What’s really interesting is most present-day fiction featuring characters of my ancestral heritage are not like my family at all. Most are, well, really “cultural” if you know what I mean. Like nothing is “regular” or “integrated.” I did write a children’s book that is loosely inspired by my family. Features characters that are both mixed ethnicity and faith. Now THAT is rare.
Thank you for sharing, Cynthia! I'll definitely check out your book. But yes, I know exactly what you mean. It's either focusing on one specific piece of someone's identity rather than the whole which is so much broader.
I’m also not a fan of diversity for the sake of diversity. It’s really fake. And if you don’t fit their version of “diversity,” you’re dismissed/sidelined. I was once told to “decolonize” myself. I’m honestly not sure what that means. My ancestry, if you base it on my AncestryDNA test, lies mostly in the southeastern provinces of China, with some roots in the central regions as well as a non-Han minority group. So where do I first look? Chinese culture and cuisine changes geographically. I’ve studied enough Chinese history to know that the cultures influenced other cultures and other cultures influenced them. How far back do I go? To the point that soy sauce wasn’t even invented/discovered? It’s a 4,000 year old civilization (if you want to know, soy sauce is more like 2,000-2,500 years old). My closer roots are from Hong Kong (parents from there). My paternal side has longer ties while though some are also refugees from the mainland during and after the post WWII civil war. Some of the best foods in Hong Kong are semi-influenced by their time as a British colony. Have you ever had Hong Kong milk tea or pineapple buns (had zero pineapple in it. It’s like a sweet brioche shaped like a pineapple)? Been to a cha chaan teng (cafe HK style western food)? Prior to colonization, HK was a simple fishing village. I’m not even sure what their original culture was like. Everyone eventually married people from the mainland and kind of developed their own culture.
Great post! In recent years, I have tried to expand my own reading list to include more diverse and different-than-me narrators and experiences, and I try to extend that to my son as well ( who is an autistic young adult who still lets me read to him). The mirror/window choice is interesting, especially for my son - children’s books featuring autistic characters were non-existent 20 yrs ago, when he was younger (and it took me awhile anyway - as a “neurotypical” parent - to understand that he needed to see himself in positive role models, just as any kid does), so it’s been great to share with him some of the titles that have come out in the past few years. But we both still love animal books, too ;)
I'm working on expanding my own personal reading list to include a variety of different stories and authors. I know we still have a long way to go but it's pretty exciting to see how many great stories are out there today. I'm so glad you and your son still share a love for reading. ❤️
This is a great post. I never get tired of reading information about diversity in children's literature and of course, how to build a diverse and inclusive bookshelf, both for my kids and myself.
That’s honestly the highest compliment you can give me, Sri — I work very hard on this and sometimes I don’t know if anyone notices, so thank you, truly.
I create and present geography programs, mostly to children, as my job, so I have to shout out the Free Library of Philadelphia system. They have an excellent selection of books that highlight kids from all over the world, and lots of bilingual options.
That is so cool, Alycia! I love geography (even though I'm notoriously bad at it). I'm not too far from Philly so I'll be adding their main library to my list of places to visit when I'm next there. Thank you for sharing!
Thought out this read, it resonated so much that I wanted to comment early before reading on. Could relate to a lot. I moved to the US in 2006 (assuming that’s much later than you as you grew up here) and I saw the ignorance in conservative America first hand, about India seen through the lens of the slum dog millionaire, and asking some naive but stereotypical questions such as “do all women know India cover their head?”. It tough not to be frustrated by those, makes you feel more alien. As if skin color wasn’t enough of a downside.
Your classification of books children should read is brilliant, assuming you came up with those.
As for toys, I wonder if boys have had the same issues as girls who played with dolls. I grew up playing with cars and toy guns, and yes I did have a brown teddy bear I lugged around every or so I’m told.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience, Raj! I think things have definitely improved which is wonderful. I wish I could take credit for the windows/mirrors concept but it is definitely not something I came up with. But it is such a brilliant concept and I think definitely applies not only to what our kids read but what we read as well.
First, I started off with diversifying what I read for myself. I think that's just my general way of parenting, which is modeling. I can't expect my kid to follow certain footsteps if I'm not doing it myself or leading by my example. I'm first-generation Filipino-American so I decided I wanted to go on a mission and find all the English written Filipino books. A few I liked, a few I didn't. I've been thinking of writing one myself but who knows if that will happen!
