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 3-5 Year-Long Unit Planning [Year] [Make a Copy]

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Using numbers from the Cooperative Children's Book Center, this infographic-updated from 2015-illustrates representation in children's literature. The quantity of diverse books may have gone up, but that doesn't necessarily indicate accuracy and quality of titles.

An updated infographic on diversity in children's books has been released by Sarah Park Dahlen, an associate professor of MLIS at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, MN, and illustrator David Huyck.

While this 2018 version shows improvement in representation since 2015, the creators of the image added cracks in the mirrors to illustrate the continued misrepresentation of the underrepresented communities-the quantity of books may have gone up, but it isn't all good news as that doesn't necessarily indicate accuracy and quality in the titles.

"As with the 2015 infographic, we relied on the multicultural publishing statistics compiled by the librarians at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education Cooperative Children's Book Center ( CCBC ) that were 'about' particular populations: American Indian/First Nation, Latinx, African/African American, and Asian Pacific Islander/Asian Pacific American," Sarah Park Dahlen and David Huyck wrote on sarahpark.com. "One important distinction between the 2015 and 2018 infographics is that we made a deliberate decision to crack a section of the children's mirrors to indicate what Debbie Reese calls 'funhouse mirrors' and Ebony Elizabeth Thomas calls 'distorted funhouse mirrors of the self.' Children's literature continues to misrepresent underrepresented communities, and we wanted this infographic to show not just the low quantity of existing literature, but also the inaccuracy and uneven quality of some of those books....

"We hope that this infographic, along with Lee & Low's Diversity Gap blog posts, Debbie Reese's blog American Indians in Children's Literature, Edith Campbell and Zetta Elliott's blogs, Maya Christina Gonzalez' " Children's Books as a Radical Act" blog posts, Malinda Lo's LGTBQ blog posts, We Need Diverse Books, Reading While White, Research on Diversity in Youth Literature, and other diversity initiatives, can help push forward important conversations and lead to real change in children's literature publishing. We encourage you to study these and other sources to better understand the context in which these numbers exist."

For comparison, here is the 2015 infographic:

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An Updated Look at Diversity in Children

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Using numbers from the Cooperative Children's Book Center, this infographic-updated from 2015-illustrates representation in children's literature. The quantity of diverse books may have gone up, but that doesn't necessarily indicate accuracy and quality of titles. An updated infographic on diversity in children's books has been released by Sarah Park Dahlen, an associate professor of MLIS at St.

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It will be locked after our last submission / last class 5/12.

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Spring 23 _TEC 612  Language Arts Library

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The interlocking crises of the past several years have shown us the many ways in which our worlds are connected. From the collective experience of human trauma, racial and economic injustice, and climate change faced by vulnerable communities across the globe, to the rise in movements against oppressive forces and structural inequities, we share intersecting stories.

Now more than ever, it is imperative that the stories we tell, read, and write are reflective of the histories and experiences of the many different communities that make up our world - communities which are often missing from bookshelves in schools and libraries.

In choosing the Seventh Annual Best Books for Young Readers list, curators Rabani Garg and Sibylla Shekerdjiska-Benatova focused on authors and illustrators who brought these stories and experiences to the fore in real, empathetic ways. Through their work, the creators listed below center these histories and provide joy, strength, and resilience to young readers - giving them a space to imagine a more just world. This year's list also marks an introduction to books written and published outside of the United States. In the coming years, Rabani and Sibylla hope to build a dialogue with a wider community of children's literature authors, illustrators, and publishers who are similarly engaged in creating books that validate underrepresented experiences - opening the door to a wider array of perspectives and stories.

The Best Books for Young Readers list was first created in 2015 by Penn GSE's Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, an expert in children's literature. Her tireless efforts to showcase authors and illustrators dealing with issues like gender, race, ability, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, and socioeconomic class in authentic ways have guided the selection process ever since. As more and more diverse works finally make their way onto shelves, Dr. Thomas asks us to think: "We know we need to make our bookshelves more diverse - but what is going on within the label of diversity is something we have to constantly question. What kinds of diverse books are getting through, and what kinds of diverse books would we like to see more of?"

Our Young Adult selection features books which dive deeper into difficult conversations about our shared histories, emotional and physical well-being, and social justice. In her "From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry," Paula Yoo provides a scan of America's recent history. With the precision of a documentarian, she tells a story about the conditions that propel social movements. Farha Bashir's "Rumours of Spring," a memoir of the author's adolescence spent in Srinagar, Kashmir, captures moments of joy and resilience from a girlhood spent in a conflict zone. In her "Disability Visibility" collection, Alice Wong provides a stage for seventeen authentic voices to remind us of the daily challenges, our fragility, and, ultimately, our strengths.

Graphic novels have a way of communicating messages with enviable ease that makes them a favorite genre for young and not-so-young readers. After a long wait, the success of the "March" trilogy continues with "Run: Book One," celebrating the remarkable life of civil rights movement activist John Lewis. Huda Fahmi creates a kaleidoscope of new situations for her character in "Huda F Are You?" while Viola is navigating her inner anxieties and tensions in Rosena Fung's "Living with Viola." Finally, the captivating storytelling of L.L. McKinney and misleadingly pink pallet of illustrator Robyn Smith share the tale of Nubia's quest for her own identity in "Nubia: Real One."

The voices represented in this year's middle-grade selection follow the Best Books for Young Readers tradition of opening doors and looking with kindness and understanding into the many communities that shape us. "Take Back the Block" by Chrystal D. Giles centers on friendship and unites the community in a quest for social justice. Christine Day's elegant "The Sea in Winter" and the powerful messages of Kwame Mhalia's "Black Boy Joy: 17 Stories Celebrating Black Boyhood" will ignite readers' imagination to help envision a different future. This year's selection combines the strength of diverse communities to look inside our daily struggles while bringing us closer together through these authentic stories.

2021 offered a diversity of stories and emotions. This selection of picture books brings the joy of Winsome Bingham's vibrant "Soul Food Sunday," "Bright Star" by Yuvi Morales, and the reflective and wise contemplation of "The Longest Letsgoboy" by Derick Wilder and illustrator Cátia Chien. Artwork ranging from the warm, bright colors and dreamy blues of "Areli Is a Dreamer" by Areli Morales and illustrator Luisa Uribe to the dense hues created by illustrator Nikkolas Smith for "The 1619 Project: Born on the Water" by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renée Watson. The 2021 picture book selections place diversity, hope, and dreams into the hands of readers.

We would like to express our gratitude to Dr. Ebony Elizabeth Thomas for her advice and input as this year's list came together - and for being a guiding light for the Best Books for Young Readers list over the years.

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Penn GSE's Best Books for Young Readers 2021

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The interlocking crises of the past several years have shown us the many ways in which our worlds are connected. From the collective experience of human trauma, racial and economic injustice, and climate change faced by vulnerable communities across the globe, to the rise in movements against oppressive forces and structural inequities, we share intersecting stories.

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Founded in 2019 by Arthur A. Levine, Levine Querido is an independent publisher of the finest children's books in the world.

Levine Querido publishes two lists:

The Arthur A. Levine list, seeking out the writing and artwork of exceptionally talented creators, with a distinct focus on building a platform for previously underrepresented voices.

And the Em Querido list, a partnership with the renowned Dutch publisher to find the most outstanding authors and artists from around the world, aiming to keep the legacy of Emanuel Querido alive and flourishing.

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Founded in 2019 by Arthur A. Levine, Levine Querido is an independent publisher of the finest children's books in the world. Levine Querido publishes two lists: The Arthur A. Levine list, seeking out the writing and artwork of exceptionally talented creators, with a distinct focus on building a platform for previously underrepresented voices.

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The Zinn Education Project is my compass in a sea of corporate textbooks, packaged common core curriculum and standardized testing. My entire curriculum is based on lessons that can be found on the Zinn Education Project.

High School Social Studies Teacher, Portland, Ore.

Your support is needed to help more students learn people's history. 100% of Zinn Education Project funding comes from individuals like you. Donate today.

By Ursula Wolfe-Rocca

From voter ID laws to voter-roll purges, gerrymandering to poll closures to the deadly in-person voting conditions during a pandemic, the right to vote is under attack and the stakes are high. It is critical that students learn about the fight for voting rights, past and present.

Nov. 30, 1924: Shirley Chisholm Born...

Teaching About the Violence in Palestine and Israel...

I can UNDERSTAND pessimism, but I don't BELIEVE in it. It's not simply a matter of faith, but of historical EVIDENCE. Not overwhelming evidence, just enough to give HOPE, because for hope we don't need certainty, only POSSIBILITY.

-Howard Zinn

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Zinn Education Project: Teaching People's History

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The Zinn Education Project promotes and supports the teaching of people's history in middle and high school classrooms across the country. Based on the lens of history highlighted in Howard Zinn's best-selling book A People's History of the United States, the website offers free, downloadable lessons and articles organized by theme, time period, and reading level.

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In addition to writing essays for numerous publications, Linda Sue has served as a panelist for the National Book Award, the Kirkus Prize, the PEN Naylor grant, and the SCBWI Golden Kite Award. In her travels to promote reading and writing, she has visited more than 30 countries and 49 states.

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National Book Foundation, Presenter of the National Book Awards

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The Foundation's mission is to celebrate the best literature in America, expand its audience, and ensure that books have a prominent place in American culture.

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The Companion Book to New Kid

New York Times bestselling author Jerry Craft is back with the newest adventures of Jordan, Drew, Liam, and all the characters that fans first met in New Kid , winner of the Newbery Award and the Coretta Scott King Author Award! In this full-color contemporary graphic novel, the gang from Riverdale Academy Day is heading to Paris, for an international education like you've never seen before ...

Jordan, Drew, Liam, Maury, and their friends from Riverdale Academy Day School are heading out on a school trip to Paris. As an aspiring artist himself, Jordan can't wait to see all the amazing art in the famous City of Lights.

