Why Diversity In Children’s Books Is Important, A Framework For Cultivating A Multicultural Library And A List Of Books Reviewed

This project was inspired by the recent book bannings and censorship in education bills that have been popping up across the country. I had only heard of a few, but this was not an isolated instance. 137 of these bills have been introduced across 35 states. I knew these bills were bad news, but wanted to look into the research and theory that proves that. Unfortunately, these bills are still a recent phenomenon so there is not much research to be found. I decided the best place to begin was to look at the importance of a multicultural library. Multicultural libraries are important for several reasons. They improve student engagement in reading, improve empathy in students, and tell students they matter. I also wanted to look into how to build a multicultural library and found a set of criteria for evaluating books from the Essentials of Children’s Literature, Ninth Edition textbook, written by Short, K., Lynch-Brown, C., & Tomlinson, C. These criteria are as follows: 1. Authenticity of cultural beliefs author/illustrator insider’s perspective?; 2. Accuracy of cultural details (such as food, clothing, homes, speech patterns, etc.); 3. Integration of culturally authentic language; 4. Power relationships between characters; 5. Perspectives and audience; 6. Balance between historic and contemporary views of groups; 7. Adequate representation of any group within a collection of books. I’ve also evaluated some books for a multicultural library, focusing on African-American literature to allow a deep dive. These books include An American Story and The Undefeated, both by Kwame Alexander, Black Girl Magic, by Mahogany Brown, I Am Every Good Thing, by Derrick Barnes, Knock Knock: My Dad’s Dream for Me, written by Daniel Beaty, Hair Love, by Matthew A. Cherry, and Mae Among The Stars, by Roda Ahmed.