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Sharing Books We “Love” to Support On-Going Work During Troubling Times

2/13/2024

 

By Adam Crawley and Elizabeth Bemiss on behalf of the CLA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity Committee

We are living and navigating in troubling times. Across the country, educators (e.g., K-12 teachers, librarians, teacher educators, etc.) experience censorship of and challenges to texts that center historically marginalized races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, and other ways of being. In several states (e.g., Florida, Georgia, Utah), legislation explicitly restricts such representations and discussions in K-12+ schools. Simultaneously, cities across the country are supporting newcomers bussed from the U.S.-Mexico border, and schools and libraries specifically are trying to aid these families with daily needs (e.g., food, shelter) and other aspects (e.g., school transitions, providing books in Spanish). Meanwhile, unrest in Africa, the Middle East, and Ukraine continue to weigh heavily on many of our minds and hearts; mass shootings in schools and other public settings remain prevalent; and the upcoming 2024 U.S. Presidential election causes increased tension across politically opposed ideologies. In the midst of all of this, we want to retain hope. We also know that reading and discussing children’s literature with youth can be vital for promoting social justice.

To support educators’ on-going work - and in the spirit of Valentine’s Day week - we asked 2023 and 2024 CLA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity (DEI) Committee members to share about books they “love” for their representation and ability to foster DEI work. While we recognize that no single book can address all of the world’s current complexities, we hope the recommendations in this list are helpful resources and provide a sense of solidarity for your own contexts.
Book cover: Bathe the Cat
Bathe the Cat
by Alice B. McGinty, illustrations by David Roberts (February 2022, Chronicle Books)

​I read this book as part of my sabbatical research that I completed (in part) at the Center for Research in the Humanities at the New York Public Library. I love the representation of diversity in race, gender, and sexual orientation in this wonderfully loving family, but it’s the cat who steals the show! Teachers can use this book to talk about doing chores and organizing for visitors.  Students will crack up about the shenanigans that can happen when directions get mixed up! Such a fun book! (contributor: Craig A. Young)

Contenders: Two Native Baseball Players, One World Series 
by Traci Sorell, illustrations by Arigon Starr (April 2023, Kokila)

I first learned about this book at the 2023 CLA breakfast and read it immediately. The book is complex and gripping. The contrast between the tension in the media versus the camaraderie portrayed between the Native American athletes speaks volumes about the construction of Native Americans in the U.S. The childhoods of each of the players were fascinating. The artistry by Arigon Starr depicts art that is rooted to each of the athlete’s tribes. Apart from the compelling story, Sorell provides information about other Native baseball players until today, quotes, and an author’s note. (contributor: Laura Ascenzi-Moreno)
​
Book cover: Contenders
Book cover: Forget Me Not
Forget Me Not
by Ellie Terry (May 2018, Square Fish)

As a neurodivergent reader, I love middle grade stories that share the realities of our existence without relying on stereotypes or assumptions, especially when those stories are by neurodivergent creators. One great example is Forget Me Not by Ellie Terry, a dual-perspective novel - half in verse - about a young girl with Tourette’s syndrome (TS). (It’s important to note that the book’s author has TS, too.) It’s a story of friendship and hope and rejecting the idea that it’s better if you hide—your TS, your neurodivergence, who you are. Terry eloquently recognizes the difficulty, but also the brilliance, in finding your own voice and being your most authentic self. (contributor: Jennifer Slagus)
Book cover: Jo Jo Makoons
Book cover: Jo Jo Makoons Fancy Pants
Book cover: Jo Jo Makoons Snow Day
Jo Jo Makoons Series
by Dawn Quigley, illustrations by Tara Audibert (Heartdrum)