But when their trusted faculty guides are replaced at the last minute, the school trip takes an unexpected-and hilarious-turn. Especially when trying to find their way around a foreign city ends up being almost as tricky as navigating the same friendships, fears, and differences that they struggle with at home.

Will Jordan and his friends embrace being exposed to a new language, unfamiliar food, and a different culture? Or will they all end up feeling like the "new kid"?

The Companion Book to New Kid
New York Times bestselling author Jerry Craft returns with a companion book to New Kid, winner of the 2020 Newbery Medal, the Coretta Scott King Author Award, and the Kirkus Prize. This time, it's Jordan's friend Drew who takes center stage in another laugh-out-loud funny, powerful, and important story about being one of the few kids of color in a prestigious private school.
Eighth grader Drew Ellis is no stranger to the saying "You have to work twice as hard to be just as good." His grandmother has reminded him his entire life. But what if he works ten times as hard and still isn't afforded the same opportunities that his privileged classmates at the Riverdale Academy Day School take for granted?

To make matters worse, Drew begins to feel as if his good friend Liam might be one of those privileged kids. He wants to pretend like everything is fine, but it's hard not to withdraw, and even their mutual friend Jordan doesn't know how to keep the group together.

As the pressures mount, will Drew find a way to bridge the divide so he and his friends can truly accept each other? And most important, will he finally be able to accept himself?

New Kid, the first graphic novel to win the Newbery Medal, is now joined by Jerry Craft's powerful Class Act.

Perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier and Gene Luen Yang, New Kid is a timely, honest novel about starting over at a new school where diversity is low and the struggle to fit in is real, from award-winning author-illustrator Jerry Craft.
Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade.

As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds-and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself?

Universal Pictures has acquired film rights to New Kid, with LeBron James' The Spring Hill Company on board to develop and produce. Craft will be an Executive Producer.

Winner of the 2020 Newbery Medal
Winner of the 2020 Coretta Scott King Book Awards Author Award
#1 New York Times Bestseller
Winner of the 2019 Kirkus Prize for Young Readers' Literature
Finalist for Audie Award - Middle Grade Book of the Year
San Francisco Chronicle Bestseller
NEIBA, NAIBA, MPIBA, NCIBA, SCIBA and PNBA Bestseller
Indie Bestseller for Early & Middle Grade Readers
One of Publishers Weekly's Best Middle Grade Books of 2019
New England Independent Booksellers Association Best Children's Book of 2019
New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association 2019 Book of the Year for Middle Readers
Top 10 Spring 2019 Indie Next List Pick
Amazon Best Book of the Month, Ages 9-12
2020 Eisner Award for Best Publication for Kids Nominee
2019 Harvey Award for Best Children's Book Nominee
One of Booklist's 2019 Top 10 Diverse Fiction for Youth
One of P ublishers Weekly's Most Anticipated Children's Books, Spring 2019
#1 Indie Comics & Graphic Works Bestseller
One of the Best Graphic Novels of 2019 - School Library Journal
One of the 5 Best Fiction Books of 2019 - Washington Post
One of the Best Graphic Novels of 2019 - Washington Post
2020 Charlotte Huck Award for Outstanding Fiction for Children - Honor Book
30 of the Most Influential Children's Books of All Time - Bookriot.com
One of the Best Books of the Year - Time.com
Best Books of 2019 - New York Public Library
Best Fiction for Older Readers of 2019 - Chicago Public Library
25 Best Children's Books of 2019 - New York Times
Best Multicultural Children's Books of 2019 - Center for the Study of Multicultural Children's Literature
The Best New Gift Books for Kids - Kirkus - Best Middle Grade Graphic Novels of 2019
100 Scope Notes Best Books of 2019
Shelf Awareness - Best Middle Grade Books of 2019
Today.com - Best Graphic Novels of 2019
2022 Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice
2022 Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona)
2022 Charlie May Simon Award (Arkansas)
2021 Nutmeg Book Award (Connecticut)
2020 Connecticut Book Awards (Connecticut)
Sunshine State Young Readers Award 2020-2021 (Florida)
2021 Nene Award (Hawaii)
2021 Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award (Illinois)
2021 Young Hoosier Book Award (Indiana)
2020-2021 Iowa Children's Choice Award (Iowa)
2021-2022 Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards (Louisiana)
2021 Maine Student Book Award (Maine)
2020 - 2021 Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan)
2021 Minnesota Youth Reading Award (Minnesota)
2019 - 2020 Great Stone Face Children's Book Award (New Hampshire)
2022 North Carolina Children's Book Award (North Carolina)
2021 Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award (Pennsylvania)
2020-2021 Volunteer State Book Award (Tennessee)

Meet Connecticut-based children's book author and illustrator Jerry Craft. Mr. Craft explains how his identity as an African American man influences his work, and how he hopes young readers are affected by his books.

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Jerry Craft: Children's Book Author & Illustrator

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Welcome to the website of Jerry Craft, author and illustrator of 'New Kid' and Mama's Boyz. Read his bio, tour dates, and more.

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https://socialjusticebooks.org/

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Multicultural and Social Justice Books - Social Justice Books

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Curated Booklists Carefully selected multicultural and social justice books for children, young adults, and educators on 90+ topics. Reviews of Children's Literature Critical reviews of children's and young adult books from a variety of vetted sources, consolidated here for easy access. Articles & News Articles about selecting children's literature and news about Kid Lit.

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What are the Best Ways to Use Leveled Texts

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What are the Best Ways to Use Leveled Texts

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Listen to my interview with Jen Serravallo (transcript):
Sponsored by Peergrade and Microsoft Inclusive Classroom

This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. When you make a purchase through these links, Cult of Pedagogy gets a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you.

A few weeks ago, a teacher named Isabelle O'Kane sent me a direct message on Twitter. She had been reading a debate that was raging all over social media, and she wondered if it was something I might want to write about. The debate took place in response to a single tweet sent out by literacy experts Irene Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell:

The classroom library should NOT be organized according to level, but according to categories such as topic, author, illustrator, genre, and award-winning books. #FPLiteracy pic.twitter.com/hxJNDow3Qz

- Fountas & Pinnell (@FountasPinnell) September 21, 2018

Teachers responded to the tweet from all directions: Some shouted hallelujah, because it supported what they were already doing. Others agreed, but argued that their hands were tied because administration required leveled libraries. Quite a few insisted that the best approach was to do both; yes, students should be able to seek out books based on interest, but without levels, how would they ever find appropriate books on their own? And some threw up their hands entirely, wondering if a single, clear answer was ever going to present itself.

Because my training and classroom work has all been with students in grade 6 and above, I don't have a lot of experience or knowledge on this topic, but it definitely seemed like something teachers needed help with.

So it was pretty serendipitous when literacy consultant and author Jennifer Serravallo contacted me right around that time about her new book, Understanding Texts & Readers: Responsive Comprehension Instruction with Leveled Texts.

In the book, Serravallo takes a deep dive into the question of how best to match texts to readers. She starts with a discussion of why we have leveled texts to begin with, what their original purpose was, and the missteps we often make as teachers when using them. Then she explores the levels themselves-for fiction and non-fiction-and unpacks the characteristics to look for in each one. Finally, she brings it all together, showing teachers how to combine their knowledge of text levels and students to assess student comprehension, set goals, and match students with books that are just right for them.

In our conversation, which you can listen to on the podcast player above, we talked about the mistakes a lot of teachers and administrators make in how they use leveled texts, and what they should be doing instead.

What Are Leveled Texts?

When schools first attempted to differentiate reading instruction, they did it with texts that were written specifically for that purpose, like the SRA cards that were popular in the 1960s and 70s. Although these programs offered different levels to match student readiness, "(they didn't) actually offer kids real language structures or really interesting storylines," Serravallo explains. "And kids were not able to read those with as much comprehension as real children's literature."

In the 1990s, a shift came when teachers started looking at ways to level real books, books that were not written with "levels" in mind. Two types of text leveling emerged around this time:

Quantitative Leveling: Systems like the Lexile Framework leveled texts through computer programs that measured dimensions like text length and complexity.

Qualitative Leveling: This type of leveling is done by humans, and while it considers things like text length and complexity, it also takes more nuanced qualities into consideration, like whether a text delivers information in a purely straightforward way or contains multiple levels of meaning. One popular qualitative system is Fountas and Pinnell's Text Level Gradient.

Common Mistakes with Leveled Texts

When leveled texts are used in classroom and school settings, teachers and administrators make some well-intentioned but significant missteps that can negatively impact students' growth as readers.

1. Leveling Readers Instead of Books

One of the biggest mistakes Serravallo sees is labeling students by text levels. "Levels are meant for books, not for kids," she explains. "There's really no point in time when a kid is just a level, just one. There's a real range, and it depends on a lot of other factors."

This misstep, she says in her book, has had negative consequences. "Kids nationwide have become aware of something that many would argue they shouldn't be aware of at all...causing some students to compete, race through levels, and experience shame."

To compound the problem, a number of schools have begun basing student learning objectives (SLOs)-part of teacher evaluation protocols-on these levels: "(Districts will) say, 'You come up with goals for your students, and then we're going to measure and make sure you met your goals.' And what's happening is that I find teachers are using levels (to measure growth)-'This student's starting off at an L and is going to end up at a P,' or something like that."

This type of system often prompts teachers to put books in students' hands that they're not quite ready for. "The teacher is going to be pushing the student into harder texts in order to meet the goal," Serravallo says. "You've got this kid being pushed through because they can maybe decode the text but not because they're actually getting everything they can from it in terms of comprehension and meaning making. If the kids are not thinking on that level, why be pushing them into harder and harder books? Why not work with them in texts that they choose to help them get more from the texts that they're reading?"

What to do instead: Rather than focus narrowly on text levels, teachers should get to know students as readers from a variety of angles. "Factors such as motivation, background knowledge, culture, and English language proficiency should all be on our radar when considering how to help students find books they'll love, and how to evaluate students' comprehension and support them with appropriate goals and strategies."