This may sound nonstrategic but when we're at the library or at the book store, I just try to find a mix of books whose main characters are from various backgrounds. I often feel like I need to do this more because we live in an area that isn't very diverse racially so I am mindful of trying to mix in different perspectives where I can. Books is one way to do that.
I also mix in all the books I loved as a kid, which were not diverse but I think it's good connection time for all of us.
Stephanie, I am 100% with you on the modeling! It was something I even considered including but feel that’s a lengthy enough topic to warrant a post on its own! I don’t think what you do is nonstrategic at all. You’re actively working to show your kids a diverse society and that’s wonderful.
Just came upon your Stack! The Diverse Bookshelf is such an important concept. I may have been subconsciously following it to some degree — each library trip, I try to pick out a chunk of books to be diversity-centric. I can relate to growing up in the all-white Midwest – there were few characters (or classmates) of color, and zero LGBT or disabled ones. Plus the stories didn't tell familiar experiences. I write about equality and diversity (among other things) so this hits home! I def want my kids to grow up with a wider view of the world that includes them and many others.
It’s so great you’re already doing this! I think especially when we have more homogeneity in our surroundings, it’s even more important to get that exposure! Thank you for reading and sharing your experience 🙏
Do you know, if you live in a town with a college or university, you can usually get a "community member" library card (there's usually a cost, though). At the very least, you can bring your kids in for free and let them prowl and read while there. Not all colleges and universities have big education programs and wonderful children's sections, though. I feel like if I were living in the town where I grew up (nowhere near a college), I'd be relying on the children's librarian at the public library for help!
For deep dives that relate to diversity, the Hawaiian/Polynesian one was huge. Ancient Egypt has been another. The other deep dives have been about things not really diversity-related: nautical stuff, puffer fish, therapod dinosaurs. There are other particular books that they have really gotten into, where it's just the book but it doesn't set off a deep dive. They both used to LOVE a Native American alphabet book, written and illustrated by Native Americans that showcased the diversity of cultures called *Many Nations.*
Unfortunately the university libraries around me don't have the best children's book sections but our public libraries more than compensate. I love the deep-dives you've mentioned! It's pretty clear that they have very varied interests!
Great thoughts. I’ve been curating a diverse bookshelf for years.
I’ve also had custom dolls made on Etsy.
This year we are venturing in publishing children’s books that highlight Caribbean experiences along with South Asian experiences in the US - since my household is both Black Caribbean and Bangladeshi
I enjoyed and appreciated reading this. I work at an academic library with a KILLER children's section. We have a school of education, and the librarian who buys books for them does a great job including books representing a range of perspectives and experiences. So I will often raid our collections and bring stuff home for my kids to see what catches their interest. They both tend to be very curious about other places and cultures and experiences. I never know what's going to spark an interest, but when they react to something, I get them more on the same topic, and they will often end up doing a deep dive (learning about Native Hawaiian culture was a huge thing in our family for a while).
I'm so jealous that you work at a library and have all these amazing books at your fingertips! I love that you bring home a diverse sampling and let them decide what to pursue further. What are some other cool deep dives you've done?
I don’t know if it’s because I grew up in a strong East Indian community in Guyana, and because I read stories from around the world as a child, I don’t feel deprived. Yet I do see the need for diversity in children’s books, especially books that have magic, and books that don’t preach to children. I started working on this a few months ago.
(I do feel deprived for this reason though - we don’t study Indian / Pakistani / Arab writers in our universities in the Caribbean even though we come from all these places.)
One of my BFFs is Guyanese so I have a very soft spot in my heart for Guyana. ❤️ I think representation should definitely be in our academic systems as well. It's so important since you spend so much of your formative years learning in the education setting and it needs to reflect the people in these institutions.
I would love to know how many understand the importance of seeing ourselves in our own stories. I know the Jamaicans do. They’ve got children’s book publishers.
Absolutely grateful to be here at a time when our children are being introduced to so much diversity as compared to our generation. But still takes a lot of effort from parents, caregivers and teachers to cultivate this. So thank you for all the recommendations
So glad this resonated with you, Nam! Yes, I love that we can bring so much intentionality to the way we curate our book collections. This wouldn't have been possible a decade or two ago!
