While the United States population has become increasingly diverse over the last few decades, the variety of children’s and young adult literature has yet to reflect those changing demographics. Books should act as a mirror so that students see themselves reflected in the characters and story within, they should act as a window for students to gain a glimpse into others’ lives, and a sliding glass door to allow students to traverse between different groups and cultures. Unfortunately majority of books are still focused around one main group of individuals — middle class, male, and white. Within the classroom, as well as afterschool and summer programs providing opportunities for reading, it’s imperative the variety of books be diverse in nature. Students learn from the books they read – they gain a sense of self, of where they belong in the world, awareness of and tolerance for people that are different from themselves, and greater cultural understanding. When students see characters like themselves in books it makes them all the more motivated to continue reading, to find more characters that reflect who they are and/or where they come from. Take a look at the books on your shelf and consider if various groups are represented in feature roles and that the book itself is of high quality, refraining from reinforcing stereotypes. Diversity of characters includes considerations about:
- – Race
- – Ethnicity
- – Sexual identity
- – Gender
- – Possible disability
- – Religion
- – Socio-economic status
- – Family dynamic
Let’s make sure all of our students are represented in the stories we’re sharing!
