Ok, I've had it. Today I helped a teacher who was looking for picture books about dinosaurs and about weather. I found her plenty of nice books: Trouble at the Dinosaur Cafe
She was happy with these books, but especially with Rain Play
And I wracked my brain. There's the Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs
Later, I read and reviewed The Secret Olivia Told Me
And I decided, to hell with it. When parents and teachers come in looking for books that feature black kids, they ask for books about black kids. This is Baltimore. So I scrapped the euphemistic language and my new category over there to the right is "black kids". I chose "black" over "African American" because I have a ton of kids whose parents came here from Nigeria, Kenya, Cameroon.
I've retained my "diverse cultures" label. I use it for books about non-Western and aboriginal cultures. I've also retained the "diversity" label. Click that category and you'll find books featuring people with physical, mental, or social differences.
It bugs the crap out of me that American kids of color are STILL underrepresented in children's fiction. I implore anyone writing a children's book: take a look at your cast of characters and see if there's any reason why they all have to be white. And I'm not talking some sassy sidekick, either. See Tip in The True Meaning of Smekday
Done.
(nb: I am not picking on the authors whose work I reference above. Lynn Plourde is especially ecumenical in presenting all kinds of kids.)
2 comments:
Jerdine Nolan wrote the v. sweet RAISING DRAGONS, which ain't dinos but comes close.
Don't you love that book? I had the opportunity to meet Jerdine Nolen once and I just thanked her and thanked her.
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