In the midst of our nation’s most recent social turmoil – following the shooting deaths of two black men in Louisiana and Minnesota, and soon after the shooting deaths of five Dallas police officers – you may find it difficult to discuss with children and young adults the images and information they’re seeing in the media.
In recent days, the Library District’s librarians, outreach leaders, and staff members have been asked for resources for parents and caregivers to use to talk to their children and young friends about diversity, social justice, race, and cultural awareness.
We’ve put together a list of library materials as well as links to outside resources that you may find helpful as you discuss these important issues in your family. By no means is this list meant to represent every resource available nor every topic around diversity, but it’s a good starting point following recent events.
As a public institution dedicated to providing universal access to information and ideas for all community members, the topics of diversity, social justice, cultural awareness, and respect are ones we take seriously.
Books for Children
A Kid’s Guide to Arab American History by Yvonne Wakim Dennis, Maha Addasi
A is for Activist by Innosanto Nagara
All the Colors We Are: the Story of How We Get our Skin Color by Katie Kissinger
Child of the Civil Rights Movement by Paula Young Shelton
Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson
Let’s Talk About Race by Julius Lester
Little You by Richard Van Camp
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: a Migrant’s Tale by Duncan Tonatiuh
Portraits of Hispanic American Heroes by Juan Felipe Herrera
Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & her Family’s Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh
Shades of Black: a Celebration of our Black Children by Sandra L. Pinkney
Smoky Night by Eve Bunting
Somewhere Today: a Book of Peace by Shelly Moore Thomas
Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold
We March by Shane W. Evans
Wings by Christopher Myers
Yo! Yes? by Chris Raschka
Books for Tweens
Blackbird Fly by Erin Entrada Kelly
Dreaming in Indian: Contemporary Native American Voices edited by Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Beth Leatherdale
Full Cicada Moon by Marilyn Hilton
If I Ever Get Out of Here by Eric Gansworth
In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse by Joseph Marshall III
Books for Teens
A Wreath for Emmett Till by Marilyn Nelson
All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose
How it Went Down by Kekla Magoon
March: Book One by John Lews and Andrew Aydin
Monster by Walter Dean Myers
No Choirboy: Murder, Violence, and Teenagers on Death Row by Susan Kuklin
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Santa Claus in Baghdad and Other Stories about Teens in the Arab World by Elsa Marston
River’s Mouth Blog
We Need Diverse Books: Middle Grade Reader Edition
We Need Diverse Books: Picture Book Edition
Other Resources
Explaining the News to Our Kids (Common Sense Media)
Talking with Kids (PBS)
Where to Find Diverse Books (We Need Diverse Books)