Seeing ourselves reflected in the books that we read and love has a major impact on our self-perception, self-worth, and self-confidence. As such, teachers and caregivers have a duty to create a reading list that reflects as many student experiences as possible.
This is no easy task: a student who is both BIPOC and autistic, for example, may not feel represented in “Rain Reign” (a story about a White fifth graders with autism). Below, we’ve adapted Jonda C. McNair’s “#WeNeedMirrorsAndWindows”, a guide to making your library as inclusive as possible. Along with that, we’ve attached an example reading list (also from McNair’s “#WeNeedMirrorsAndWindows”) with books that reflect diversity along lines of race, class, language, religion, and disability.
We know that the task of diversifying your library can be a daunting one, but FLI is here to help. FLI’s Education and Training Specialist, Pranoo Kumar, hosts a weekly “Shades of Brown” Read Aloud Time! Uploaded to Instagram TV, Pranoo reads a new book each week focused on BIPOC children and their experiences. You can find them here!
Keep following FLI for a glimpse into best practices for culturally aware asynchronous read-aloud practices in Pk-2nd grade!
Example reading list:
