Online Resources for Diverse Children’s Literature

BY GRACE ENRIQUEZ & DENISE DÁVILA

In the emergency shift to remote learning, educators and parents sought and found a plethora of video read-alouds and digital libraries of children’s books. This heartened us, as these resources offered access to reading material that many children wouldn’t be able to obtain otherwise.

Now that the school year is winding down, and the initial rush to cobble together online books has abated, we take a moment to reflect on the range of online books and resources available for children. Specifically, as educators committed to social justice, we wondered where we could turn to (a) continue sharing children’s literature with our students to support our goals of diversity, inclusion, and equity, and (b) learn more about recently published youth literature created by and for members of minoritized groups.  It wasn’t surprising that what is currently available online reflects the massive gap in books about, for, and by diverse communities and underscores the greater need for more diverse books for children overall. In an attempt to close that gap and promote understanding about why diverse books matter--especially now during this global pandemic and in light of the systemic racism, police brutality, and health disparities that our country is currently facing--we have curated a list of online professional guides, blogs, conversations, and other resources.

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WEBSITES,  BLOGS, & PODCASTS - IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER

A Diversity & Cultural Literacy Toolkit
"A list of recommended resources, including articles, videos, and other content, used in our various in-person and virtual training sessions and workshops on diversity and cultural literacy for librarians."

American Indians in Children's Literature
"Established in 2006, American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL) provides critical perspectives and analysis of indigenous peoples in children's and young adult books, the school curriculum, popular culture, and society."

Asian/Pacific American Libraries Association
“APALA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing leadership opportunities through informed dialogue that addresses the needs of Asian/Pacific American librarians and those who serve APA communities.”

The Brown Bookshelf
"A group of authors and illustrators who came together to push awareness of the myriad of African American voices writing for young readers."

CBC Diversity Committee
"The CBC Diversity initiative was founded in 2012, as part of the Children’s Book Council’s commitment to promoting diverse voices in literature for young people. We believe that all children deserve to see their world reflected in the books they read. We recognize that diversity takes on many forms, including differences in race, religion, gender, geography, sexual orientation, class, and ability."

De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children
"De Colores reviews and critiques children's and young adult books about Raza peoples throughout the Diaspora. "

Disability in Kid Lit
"Disability in Kidlit is dedicated to discussing the portrayal of disability in middle grade and young adult literature. We publish articles, reviews, interviews, and discussions examining this topic from various angles—and always from the disabled perspective."

I'm Your Neighbor
"I’m Your Neighbor is a project which promotes the use of children’s literature featuring “new arrival” cultures and groups to engage the entire community in a discussion of commonalities and differences. The project features a recommended list of books and an evolving list of engagement projects for educators, librarians, and community organizations who seek to build bridges."

International Children’s Digital Library
“A Library for the World's Children.”

Las Musas
"The first collective of women and non-binary (identifying on the female spectrum) Latinx middle-grade (MG), picture book (PB), and young adult (YA) authors to come together in an effort to support and amplify each other’s debut or sophomore novels in US children’s literature."

Latinxs in Kid Lit
"Exploring the world of Latinx YA, MG and children's literature."

Minorities in Publishing
"MiP is a podcast discussing diversity (or lack thereof) in the book publishing industry with other professionals working in-house as well as authors and those in the literary scene."

Mirrors Windows Doors
"An online magazine whose aim is to draw attention to the riches of children’s and YA books from across the world that highlight cultural and multi-cultural diversity."

More Diverse
A student-started database which helps readers find "diverse alternatives to standard texts."

The Pirate Tree
"A collective of children’s and young adult writers interested in children’s literature and social justice issues."

Reading While White
"Allies for racial diversity and inclusion in books for children and teens."

Rich in Color
"Rich in Color is dedicated to reading, reviewing, talking about, and otherwise promoting young adult fiction starring people of color or written by people of color."

School Library Journal - Diversity and Cultural Literacy Syllabus
Links to articles and other resources on reading and evaluating diverse literature.

Social Justice Books: A Teaching for Change Project
"The best selection of multicultural and social justice books for children, YA, and educators."

We Are Kid Lit Collective
"The We Are Kid Lit Collective works to create materials and opportunities to recognize the humanity of Indigenous and People of Color (IPOC) in youth literature."

We Need Diverse Books
“Our aim is to help produce and promote literature that reflects and honors the lives of all young people.”
 
Welcoming Schools 
“HRC Foundation's Welcoming Schools is the nation's premier professional development program providing training and resources to elementary school educators to embrace all families, create LGBTQ and gender inclusive schools, prevent bias-based bullying, and support transgender and non-binary students.”

Grace Enriquez is a Professor of Language and Literacy at Lesley University and a past recipient of the CLA Research Award.
Denise Dávila is an Assistant Professor of Language and Literacy Studies at the University of Texas, Austin and a CLA member.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay