Take Action for Diverse Children's Books

Here's a great report by Charlesbridge Editorial Director Yolanda Scott on the May 14 event, "A Place at the Table."

Yolanda Scott (center) listens to Francisco Stork (right)

Hosted by CBC Diversity, co-sponsored by the Center for the Study of Children’s Literature at Simmons and the Horn Book, and presented in partnership with Children’s Books Boston, the gathering featured six authors (including me) speed-dating by briefly introducing our work at each of six tables, followed by discussion questions with participants about promoting diversity in children's groups. The "diversity" being considered was broad, including race, culture, language, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and physical and mental ability.

The event

"...brought together participants from a wide variety of fields: we had teachers, principals, librarians, authors, illustrators, publishers, agents, academics, reviewers, bloggers—all united in our desire to promote and develop books that more adequately reflect the demographics and realities of the world in which we live."

The report concludes with the action items generated by participants, concrete steps that can be taken to support diverse children's literature in homes, classrooms, libraries, editorial offices, bookstores, writers groups, blogs and websites, book reviews, awards committees, book clubs, summer reading lists, and more. See if there's an idea or two you can use.

Children's Book Week

I'm delighted to be one of the children's book creators at a May 14 event in honor of Children's Book Week. It's sponsored by CBC Diversity and Children's Book Boston:

The response was so enthusiastic that the participants - only 48 - were chosen by lottery. Each book creator will spend 10 minutes at each of 6 tables, presenting our work and engaging in a (short!) discussion about diversity in children's books. A larger group discussion leading to action plans will follow. Exciting!

From the Heart

Tomorrow afternoon from 4:00-6:00, I'll be presenting a workshop for Children's Book Week at the Watertown Public Library, jointly hosted by Charlesbridge Publishing and Primary Source, which "promotes history and humanities education by connecting educators to people and cultures throughout the world."

From the Heart: Illustrating Across Race and Culture

“The literature of America should reflect the children of America.”

- Lucille Clifton –

An overview of creating 31 books about diverse people, places and cultures from the perspective of an artist who grew up bilingual and bicultural. 

Using her own experiences as an illustrator and writer depicting people of many cultures and races not her own, Anne Sibley O’Brien will explore questions of racial and cultural diversity in children's books:

• What does it mean to be a writer or illustrator creating images of children of other races, and to be an educator sharing them?

• What constitutes an authentic and respectful portrayal across race and culture?

• How can we better ensure that all of our children see themselves reflected, and gain a sense of the wideness of their world, in the books we share with them?

Here's a related blogpost, "Seeing All of Us in Diverse Children's Books," on the Charlesbridge blog, "Unabridged."