Tag Archives: We Need Diverse Books

Resources

From Minitex: Indigenous Representations Newsletter 2021

This is a wonderful collaboration between many Minnesota organizations and universities, focused on sharing Indigenous books and resources for use in your classroom and library. Read the newsletter here!

In this issue, you can find out more about the Indigenous Representations project, celebrate the launch of the Native-focused Heartdrum publishing imprint, read an interview with Cynthia Leitich Smith and Dawn Quigley, and more!

From the newsletter, here is the summary of the Indigenous Representation project:

“Indigenous Representations is a statewide project that began in 2016 and aims to connect Minnesota’s youth with positive and appropriate books by and about Indigenous people with a focus on Dakota and Anishinaabe nations. Beyond the resources shared in this newsletter, educators and librarians are encouraged to think critically about Indigenous representation in other resources and continue to seek out materials that truthfully reflect Indigenous cultures.”

Read the newsletter here!

Guest Blogger

CMLE Mini Grant: Purchasing Inclusive Books for Rockford Middle School Center for Environmental Studies

CMLE mini grant logo

Note from CMLE: We are currently in the process of updating our mini grant policies and procedures. We will make an announcement on our site and newsletter when we are ready to begin reviewing applications again!

This is a guest post from Beth Russell, Digital Skills Teacher and Curriculum Integration Coordinator at Rockford Middle School Center for Environmental Studies.

This summer saw a call for social justice that was shouted from the rooftops, marched down the streets, and written on signs, blogs, and across the hearts and minds of people in Minnesota and across the globe. We heard people demanding the right to exist, to succeed, and to matter. At RMS-CES, we heard this call and are responding in part by recognizing that our school library did not reflect the voices, faces, and stories of many of our students. 

We searched for book lists that featured writers of color, showcased diverse characters, and told stories and experiences from the past and from the present. We looked for books about everyday life and ones about traumatic experiences in history. We read blogs, followed authors on social media, and vowed to do better when purchasing books in the future, that our students will see themselves on the cover and in the pages of the books that are on our shelves. 

After the books came in, teachers who were in the building during workshop week had the chance to browse and borrow books for class read alouds. It was great to see so many teachers excited about starting to share our new collection right away, and we can’t wait to get our books into the hands of our students at the start of this very unprecedented year.

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist

We Need Diverse Books – booktalk kit

By now, many of us have heard of the “We Need Diverse Books” movement. Driven by an effort to promote literature that reflects and honors the lives of all young people, the message is and has always been about diversity. But what can you do? Here are some quick tips from the We Need Diverse Books website:

  • Diversify our classrooms
  • Support diverse authors
  • Promote diverse programming
  • Develop educational kits

Need immediate resources? Check out the We Need Diverse Booktalking kit. Just sign-up for their newsletter and you’ll get an email with a link to the kit. In it, among other things, you’ll find:

  • Three book lists containing: 10 picture books, 10 middle grade, and 10 YA titles with quick “pitches.”
  • Shelftalker cards to place on your bookshelves to draw attention to each listed diverse book.
  • “If you like___, then try___” shelftalker cards for the comparative titles.