Chapter 16: Why Children Need More Diverse Books

 Taken from a Q&A with Ebony Elizabeth Thomas (Penn Graduate School of Education expert on Children's Literature) on April 9, 2018. "It's not just kids of color, kids from the margins who need diverse literature and media. It's all kids who need all stories about all kinds of people."  Let that sink in...ALL children need diverse literature with diverse characters and topics. In this Q&A session, Thomas discusses the need for writers to be aware of how they portray characters of different races in literature. Many times literature that includes races other than that of the author, portrays a stereotype or focuses on the pain and suffering of a particular race or group of people. Children of color, children with disabilities, LGBTQ and trans kids need literature where characters like them are just every day people. Their race or "differences" do not need to play a particular role or a particular stereotype. Characters should just be represented as human. 

Teachers need to find balance of stories for students from all backgrounds. Parents can also play a role by becoming aware of the importance of racial representation in literature. Children need a variety of literature, media, and video games where race/ethnicity is not always the main topic. Some great sites to find reviews and book lists for diversity include We Need Diverse Books, Lee & Low Books, Teaching for Change, and Teaching Tolerance.