2. Restricting Book Choice Based on a Single Assessment

"One of the ways that levels get misused is that teachers administer one assessment," Serravallo says. "It's usually a short assessment. It could be a computer assessment that's a short text with multiple choice, it could be a running record where kids read a selection of a text and answer a few questions. So there's this one assessment, and then from that they get a level or a level range, and they say to the kids, you can only pick from that level range. But the problem is that's misunderstanding all of the different variables that kids bring to the table, things like motivation, prior knowledge, stamina, their command of English, the genre. There's so many variables."

What to do instead: Take multiple factors into account when pairing students with texts. "We need to look at a couple of different assessments," Serravallo recommends, "and we need to account for these variables, and then once we have a sense of about where kids are able to read, we still need to be flexible when they go to choose. So if I have a kid who knows a lot about dinosaurs who typically reads books around Level O-P, if it's a dinosaur book and he wants to read it, and it's a Level R or S, maybe that's okay."

3. Inflexibility

Even if we have a pretty thorough idea of what types of texts would be a good fit for a student, only allowing them to choose books from a narrow range of levels doesn't take other important factors into account. There may be times when a student wants to challenge herself by going for a book that will require more support to get through, and other times when students want to read an easier book for fun.

"Saying to a student, 'You are a Level __ so you can only read Level __ books' is deeply problematic," Serravallo writes in her book. "We can use reading levels to help guide student choice, but levels should never be used to shackle a reader."

What to do instead: Use reading levels as a shortcut to knowing some likely features of books, but allow other factors to influence book choices. In her book, Serravallo shows us how to adjust our language to help students make these decisions for themselves: Instead of saying something like, "That book is too hard for you," she recommends saying something like, "That book is harder than what you typically read. Let's think about how I/your friends can support you as you read, if you find you need it."

4. Organizing Books by Level

While Serravallo admits to organizing the books in her classroom library in leveled bins years ago, "I've changed my thinking after seeing the consequence of what that does to kids' reading identity. What ends up happening is kids go to the classroom library and they say, 'I'm a Q. I'm going to pick a Q book.' And they go to the Q bin and they only look in the Q bin."

What to do instead: "I would organize them by topic, by genre, by author," Serravallo says, "So the first thing kids see when they go to the library is identities. And they think about themselves first before they think about level: Who am I as a reader, and what am I interested in reading?"

For her own purposes, Serravallo would still keep text levels on books, but put them in an inconspicuous place on the book, like on the inside of the front cover. "That way, when a child is holding a book, it's not like everyone can see the level on the book, so it's a little bit more private. But I like that having them on the book, because if I haven't read that book, I can peek at the level and be like, oh yeah, okay. Complex characters in this one. And I can use that to guide my discussions when I'm working with kids."

To learn more, check out Serravallo's book Understanding Texts and Readers, join the Reading and Writing Strategies Community on Facebook, or visit her website at jenniferserravallo.com.

Come back for more.
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What Are the Best Ways to Use Leveled Texts?

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Listen to my interview with Jen Serravallo (transcript): Sponsored by Peergrade and Microsoft Inclusive Classroom This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. When you make a purchase through these links, Cult of Pedagogy gets a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you.

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Informational Reading Learning Progression Grade 2-6.pdf

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Narrative Reading Learning Progression Grade 2-6.pdf

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Tool for Supporting Moving Readers Up Levels (1).pdf

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Sponsored by Pear Deck and ISTE U

This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. When you make a purchase through these links, Cult of Pedagogy gets a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you.

For years teachers have been looking for ways to improve the academic performance of all students, especially students of color and those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. While some of these efforts have been successful, many more have had lackluster results.

In the past, we've explored different approaches teachers can take to do a better job of reaching all students: interviews with Dena Simmons, Zaretta Hammond, Pedro Noguera, and Hedreich Nichols, to name a few. In these conversations, we looked at more effective ways of relating to students, strategies for working toward equity outside the classroom, and instructional methods that are more culturally responsive.

This post continues that work with a fresh response to the question of how to better serve diverse students. It's a framework that deals directly with the curriculum side of things, the standards, the actual content we teach in our classrooms. The framework is called Historically Responsive Literacy, and it was developed by Dr. Gholdy Muhammad, a professor, a former middle school educator, and the author of the book Cultivating Genius: An Equity Framework for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy, where she makes the case for this framework.

In short, Muhammad believes we're not reaching many of our students, especially Black students, because our curricula and standards are lacking. The emphasis in our current standards is mainly on skills-skills that can be measured easily on standardized tests-and not a whole lot else. Some teachers go beyond the tested material, pushing students to think critically, exploring social emotional competencies, and designing opportunities for inquiry-based learning; unfortunately, the standards themselves don't require those things.

But there was a time in history when a more complete, more human form of "curriculum" did exist, and it energized and inspired its students-all of them Black men and women-to read, write, speak, and publish with the kind of passion and dedication we would want all of our students to have about learning. This curriculum evolved within the Black literary societies of the 19th century. These groups met regularly to read, write about, and discuss a wide range of texts and ideas. Their goals were far loftier than basic skill development or scores on a test, and engagement-to borrow a term we use in modern education-was at an all-time high.

These societies were the inspiration for Muhammad's Historically Responsive Literacy framework, a four-layered pedagogical model that places skills on an equal plane with three other learning pursuits: identity, intellect, and criticality.

The framework was designed with Black students in mind, but it will benefit all students. Muhammad explains it this way: "If we start with Blackness (which we have not traditionally done in schooling) or the group of people who have uniquely survived the harshest oppressions in this country, then we begin to understand ways to get literacy education right for all" (p. 22).

In our interview, she unpacks all four layers of her framework and helps us understand what it looks like to implement them in the classroom. What follows is a summary of our conversation.

First, Two Clarifications

Is Historically Responsive Literacy Just for "Literacy" Teachers?

No. In the book, Muhammad explains that in the past, "literacy was synonymous with education, so although I name 'literacy,' these four pursuits can be used and layered with math, science, ELA, social studies, or physical education/health" (p. 57).

In other words, this is not just a framework for ELA teachers, and in the book, Muhammad explores how to implement HRL in many different subject areas.

Is HRL different from Culturally Responsive Teaching?

Think of HRL as living under the broader umbrella of Culturally Responsive Teaching, which includes relationship-building, instructional strategies, and curriculum. "My work is taking a more historic look back and putting a practical model to the theory," Muhammad says.

The Four Layers of Historically Responsive Literacy

Historically Responsive Literacy is built on four layers, four "learning pursuits" that Muhammad believes should receive equal priority

1. Identity

For students to be fully engaged in school they must first find it relevant, and that starts with identity.

"Identity is who you say you are, who others say you are... (and) who you desire to be," Muhammad says. "I feel like children are trying to make sense of all three areas, and the curriculum and the pedagogy should be an opportunity for students to know themselves."

Muhammad believes this is especially important for children of color because "when we look at representation in children's literature, in society oftentimes, and historically, they are invisible or represented in negative ways. So the classroom needs to be a space for students to affirm and celebrate and validate who they are, so that they know they are enough, so they know they are brilliant and excellent and beautiful. Because society doesn't tell us that all the time."

Along with self-knowledge, the learning pursuit of identity should also include knowledge of others who are different from ourselves. "When students learn about the lives of other people," Muhammad says, "they are less prone to hate, to treat them in harmful or hurtful ways."

What it looks like in the classroom: Start by asking yourself, "How does my teaching and learning help students to learn about themselves and about others?"

From there, plan instruction and write learning goals to satisfy that question. Muhammad gives an example from science. "Some teachers have written it (in language like) Students will understand their environmental identity and their roles and responsibilities regarding the planet. Then in the lesson or unit there are opportunities for students to deeply reflect about how they recycle or (whether) they take care of the earth and the planet and the environment."

Finally, be sure to assess for it. "Kids know that if my teacher values it that she or he or they are going to test it," Muhammad says. "You can assess it in discussion, in a quiz, or a summative kind of test at the end: What are five things you can do to take care of the planet? Or Name five roles that humans play on climate change. So it could be a qualitative or a quantitative assessment, but if you value it enough, you can assess it."

2. Skills

So much of our current curricula and standards already focus on skills, so this part of the framework is nothing new; what's important is to not throw it out when the other three layers are added.

Muhammad explains that this abandonment of skills is a common problem when new approaches to schooling are introduced. "That's a way of thinking that we have to dismantle," she says. "Sometimes we think that when we add identity or when we add voice and freedom of expression, that somehow we don't focus on skills at all. But that's just simply not true. You can have it all. You can have voice and fun and engagement and skills."

What it looks like in the classroom: Teaching skills is more or less what you'd expect typical school content to be, what our current standards are already prescribing. "In math it can be learning equations. In ELA it can be citing textual evidence. In social studies, it can be questioning the source. In physical education it can be learning to play basketball."

So the skills themselves may be taught in whatever way works best for your students. The difference now is that in terms of class time and assessment, their weight will be equal to that of the other three layers.

3. Intellect

Along with identifying the skills students need to acquire, Muhammad urges us to ask What do we want our students to become smarter about?

Because our recent standards have been so skills-driven, knowledge has fallen by the wayside in a lot of schools, and that can strip away the joy that comes from simply learning new things about the world. But the Black Literary Societies of the 19th century valued knowledge as a vital part of a person's development. "So I'm pushing this idea of intellectualism," Muhammad says, "of treating young people as if they are scholars and intellectuals and thinkers."

She sees the loss of intellectualism even in how we prepare and treat teachers. "It's like we're sucking the power out of them by telling them to read a script in a curriculum. We need to go back to teacher as intellectual, teacher as scholar, reserving the field for the brightest among us who are knowledge-seekers."

And Muhammad's definition of intellectualism goes beyond simply gathering facts. "Intellectualism is when you do something with that knowledge, where you apply it somehow, in your discussion, in your activism, in your actions."