Native Americans have a great love of laughter. In this series, author Dawn Quigley (Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe) introduces a spunky seven-year-old named Jo Jo Makoons who lives on an Ojibwe reservation. Jo Jo’s worldview is truly one-of-a-kind as she learns to be friendly, fancy, and imaginative. I love Jo Jo’s hilarious adventures, which are similar to a younger Amelia Bedelia experience. Readers will meet Jo Jo’s Ojibwe family and community (and her pet cat Mimi) as she moves through contemporary, everyday events. Illustrator Tara Audibert (Wolastoqiyik First Nation heritage) adds her comical, cartoon-style artwork to each story in the series. First and second-grade readers will make connections with Jo Jo’s realistic experiences, her feelings in those situations, and learn how she solves her problems. These books are upbeat and humorous, making them a very enjoyable read. (contributor: Andrea M. Page Hunkpapa Lakota)
Book cover: Our Skin
Our Skin: A First Conversation about Race 
by Megan Madison and Jessica Ralli, illustrations by Isabel Roxas (May 2021, Rise x Penguin Workshop)
​
Have you ever struggled with finding the language to talk about race and racism with young children? In Our Skin: A First Conversation about Race, authors Megan Madison, Jessica Ralli and Isabel Roxas provide a template for building children’s (and adults’) racial awareness and racial literacy in simple language. Madison and Ralli’s straightforward language introduces terms like skin color, race, racism, and injustice, while Roxas’s art showcases our commonalities and differences in physical attributes that children will likely recognize. Dismantling racism is a centuries-long process that will likely continue into our future. As difficult as it may be, it is necessary to keep the conversation going. As author and activist James Baldwin once said, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” This book provides a pathway for parents, teachers, and librarians to face and dismantle racism by creating a brave space to have more courageous conversations with young readers. (contributor: Nadine Bryce)
The House that Lou Built 
by Mae Respicio (June 2018, Wendy Lamb Books)

Growing up as a first generation Filipina-American, I never saw myself or my lived experiences reflected in any book I read as a child. I am beyond thrilled that Filipinx and Filipinx-American writers and Filipinx-American characters are finally represented in children’s literature. While the work of Newbery Medalist Erin Entrada Kelly may be most known, I wanted to share the work of Mae Respicio as well. The House That Lou Built is one of Respicio’s novels that I would recommend for upper elementary and middle school readers. The protagonist, Lou, defies gender and cultural stereotypes to make her dream of building a tiny house come true, especially when she realizes what is at stake. A coming-of-age novel that is full of family, friendships, Filipino culture, and heart. (contributor: Grace Enriquez)
Book cover: The House That Lou Built
Book cover: The Year We Learned to Fly
The Year We Learned to Fly
by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrations by Rafael López (January 2022, Nancy Paulsen Books)

In The Year We Learned To Fly, young readers living in cities see the setting they call home represented in familiar ways.  Woodson draws our attention to nature with mentions of spring rain and the early darkness that accompanies autumn in her story of a brother and sister struggling with boredom. The fashionable Afrocentric grandmother encourages her granddaughter and grandson to use their imagination and helps them to see the world in new ways. The grandmother’s wisdom and sense of history becomes their own. I love the homage to Virginia Hamilton’s The People Could Fly in the story, afterword, and in Lopez’s illustrations. There are beautiful ties to the African American literary tradition related to flying. The book lends to discussions about imagination and ancestry linked to enslavement. (contributor: Susan Browne)
This is Our House 
by Hyewon Yum (April 2023, Square Fish)

This Is Our House, written and illustrated by Hyewon Yum, shows one “normal” Korean American family’s growth in the United States. In the house in New York, babies grow, become adults, and get married. Seen from a granddaughter's viewpoints, this book showcases that Asians are also one of the fabric of the United States. This book also shows interracial marriage as a part of the story. The story and illustrations are peaceful on the surface, however, teachers and students can share their own diverse aspects of their own families, which should be considered as “normal” in the first place. (contributor: Eun Young Yeom) ​
Book cover: This is Our House
Book cover: We Still Belong
We Still Belong
by Christine Day (August 2023, Heartdrum)

I love how We Still Belong by Christine Day showcases the importance of Native heritage, the impact of stereotypes, the value of kindness, and the importance of community all while captivating young readers. Indigenous People’s Day is a central part of the story, and it can inspire readers to learn more about this day and its significance. This book is perfect for beginning discussions about exploring one's identity and what it really means to belong. The publisher created an Educator Guide that will help with discussions. (contributor: Kasey Short)
These poignant and powerful texts that are well loved by CLA DEI committee members illuminate many issues surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion. These texts speak to issues of race, gender, heritage, and sexual orientation, to name a few, and could be used in the classroom to evaluate the impact of stereotypes or assumptions, to face and dismantle racism, to highlight the value of kindness, or to provide a realistic portrayal of diversity for readers to see themselves and their lived experiences represented in texts.

