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The 2018 Diversity in Children's Literature graphic (produced by Sarah Park Dahlen and David Huyck) is available to download as JPEGs/PDFs of the image at the blog of infographic co-producer Dr. Sarah Park Dahlen.

A version was available as a postcard. The back of the card can be viewed and downloaded here.

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Diversity in Children's Books Graphic - Social Justice Books

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The 2018 Diversity in Children's Literature graphic (produced by Sarah Park Dahlen and David Huyck) is available to download as JPEGs/PDFs of the image at the blog of infographic co-producer Dr. Sarah Park Dahlen. A version was available as a postcard. The back of the card can be viewed and downloaded here.

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Guide for selecting anti-bias children's books 

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Guide for selecting anti-bias children's books 

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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

American Indians were only significant in the past (read)

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

Jewish people are all Zionists (read)

Jewish people are wealthy and yield undue influence in the financial and political world

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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American Indians in Children's Literature 

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American Indians in Children's Literature 

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A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, WNDB aims to create a world where every reader can find themselves in the pages of a book. To reach this goal, we've created programs to mentor diverse writers and illustrators, support diverse publishing professionals, and provide books to classrooms nationwide.

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This resource guide was created in direct response to the multiple requests made by educators, parents and students. Like Marley Dias, so many of you have asked for books with black girls as the main characters. And because of you, we have received thousands of books. Here we are sharing with you the first 700 book titles. We have not yet catalogued all the books. As a small organization with only two full-time staff, our resources are limited. Beginning in April, each month we will provide you with updates of new book titles.

This resource includes words of welcome from Marley Dias, Creator of the #1000BlackGirlBooks campaign. It also includes comments from Dr. Lauren Wells, Chief Education Officer, City of Newark who offers us tips on how we can foster and promote reading and literacy among our children.

As the President and Co-Founder of GrassROOTS Community Foundation, I have added a few words and call to action to the guide. My charge to parents and caregivers is a simple one: listen to your children, encourage them as well as promote their reading and literacy skills. Reading is a pathway to freedom and liberty. As caregivers it is our responsibility to develop the imagination of children so that they can dream, create and structure opportunities for freedom and equity.

We have reviewed the titles and descriptions of books to ensure that they fit the criterion of having a black girl as the main characters. We have also catalogued the books by reading level. This time-consuming task would not be possible without your financial donation to hire some interim part-time staff. We could not do it without all of you who donated, our volunteers and the librarians from West Orange Public Library.

Each month we will update the list and continue to serve as an information repository for Black Girl Books.

If you know of a black girl book, not listed here, please send us a copy so we can add it to our collection. We would like to see this list grow. Our address is:

GrassROOTS Community Foundation
59 Main Street
Suite 323
West Orange, NJ 07052

Financial donations are always welcomed. All donations are tax-deductible.

Thank you.

Welcome to the #1000blackgirlbooks Resource Guide. I started this campaign because I wanted to read more books where black girls are the main characters. With your help we have collected over 11,000 books; many of them are have the same title, but we do have lots of unique ones as well. This guide includes 1000 of those books and more is coming.

Love,

Marley Dias
Founder
#1000BlackGirlBooks

Sadly, in today's society we often lack the imagination to deal with some of the most deeply rooted social issues. Family and work obligations as well as our biases can stunt our imaginations; however, as adults it is our charge to foster the imagination of our youth. Marley Dias has an active sociological imagination. She imagined a world where black girls are the main, not minor, characters in children's books. She thought she was dealing with a personal matter, but she quickly learned from the outpouring response from the public that her personal problem is in fact an engrained social issue. Children's literature in the United States and abroad is homogeneous and exclusionary. Black girls are underrepresented and in many cases missing. Girls of color are almost completely absent relative to the majority culture.

As caregivers of children we must nurture our children's imaginations and equip them with the resources so they can be emboldened to act. The GrassROOTS Community Foundation through Super Camp enhances girls' sociological imagination and teaches them confidence grounded in the knowledge of history and self-hood so that they feel confident enough to feel like they can create change in their communities. Each year GrassROOTS encourages girls to develop a social action project. We choose the words social and action carefully. We want our children to understand themselves as social actors, connected to the world. In addition, we teach our girls that to achieve justice they must ACT. The #1000BlackGirlBooks campaign is Marley's 2015 social action project. As Marley's mom and the President of GrassROOTS Community Foundation, I have learned first hand what can happen when we foster and promote children's love of reading, educate them about their community, and their desire to create social change as well as fan the flames of their sociological imaginations.