What it looks like in the classroom: When developing lessons and units, ask yourself, "How does my teaching and learning help to teach students new knowledge and concepts? New histories, new people, places, and things?"

Muhammad cautions teachers not to confuse skills for knowledge. "You shouldn't say they became smarter about equations or citing textual evidence," she says. "That's not intellect. Those are skills."

4. Criticality

"Criticality is helping students to read, write and think in active ways," Muhammad explains, "as opposed to passive-when you ask a question and there's one correct answer, and you just take it in. We don't want them to be passive consumers of knowledge. We want them to question what they hear on the news."

"We see the word critical and sometimes our minds can go to critical thinking," she continues. "But it's more than just deep and analytical thinking. Criticality is deep and analytical thinking to understand power, equity, anti-racism and other anti-oppressions. This is where we help students to be woke."

This fourth layer is essential "because oppression exists in the world. Period. We want students to leave our schools not contributing to more oppression or wrongdoing and hurt in their relationships and with strangers. We also don't want them to be silent. If they see oppression, we want them to actively respond to it."

What it looks like in the classroom: "With criticality," Muhammad says, "the teacher is asking, How does my teaching and learning help students to understand power, equity, anti-racism and anti-oppression? So (students are) reading, writing, thinking in active ways to understand power, inequality, equity, oppression. They're investigating different standpoints, especially the marginalized point of view, and reading between the lines. In other words, reading for what's not being said and for what's not there.

The brilliance of the framework is revealed when Muhammad explains that the four layers are not separate, but progressive, each one building on the layers that came before it, starting with identity: "They see themselves, they validate themselves, they're learning about other people, which creates a safe space to learn the skills. If you learn the skills, you can learn the intellect. You cannot learn the intellectualism without first having those skills to do so. If you have the intellectualism and that knowledge, you can critique the knowledge. Because of all the layers that came before it, you now have the capacity to disrupt and to dismantle. If you're just woke without the identity and the skills and the intellect, you're not going to be able to make change in ways that you could with those things."

Tough, but Possible

Making this kind of shift-especially if our standards still don't reflect these four layers-will not be an easy task to take on. This concern has been expressed when Muhammad presents her framework to teachers. But despite its challenges, she feels this type of curriculum is exactly what any parent would want for their child.

"It's not a matter or a question of if it's tough," she says. "The question is, is it possible? Everything is tough. And if you had your own child, if you're a parent, parents are going to equally value the beautiful ways that their child loves themselves: identity, the skills they have, the intellect they have, and the social consciousness they have. I don't see parents saying No, let's just talk about my child's reading skills. They talk about their emotional intelligence, they talk about the whole child."

"And that's what we're trying to get to," she says. "This is humanizing work."

Come back for more.
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Historically Responsive Literacy: A More Complete Education for All Students

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Based on the work of 19th century Black literary societies, this fresh approach to curriculum focuses on identity, skills, intellect, and criticality.

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How Do You Cultivate Genius in All Students? - MindShift

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‘Genius’ is a rare title often reserved for adults who have accomplished something extraordinary. But we have more to gain by seeing genius as the brilliance that can be developed in each child, according to professor Gholdy Muhammad.

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Abolitionist Teaching and the Future of Our Schools

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Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

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Unearthing Genius & Joy with Gholdy Muhammad

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Building Culturally Relevant Schools Post-Pandemic with Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings

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Recognizing Microaggressions and the Messages They Send(1) (1).pdf

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4th Grade Performance Assessment with Reading

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Sentence Stems for Informational Read Aloud

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Bringing Close Reading and Accountable Talk into an Interactive Read Aloud of Gorillas (3-5)

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Lucy Calkins and Colleagues at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project present Bringing Close Reading and Accountable Talk into an Interactive Read Aloud of Gorillas (3-5)

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Mentor Texts: Writing Workshop Fundamentals

Mentors are trusted advisors who often show us, by example, how to do something new. When I was training to be a teacher, I learned the most from being in the classroom: observing teachers with real students, then giving it a go myself. My third graders tell me they learn how to make projects like glitter slime by watching other kids create it on Youtube. When we want to know how to do something, having a mentor to show us can make all the difference.

Today, in writing workshop, we intentionally teach students to write by using authors as our co-teachers. As teachers, we write for and with our students, and our writing can show them the possibilities for their own pieces. We highlight student work, too, as a mentor text, creating a bridge from what students are currently doing to a more effective way of writing. Our students become writing teachers alongside us and the published authors we study. We immerse our student writers in all these mentor texts in order for them to learn to write well.

What are Mentor Texts?

In , Craft Moves Stacey Shubitz (TWT's Chief of Operations and Lead Writer) writes, "Mentor texts are samples of exemplary writing we can study during writing workshops...Mentor texts can be books, short stories, articles, letters and so on. Basically any text that can teach students to write well can serve as a mentor text (3)." When students study a mentor text, they have already enjoyed it first as a reader - reading or listening to the piece read aloud. Once the text is familiar, it can be reread with the lens of reading like a writer: just was the author able to put the words together in a way that stirred emotion, caught the reader's attention or somehow changed your mind? Reading like a writer is the key to studying mentor texts. As a writer, you read to see patterns and notice how words are put together so you can try that in your own writing. Mentor texts can come from published authors, the teacher, or the students.

Mentor Texts from Authors

"Authors are like trusted colleagues we invite to teach alongside us. Their books inspire us, their personal stories and struggles resonate with us, and they show us new ways of understanding. We welcome authors we trust into our classrooms to help us teach our students strategies that will help them become better writers," Stacey Shubitz writes in Craft Moves. In a sense, we are not alone in our teaching- we have authors alongside us, showing us the power of writer's craft to create effective and often unforgettable writing. Katie Wood Ray shared, "I can't help students to write well by myself. I need lots of help doing this teaching work and I have found that help on the shelves of my library...And day after day as I teach writing to many different students, I let writers like Georgia (Heard) and Gary Paulsen and Cynthia Rylant and Jane Yolen help me do the important work of teaching students to write well (9)."

Once you find your favorite authors, you can reread books with the lens of reading like a writer and thinking about how the author made the writing so striking. In Craft Moves , Stacey shares her process for mining picture books for writer's craft to share with students. ( https://twowritingteachers.org/2016/05/05/how-to-choose ) The craft moves can be shared with students in a whole group session, small group session, or in a conference with one student.

In my third grade classroom, I introduced the idea of writer's craft and reading like a writer with Cynthia Rylant's book In November. I read the book aloud to the students, and then on another day, we compared a bland paragraph about November with the picture book. Students worked in partnerships, rereading a typed-text version* of the book and finding places where the words were interesting or beautiful. We came back together to discuss the way Cynthia Rylant wrote the book, why we think she made those decisions as an author, and the effect it had on us as readers. I've found that students need to be taught that writers are making purposeful decisions when they write and we can find those craft moves in many different types of texts, from different authors. We can use those craft moves in our own writing as well; we can make decisions as the author, too.

*It is important to obtain proper permission from the publisher before distributing copies of typed text.

Teacher-written Mentor Texts

Published authors can be powerful co-teachers in our writing classroom, but there is also skillful instruction that can come from a teacher's piece of writing, used as a mentor text. Teachers can share pieces of writing they've created outside of the classroom and also write in front of the students, creating a text that can be used as a mentor while students watch the process unfold.

Whenever my class is about to start a new unit of study, I write a piece in that genre. It helps me to go through the process, to anticipate where they might face difficulty, to try it out for myself and work through the challenging parts. This piece of writing can be used as a mentor text for my students as we immerse ourselves in understanding the new genre. Once you have taught that genre, you can use the mentor text you created for the students each year. It can also be helpful for students to see the teacher craft a piece of writing in front of them. I often start a new piece once we are in the genre study, so they can see how I go about each step in the process and understand that the first writing you do often isn't the way it looks by publication. Writers are constantly revising and rethinking and students need to see that modeled for them.

At Two Writing Teachers, one of our core beliefs is that Slice of Life blogging can also be shared as mentor texts and shows students that the teacher writes at other times than just in the classroom for demonstration lesson purposes. A couple of years ago, I wrote a teachers who teach writing should write themselves. post for the Nerdy Book Club. The day it was published, I was bursting with excitement to share it with my students. I brought in my typed copy with all the cross-outs and revisions, explaining to them how I asked for input from trusted friends before submitting it. Students need to see their teachers "ache with caring" (as Mem Fox would say) about the writing they put out into the world. We can act as writing mentors for our students when we make this process visible.

Student-written Mentor Texts

In our writing classrooms, filling the room with beautiful words from published authors and sharing teacher created texts are key ways to help students see possibilities for their writing. Student-written texts can also become mentors for the writers in the room. Lisa Eickholdt explores this idea in her book Learning from Classmates: Using Students' Writing as Mentor Texts . Eickholdt writes, "When I compare most of my students' writing with the children's literature I use in my classroom, I see a large chasm between the two. What we all want as teachers is to help more children become better writers. Using student writing as a mentor text can help achieve this goal (xiii)." Eickholdt's book helped me look at all student work with open eyes and possibilities. She writes, "Everybody has something worthy to offer. Too often gifted students are the ones who receive acclaim in our classrooms. When choosing writing to use as a mentor text, we must consciously choose to use writing from all students, not only a select few. We need to send the message that we believe everyone, not just certain students, can be a great writer (xvii)."

If you are new to a grade level and do not have student mentor texts to draw from, you can always use student samples from other classes to share with your students. I have begun creating a bank of student samples that I can share with my current class. Each year, I hope to add to the student mentor text collection.

When I've shared student writing as mentor texts, it has been so worthwhile for all of the students. The student writer usually beams with pride and grows in confidence and his peers see a mentor text that is often closer to what they themselves can write. It's a bridge from a published writer's work or even the teacher written mentor text. Student-written mentor texts should be part of your mentor text collection for any genre or skill you teach.

Quick Tips

Less is more. You don't need to have a huge collection of mentor texts - just a few you know really well that touch upon the teaching points you want to make.

