes. This can be a resource I can point to that teachers can use when selecting books for read-aloud as well.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Multicultural Literature refers to materials that represent a variety of different experiences, including race and ethnicity, abilities, languages, and appearances. For this project, I explored materials for children that highlight authors and stories that reflect a variety of Asian experiences as well as stories that highlight experiences of children who live with varying disabilities. Multicultural Literature is an important way to empower children to both see themselves in stories as well as help them to understand people around them who may differ from them in a multitude of ways.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Multicultural Literature - LIS 617 by Andrea Evans | This newsletter was created with Smore, an online tool for creating beautiful newsletters for educators, businesses and more

# data[].attributes.body
Format: I chose to use Notion for my project because I knew that it was a clean interface with a lot of customization options for linking resources and arranging the site, and the site auto-formats for mobile viewing.

Favorite resource: I liked the CLA blog that I included in my websites section, it provides a huge list of other, more specific resources for finding diverse literature.

Favorite book: I Lived Inside a Whale by Xin Li! I relate a lot to the main character and her sensory issues, and I also coped with my frustrations by daydreaming as a child (and now!)

I will definitely be adding to this resource as I find more examples of diverse literature! I want to go back and add more categories for even broader representation, as well as adding some chapter books for older readers. Notion also allows for collaborators, so it would be really cool to invite other librarians that I meet and work with to add their own resources alongside mine!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In the article below, Dr. Barbara B. Brown defines multicultural literature as literature that "opens up the world, allowing all students to hear voices both different from and similar to their own, both from within their own community and beyond. Powerful literature can transport students into a world where they can feel the joys and struggles of others and where they can inhabit the cultural landscape the characters live in." She also provides criteria for evaluating quality multicultural literature, namely the avoidance of exoticising other cultures and providing a truthful representation of the culture.
https://www.bu.edu/africa/outreach/teachingresources/literature-language-arts/selection_guide/Why Diverse Books Matter: Mirrors and Windows Why We Need Diverse Books | NEA You are being redirected...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Passport to Multicultural Literature | Notion

# data[].attributes.body
Format: Genially

Favorite resource: I don't know that I could pick a favorite resource, but I appreciated Diversebooks.org because they have links to programs, and workshops, and other opportunities.

Favorite book: Either "We Don't Lose Our Class Goldfish" or "Aaron Slater, Illustrator"

I think this will be a great interactive tool that I can easily expand as I go. I can add more books to the bookshelf and explore more categories for diverse books.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Multicultural literature is: “Literature by and about people of color” and “under represented or marginalized groups.”—Rudine Sims Bishop Reading Rockets Video

# data[].attributes.body
Format: Canva Website

Favorite Resource: Common Sense Media

Favorite Book: Ada Twist Scientist, This book not only include diversity but also has important Social Emotional Learning moments that can be discussed with the students during read aloud.

I will add this to my school resource website.

# data[].attributes.body
Format: Google Sites

Favorite Resource: Schneider Family Book Award

Favorite Book: Bindu's Bindis

Using this tool to advocate for a diverse collection: When I am creating a book list, displays, or programs at my branch, I will examine these resources first to make sure that I am inclusive in the books I am highlighting.

Using this resource in my future program: I have included this website as a page on my Final Literature Log so that I can continue to go back and consider these resources and books when I need to design a program or a display.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Multicultural literature presents content about individuals from underrepresented or minority populations.

# data[].attributes.body
Passport to Multicultural Literature:

1. Post link to project in the padlet

2. Be prepared to share  the following in class.

Share the format you used  for your Passport to Multicultural Literature and why you chose it.

Share your favorite resource included in your project and why.

Share your favorite book included in your project and why.

How will you use this tool to advocate for a diverse collection?

How you will use this resource in your future program?

3. After class -Rate and comment on at least 3 classmates.