Dr. Janice Johnson Dias
President & Co-Founder
GrassROOTS Community Foundation
#investingirls

A love of reading is the most important legacy we can offer to our children and our students. Reading opens windows to new ideas, peoples, places, and experiences. Reading also provides mirrors for students to see themselves and their lives reflected in the characters they meet in books. Reading builds vocabulary and background knowledge, empowering children with the tools needed to express themselves and think about the world around them. Nurturing joyful reading in children primes their brains for lifelong learning and develops important social emotional skills like stamina, reflection, and empathy. As we build readers, we must make reading pleasurable and help children understand that reading is a skill that builds over time.

Here are a few tips for parents and educators to create environments that invite children to confidently embrace and fall in love with stories and books.

Tips for parents:

Model reading. Read, read, read to your child, with your child, or in front your child every day.

Immerse your child in books. Transform your entire home into a reading zone by placing books in every room.

Affirm your child's culture, language, and race by choosing books and stories with characters, places, and experiences that reflect their background.

Awaken your child to new ideas, places, people, or experiences in books and stories by asking them questions and always answering the question they have.

Empower your child by allowing them to choose books to read, whether based on what interests them or on book covers and titles.

Arm your child by always leaving home with books. When your child gets older ask them if they have a book before leaving for school, the doctor, or a long ride.

Cultivate your child's use of language and words. Talk with your child about what is happening in their lives and the world around them.

Build your child's ability to make connections. When you watch television or movies, make connections to characters or ideas in books you have read together.

Expand your child's reading beyond fiction. Children have great curiosity about events taking place in the world, plants, animals, and people. It's never too early to expose them to historical fiction or non-fiction books.

Advocate for curricula, partnerships, books, and resources for classrooms and schools that are culturally relevant and responsive.

Tips for educators:

Model reading. Read, read, read to your students, with your students, or in front your students every day.

Immerse school culture in talk about books. Book talks over the intercom, book clubs, social media chats, and school-wide read alouds are a few ways to do this.

Affirm your students' culture, language, and race by integrating books and stories with characters, places, and experiences that reflect their backgrounds into the curriculum.

Awaken students as participants in their own learning by having them create reading goals for themselves, for example, minutes of reading, chapters read, and reading new genres.

Empower students by allowing them to choose books based on what interests them or on book covers and titles.

Arm your students with the power of their own language and stories by providing them with multiple ways to make personal connections to the texts they read.

Cultivate independent reading by creating comfortable reading spaces throughout schools. Classrooms, cafeterias, libraries, and cozy nooks in hallways are all fair game.

Build classroom libraries of interesting, appropriate, and relevant fiction and non-fiction texts.

Expand your reading beyond fiction. Students have great curiosity about events taking place in the world, plants, animals, and people. Use historical fiction or non-fiction books as tools to capture this interest.

Advocate for curricula, partnerships, books, and resources for classrooms and schools that are culturally relevant and responsive.

Dr. Lauren Wells
Chief Education Officer
City of Newark

Donations are the heart of the campaign. Because we value reciprocity, we donate the books we receive to schools and community members who need them. Children deserve to have windows and mirrors to the world. Please complete the form below.

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This resource guide was created in direct response to the multiple requests made by educators, parents and students. Like Marley Dias, so many of you have asked for books with black girls as the main characters. And because of you, we have received thousands of books.

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We Read Too! Cool App for Finding Diverse Books!

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We Read Too! Cool App for Finding Diverse Books!

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We Read Too - A directory of children and teen books written by authors of color.

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Discover hundreds of books written by authors of color featuring characters of color. Click on the category you're interested in and you're shown a new title every time.

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Powerful Graphic Novels for Middle School

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Powerful Graphic Novels for Middle School

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In the classroom: Cece's hearing aid looks different from ones students are familiar with-have them research and create a timeline of these devices.

Amazing Fantastic Incredible: A Marvelous Memoir
Students know the name Stan Lee, but they probably don't know much about him. He tells his life story in this 2015 graphic novel created with writer Peter David and cartoonist Colleen Doran. Lee breaks the fourth wall frequently to explain events. His decades-long career and insights into the creative process of comic books have lessons for any student.

