Diversity in Children's Books

"It's a small world after all, it's a small world after all..." And the song plays on. But, it's true. In today's mobile society, with cell phones, internet, videoconferencing and more, it has become a small world. So, today's children's books need to be available in a wide variety of topics, genres, and issues. They especially need to offer a diverse range of perspectives, plots, and characters. For this blog post, I read two children's book, one a picture book and one a chapter book, that would be ideal for addressing diversity with students.

The first book is A Bad Case of the Stripes by David Shannon. In this book, Camilla Cream is afraid to eat her favorite food, lima beans, because she's afraid that other students will make fun of her. Unfortunately for Camilla, she is made fun of--for the wacky things that begin happening to her. First, she breaks out into stripes. Next, she breaks out into stars and stripes while singing the national anthem at school. By the end of the book, with vibrant and captivating pictures, poor Camilla has suffered a wide variety of ailments. And despite several attempts to solve the case, doctors can't find a cure. The final cure? Eating lima beans. One dose and she turns back to normal. Both the the text and pictures of this book immediately engage the reader and hook you into the plot of the book.

I feel that this book would be a good discussion starter for students on the topic of diversity. Since the book shows that Camilla must be true to herself and her love for lima beans, you could use this as a starting point to discuss with students the things that make them unique. Perhaps their hair, culture, language, dress, or any other items. You could also discuss with students the importance of remaining true to oneself, despite the reactions of others. I liked this book for teaching diversity because it presents the theme in a natural way with which students can relate. The book gets down to their level in a realistic way without preaching.

The second book that I read which would be great for addressing diversity is The Giver by Lois Lowry. In this book, 12-year-old Jonas grows up within a utopian society. Every citizen, from the young to the age, abides by a specific set of rules and does not attempt to deviate from them. Otherwise, they are "released" from the society. Jonas is selected for an important job within the society, the keeper of its memories. As he begins to work with his mentor, the giver, and start collecting the memories of the society before it began its stringent set of rules, Jonas is troubled. He begins to see that there are a variety of ways in which people can live and explore life. In addition, everyone does not have to be the same.

This book gives the reader pause to think about what if everyone was the same. We'd have less creativity, less perspective, fewer outlooks on life, less culture, etc. The themes introduced in this chapter book are challenging, because some students might find it difficult to imagine a utopian society or grasp the type of life Jonas must live. However, these themes are a great starting point to begin thinking of how different life would be without diversity among people.