For mentor texts from authors, start with your beloved picture books you've read and reread. Though the lens of a writer, reread to notice how the author crafted the piece.

Think of the first piece of writing your students will do and write your own piece. Consider your process and make notes so you can share it with your students.

Next Steps

Consider how you might keep track of sharing student mentor texts with the class to be sure that everyone is highlighted during the year. (Lisa Eickholdt has forms to help with this in Learning from Classmates .)

Use different colored sticky notes for different parts of a story that mentors structure, development, or conventions. For example, yellow sticky notes would be placed in all the places that conventions are used to create voice.

Link Roundup from TWT
Curating Mentor Text Collections Demonstration Texts, Part Deux Teacher-Written Mentor Texts: Dive Into Information Writing Let's Invite Every Writer in Our Classroom to Create Mentor Texts! Conferring Toolkits: Mentor Texts
Suggested Reading

Wondrous Words: Writers and Writing in the Elementary Classroom by Katie Wood Ray

Craft Moves: Lesson Sets for Teaching Writing with Mentor Texts by Stacey Shubitz

Mentor Texts: Teaching Writing Through Children's Literature, K-6 (2nd edition) by Lynne R. Dorfman & Rose Cappelli
Learning from Classmates: Using Students' Writing as Mentor Texts by Lisa Eickholdt
Writing with Mentors: How to Reach Every Writer in the Room Using Current, Engaging Mentor Text by Allison Marchetti and Rebekah O'Dell

Mentor Author, Mentor Text: Shorter Texts, Craft Notes, and Practical Classroom Uses by Ralph Fletcher

This giveaway is for a copy of Renew! Become a Better - and More Authentic - Writing Teacher . Many thanks to Stenhouse Publishers for donating a copy for one reader. (If the winner has a U.S. address, you may choose a paper or eBook. If the winner has an international mailing address, then you will receive an eBook.)

For a chance to win this copy of Renew! Become a Better - and More Authentic - Writing Teacher , please leave a comment about this or any blog post in this blog series by Monday, August 7th at 5:00 p.m. EDT. Beth Moore will use a random number generator to pick the winner's commenter number. His/her name will be announced in the ICYMI blog post for this series on Tuesday, August 8th.

Please be sure to leave a valid e-mail address when you post your comment, so Beth can contact you to obtain your mailing address if you win. From there, our contact at Stenhouse will ship your book out to you. (NOTE: Your e-mail address will not be published online if you leave it in the e-mail field only.)

If you are the winner of the book, Beth will email you with the subject line of TWO WRITING TEACHERS - RENEW BOOK. Please respond to her e-mail with your mailing address within five days of receipt. Unfortunately, a new winner will be chosen if a response isn't received within five days of the giveaway announcement.

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Mentor Texts: Writing Workshop Fundamentals

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Today, in writing workshop, we intentionally teach students how to write by using authors as our co-teachers. As teachers, we write for and with our students, and our writing can show them the possibilities for their own pieces. We highlight student work too as a mentor text, creating a bridge from what students are currently...

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I created this self-reflection form as a way to expedite goal-setting conversations, especially in time-crunched classrooms. Ss answer 3-4 Qs aligned to 10 goals from THE WRITING STRATEGIES BOOK, then you confer, set goals, and offer strategies!  https://t.co/PWGGuWD5YH

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I created this self-reflection form as a way to expedite goal-setting conversations, especially in time-crunched classrooms. Ss answer 3-4 Qs aligned to 10 goals from THE WRITING STRATEGIES BOOK, then you confer, set goals, and offer strategies!  https://t.co/PWGGuWD5YH https://t.co/hi8cVWcEN9

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I created this self-reflection form as a way to expedite goal-setting conversations, especially in time-crunched classrooms. Ss answer 3-4 Qs aligned to 10 goals from THE WRITING STRATEGIES BOOK, then you confer, set goals, and offer strategies! https://t.co/PWGGuWD5YH pic.twitter.com/hi8cVWcEN9
— Jennifer Serravallo (@JSerravallo) June 11, 2018

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I created this self-reflection form as a way to expedite goal-setting conversations, especially in time-crunched classrooms. Ss answer 3-4 Qs aligned to 10 goals from THE WRITING STRATEGIES BOOK, then you confer, set goals, and offer strategies!  https://t.co/PWGGuWD5YH https://t.co/hi8cVWcEN9

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
I created this self-reflection form as a way to expedite goal-setting conversations, especially in time-crunched classrooms. Ss answer 3-4 Qs aligned to 10 goals from THE WRITING STRATEGIES BOOK, then you confer, set goals, and offer strategies!  https://t.co/PWGGuWD5YH https://t.co/hi8cVWcEN9

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I created this self-reflection form as a way to expedite goal-setting conversations, especially in time-crunched classrooms. Ss answer 3-4 Qs aligned to 10 goals from THE WRITING STRATEGIES BOOK, then you confer, set goals, and offer strategies!  https://t.co/PWGGuWD5YH

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Goal Setting Conference -- Writing -- First Grade

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Jennifer Serravallo: Goal Setting | Jennifer Serravallo using writing strategies in action! 
https://blog.heinemann.com/strategies-for-detailed-writing | By Heinemann Publishing | Facebook

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1.9K views, 37 likes, 1 loves, 0 comments, 9 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Heinemann Publishing: Jennifer Serravallo using writing strategies in action!...

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I Used to Think... Now I think... Antes Pensaba... Ahora Pienso... Antes pensava que... Agora penso que....

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Beers & Probst (Book, Head, Heart [BHH] Framework) (2).pdf

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By Louise Derman-Sparks Based on "Ten Quick Ways to Analyze Children's Books for Racism and Sexism." Updated in 2013.*
Children's books continue to be an invaluable source of information and values. They reflect the attitudes in our society about diversity, power relationships among different groups of people, and various social identities (e.g., racial, ethnic, gender, economic class, sexual orientation, and disability). The visual and verbal messages young children absorb from books (and other media) heavily influence their ideas about themselves and others. Depending on the quality of the book, they can reinforce (or undermine) children's affirmative self-concept, teach accurate (or misleading) information about people of various identities, and foster positive (or negative) attitudes about diversity. Children's books teach children about who is important, who matters, who is even visible. Consequently, carefully choosing quality children's books is an indispensable educational and child-rearing task.

It is important to offer young children a range of books about people like them and their family-as well as about people who are different from them and their family. All of the books should be accurate and appealing to young children. Fortunately, there are some good anti-bias children's books, which are available as a result of the ongoing activism of many individuals and groups over many years. However, while choices have improved over past decades, the lack of quality multicultural kid's books currently being published has frustrated many communities. The number of children of color in the United States continues to rise, but the number of books published by or about people of color stays the same or even decreases.

Check the Illustrations

Look for Stereotypes: A stereotype is an oversimplified generalization about a particular identity group (e.g., gender, race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, ability/disability), which usually carries derogatory, inaccurate messages and applies them to ALL people in the group. Stereotypes dehumanize people. So, too, does misinformation. ( See Box 1 below for a list of common, harmful stereotypes).

Unfortunately, all of us absorb socially prevailing stereotypes about a range of people, even if we do not consciously subscribe to them. To alert you to stereotypes in children's books, as well as other media, it is useful to list all the stereotypes you know about various groups of people as precondition for critically reviewing children's books. The books you choose should depict people compassionately and as real human beings. Also consider if images depict all people as genuine individuals with distinctive (rather than stereotypical) features. Books containing stereotypes require you to engage children in critical thinking, but should probably be eliminated from your collection.

BOX 1: Common Harmful/Undermining Stereotypes

Strong, independent girls and women are "manlike"

Book-loving or nonathletic boys and men are "effeminate"

Latino men talk funny, are lazy, gang members, or wear oversize sombreros,

Latina women are earth mothers or subservient

African American men are gang members, oversexed, or underemployed

African American women are too independent, oversexed, or "welfare moms"

Arab and/or Muslim men are terrorists

Arab and/or Muslim women are voiceless and passive

All Muslims are Arab / All Arabs are Muslim

American Indians live in teepees, carry bows and arrows, or are half-naked in winter

Disabled people are not independent or are to be pitied

Disabled people must "overcome" their disabilities rather than just live with their disabilities

LGBTQ+ people are invisible

Poor people are invisible

Poor people are depicted as passively needing help from others

AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islanders) are depicted as the "model minority"

AAPI are exotic or their food is exotic/abnormal

All AAPI know martial arts or are meek and compliant

AAPI are portrayed with slanted eyes or just lines to represent eyes

Look for Tokenism: This is the "one only" message. Regularly seeing only "one" person of any group in a book teaches young children about who is more or less important. Examples of tokenism include books with only one African American child among many white children or having only one book about children with disabilities among many other books. Tokenism also becomes stereotypical. It only allows children to see one view of a group of people, rather than the diversity that exists among all groups.

Look for Invisibility: What children do not see in their books also teaches them about who matters and who doesn't in our society. Invisibility in their storybooks-as well as in textbooks as they get older-undermines children's affirmative sense of themselves and reinforces prejudiced ideas about people who are not seen (See Box 2 for examples of groups who tend to be invisible). The booklists on this website include a great variety of books with groups who are often excluded. (The titles are vetted by Teaching for Change.)

BOX 2: Examples of Groups of People Who Are Often Invisible in Children's Books or Mainstream Media

Families who live in rural areas

Blue-collar workers

Musicians, artists, and writers

Families with two dads or two moms

Single mothers or fathers

Homeless families

Families with an incarcerated parent

People of Middle Eastern descent

Families who practice Islam

Transgender adults and children

Check the Story Line and the Relationships Between People

Even if a book shows visual diversity, the story line may carry biases related to how it handles power relationships among people of various identities. Are whites or male characters the central figures with people of color or female characters in essentially supporting roles? To gain acceptance and/or approval does a child of color, a girl, or child with a disability have to exhibit extraordinary qualities or be the one to understand, forgive, or change? Are the achievements of girls and women based on their own initiative and intelligence, or are they due to their looks or relationship with boys/men?