In the classroom: Have students write about an event from childhood and insert their current self into the narrative as either an ally to their younger self or simply an "explainer" who helps move the story along.

The Olympians (series)
Greek mythology is a staple of many classrooms. These stories have been told in graphic novel format before, but George O'Connor's series, which he started in 2010, is superior in text and art. Each book is devoted to a single god or goddess, though their stories overlap. The result is a series of books that work well as biographies, adventure stories, or research into ancient Greece.

In the classroom: Have students create single-page comics that tell the story of a god or goddess not included in O'Connor's books-from Greek mythology or another pantheon.

Social Studies

Anne Frank: The Anne Frank House Authorized Graphic Biography
There are other comic book-style biographies of Anne Frank, but this is the best and the only one authorized by the Anne Frank House. Most of the others are straightforward adaptations of her diary; this 2010 book goes beyond her narrative to explain more about the Frank family, the politics of Europe in the 1930s, and World War II.

In the classroom: Have students compare Anne's life to that of an American child growing up in the 1930s, and see what was typical and what was atypical for someone her age.

Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales (series)
After Revolutionary War spy Nathan Hale is executed, he and two sidekicks are displaced in time and witness events that have shaped American history. Author and artist Nathan Hale uses the three characters as narrators to explore the Revolutionary War, the Alamo, Harriet Tubman, the Donner Party, and more in a series he started in 2012. A balance of humor and adventure keeps the narrative moving forward, leaving students wondering where (and when) Nathan Hale will go next.

In the classroom: Have students pick a person from history to be a time-traveling companion and then explain a historic event in a short story.

The Arrival
Shaun Tan's wordless 2007 graphic novel aims to tell a universal immigration story, following a protagonist who leaves his family behind to travel to a new world. His new home is bizarre and at times frightening, and Tan's imagery is disorienting to any reader-but familiar enough that we can follow the story and empathize with the character and his journey.

In the classroom: Have students pair excerpts from the diaries of immigrants with images from Tan's book, or have them write their own dialogue for the protagonist.

Science

The Great American Dust Bowl
Don Brown's 2013 tale of the 1930s is as much a tale of science as of history. The Dust Bowl is explained as a natural phenomenon that was exacerbated by farmers overplanting and removing native vegetation. Brown inserts maps and graphs that tell the story of the ecology of the early 20th century-and the similar environmental disasters that could wait in our future.

In the classroom: The Dust Bowl is far from the only ecological disaster that's been compounded by human activity. Have students research the environmental impact of those crises and possible solutions to the problems.

T-Minus: The Race to the Moon
The Space Race is a topic that still excites students, and with the 50th anniversary of the moon landing coming in 2019, it's a subject they'll be hearing a lot about. Jim Ottaviani and Zander Cannon's 2009 graphic novel is almost a biography of the technology the United States and the Soviet Union developed to get to the moon. The format lets us see their efforts side by side.

In the classroom: T-Minus ends in 1969 with the moon landing. Have students continue the timeline of both American and Soviet spaceflight and make predictions about what will come in the future.

Primates: The Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birute Galdikas
Most students have heard of Jane Goodall and her work with chimpanzees, but fewer know about Dian Fossey's time among gorillas, and almost none have heard of Biruté Galdikas and her research on orangutans. Jim Ottaviani and Maris Wick's 2015 book tells the story of these three female scientists, balancing their personal biographies with their academic and field research.

In the classroom: There are conservation programs for each of the species highlighted in the book; have students research these programs and present what's happening with each species in the 21st century.

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Powerful Graphic Novels for Middle School | Edutopia

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In the classroom: Cece's hearing aid looks different from ones students are familiar with-have them research and create a timeline of these devices. Amazing Fantastic Incredible: A Marvelous Memoir Students know the name Stan Lee, but they probably don't know much about him.

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Inspired by his official platform, the challenge encourages readers to explore books of diverse voices, genres, and formats.

*Click flyer and certificate to download*

Share the challenge on social media!

Take a photo of the book and post it on Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #ReadingWithoutWalls.

Challenge your classroom or community!

If you are a teacher, librarian, or bookseller, you can encourage your students, patrons, and customers to take up the Reading Without Walls Challenge! See what San Francisco's Live Oak School did this past school year!

Be a part of the fall 2016 pilot program!