As delineated in the CLA Bylaws, the DEI committee encompasses a steadfast commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusivity within CLA:
 
"The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity Committee Chair and members shall help ensure CLA’s commitment to issues of diversity, equity, and inclusivity. The committee shall help create and/or review CLA policies and position statements shared with CLA members and/or the greater public. The committee shall work with membership and nominating committees for recruitment as well as help distribute calls for CLA-related applications. Committee members shall also serve as resources for CLA Standing Committee Chairs when they are developing materials and programs." 
 
For more information about the DEI committee, please contact committee chairs Adam Crawley ([email protected]) or Elizabeth Bemiss ([email protected]).
Adam Crawley is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the School of Education at the University of Colorado-Boulder. He serves as the 2023 and 2024 CLA DEI Committee chair.

Elizabeth Bemiss is an Associate Professor in the School of Education at the University of West Florida. She is a CLA Board Member and chair of the 2023 and 2024 CLA DEI Committee.

The Politics of Black Hair: Using Children’s and Young Adult Literature to Teach and Affirm Black Identity

4/20/2022

 

By Tiffeni Fontno

Hair plays a vital role in a Black person’s identity, especially as Black children grapple with understanding how they belong. Historically, Black hairstyles originating from Africa could identify a region, a person’s age, religion, or status in society, and in some cultures, hair has spiritual connections (Dabiri, 2020).

Reintroduced into the conversation through The Crown Act, even in education, Black hair has been policed through discriminatory school codes and policy standards, widening the marginalization against culturally inclusive, responsive, and sustainable identity practices. 

Black hair has been subjected to colorism, discrimination based on color, and texturism; the belief that certain hair textures are better than others. Based on enslavement and Western standards of beauty,  the idea of "good hair," straight more European, and "bad hair," hair that is curlier and kinkier, creates a standard of sociocultural standards that are a source of contention to this very day (Byrd, 2001). 

Culturally responsive teaching involves incorporating culture, knowledge, language, perspectives, and experiences into the curriculum and instruction for more engaging and meaningful learning experiences (Ladson-Billings, 2009). Educators may not be culturally proficient or prepared through teacher education programs to connect with the nuances of relationship building and teaching diverse student populations (Gay, 2002). In this post, I share books and resources for educators to learn and understand the importance of the representation and appreciation of Black hair for students from kindergarten through-8th grade. 

History

Covers of Chimbiri’s non-fiction book The Story of Afro Hair & Yarborough's Cornrows
The Story of Afro Hair (Upper-Elementary-High School) 
Centered from a Black British perspective, Chimbiri’s non-fiction book The Story of Afro Hair sensitively tells a detailed account of the history of Black hair. This stylized journey details hairdos, products, innovations, the science of Black hair, and the philosophy behind styles, like locks. 

Also included in the back matter are a glossary and additional references.

Cornrows (Elementary-Middle School) 
Cornrows is a fictional story that intertwines and connects the history and pride of Black culture through hair design. Released in 1997, Yarbrough's book, told through the storytelling of Great-Grammaw, inspires pride, hope, and courage. 

Both books provide an entryway to a discussion on Black hairstyles, through cultural understanding and historical significance. 


Hair Care

Bedtime Bonnet (Elementary) 
Nancy Redd’s Bedtime Bonnet shows the Black experience of the nighttime hair routine, which many people of African descent experience. The illustrator Nneka Myers does a beautiful job showing the different textures of hair and preparation.

Know your Hairitage: Zara’s Wash Day (Elementary-Middle School)
Know your Hairitage: Zara’s Wash Day by Zenda Walker and illustrated by Princess Karibo tells the story of Zara, who is frustrated by the weekly ritual of wash day and not having silky straight hair. While doing Zara’s hair, her Mom explains the cultural significance and connection of different styles to regions of Africa and the Rastafari influence, which gives Zara a greater appreciation of her identity. The back matter has a glossary of hairstyles, geographical and cultural terms. 

