Diversity 101: Five Things to Look for Before You Read
When it comes to diversity, all books are not created equal. Before you add a new book to your library, here are five things to look out for:
1.General Accuracy: Books should contain current, correct information. How old are the photos and pictures? If the book is about a past event, does it include backmatter about how things ultimately played out?
2. Stereotypes: Beware of reinforcing stereotypes. Books should reflect individual people's lives, rather than assigning general personality traits or behaviors to an entire group.
3. Language: Be careful of books that separate characters into two groups: those who speak standard English and those who don't. This division can reinforce stereotypes that all people in a group speak in a particular way. No matter the dialect, language should sound natural and the intent should be clear.
4. Illustrations: Illustrations should convey the reality that members of any ethnic group look different from one another.
5. Author's Perspective: Does the author come from the culture that he or she is writing about? If not, what kind of research did he or she do to insure cultural authenticity?
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Lee & Low Books is an independent children's book publisher specializing diversity. It is our goal to meet the need for stories that all children can identify with and enjoy.
