BELONGING IN BOOKS
“Books are sometimes windows, offering views of worlds, real or imagined, familiar or strange. These windows are also sliding glass doors, and readers need only walk-through in imagination to become a part of whatever world the author has created. When lighting conditions are just right, however, a window can also be a mirror. Literature transforms human experience and reflects it back to us, and in that reflection, we can see our own lives and experiences as part of the larger human experience. Reading, then, becomes a means of self-affirmation, and readers often seek their mirrors in books” (Rudine Sims Bishop, 1990).
When young children cannot find themselves reflected in the books they read, or when the images they see are distorted, eroded by negative stereotypes, or caricatures, their sense of self-worth can be diminished.
In an effort to bring more diverse stories, identities, and lived experiences to bookshelves in licensed child care settings across the region, the City of London engaged Strive in the development and distribution of thoughtfully curated book bundles. 15 titles were ultimately selected, assembled and distributed to all licensed child care centres and school age programs across London-Middlesex in the Fall of 2022. A separate bundle of French-language titles was also assembled.
The books selected focus on positive representation and are intended to support belonging, well-being, citizenship and empathy with and for all children and families.
It’s a Mitig!
by Bridget George
Giizis—the sun—rises. What’s hiding in the trees? It’s a Mitig! guides young readers through the forest while introducing them to Ojibwe words for nature. From sunup to sundown, encounter an amik playing with sticks and swimming in the river, a prickly gaag hiding in the bushes and a big, bark-covered mitig.
Featuring vibrant and playful artwork and an illustrated Ojibwe-to-English, It’s a Mitig! is one of the first books of its kind and was was created for young children and their families with the heartfelt desire to spark a lifelong interest in learning language.
Your Name is a Song
by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow | Illustrated by Luisa Uribe
Frustrated by a day full of teachers and classmates mispronouncing her beautiful name, a little girl tells her mother she never wants to come back to school. In response, the girl’s mother teaches her about the musicality of African, Asian, Black-American, Latinx, and Middle Eastern names on their lyrical walk home through the city. Empowered by this newfound understanding, the young girl is ready to return the next day to share her knowledge with her class. Your Name is a Song is a celebration to remind all of us about the beauty, history, and magic behind names.
Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao
by Kat Zhang | Illustrated by Charlene Chua
Meet the funny, fierce, and fearless Amy Wu, who is determined to make a perfect bao bun today. Can she rise to the occasion? Amy loves to make bao with her family. But it takes skill to make the bao taste and look delicious. And her bao keep coming out all wrong. Then she has an idea that may give her a second chance…Will Amy ever make the perfect bao?
All cultural groups deserve to be reflected in their diverse complexity. A historical lack of diversity in children’s literature however has generated decades of silence and rendered some cultural experiences invisible. Children from dominant social groups have always found their mirrors in books, but they too are impacted by a lack of books about others.
All children need books as windows that will help them understand the diverse world they live in.
In a society where racism is still one of our most significant, unresolved social issues, books afford children an opportunity to encounter people unlike themselves and life experiences unlike their own.
As mirrors, books for children can be resources for identity work. Yet close approximations are not good enough. For books to be effective mirrors, they must offer as accurate a reflection as possible. Identities are never composed of a single descriptor but are instead a rich combination of experiences, perspectives, knowledges, and cultural ways of being.
If we want our books to be mirrors, we need to invest time in really knowing our children and families in as many ways as possible and then seek out books that reflect those identities in as many ways as possible.
In some instances, we hope that these may be books included in these bundles, but for others, you may need to expand your search. And we hope you will.
Hair Twins
by Rhaakee Mirchandani | Illustrated by Holly Hatam
Every morning Papa combs through his daughter’s waves like he does his own—parting it down the middle, using coconut oil to get all the tangles out. Some days he braids her hair in two twists down the side of her face. Other days he weaves it into one long braid hanging down her back, just like a unicorn tail. But her favorite style is when he combs her hair in a tight bun on the top of her head, just like the joora he wears every day under his turban. They call this their hair twin look!
We All Play / kimêtawânaw
by Julie Flett
Animals and kids love to play! This wonderful book celebrates playtime and the connection between children and the natural world. Beautiful illustrations show: Birds who chase and chirp! Bears who wiggle and wobble! Whales who swim and squirt! Owls who peek and peep! And a diverse group of kids who love to do the same, shouting: We play too! / kimêtawânaw mîna. A beautiful ode to the animals and humans we share our world with.
The One with the Scraggly Beard
by Elizabeth Withey | Illustrated by Lynn Scurfield
A child tries to understand the life of a man he has seen sleeping under a bridge. The boy’s mother patiently answers his questions and explains how people’s life paths can be so different. The child observes the things he has in common with the man and wonders where his own path will lead. This book is defined by a simple narrative in which a child’s curiosity and perceptiveness act as catalysts for understanding fear, suffering and resilience while exploring themes of homelessness, belonging and compassion.
“As windows, books can foster curiosity, compassion, and collective action” (Grace Enriquez, 2021). Yet multicultural or diversity education is often approached as separate from or an additive to our normal daily practices in ECEC.
When diverse stories are shared in isolation, they ultimately shrink our windows and obstruct the view they offer. For our books to be effective windows, we need to go beyond single stories, single days or months of the year, and find ways to integrate diverse books throughout the day, throughout the year, and throughout the environment. We need to make them a consistent, intentional, and meaningfully integrated part of our practice and our pedagogy.