To participate:

Email to let us know you are planning to participate (shaina.birkhead@cbcbooks.org)

Conduct a pilot 'Reading Without Walls' program in your classroom

Report back to us with any details that you would like to share about how you incorporated the challenge and how it went.

Offer suggestions for resources and materials we can create to make this program more effective.

Provide a testimonial that we can include in our Summer 2017 roll-out.

If possible, promote your involvement through social media using the hashtag #ReadingWithoutWalls and provide images for us to share on all of our platforms

The deadline for all feedback and testimonial is December 12, 2016

About the National Ambassador Program
The National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Program was established in 2008 by the Children's Book Council (CBC), Every Child a Reader (ECAR), and the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress (CFB). The program is administered by Every Child a Reader. Over the last eight years, the National Ambassador Program has reached millions of young readers and their caregivers in the United States.
About Gene Luen Yang
Visit www.ChildrensBookAmbassador.com for more information about the National Ambassador program.

Gene Luen Yang is the Printz Award winning author of American Born Chinese and two-time National Book Award finalist. Yang is the country's fifth National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. Learn more at geneyang.com and follow him on Twitter @geneluenyang.

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Inspired by his official platform, the challenge encourages readers to explore books of diverse voices, genres, and formats. *Click flyer and certificate to download* Share the challenge on social media! Take a photo of the book and post it on Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #ReadingWithoutWalls. Challenge your classroom or community!

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As you infuse diverse, inclusive, and culturally relevant materials into fiction and nonfiction reading experiences, this toolkit helps analyze collections, identify and bring to life diverse texts, and encourage reflection on cultural representation. see more

As you infuse diverse, inclusive, and culturally relevant materials into fiction and nonfiction reading experiences, this toolkit helps analyze collections, identify and bring to life diverse texts, and encourage reflection on cultural representation.

Identify exceptional diverse books for all children and teens

Bring culture and race to the forefront of literary conversations with culturally relevant, primary source materials

Facilitate conversations about children's and young adult books by learning the inspiration of these books, directly from the author or illustrator

Analyze and generate reports that examine the genre and cultural inclusion of books in your custom lists and collections

Facilitate student reflection on the cultural representation of the characters, setting, and events in the diverse books each student reads

For historical context, see data on children's and young adult books by and about Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) published since 1985, compiled by the Cooperative Children's Book Center, School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison.

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As you infuse diverse, inclusive, and culturally relevant materials into fiction and nonfiction reading experiences, this toolkit helps analyze collections, identify and bring to life diverse texts, and encourage reflection on cultural representation.

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Annotated list of Diverse Books from Joyner Library

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Annotated list of Diverse Books from Joyner Library

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This Friday, September 15, kicks off National Hispanic Heritage Month, a four-week celebration of the cultures, histories, and peoples of Spanish, Mexican, Caribbean, and Central and South American descent. The following fiction, nonfiction, and professional reading titles explore the myriad ways in which Latinx young people navigate family, friendships, school, and public life in North America-and all are unforgettable reads.

Though this month is a joyous occasion, we must recognize that the Trump administration's shameful move to end DACA directly harms the Latinx community in the United States. Librarians and educators serving and supporting Latinx tweens and teens will want to display and promote these excellent selections.

Fiction

BEHAR, Ruth. Lucky Broken Girl. 256p. Penguin/Nancy Paulsen Bks. Apr. 2017. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780399546440.
Gr 4-6-Ruthie's English skills have finally gotten her promoted to the "smart" fifth grade class, and she's the "hopscotch queen of Queens" this week. Her family are still struggling with their recent move from Cuba, but she has a strong family network, some new friends, and a pair of brand-new white go-go boots. When a car accident leaves her in a body cast, Ruthie is scared, lonely, angry, and confused. The year that she spends healing in bed is one of growing up, of hard times and good friends, and of new skills and the determination to be herself in her new country. Behar's first middle grade novel, a fictionalized telling of her own childhood experiences in the 1960s, is a sweet and thoughtful read, slowly but strongly paced, and filled with a wealth of detail that makes the characters live. Both poetic and straightforward, this title will appeal to young readers with its respect for their experiences and its warm portrayal of a diverse community. In addition to Ruthie's realistic and personal voice, the novel's strength is in its complex portrayal of the immigrant experience, with overlapping stories of who goes and who comes and the paths they travel. VERDICT Recommended and relatable. Hand this to fans of Rita Williams-Garcia and those who loved The Secret Garden​. -Katya Schapiro, Brooklyn Public Library

CARTAYA, Pablo. The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora. 256p. Viking. May 2017. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9781101997239.

