National Library Week: Librarians Share Thoughts on Multicultural Books
Help us kick off National Library Week 2016 with a bang! This year’s theme is Libraries Transform, reminding all Americans that today’s libraries are not just about what we have for people, but what we do for and with people.
Head to your public, school or academic library during National Library Week to see what’s new and take part in the celebration. Libraries across the country are participating.
Find more ways to celebrate National Library Week at ilovelibraries.org. To learn more about what’s happening in today’s libraries visit librariestransform.org
Honorary Chair for National Library Week 2016 is Gene Luen Yang, award-winning graphic novelist and the 2016-2017 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature.
As you may already know, much of my book focus these last 6-8 months has been on multicultural children’s books. As co-founder of Multicultural Children’s Book Day, our initiative has been to get picture books into the hands of under-served kids who would benefit from seeing themselves in the pages of a book. I personally think this focus fits nicely with the theme of National Library Week so I thought I would poll some librarians to discover what their biggest challenges are with diversity children’s books and what areas they could use some help with.
Here are their thoughts:
Jolene Bradley, Brainerd Public Library manager (Minnesota)
Q:When it comes to multicultural children’s books, what do librarians struggle with the most?
Jolene: I think that one of the hardest parts of trying to having a well-balanced children’s collection is to find a variety of books within our normal parameters of ordering and within our budget. We are seeing a growing number of regular series books incorporating in Spanish and multiple races but the message isn’t always as strong as it could be… but it is a start! We now have the norm of Dora, Deigo, Handy Mandy and more bring the Spanish language and a bit of the culture into the regular story. We hope this trend will increase with other cultures and languages over time. Something that will become the norm rather than the exception.
Q:What is lacking with diversity books that they could use help with? Is it creative displays to get titles in front of young readers? Having quality books on and with multicultural themes?
Jolene: I think that at times the diversity books can tend to be a bit more serious. I would like to show my son through the books that I read him that a mix of races and cultures can be an amazing combination. Bringing different strengths together to solve problems.
I also think that one of the best ways to incorporate books with diversity is with well-loved characters. Even pigs, bears and elephants can express diversity in a meaningful way! Sesame Street has done an amazing job of doing this throughout the years. Overall, I think it is just important to let authors and publishers know that we strive for diversity in our children’s books and truly appreciate what it can bring to our children and our future.
Q:When it comes to multicultural children’s books, what do librarians struggle with the most? What is lacking with diversity books that they could use help with?
Quality books containing diverse characters. It’s hard to get books into their hands if the books don’t exist.-Pam Margolis from An Unconventional Librarian,
I think all librarians would like to see more good quality multicultural books written for the age of the child, not ones filled with stereotypes or complicated information. The good books that do exist are not getting in front of librarians because they don’t show up in the guides and periodicals that they turn to for book reviews, etc. This is especially true for books from small presses or indie books. If we could be made more aware of these high-quality diversity children’s books, it would help-Amy Muscoplat Bruker, Children’s Librarian, Storyteller and Kids’ Coding Instructor.
Multicultural Book Recommendations
TOP TEN Read-Aloud Books for Students with Special Needs by Aimee Owens
Amazing Multicultural Books-A Wisdom Tales Press Booklist
Esperanza Rising Book Review & Activity
19 Books Celebrating China with Author Demi
33 Latino Middle Grade Chapter Books You Should Know
More Excellent Book Recommends HERE!
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Looking for more ways to not only get your youngsters reading, but get them OUTSIDE as well? Enjoy more month-by-month activities based on the classic children’s tale, The Secret Garden! A Year in the Secret Garden is a delightful children’s book with over 120 pages, with 150 original color illustrations and 48 activities for your family and friends to enjoy, learn, discover and play with together. AND, it’s on sale for a limited time! Grab your copy ASAP and “meet me in the garden!” More details HERE!
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