Are people of color, women, low-income families, or people with disabilities depicted as needing help or in passive roles, while whites, men, and "able-bodied" people are in leadership and action roles? How are problems presented, conceived, and resolved? Who typically causes a problem and who resolves it? Your book collection needs a balance of different people in "doer" roles.

Look at Messages About Different Lifestyles

Do the lives of people of color or people living in poverty in the story contrast unfavorably with the norm of white, middle-class suburban life? Are negative value judgments implied about ways of life that differ from the dominant culture or economic class (e.g., people are to be pitied, or the story is about one person who "gets out" of the less desirable way of life)? Do images and information go beyond oversimplification and offer genuine insights into the lifestyle of the characters in the story? Does the setting reflect current life-or past assumptions about life? Does your book collection depict diversity among people within a specific racial/ethnic group, such as a range of family structures, living environments, socioeconomic conditions and types of work, and male/female roles within the family? (Remember that every racial/ethnic group has diversity, including people who self-identify as white).

Consider the Effects on Children's Self and Social Identities

In addition to specific books, also examine your book collection. Do your books reinforce or counteract messages that teach children to feel inferior or superior because of their skin color, gender, family income, able-bodiedness, or type of family structure? At school, will all of the children you serve see themselves and their family's way of life reflected in your book collection? Will all children of color, including those with mixed heritage, girls, and children from the many types of family structures, children living in poverty, and children with disabilities see one or more characters with whom they can readily and positively identify? If they are visible in your book collection, are the illustrations and information accurate and respectful? Does your overall collection balance the backgrounds of all the children in your program? Does it also show diversity within the social indentity groups to which the children belong (e.g., a range of ways to be female and male, families reflecting different kinds of jobs within a racial/ethnic group). Does your book collection also include a balance between diversity within your classroom and beyond your classroom?

At home, does your book collection reflect diversity among the groups to which your family belongs? Does it have stories about people like you who have contributed to creating a more just world? Does it also include a range of books showing diversity beyond your family and neighborhood?

Look for Books About Children and Adults Engaging in Actions for Change

To fully develop a strong sense of self and a disposition toward cooperation and fairness, children need to know how to stand up for themselves and others when faced with unfairness. They also need to know about people from all social identity groups who have-and are currently-working for justice for all. In addition to previous criteria, here are more items to consider: The story line should be about children and adults working together, rather than perpetrating the myth that change happens because of special, individual people who do it by themselves. Does your book collection include a balance of people who have made important and honored contributions to American life as well as the world community-and not just the traditional white, male "heroes?" Do some of your books about important people include struggles for justice? Do they show people who were/are poor or from racial/ethnic groups of color? Are people with disabilities engaged in these struggles for justice?

Consider the Author's or Illustrator's Background and Perspective

All authors write from a cultural as well as from a personal context. In the past, most children's books were by authors and illustrators who were white and members of the middle class. As a result, a single cultural and class perspective dominated children's literature. There are now excellent books by people of color from a range of backgrounds-although not nearly enough. Consider the biographical material on the jacket flap or back of the book. What qualifies the author or illustrator to deal with the subject? If the book is not about people or events similar to the author or illustrator's background, what specifically recommends them as creators of the book? What is the author's attitude toward her/his story characters? Are the images accurate and do the illustrators respectfully render the people in the story? Do you have books reflecting a balanced range of author and illustrator identities and experiences?

Watch for Loaded Words

A word is loaded when it in any way demeans or makes people invisible because of any of their identities. One example is the generic use of the word "man" to stand for women as well as men (although the opposite never occurs). This traditional terminology is now questioned by many because of its sexist implications. Here are some examples of ways to avoid sexist language: community instead of brotherhood; firefighters inserted of firemen; human family instead of family of man; ancestors instead of forefathers; chairperson instead of chairman. Examples of adjectives applied to people of color that carry racist messages include: "savage," "primitive," "superstitious," "backward," "inscrutable" and "treacherous." Always consider the context in which a word is used and to whom it applies.

Look at the Copyright Date

Copyright dates indicate the publication year, not the time of its writing, which might be two to three years before the copyright date. Although a recent copyright date is no guarantee of a book's relevance or sensitivity, copyright dates are useful information. More children's books began to reflect the reality of a pluralistic society and nonsexist and non-ableist perspectives in the 1970s. Since then, the range of accurate, respectful, and caring books reflecting diversity has increased significantly (unfortunately the diversity of books published in the United States still does not accurately reflect the actual diversity of the people living here). When considering new books for your collection, begin with most recently published ones and then continue with descending copyright dates.

Assess the Appeal of the Story and Illustrations to Young Children

Although these guidelines focus on the messages about diversity and equality reflected in children's books, it is also important to take quality into account. Be sure the book is a "good read." If children find the story or illustrations boring, a book will not hold their attention, even if the book adds a specific kind of diversity you need. Check for active, interesting story lines where different kinds of people are integral to the people in the story, not the main topic. For example, in A Chair for My Mother, a young child tries to save money to get a comfortable chair for her waitress mother. Although the book shows a single parent, working-class family, and a resourceful girl, it is not didactic. Also look for illustrations that are colorful and recognizable to young children. Although they enjoy a range of styles, illustrations that are too subdued or abstract may not hold their attention.

Check for age appropriateness. Most booksellers list any picture book as appropriate for early childhood even if the story line is really for primary grade children. Sometimes a book for older children will work if you simplify the story or "tell" the story rather than read it. In some cases, this is the only way to get books that present specific groups of children (e.g., stories with Cambodian children or children with learning disabilities). Some additional issues to consider:

Many children's books use animal characters instead of people and there are some excellent books that explore diversity with animal characters (e.g., And Tango Makes Three or A Coyote Solstice Tale). Children enjoy these. However, such books are not a substitute for exploring issues of diversity and anti-bias fairness with people as the main characters.

Some early childhood teachers wonder if it is necessary for every book in their collection to show diversity. Every book needs to be accurate, caring, and respectful. However, you will want individual books about specific kinds of people (e.g., a biracial family or a family with adopted children). Diversity becomes essential in the balance of your book collection, where you want to avoid invisibility or tokenism of any group.

Folk and fairy tales have long been a mainstay of children's literature. In the cultures from which they come, folk and fairy tales were used to teach important lessons and values related to their culture of origin. Children love them in their original versions-not their commercially sanitized adaptations. However, folk and fairy tales also carry messages that convey sexism, classism, and racism and must be used thoughtfully as part of introducing young children to diversity and anti-bias values of quality and fairness.

Overuse of folk tales to "teach" about a specific ethnic/cultural group leads to misinformation and confusion. They are about animals and occasionally people from a mythical past and are designed to teach core values and beliefs in their culture of origin. They are not about how people actually live in contemporary society-and that is what young children need to understand. Information and images about how people really live now is what enables young children to build connections to people who are from different cultures while countering stereotypes that children have already absorbed (e.g., how American Indians really live).

Finally there is the somewhat sensitive issue of what to do about "classic" or "well-beloved" children's books. Many of these are wonderful as children's literature, but unfortunately they often convey values of sexism, racism, ableism, or even colonialism. People who love the books that pose this dilemma argue that it is OK to use them because they "reflect their times," which they imply somehow excuses their biased messages. For example, I adored the Babar series of books as a young child and was unpleasantly shocked to realize as an adult how much the images and story lines reflected messages of European colonialism in Africa. I chose not to use them with my own children, wanting them to learn accurate information about how people in Africa really live. Not sharing childhood favorites may sadden some, but it is far better than the harm caused by reinforcing messages of racism and colonialism.
In a nutshell-as you choose books or critically examine your current book selection, always keep in mind the power of books-their words and their images-to nurture or, conversely, to undermine a child's sense of self, positive attitude toward others, and motivation to act for fairness.
Additional Resources

Louise Derman-Sparks is an internationally respected anti-bias educator and author (along with Julie Olsen Edwards) of Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves. She has co-authored several additional books with Dr. Carol Brunson Day (Teaching/Learning Anti-Racism), the ABC Task Force ( Anti-Bias Curriculum: Tools for Empowering Young Children), Dr. Patricia Ramsey (What If All the Kids Are White?), and Dr. John Nimmo and Debbie Leekeenan ( Leading Anti-Bias Early Childhood Programs: A Guide for Change). She speaks throughout the United States and abroad, and served on the NAEYC Governing Board from 1998 to 2001. Louise has a lifelong commitment to building a more just society for all people. Her children Douglass and Holly, now grown, were her inspiration. A Pacific Oaks College faculty member for 33 years-when its mission and pedagogy reflected anti-bias education principles-Louise is now retired.
*In 1980, the Council on Interracial Books for Children published the book Guidelines for Selecting Bias-Free Textbooks and Storybooks. A shorter version of the book in pamphlet form, "Ten Quick Ways to Analyze Children's Books for Racism and Sexism," followed. One of the first guides written for teachers and families, it became an invaluable tool for hundreds of thousands of people. Both the book and pamphlet have been out of print for several years. Rethinking Schools published their adaptation of the original Guidelines in 1994.

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Guide for Selecting Anti-Bias Children's Books - Social Justice Books

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By Louise Derman-Sparks Based on "Ten Quick Ways to Analyze Children's Books for Racism and Sexism." Updated in 2013.* Children's books continue to be an invaluable source of information and values. They reflect the attitudes in our society about diversity, power relationships among different groups of people, and various social identities (e.g., racial, ethnic, gender, [...]

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Multicultural and Social Justice Books - Social Justice Books

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Curated Booklists Carefully selected multicultural and social justice books for children, young adults, and educators on 90+ topics. Reviews of Children's Literature Critical reviews of children's and young adult books from a variety of vetted sources, consolidated here for easy access. Articles & News Articles about selecting children's literature and news about Kid Lit.