CHAMBERS, Veronica. The Go-Between. 208p. Delacorte. May 2017. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9781101930953.
Gr 7 Up-Fifteen-year-old Camilla and her wealthy family live in a mansion in Mexico City, complete with bodyguards and staff. She wears designer clothes and participates in the "Rich Kids of Mexico City" Instagram account, where teens flaunt wealth and status. The family's prosperity is the result of Cammi's mother's career as a renowned telenovela actress and her father's success as a voice-over artist in movies. Even her older brother, now living in Switzerland, excels academically, while Cammi rides the current of their fame. When a jealous "friend" outs the teen's mother's anxiety issues, Cammi and her family decide to take a sabbatical, which coincides with a television sitcom job for her mother in Los Angeles. Once there, Camilla discovers that immigrating to a new country is not easy: her mother struggles with her acting role of a maid, her father misses home, and Cammi feels slapped by the racist perceptions toward Mexicans at her elite private school. In fact, she realizes that it is simpler to go along with their stereotypical assumptions that she is a poor "chola" on scholarship than to explain the truth and lose her newfound anonymity. Yet the constant strain of spinning lies becomes wearing, and when the inevitable happens, Camilla is forced to reconsider what she values, make amends, and accept her own identity. This book presents a fairy-tale lifestyle not often seen in Latinx literature, while also exploring themes of biculturalism/biracialism and racist stereotypes about Mexican immigrants. VERDICT A light read for fans of realistic fiction, and a good choice for general purchase. -Ruth Quiroa, National Louis University, Lisle, IL

DELACRE, Lulu. Us, in Progress: Short Stories About Young Latinos. 256p. illus. by Lulu Delacre. glossary. notes. HarperCollins. Aug. 2017. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780062392145.
Gr 6-8-In a collection of 12 tales, readers hear fictionalized narratives of young Latinos drawn from news stories. The selections represent a variety of children from diverse countries of origin and include standard prose as well as the poetic "Pickup Soccer" and the musical "Cubano Two." The entries highlight issues that some Latinos face, such as problems with food and obesity, cultural identity, the deportation of relatives, the quest to obtain legal status, and prejudices some have toward fellow Latinos from different backgrounds. While these stories offer an interesting cross section of the Latino experience, there is a preponderance of sad and serious tales (with topics that include a sister who bullies, an epileptic seizure mistaken for a criminal attack, and the death of a parent). Spanish words are sprinkled throughout and defined in the back, and refranes (sayings) introduce each piece. The author's mixed-media portraits accompany each entry, and the original articles that inspired each offering are listed and discussed. VERDICT This welcome update to short story collections such as Gary Soto's Baseball in April and prose alternative to Alma Flor Ada's Yes!: We Are Latinos is a solid addition to libraries and would also add much-needed diversity to classroom study. -Karen Yingling, Blendon Middle School, Westerville, OH

ENGLE, Margarita. Forest World. 208p. S. & S./Atheneum. Aug. 2017. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9781481490573.

Gr 3-7 -Maximilian is back in this third book in the series. Wrestling with keeping his lucha libre life and his feelings for Cecilia, the girl of his dreams, a secret, Max doesn't think his life can get any more complicated. When Paloma, the only friend who knows that Max's uncle is the great Guardian Angel-the greatest luchador of all time-moves away, Max doesn't know whom he will be able to talk to about lucha libre. He receives a ticket and backstage passes to attend the Big Brawl in Los Angeles and travels with his uncles and Vampiro Velasquez. He is quickly inducted into the Lucha Libre Club-a group for kids who are related to luchadores-which Paloma is a part of. With the help of Vampiro Velasquez, who provides valuable life lessons as well as instruction on wrestling techniques, the protagonist discovers what makes the Guardian Angel more than just a man in a mask. Written in English and Spanish, this story is filled with excitement and addresses the problems and everyday worries of kids like Max. Illustrations accompany each chapter, and all readers, including reluctant ones, will find something to interest them; the addition of the female luchadoras and their young relatives is a nice touch. Readers of all ages will discover wisdom within the story, especially in the character of Vampiro Velasquez, who reminds us that time passes for everyone. VERDICT Highly recommended, particularly for bilingual collections and where the author's books are popular.-Selenia Paz, Helen Hall Library, League City, TX

