We have an opportunity to use our Summer Reading to move forward in our essential, ongoing conversations about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion here at Wheeler.
Soon after Spring Break each year, all of you receive an email from one of us in the library asking you to send us your summer reading lists. With three or so weeks left before we leave for break, teachers have the opportunity to reflect on our Summer Reading choices and can consider some additional selections that will resonate with our students. From what I have seen over the years, I think we, as a community, ask students to read over the summer to prevent the “summer slide”; keep up their reading skills; read a book that pertains to an aspect of the curriculum at the start of the year and hopefully help develop the life-long habit of reading. In summer reading, we have a terrific chance now to consider some different criteria: Do each of our students find themselves in the books we have chosen? Do the books provide a window for students to examine and explore lived experiences that differ from their own? Will the kids enjoy the books and will they feel they are relevant to their lives? How could the insights they gain from these books be carried into or throughout the school year?
Books in which kids see themselves and others, allow our students to share in the joys and trials faced by the characters in a more impactful and personal way.
As a community we have talked about the power of getting diverse books into the hands of our students by assigning them for class and including them in our classroom libraries. Many of you are familiar with the concept of Mirrors, Windows and Sliding Glass Doors introduced by Rudine Sims Bishop in 1990. She posits that children need to see themselves reflected in the books they read (mirror), and see into the world of (window) and experience the lives of people who are different from themselves (sliding doors) in order to make sense of their world and feel empathy for others. I recently read a blog post by Mary Ellen Flannery, on the NEA Today blog. In the article she mentions how middle grade author Torrey Maldonaldo’s mother gave him a copy of The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats when he was in the 3rd grade and how it was the first time he had seen himself and his neighborhood in a book. “I thought that book was me! I thought the mother was my mom. What made that book so precious to me is it took my neighborhood and made me see the magic in it.” Books like this, in which kids see themselves and others, allow our students to share in the joys and trials faced by the characters in a more impactful and personal way.
We want to make sure to include books that focus on the joys in life as well as the struggles that Black and Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) face.
Not only do we need diverse books that reflect the varied experiences of our students, but we also need to help children develop empathy and understanding in others. Recently there has been buzz about what are referred to as #ownvoices books. As a library department we compiled a list of the best #ownvoices books from 2020. As Kate Covintree shared in the introduction to the list, #ownvoices are books in which both the author and principal character “share a marginalized but socially significant identity be it race, ability-difference, sexual orientation, or other lived experience.” Reading and discussing these books as a class can lead to discussions that start with how a character maneuvers situations that lead to larger discussions about social justice and anti-racism. This is especially important in our school because, as Flannery states in the same article, “Often white students don’t have windows into the racism their peers face--and if they don’t see it, they can’t help stop it.” We have an opportunity to use our Summer Reading to move forward in our essential, ongoing conversations about DEI here at Wheeler.
We also want to make sure we include books that focus on the joys in life as well as the struggles people face. We don’t want children to mistakenly believe the single narrative that BIPOC lives are only about their oppression. We want children to understand the full scope and complexities of real lives lived.
Over the years we have worked hard to develop a diverse collection of books in our libraries. Below you will find a list of suggestions of books that I have read this year. This is not meant to be a comprehensive list--just some examples of books written by authors of color that I think would make good summer reading books and lead to great classroom discussion. These books are mostly geared to the grades I teach, so reach out to your division librarians for their recommendations. We love being asked to help develop lists and have lots of suggestions for new titles.
We also want to make sure we include books that focus on the joys in life as well as the struggles people face. We don’t want children to mistakenly believe the single narrative that BIPOC lives are only about their oppression. We want children to understand the full scope and complexities of real lives lived.
Over the years we have worked hard to develop a diverse collection of books in our libraries. Below you will find a list of suggestions of books that I have read this year. This is not meant to be a comprehensive list--just some examples of books written by authors of color that I think would make good summer reading books and lead to great classroom discussion. These books are mostly geared to the grades I teach, so reach out to your division librarians for their recommendations. We love being asked to help develop lists and have lots of suggestions for new titles.
A few possible summer reading books written by authors of color:
Becoming Muhammad Ali by James Patterson and Kwame Alexander. Grades 4 and up. This book is this year’s selection for Kids Read Across Rhode Island. Do you have major sports fans? Somewhat reluctant readers? This will surely appeal to both. In this fictionalized account of Muhammad Ali’s childhood, authors Patterson and Alexander alternate chapters between the two main characters. Alexander writes the chapters from Ali’s point of view in a free verse format, capturing Ali’s charm, sense of fun, work ethic, ability to stand up in the face of oppression and his tremendous athletic abilities. Patterson’s chapters are from the point of view of Ali’s fictional best friend Lucky.
The Forgotten Girl by India Hill Brown. Grades 4 and up. Let me just say that you would want to include this book on a list for kids to choose from. This book is SCARY. That, of course, doesn’t appeal to all children, but for those who do like scary, this is sure to be a favorite. Iris and Daniel are best friends and both kids are going through a tough time. One night they meet in the woods between their homes and Iris lies down in the snow to make a snow angel. When she gets up she realizes that she has inadvertently made her snow angel on the grave of a girl named Avery, who was buried in a now forgotten segregated cemetery. She begins to haunt Iris in her dreams. Iris and Daniel research the segregated cemeteries and the legacy of racism in their community in order to help Avery find peace.
What if a Fish by Anika Fajarado. Grades 4 and up. I loved this book. The main character is Little Eddie. His best friend has moved to New York and Little Eddie faces a summer without his best friend. He meets Cameron, a girl with a strong sense of herself, in the day camp program and convinces her to be his partner in a fishing contest. This contest is one that his father won years before. His dad, who was from Colombia, died when Little Eddie was young and he barely remembers him. Little Eddie hopes that this will help him reconnect with his father. Neither he nor Cameron have ever fished before. LIttle Eddie can’t wait until his half-brother who lives in Colombia comes to visit this summer. Those plans change when Big Eddie’s abuela becomes ill and Big Eddie must stay to help her. LIttle Eddie ends up flying to Colombia at Abuela’s request. He spends a month getting to know Big Eddie’s Abuela and learning about his Colombian heritage. When Little Eddie returns to Minneapolis, Cameron has new friends who don’t like Little Eddie and he still has no idea how to fish. This is a beautiful story about friendship and family.
If you’re looking for a new series for kids to connect with, Mindy Kim is one that I think kids will love. The first in the series is Mindy Kim and the Yummy Seaweed Business by Lyla Lee (Grades 2 and up). Korean-American Mindy has moved from California to Florida. On her first day in her new school kids make fun of her lunch of kimchi, seaweed, eggs and rice. People’s opinions change when Mindy shares her seaweed snacks with her white classmate Sally who loves them and suddenly everyone wants to try them. She and Sally decide to sell the snacks to help Mindy raise money for the puppy she is trying to convince her dad to let her get. Things get messy from there. This book would provide a good classroom discussion about microaggressions and the experience of being BIPOC in a predominantly white school.
Considering a new biography? Think about a book about the Black female White House Press Reporter Ethel L. Payne. The Power of Her Pen: the Story of Groundbreaking Journalist Ethel L. Payne by Lesa Cline-Ransome (Grades 2 and up) is a great story about a woman who began her career as a journalist for the Chicago Defender writing about the unjust treatment of Black WWII Veterans on American military bases in Japan. She is best known for her time as White House Press Reporter. She asked tough questions of President Eisenhower, demanding that he explain how he planned on enforcing desegregation in America’s schools.