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American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL)

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Designed to help readers develop a critical eye about representations of American Indians in children's and young adult books

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This list represents some of our favorite Children's and Young Adult books that we read and were published in 2021. As with our previous lists, these choices are based on their thoughtful and nuanced treatment of Muslims and Islam, and the intersections of identity. We are pleased to see the steady growth of books by Muslim authors and with Muslim protagonists being published by mainstream publishers, and considered over 100 titles, children's, young adult, and adult titles with YA appeal when creating this list. This year, graphic novels are in their age associated categories. A PDF version of our list will be available soon.

Again, we have not included fantasy and sci-fi titles by Muslim authors whose worlds and characters do not reflect explicit Muslim identity in this list. As stated on our release calendar there is power in speculative fiction/fantasy/scifi world building in exploring issues related to the real world and adding to the canon. We are highlighting these works on the calendar and plan to add a future, separate list with many of these excellent and thought-provoking titles.

What were your favorites of 2021?
Picture Books
Amira's Picture Day. Reem Faruqi, Illus. Fahmida Azim. 2021. 40p. Holiday House, $17.99. (9780823440191). PreS-Gr. 3. Link to review by Ariana .

Bangladeshi Muslim Zubi Chowdhury is an absolute sweetheart of a girl - bold, friendly, and full of life. While preparing for her first day of school, Zubi witnesses her family and friends make comments about how they are either 'fat' or 'going on a diet,' and having her to question why, and ultimately making her feel that she may need to do the same. When Zubi announces her intention to go on a diet too, her family reflects on the effect of their words, and how "we can be mean to ourselves without even realizing it," resulting in an important conversation about the toxicity of negative self-talk, body acceptance and strength, and acceptance of oneself. Visual and textual references are made to Islamic practice and Bangladeshi culture, with Zubi's mother wearing a hijab and putting on a sari, Zubi's bangles, and food like laddoos and parathas mentioned on many of the pages. Zu bi's school is a diverse, multiracial community, and one child, wearing a dress, uses they/them pronouns. Backmatter includes a glossary and a photo of the author. This simple story tackles body image, body confidence, and self-acceptance, and can be used as a model to have conversations about body image with young children. Pair this with Laxmi's Mooch for conversations about body acceptance and a broader representation of South Asian countries and cultures.

. Fatima's Great Outdoors. Ambreen Tariq, illus. by Stevie Lewis. 2021. 40p. Kokila (PYR/PRH), $17.99. (9781984816955). Gr. K-3. Link to reviews/discussion by Ariana, Noureen and Amna

Halal Hot Dogs. Susannah Aziz, illus. by Parwinder Singh. 2021. 40p. Little Bee Books, $17.99. (9781499811575). Gr 2-4. Link to review by Mahasin .

Hannah and the Ramadan Gift. Qasim Rashid, illus. by Aaliya Jaleel. 2021. 40p. Viking Books for Young Readers (PRH), $17.99. (9780593114667). PreS-Gr. 2. Link to review by Ariana .
I Went for Hajj. Na'ima B. Robert, illus. by Paula Pang. 2021. 32p. The Islamic Foundation, $11.95. (9780860377528). PreS-Gr. 2.
This charming book, told in the rhyming style of By Bill Martin, Jr., describes the Hajj journey through the eyes of a young child. While some rhymes are more successful than others, the scheme helps to break down important parts of Hajj as easy to understand actions. The foreword includes an author's note explaining the use of rhyming text to appeal to children, but emphasizes that it is not prescriptive for the performance of the rituals of Hajj. There are, however, points of discussion to breakdown points and rituals of Hajj to readers. End papers include a glossary of terms. Illustrations feature female and male hajjis/hajjahs (pilgrims) dressed in white, in various skin tones, and some papers include illustrations of pilgrims in wheelchairs. On the spread that features the kaaba, building at the center of the Masjid al-Haram, readers will appreciate the detail of the gold-colored foil used for the kiswah, the black brocade cloth that adorns the building. Illustrations are done in a retro, simple style, but reflect the contemporary backdrop of Makkah. Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?

. In My Mosque. M. O. Yuksel. illus. by Hatem Aly. 2021. 40p. Harper (Harpercollins), $17.99. (9780062978707). Pre-S-Gr. 3. Link to review by Noureen

Little Seeds of Promise. Sana Rafi, illus. by Renia Metallinou. 2021. 48p. The Innovation Press, $15.99. (ISBN‎ 9781943147939). Grades K-3. Link to reviews by Amna and Noureen .

This joyous, vibrant counting book follows Musa and his Dada (older sister) as they head to Nungwi beach on the daladala, a minibus common in Tanzania. Along the way they stop for a plethora of passengers and their wares. While Musa complains that there can't possibly be room for them all, Dada insists that they can make room for everyone. Unlike other counting tales where space capacity might lead to bursting, there is room indeed for everyone as they joyfully and inclusively make space for all with wiggles and giggles galore. And even Musa is convinced-Alhamdulillah-that the whole motley crew will make it to the beach together. The backmatter includes a brief glossary of terms and an author's note. Illustrations by Mercè López are rich in color, pattern, and texture, and readers familiar with Unguja (Zanzibar island) may recognize architectural elements of Stone Town including the minaret of the Malindi mosque on the cover. In Betsy Bird's interview with Naaz Khan , the author discussed her travels in Zanzibar, cultural consultation, and why it was important to have different shades of dark brown skin in representing Zanzibaris, and widening representation of Muslims in children's literature.

After losing her leg in an accident, Aria is finally returning to school, but finds that sitting on the floor all day with her prosthetic "helper-leg" is painful. With all the wooden furniture in the school used as fuel to keep houses warm during the war, Aria comes up with the idea to build a bench with discarded materials. Her classmates doubt she can do it, but Aria is determined to do "anything a boy can do" and barters a loaf of sweet bread with Kaka Najar, a carpenter, for instruction and use of his tools. Kaka Najar gifts her a can of blue paint to use for her project, sky-blue signifying courage, peace, and wisdom. Illustrations are beautifully vibrant and colorful, particularly in the markets of the Old City, and residents are dressed in a variety of styles, skin tones in various shades of brown, and facial expressions. Aria's actions not only inspire her classmates, she passes on her knowledge, skills, and hope to them and to her brother, knowing that they can "build everything we need together." End papers show Aria putting on her new red shoes on while the back end papers show Aria and her classmates planning and collecting materials together to improve their classroom. Though there is no specific time period specified in the text of the story, the author's note indicates that elements of the story reflect his own experiences growing up Afghanistan in the early 90s and the need to use wooden furniture as firewood and teaching children to be able to identify land mines, particularly "butterfly mines" that had a reputation for being attractive to children. A Sky-Blue Bench was a 2022 ALA Schneider Family Book Award Honor Book Winner.

Nonfiction

Written by Syrian child refugee and activist, Bana Alabed, this book opens with a young Bana asking her mother, depicted wearing a light green hijab, why she gave her the name "Bana." Her mother tells her that she is named after a tree that grows in Syria and like the tree, Bana's parents hoped that she would be "qawia," strong. Following up by asking what it means to be strong, Bana's mother explains different elements of strength, including the most important, "amal," hope. One of the spreads, shows Bana on a computer while her mother stands behind her, referring to Bana's initial use of Twitter to bring increased awareness to the Syrian Civil War and the siege of Aleppo. Bana reflects on how she embodied strength during the war while in Syria, in moving to a new place, and in using her voice to speak up for children's rights. Illustrations are simple and sensitive in their depiction of war, showing the mother and children turning away from a red-tinged sky with texts addressing bombing. An afterword from the author assures child readers that she is safe now, living in Turkey with her family and concludes that while she's encouraging children around the world living in war zones to be strong, her message to adults is that "kids shouldn't have to always be so strong. Every child deserves to live in peace."
Early Readers
Yasmin series. (Yasmin the Librarian, Recycler, Singer, Scientist). Saadia Faruqi. Illus. by Hatem Aly. 2021. 32p. Picture Window Books (Capstone), $5.95 (Paperback: 9781515883722, 9781515883746, 9781515883753, 9781515883739). K-Gr.3. Fountas & Pinnell Level K.

The newest additions to the series feature Pakistani American second-grader Yasmin helping in the library, encouraging her classmates to recycle, shyly singing in secret at a wedding party, and coming up with a project for the science fair. Yasmin's interactions with her multi-generational Pakistani American family are endearing and her everyday adventures recognize child agency and actions. Faruqi's sprinkling of Urdu words and Aly's beautiful and bold illustrations convey cultural details and insights into Yasmin's world. Some titles are available in Spanish and French.

Sadiq series (Sadiq and the Big Election, Gamers). Siman Nuurali, illus by. Christos Skaltsas. 2021. 64p. Picture Window Books (Capstone), $6.95. (9781663921901, 9781663921918). K-Gr. 3. Fountas & Pinnell Level M.

These followup voliumes about Somali American Muslim third-grader Sadiq continue to show the importance and value in involvement in community service and relationships. Each volume contains information around Somali culture, a glossary of words in Somali as well as terms that pertain to each story, and a reader/educator guide to asking questions about the story and related activities. In Sadiq and the Big Election, a class election for president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary has Sadiq coming up with big ideas to improve things in his school, but what will happen when one of his best friend's announces that he's running for the same position? In Sadiq and the Gamers, his gaming club is hosting a competition and trying to find a way to also serve the community. Could their gaming possibly engage the seniors in the local retirement community? Sadiq and his friends come up with ways to solve problems and make their community better than ever.
Middle Grade
Fiction

Ahmed Aziz's Epic Year. Nina Hamza. 2021. 320p. Quill Tree (HarperCollins), $16.99. (9780063024892). Gr 3-7. Link to review by Mahasin .

Amina's Song. Hena Khan. 2021. 288p. Salaam Reads (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers), $17.99. (9781534459885). Gr. 3-7. Fountas & Pinnell Level U. Amina's Song was the 2022 Winner of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Children's Literature.