OLDER, Daniel José. Shadowhouse Fall. 368p. (Shadowshaper Cypher: Bk. 2). Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine Bks. Sept. 2017. Tr $18.99. ISBN 9780545952828. POP

Gr 7 Up-Sierra and her crew of shadowshapers are back for another adventure in this sequel to Shadowshaper. A mysterious card deck appears and, with it, a conflict between Shadow House and The House of Light arises. Sierra must act quickly to figure out whom she can trust while learning what it means to be a leader. She also begins a relationship with a new love interest. There is a satisfying conclusion, leaving threads of an open-ended mystery involving the Deck of Worlds. It will be exciting to see where this increasingly political urban fantasy will go next. Older has upped the ante with this second installment. This entry adds a layer of social activism that is refreshing and timely. The crew challenges their white AP history teacher about how she is approaching the topic of slavery. Many of the protagonists experience conflicts with the police and are able to resist. For a change of pace, those who enjoyed Angie Thomas's The Hate U Give may want to check out this fantasy title. In addition, it is good to see a sequel include a very realistic changing romantic landscape for the protagonist. VERDICT A worthy follow-up to Shadowshaper that fans will devour.-Kristin Anderson, Columbus Metropolitan Library System, OH

Gr 3-6-A fun romp through the awkward years of middle school that examines themes of identity and culture. When Malu has to move away from her dad and everything she knows, she takes her love of punk music with her. Following the rules of punk, she embarks on a new school journey, full of misadventures and hilarious life lessons. Malu is happy not to fit in with the crowd yet cannot bring herself to tell her mom that her passion for punk is not a rebellious phase-it's who she is. When classmates label Malu a coconut (brown on the outside and white on the inside), she is determined to prove to her school and herself that she is proud of her Mexican roots. With tenderness and humor, Pérez explores the joys and challenges of being biracial. Readers will connect with Malu, a strong protagonist who leaps off the page and whose zine-inspired artistry boldly illustrates how she deals with life. VERDICT Those who enjoy vivacious, plucky heroines, such as the protagonists of Brenda Woods's The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond, Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich and Audrey Vernick's Two Naomis, and Rebecca Stead's Goodbye Stranger, will eagerly embrace Malu.-Jessica Bratt, Grand Rapids Public Library, MI

RIVERA, Lilliam. The Education of Margot Sanchez. 304p. S. & S. Feb. 2017. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9781481472111.
Gr 9 Up-Margot is disappointed to be spending her summer working in her family's Bronx-based chain of grocery stores, away from her elite prep school crowd. She is suffering the consequences after misappropriating her father's credit cards to finance her wardrobe. She would much rather be partying with her friends and her crush in the Hamptons. Teens will recognize the obvious consequences of her decisions as she is rude to her family's employees, rejects her childhood friend, steals beer from her family to impress her friends, and casually loses her virginity (to a guy who clearly doesn't value her much) after she's been drinking. Her attempts to redeem herself as she finally sees the error of her ways are effective, though, and over the course of the summer, Margot slowly learns the value of real friendship, navigates some family secrets, and begins to see her Puerto Rican heritage in a different light, culminating in an unsurprising but happy conclusion. VERDICT A fairly standard problem novel, but the realistic Latinx characters make this a welcome addition to YA shelves.- Kristin Anderson, Columbus Metropolitan Library System, OH

Gr 10 Up-Fifteen-year-old outcast Julia Reyes longs to attend college in New York, in order to get away from the suffocating watch of her undocumented Mexican parents in Chicago. The unusual death of Julia's older sister Olga-considered the perfect child by her family-only bolsters this desire, as her parents focus their attention even more strongly on their now only child. When Julia stumbles across unexpected items in Olga's bedroom after the funeral, she sets off on a course to discover her siter's secrets while trying to find some escape from her strict parents. Sánchez makes Julia's unflinching candidness very clear from the start, with the opening sentence providing her stark description of Olga's corpse. This attitude intermittently brings levity to heavy moments, but also heartbreak when the weight of it all comes crashing down. That honesty and heartbreak is skillfully woven throughout, from the authentic portrayal of sacrifices made and challenges faced by immigrants to the clash of traditional versus contemporary practices, and the struggle of first-generation Americans to balance their two cultures. The importance of language, a lens through which Latinxs are often viewed and sharply judged, is brilliantly highlighted through an ample but measured use of Spanish that is often defined in context without feeling forced or awkward. The author interweaves threads related to depression/anxiety, body image, sexuality, rape, suicide, abuse, and gang violence in both the U.S. and Mexico with nuance, while remaining true to the realities of those issues. VERDICT Like Isabel Quintero's Gabi, a Girl in Pieces, sans the diary format, this novel richly explores coming-of-age topics; a timely and must-have account of survival in a culturally contentious world.-Alea Perez, Westmont Public Library, IL