Sri, thank you so much for putting this post together. I enjoyed reading your perspective. I think we're lucky to live in a time where there are many more diverse children's book titles available but we still have a long way to go. Your book categories are perfect. I'm putting a pause on adding to our home library at the moment but I'm going to keep those categories in mind as I scroll the library's online catalog. I follow a lot of bookstagram accounts that focus on diverse picture books and I'm constantly saving them to my list to look out for! (We also love the Stella dolls! Both kids have their own.)
We are so lucky! I am so grateful that my kid is going to have so many great reading options and that will hopefully continue in her lifetime. I love using libraries to flesh out a book collection. We talk about toy rotation, nothing wrong with a good book rotation too.
What’s really interesting is most present-day fiction featuring characters of my ancestral heritage are not like my family at all. Most are, well, really “cultural” if you know what I mean. Like nothing is “regular” or “integrated.” I did write a children’s book that is loosely inspired by my family. Features characters that are both mixed ethnicity and faith. Now THAT is rare.
https://www.amazon.ca/Three-Years-Cynthia-Cheng-Mintz/dp/1039181457/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=9QBJY8Z8NEX2&keywords=our+three+new+years&qid=1706821710&sprefix=%2Caps%2C77&sr=8-1
Thank you for sharing, Cynthia! I'll definitely check out your book. But yes, I know exactly what you mean. It's either focusing on one specific piece of someone's identity rather than the whole which is so much broader.
I’m also not a fan of diversity for the sake of diversity. It’s really fake. And if you don’t fit their version of “diversity,” you’re dismissed/sidelined. I was once told to “decolonize” myself. I’m honestly not sure what that means. My ancestry, if you base it on my AncestryDNA test, lies mostly in the southeastern provinces of China, with some roots in the central regions as well as a non-Han minority group. So where do I first look? Chinese culture and cuisine changes geographically. I’ve studied enough Chinese history to know that the cultures influenced other cultures and other cultures influenced them. How far back do I go? To the point that soy sauce wasn’t even invented/discovered? It’s a 4,000 year old civilization (if you want to know, soy sauce is more like 2,000-2,500 years old). My closer roots are from Hong Kong (parents from there). My paternal side has longer ties while though some are also refugees from the mainland during and after the post WWII civil war. Some of the best foods in Hong Kong are semi-influenced by their time as a British colony. Have you ever had Hong Kong milk tea or pineapple buns (had zero pineapple in it. It’s like a sweet brioche shaped like a pineapple)? Been to a cha chaan teng (cafe HK style western food)? Prior to colonization, HK was a simple fishing village. I’m not even sure what their original culture was like. Everyone eventually married people from the mainland and kind of developed their own culture.
That’s such a great point! Culture is always evolving and trying to trace down its origins is futile.
You probably don’t want to anyway. I mean, how long would you be able to survive without electricity, running water and your phone?
Great post! In recent years, I have tried to expand my own reading list to include more diverse and different-than-me narrators and experiences, and I try to extend that to my son as well ( who is an autistic young adult who still lets me read to him). The mirror/window choice is interesting, especially for my son - children’s books featuring autistic characters were non-existent 20 yrs ago, when he was younger (and it took me awhile anyway - as a “neurotypical” parent - to understand that he needed to see himself in positive role models, just as any kid does), so it’s been great to share with him some of the titles that have come out in the past few years. But we both still love animal books, too ;)
I'm working on expanding my own personal reading list to include a variety of different stories and authors. I know we still have a long way to go but it's pretty exciting to see how many great stories are out there today. I'm so glad you and your son still share a love for reading. ❤️
This is a great post. I never get tired of reading information about diversity in children's literature and of course, how to build a diverse and inclusive bookshelf, both for my kids and myself.
Thank you, Sarah! I think you always do such an incredible job of including diverse reads in your book lists.
That’s honestly the highest compliment you can give me, Sri — I work very hard on this and sometimes I don’t know if anyone notices, so thank you, truly.
I create and present geography programs, mostly to children, as my job, so I have to shout out the Free Library of Philadelphia system. They have an excellent selection of books that highlight kids from all over the world, and lots of bilingual options.
That is so cool, Alycia! I love geography (even though I'm notoriously bad at it). I'm not too far from Philly so I'll be adding their main library to my list of places to visit when I'm next there. Thank you for sharing!
Thought out this read, it resonated so much that I wanted to comment early before reading on. Could relate to a lot. I moved to the US in 2006 (assuming that’s much later than you as you grew up here) and I saw the ignorance in conservative America first hand, about India seen through the lens of the slum dog millionaire, and asking some naive but stereotypical questions such as “do all women know India cover their head?”. It tough not to be frustrated by those, makes you feel more alien. As if skin color wasn’t enough of a downside.