In this sequel to the well-received Amina's Voice (2017), Pakistani-Muslim American Amina has traveled to Pakistan to visit her extended family. She returns home to the U.S. excited to teach her friends about the beauty of the country and its people. A school project promises that opportunity, but Amina finds that her task is more difficult than she anticipated, as she must confront her classmates' biases. A realistic narrative about identity formation and friendships in middle school.

This graphic novel iteration of Ms. Marvel, written by Nadia Shammas and ably illustrated by Nabi H. Ali, opens with Kamala Khan firmly established as Ms. Marvel. In fact she is so established as a superhero and next-gen member of the Avengers (alongside Spiderman/Miles Morales, Squirrel Girl/Doreen Green, and mentor Iron Man/Tony Stark), a website moderator, fanfic writer, and babysitter that she finds herself stretched a bit thin, sometimes literally. In keeping her superhero identity and powers a secret from her family, Kamala's relationship with them is a bit strained, and she appears to be neglecting them, her home life, and her Qur'an classes at the mosque. But even though her best friends white, Bruno and Turkish American, Nakia, know her secret, they also feel that Kamala is ignoring them and clearly needs help managing all her tasks. Everything comes to a head when a robot tries to take over Avengers Tower and Kamala must sort out her issues in order to fix this...and everything else. Though some more dedicated readers may feel like plot points are a little too on the nose (the villain will be obvious to all), this is clearly aimed towards younger readers, and works towards focusing on Ms. Marvel's relationships and her consistent humor. Easter eggs abound, with a nod to Pakistani actor Fawad Khan and his role in the upcoming Ms. Marvel television series

Omar's teacher has been abducted by aliens! Or at least that's what Omar believes happened. What else could possibly explain why their wonderful Mrs. Hutchinson has suddenly been replaced by the awful Mrs. Crankshaw and why all the teachers won't explain where she went? Though his best friends Charlie and Daniel don't quite believe the alien theory, their attempts to find any clues lead nowhere. And with Omar's family off to Pakistan for a wedding, their rescue plans are stalled. Where in the world could Mrs. Hutchinson be? A great addition to the Planet Omar series, this third volume is equally full of humor and heart and infused with Islamic terms and values.

Unsettled. Reem Faruqi. 2021. 352p. HarperCollins, $16.99 (9780063044708). Gr 4-6. Link to review by Mahasin .

Based on Trebinčević's own life as a Bosnian refugee, this story details three years of young Kenan's life, as an 11-year-old at the start of the Bosnian war and the breakup of the Yugoslav Federation. Though many Bosniaks are fleeing to other parts of Europe, Kenan cannot believe that his best friends would treat him any differently because his family is Muslim, especially when he sees his family as not being particularly religious. His father equally believes that because he is well-liked, respected, and keeps out of politics, that they will not be targeted. When it becomes evident that not only have their former friends turned on them, including Kenan's teacher, the family also realizes that they may have waited too long to flee. Kenan and his family face food deprivation, threats of violence and death, and constant fear for their lives as they struggle to survive and possibly flee. Somewhat miraculously, they are able to flee to Austria, even with Kenan's brother and father being taken to a concentration camp at one point where other Muslim men have faced death. Kenan's uncle Ahmet even remarks at one point that they are the luckiest Bosnian Muslim family having not lost any of their relatives. Through the narrative the reader sees psychological and emotional costs of war as they are betrayed by former friends and neighbors and Kenan is often skeptical of who to trust, if friendship is real or lasting. And even when they make their escape they never feel safe or settled, relocated several times in Austria and then again to the United States where, like many refugees, they are treated at times with compassion but also as unwanted, degraded guests. But despite the trauma and palpable, authentic anger, Kenan learns that there is good and bad amongst all people and that despite all of the loss he is grateful that he and his family can be together. Though the narrative sometimes falters in pacing and some concepts and historical events may need more context for younger readers, it is overall a poignant and important story. Text also alludes to violence and sexual assault, but is never overly explicit, and is well-suited for upper middle grade readers.

​​Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero. Saadia Faruqi. 2021. 368p. Quill Tree (HarperCollins), $16.99. (9780062943255). Gr 3-7. Link to review by Mahasin .

Nonfiction

New Yorker and Guinea American Adama Bah was a typical teenager when the September 11th terrorist attacks were carried out. Soon afterwards, however, her life changed forever when she and her father were falsely accused of terrorism and plans to become suicide bombers. Subsequently separated from her family and detained, she learns that she is not an American citizen, her father is deported, and she must work to support her large family in the U.S. and in Guinea. This well-paced narrative offers an informative and terrifying look at what it was like for many Muslims in the days and years following 9/11 and offers much needed representation about Muslims of African heritage.
Young Adult
The Awakening of Malcolm X. Ilyasah Shabazz and Tiffany D. Jackson. 2021. 336p. Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Macmillan), $17.99. (9780374313296). Gr. 7-12. Link to review by Nada .
Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating. Adiba Jaigirdar. 2021. 352p. Page Street Kids, $17.99. (9781645672579). Gr. 9-12.
Bangladeshi Irish and Muslim Hani, has just come out to her two best friends Aisling and Dee as being bisexual, but they don't believe that she can know for certain since she has never even kissed a girl. Bengali and Indian Irish (as well as atheist and closeted) Ishu is studious and serious, always wanting to please her parents, who only have eyes for their golden child, Ishu's older sister Nik. But Nik has recently fallen from grace, having left university to get married, and Ishu's parents are more on her than ever to succeed. When Hani proposes to Ishu that they should fake date Ishu, who normally would hate being pigeonholed into being THE two queer brown girls dating, agrees since Hani's popularity could help Ishu become Head Girl and convince her parents that Ishu is not like her sister. Jaigirdar navigates the fake dating trope with aplomb, bringing in multitudes of layers of identity, racism, homophobia and bierasure, with a delightful amount of romance and angst. Hani is out to her parents who are accepting of her sexuality. Hani also attends mosque, prays, reads Qur'an and does not drink alcohol, and faces disdain and confusion from her friends who signal that she doesn't seem like "one of those" Muslims (since she does not wear hijab) and further solidifies their continuous aggressions against her sexual identity.

Home Is Not a Country. Safia Elhillo. 2021. 224p. Make Me a World (PRH/RHCB), $17.99. (9780593177051). Gr. 8-12. Link to review by Nada . Home is Not a Country was a 2022 Coretta Scott King Book Award Author Honor Winner.
Huda F Are You? Huda Fahmy. 2021. 192p. Dial Books (PRH), $14.99. (9780593324318). Gr. 7-17.
to place her high school story in the present day with references to contemporary social media tools, but adult readers will see familiar references to discrimination and targeting of the Muslim communities in the immediate years following 9/11. Fahmy's humorous, laugh-out-loud work continues to entertain, educate, and resonate with all readers and is also an important work of self-reflection for Muslim readers. Huda Fahmy's fictionalized graphic memoir follows a high school-aged Huda who has moved with her family from a place where she was the only hijabi in her class to Dearborn, Michigan with a significantly higher Muslim and Arab population. Huda struggles to find her place in the high school hierarchy and realizes that not only has she made hijab her personality (harder to do when surrounded by other hijabis and cliques of hijabis), but that she has made herself small in order to be pleasing to others. Her humor, while witty, is often self-deprecating and her internalized self-loathing causes further harm to herself and the ones that she loves. Fahmy made the deliberate choice

Listen, Layla. Yassmin Abdel-Magied. 2021. 288p. Penguin Australia, $15.99. (9781760896065). Gr 7 and up. Link to review by Mahasin .

Misfit in Love. S.K. Ali. 2021. 320p. Salaam Reads (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers), $19.99. (9781534442757). Grades 9-12. Link to Review by Nada .

Perfectly Parvin. Olivia Abtahi. 2021. 320p. G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers (PRH), $17.99. (9780593109427). Gr. 7-12.

Fun-loving prankster Parvin Mohammadi is elated to start high school with her new boyfriend, Wesley, only to have him dump her at freshman orientation for being "loud" and "too much." Wallowing in romance movies, Parvin comes to the (false) realization that demure girls get the guy and plans to show up Wesley by getting bisexual sophomore Matty Fumero to be her Homecoming date. Parvin's attempt to 180 her personality and style has best friends pansexual, Korean American Ruth and gay, Mexican American Fabian doubtful and disapproving. Parvin's aunt Sara, who is viewing it all via Skype from Iran while waiting on her U.S. visa to arrive, also urges Parvin to be herself. Compounding this self-doubt is Parvin's internalized identity struggle and how much this affects her perception of beauty and romance. Despite their obvious affection, she is not able to glean much from her Iranian Shi'a father, does not look much like her white Episcopalian mother or any of the beautiful women in the media, nor does she feel Iranian enough to fit in with the other Iranians Americans, even as it becomes obvious that one of her classmates from Farsi school may want to be more than friends. But when her schemes and internalization lead her to ditch her friends when they need her most and her aunt Sara's plan to visit is threatened by the Muslim ban, Parvin must decide what is most important to her and what kind of person she truly is. Even in her most self-deprecating moments, Parvin is funny, witty, and lovable. And while some elements of representation might give readers pause, it is all in the cause of learning acceptance. A truly enjoyable read.

Piece by Piece: The Story of Nisrin's Hijab. Priya Huq. 2021. 224p. Abrams, $22.99. (9781419740169). Gr. 7 and up. Link to Review by Mahasin .

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This list represents some of our favorite Children's and Young Adult books that we read and were published in 2021. As with our previous lists, these choices are based on their thoughtful and nuanced treatment of Muslims and Islam, and the intersections of identity.

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Books aren't ventilators or PPE. Authors and booksellers aren't doctors and nurses. But the art of storytelling is still vital for humanity. Novels, poems, memoirs, poetry, essays-written art reveals the human condition in wonderfully intimate ways.

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Reading Small Group/Conferring Small Group Schedule