Gr 9 Up-Everyone who is going to die on a given day gets a call to let them know; not the when, or the how, or the why, but just notification that they will die on that day. Mateo and Rufus each get that call and are facing their last day without a loved one. But there's an app for that. Combining a well-realized alternative present with a lovely romance, Silvera's latest delivers what readers want in a book about dying teens. There's no avoiding the cliches that go along with the idea that an impending end makes life more meaningful, but recasting a Lurlene McDaniel-style doomed teen romance with Latinx queer boys and having the societal changes wink at those clichés softens them and makes a better storytelling device. The overarching structure of meaningful coincidences making a magical day in New York has its predecessors-Rachel Cohn and David Levithan's Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and Nicola Yoon's The Sun Is Also a Star being prime examples-but this title is a deft exploration of that trope. Silvera continues to masterfully integrate diversity, disability, and young queer voices into an appealing story with a lot of heart. VERDICT While most of the elements and themes of this work are not new, they are combined, realized, and diversified expertly in this title. A must-have for YA shelves.-L. Lee Butler, Hart Middle School, Washington, DC

Nonfiction

OTHEGUY, Emma. Martí's Song for Freedom/Martí y sus versos por la libertad. illus. by Beatriz Vidal. 32p. bibliog. Lee & Low. May 2017. Tr $17.95. ISBN 9780892393756. BL

Gr 2-5-The life of poet, writer, and freedom fighter José Martí (1853-95) comes alive in this lyrical, bilingual retelling of his everlasting impact on the people of his native Cuba. Growing up, Martí was an admirer of nature and fell in love with the beauty of the Cuban countryside. As he traveled the landscape, he observed the cruel enslavement of the Cuban people on sugar plantations during the period of Spanish rule. When he saw the injustice of slavery in his homeland, he knew he had to fight for Cuba's independence and the freedom of the island's people. Inspired by the U.S. Civil War, and President Abraham Lincoln, Martí called others to action and was jailed by the government for doing so. But not even imprisonment could silence him. Martí traveled extensively throughout the world, spreading his message of social justice, freedom, and peace. During his exile from Cuba, he found inspiration in the natural beauty of the Catskill Mountains in New York. Here he wrote Versos sencillos, a collection of poems that came to define the struggle for Cuban independence. Otheguy pens this biography in a series of stanzas that mimic Martí's poetry, weaving together his vision of hope for the Cuban people with rich illustrations that pay homage to the vivid hues of his native land. VERDICT A sensitive and poignant tribute to one of Latin America's most important historical figures that will encourage readers of all ages to fight for freedom and peace.-Natalie Romano, Denver Public Library

Gr 3-6-Born in 1874, Afro-Puerto Rican Arturo Schomburg's sense of wonder was stoked early on by listening to el lector, who read aloud from newspapers and novels to the cigar workers Schomburg kept company. When a teacher asserted that "Africa's sons and daughters" had no history or heroes worth noting, it sparked Schomburg's lifelong quest to uncover his people's stories, "correcting history for generations to come." He immigrated to New York in 1891, and though stymied in his hopes to pursue higher education, began amassing a collection of Africana books and art. Through text and art, Weatherford and Velasquez craft a winning portrait of both collector and his collection. Oversize oil-on-watercolor paintings accompany each page of text: one arresting image finds young Schomburg immersed in a book, with a portrait of Benjamin Bannecker hanging above his shoulder. Velasquez captures Schomburg's proud bearing and intent focus. His research led to writers and poets, including Frederick Douglass and poet Phillis Wheatley; revolutionaries like Toussaint Louverture; and luminaries whose "African heritage had been whitewashed," including John James Audubon and Ludwig van Beethoven. By day, Schomburg worked as a mailroom clerk, but his collecting and scholarship introduced him to members of the Harlem Renaissance, such as Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen. Schomburg's collection was donated to the New York Public Library and now boasts over 10 million items. VERDICT This excellent work of history illuminates Schomburg and his legendary collection for a new generation-it belongs in all public and school libraries.-Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA

