Stumbled upon this article in my twitter feed, an article by Elizabeth Bird on expanding our literary horizons to include literature from abroad. The #weneeddiversebooks campaign, Bird argues, should also include comics books, easy reading books, chapter books, etc.
I don't mean any disrespect to Ms. Bird, as I DO agree with her article. However, as a person of color with a small child, this is nothing new, and has been my reality for years. I have always tried to make sure the characters the books I select for my daughter reflect her appearance, if possible, and her experience. Oddly enough, it was much easier (in my experience) to find picture books with diverse characters than it is to find chapter books/middle grade books with diverse characters.
I'm curious about your experiences, readers. What do you do (if anything) to ensure your children's reading experiences are broad and (sometimes I hate this word, but it fits here) diverse? What are your favorite titles?
To read Ms. Bird's article, click here.
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