Young children may also require our support in pushing open books as sliding glass doors, sometimes too heavy for them to open alone. It is not enough to simply have diverse books in our classrooms, we need to also consider how those books are being used and supported through conversion and in play.
Think about what texts and reading practices you privilege in your work with children?
How is diversity reflected not only in the book’s content but also in the authors, languages, and writing styles?
When sharing diverse stories, are they only situated in far away places or set in the past? Or do we have current, contextual examples as well?
What opportunities are we offering for children to respond to the books we are reading that support the many languages of children? Song, mark making, dramatic play, etc.
Mommy’s Khimar
by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow | Illustrated by Ebony Glenn
A young Muslim girl spends a busy day wrapped up in her mother’s colorful headscarf in this sweet and fanciful picture book. A khimar is a flowing scarf that my mommy wears. Before she walks out the door each day, she wraps one around her head. A young girl plays dress up with her mother’s headscarves, feeling her mother’s love with every one she tries on. Charming and vibrant illustrations showcase the beauty of the diverse and welcoming community in this portrait of a young Muslim American girl’s life.
My Family, Your Family!
by Kathryn Cole | Illustrated by Cornelia Li
There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to families! This book includes a diverse array of characters and celebrates gay parents, single parents, blended families, and other family groups.
Pride Puppy!
by Robin Stevenson | Illustrated by Julie McLaughlin
This rhyming alphabet book tells a lively story, with rich, colorful illustrations that will have readers poring over every detail as they spot items starting with each of the letters of the alphabet. An affirming and inclusive book that offers a joyful glimpse of a Pride parade and the vibrant community that celebrates this day each year.
In curating these bundles we sought support from the London Public Library whose own Anti-Racism Anti-Oppression Book List helped inform our selections and who also afforded us space to assemble the bundles. Our deepest thanks for their generosity.
We additionally had the absolute privilege of working with the team from Array Books on this project.
After struggling to find high-quality books that represented all the students in their programs, as well as age-appropriate literature that introduced important aspects of the world around us, Array Books was founded.
The team at Array gather and carefully screen children’s literature for terminology, images and topics. The result is a beautiful, and ever-growing collection of visually and narratively diverse books for ages 0-12 that shine a positive light on the differences among us and prompt thought-provoking questions, suitable for any child care environment.
Array supported this project in innumerable ways, from first understanding our goals and making recommendations accordingly to ultimately coordinating the orders, shipping and delivery. We literally could not have done this without them.
To learn more about Array or engage their services, visit: Array Books (array-books.com)
A Hundred Thousand Welcomes
by Mary Lee Donovan Illustrated by Lian Cho
Welcome, come in! You are invited to travel to homes around the world in this beautifully illustrated picture book about hospitality and acceptance, which features the word “welcome” from more than fourteen languages. Enjoy this timeless story about family, friendship, empathy, and welcoming others.
Going Up!
by Sherry J. Lee | Illustrated by Charlene Chua
An elevator ride to a birthday party turns into a shared experience bursting with joy! Playfully combining the excitement and anticipation of a party with children’s universal love of riding in elevators, this picture book story is ultimately about community and a sense of belonging. With characters from many cultural backgrounds, it showcases the everyday diversity that many urban children experience.
Hats of Faith
by Medeia Cohan Illustrated by Sarah Walsh
Hats of Faith is a simple and striking introduction to the shared custom of religious head coverings. With bright images and a carefully researched interfaith text, this thoughtful book inspires understanding and celebrates our culturally diverse modern world.
Keeping the Conversations Going…
As part of this ongoing work, we have also joined The FOLD Kids Challenge!
FOLD Kids is a non-profit organization that supports readers of all ages by showcasing diverse literature and allowing children and educators to learn from writer’s and illustrator’s amazing stories.
@foldkids creates a reading prompt each month to encourage excitement about diversifying the literature in your practice. You can check out our monthly picks in the @eceresourcecentre!
These book bundles are only a small beginning. A starting point for pedagogical dialogue, an invitation to pay attention to who is represented, underrepresented, misrepresented, or even invisible on our classroom bookshelves, and an opportunity to reflect not only on what we read with children but how we are reading.
While undeniably powerful, particularly for young children, books, like anything, have their limitations. And while they won’t necessarily fix our social wrongs, they can help us to understand each other better and change attitudes towards difference.
And if we can find that one book, that one story, that really speaks to a child, even if only for a moment, we can change that child’s life.
Our cherished colleague, Lara Vlach, passed away suddenly in May 2023 at the age of 38. Lara was joyful, kind, and deeply generous. She was a passionate advocate who fiercely believed in everyone’s right to show up and be seen, valued, and loved for exactly who they are.
As a lover of children’s books, Lara contributed many thoughtful ideas and suggestions to the development of this project. We dedicate this work, and its continued evolution to her memory.
We miss you, Lara.
References
Array Books. (2023). Representation in print. https://array-books.com/
Bishop, R.S. (1990). Mirrors, windows and sliding glass doors. Perspectives: Choosing and Using Books for the Classroom, 6(3).
Botelho, M.J. (2021). Reframing mirrors, windows, and doors: A critical analysis of the metaphors for multicultural children’s literature. Journal of Children’s Literature, 47(1).
Enriquez, G. (2021). Foggy mirrors, tiny windows, and heavy doors: Beyond diverse books toward meaningful literacy instruction. The Reading Teacher, 75(1).
The FOLD. (2023). The FOLD kids challenge. https://thefoldcanada.org/webinars-activities/the-fold-kids-challenge/