Professional Reading

A comprehensive professional development resource that centers on Latino children's literature and its inclusion and use in school settings. Divided into five parts and 16 chapters, the volume captures the significance of Latino children's books, their impact on bicultural and bilingual children, and the approaches that educators must take to use these materials critically. Themes such as bilingual learners, selection criteria, transnationalism, counternarratives, and digital literacies are broadly presented, as well as the importance of challenging tokenism and stereotypes and incorporating Latino children's books in language arts, social studies, science, and math curricula. Each chapter includes a theoretical framework, an application of theory section, and references, discussion questions, activities, and further professional reading. Introductory lists of Latino children's books, titles in Spanish for children, and online resources are appended. This work positions this literature in a sociocultural, historical, and political context that successfully brings theories to praxis and always encourages educators to keep in mind the bicultural and bilingual young readers of these books. A great companion to Dana L. Fox and Kathy G. Short's Stories Matter: The Complexity of Cultural Authenticity in Children's Literature and the works by theorist and educator Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings. VERDICT An important volume for a variety of audiences: educators-including those teaching non-English speakers-education and library school professors and students, book reviewers, and librarians.-Sujei Lugo, Boston Public Library, MA

CULHAM, Ruth. Dream Wakers: Mentor Texts That Celebrate Latino Culture. 162p. appendix. bibliog. illus. Stenhouse. Sept. 2016. pap. $38.60. ISBN 9781625311115.
Writing workshop guru Culham showcases 116 diverse mentor texts within her well-established framework of the "6+1" writing traits. She uses the analogy of guests at a dinner party to explain the importance and interdependence of ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, and convention-her six traits of wonderful writers-and has compiled a well-curated compendium of recent and classic picture books about Latino culture(s) by (mostly) Latino authors and illustrators. There are few chapter books; a fifth of the materials are nonfiction. Culham offers a short synopsis of each title and a unique writing (or otherwise creative) extension activity. Readers will appreciate interviews with seasoned writers, including Alma Flor Ada and Duncan Tonatiuh, and new authors such as Monica Brown, who speak about their journeys and the need for Latino voices in children's literature. There is an informative introduction on diversity in literature, and the appendix sheds light on Culham's selection process and explains her criteria, developed by experts such as Jamie Naidoo and Louise Derman-Sparks. There is also a handy chart for identifying the type of book (bilingual, English with Spanish words, English only), the highlighted trait, and the genre. VERDICT Great for collection development, cultural literacy, and lessons about a writer's craft. Educators who work with students from second through sixth grade will find this volume highly useful.-Sara Lissa Paulson, City-As-School High School, New York City

This thorough introduction not only gives guidance on how to organize and conduct a bilingual storytime but also details how to do effective outreach to Latinx communities. The book is half manual and half ready-to-use bilingual programs for toddlers, preschoolers, and mixed-age and family groups. The thematic, language-rich plans include songs, finger plays, and extension activities and revolve around titles written by Spanish and Latin American authors and representative of Latino cultures. The how-to section on outreach is chock-full of practical advice on programming and book and app selections. The authors feature real-life examples of librarians visiting community organizations and meeting trusted members of Latinx communities in order to communicate the library's mission. The authors emphasize the importance of "[embedding] the library as a valued and trusted community service." Included are literacy maxims in both languages and myths surrounding second language learning. Practical information on how to find and select a bilingual partner and how librarians who are not bilingual can run such programs give this text a greater readership. Much of the advice can be applied to any language group, and an extensive resource list is included. VERDICT Essential for both public and school librarians who serve the many diverse ELL populations living in the United States.-Sara Lissa Paulson, City-As-School High School, New York City

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Della Farrell is an Assistant Editor at School Library Journal and Editor of Series Made Simple

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23 YA and Middle Grade Books To Honor Hispanic Heritage Month

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This Friday, September 15, kicks off National Hispanic Heritage Month, a four-week celebration of the cultures, histories, and peoples of Spanish, Mexican, Caribbean, and Central and South American descent. The following fiction, nonfiction, and professional reading titles explore the myriad ways in which Latinx young people navigate family, friendships, school, and public life in North America-and all are unforgettable reads.