Hair Love (Elementary)
Hair Love by Matthew Cherry follows a father who bravely takes on the challenge of doing his daughter Zuri’s hair for the first time. Using online video tutorials this story shows, dad navigating products and accessories to try and create the perfect hairdo to make Zuri happy.
Covers of Bedtime Bonnet, Know your Hairitage, & Hair Love

International Books

covers of Bad Hair Does Not Exist!/Pelo Malo No Existe!  & Bintou’s Braids
The following books provide insight into Black hair stories and perspectives beyond America to understand the prevalence of Black hair stigma and culture internationally.

​Bad Hair Does Not Exist!/Pelo Malo No Existe! (Elementary-Middle School) 
Author Sulma Arzu-Brown's bilingual book uses different phrases to describe kinky, curly hair to counter the negativity of the term ‘pelo malo’ while instilling pride and self-worth. This book is framed through the Afro-Latinx perspective and identity. Arzu-Brown words are culturally affirming throughout the story by reiterating that bad hair doesn’t exist. 

Bintou’s Braids (Elementary-Middle School)
Bintou’s Braids by Sylvaine A. Diouf, is the Senegalese story of a young girl who impatiently wants the longer, more complex, braided hairstyles of the women in her village. We learn about the culture of maturation from girlhood to womanhood in understanding self-acceptance and identity through this story. Bintou learns the lesson of patience and enjoying being a child instead of receiving things immediately.

Don't Touch

Don’t Touch My Hair (Elementary-Middle School) 
Don’t Touch My Hair by Sharee Miller addresses the importance of agency and boundaries. This book gives a funny take on a serious topic of cultural curiosity, permission, and understanding differences.

Can I touch Your Hair? (Elementary)
Told in paired poems,  Qualls and Alko’s Can I touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship, explores race through navigating childhood friendships. The story centers on Irene and Charles, who are classmates working together on a 5th-grade poetry project. They struggle, awkwardly negotiating challenging moments to relate to one another while working on completing their school project.  

Picture

Boys and Barbershops

Covers of El Primer Corte Mestiza de Fuquan/Furqan &  Crown: Ode to the Fresh Cut
Barbershops are a significant space in the Black community, especially for Black males. The following books provide perspectives on the barbershop experience.  

El Primer Corte Mestiza de Fuquan/Furqan's First Flat Top (Elementary) 
Robert Liu-Trujillo’s bilingual story of Furqan who wants a cool new haircut as he anxiously visits the barbershop for the first time.

Crown: Ode to the Fresh Cut (Elementary-Middle School) 
The story, Crown: Ode to the Fresh Cut, authored by Derrick Barnes and illustrated by Gordon James, pays tribute to the barbershop as a community space by experiencing the ‘glow-up’ and joy of getting the perfect cut that gives the feeling that anything is possible.

Educator Preparation

In addition to resources in the blog, I’ve created a K-12 guide that lists trade books about the culture of Black hair, providing background knowledge for educators. Books, journal articles, news stories about policing Black hair, and The Crown Act legislation are included. The resources accumulated provide context to creating discussion and ways of knowing in relating and relaying Black culture to validate, teach and normalize cultural differences of hair in affirm student identities.  

 

Boston College Libraries
ERC Libguide

Black Hair in Children’s Literature

References

Byrd, & Tharps, Lori L. (2001). Hair story : untangling the roots of Black hair in America (1st ed.). St. Martin's Press. 
 
Dabiri. (2020). Twisted : the tangled history of black hair culture (First U.S. edition.). Harper Perennial. 

Gay, G. (2002). Preparing for Culturally Responsive Teaching. Journal of Teacher Education, 53(2), 106–116. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487102053002003  

Ladson-Billings, G. (2009). The dreamkeepers: Successful teachers of African American children (2nd ed..). Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Tiffeni Fontno is Head Librarian at the Educational Resource Center of Boston College Libraries. She is a former classroom teacher and school librarian.
Social Media:
Instagram: @bcerclibrary 
Twitter: @ResourceBc 

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