Your classification of books children should read is brilliant, assuming you came up with those.
As for toys, I wonder if boys have had the same issues as girls who played with dolls. I grew up playing with cars and toy guns, and yes I did have a brown teddy bear I lugged around every or so I’m told.
Great read, very insightful, thank you.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience, Raj! I think things have definitely improved which is wonderful. I wish I could take credit for the windows/mirrors concept but it is definitely not something I came up with. But it is such a brilliant concept and I think definitely applies not only to what our kids read but what we read as well.
First, I started off with diversifying what I read for myself. I think that's just my general way of parenting, which is modeling. I can't expect my kid to follow certain footsteps if I'm not doing it myself or leading by my example. I'm first-generation Filipino-American so I decided I wanted to go on a mission and find all the English written Filipino books. A few I liked, a few I didn't. I've been thinking of writing one myself but who knows if that will happen!
This may sound nonstrategic but when we're at the library or at the book store, I just try to find a mix of books whose main characters are from various backgrounds. I often feel like I need to do this more because we live in an area that isn't very diverse racially so I am mindful of trying to mix in different perspectives where I can. Books is one way to do that.
I also mix in all the books I loved as a kid, which were not diverse but I think it's good connection time for all of us.
Stephanie, I am 100% with you on the modeling! It was something I even considered including but feel that’s a lengthy enough topic to warrant a post on its own! I don’t think what you do is nonstrategic at all. You’re actively working to show your kids a diverse society and that’s wonderful.
Just came upon your Stack! The Diverse Bookshelf is such an important concept. I may have been subconsciously following it to some degree — each library trip, I try to pick out a chunk of books to be diversity-centric. I can relate to growing up in the all-white Midwest – there were few characters (or classmates) of color, and zero LGBT or disabled ones. Plus the stories didn't tell familiar experiences. I write about equality and diversity (among other things) so this hits home! I def want my kids to grow up with a wider view of the world that includes them and many others.
It’s so great you’re already doing this! I think especially when we have more homogeneity in our surroundings, it’s even more important to get that exposure! Thank you for reading and sharing your experience 🙏
Love the “diverse bookshelf”--such a great way to think about a library and the visual is great too. Thanks for this!!
Thank you so much, Sally! Hope you're well!
Do you know, if you live in a town with a college or university, you can usually get a "community member" library card (there's usually a cost, though). At the very least, you can bring your kids in for free and let them prowl and read while there. Not all colleges and universities have big education programs and wonderful children's sections, though. I feel like if I were living in the town where I grew up (nowhere near a college), I'd be relying on the children's librarian at the public library for help!
For deep dives that relate to diversity, the Hawaiian/Polynesian one was huge. Ancient Egypt has been another. The other deep dives have been about things not really diversity-related: nautical stuff, puffer fish, therapod dinosaurs. There are other particular books that they have really gotten into, where it's just the book but it doesn't set off a deep dive. They both used to LOVE a Native American alphabet book, written and illustrated by Native Americans that showcased the diversity of cultures called *Many Nations.*
Unfortunately the university libraries around me don't have the best children's book sections but our public libraries more than compensate. I love the deep-dives you've mentioned! It's pretty clear that they have very varied interests!
I'd like to see children's books about blended families and stepparents. That would help so much in easing the nurances in the stepmothering journey.
Yes, that’s so important! I’ll add that to my list of topics.
Great thoughts. I’ve been curating a diverse bookshelf for years.
I’ve also had custom dolls made on Etsy.
This year we are venturing in publishing children’s books that highlight Caribbean experiences along with South Asian experiences in the US - since my household is both Black Caribbean and Bangladeshi
That's so cool that you have custom dolls made! Which Etsy shop?
When you're ready, I hope you'll share the books you're working on!
Here it is: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ThimbleAndTime
We worked together to pick the right skin tone, hair style, and fabric.
OMG THESE ARE GORGEOUS!!!!
I enjoyed and appreciated reading this. I work at an academic library with a KILLER children's section. We have a school of education, and the librarian who buys books for them does a great job including books representing a range of perspectives and experiences. So I will often raid our collections and bring stuff home for my kids to see what catches their interest. They both tend to be very curious about other places and cultures and experiences. I never know what's going to spark an interest, but when they react to something, I get them more on the same topic, and they will often end up doing a deep dive (learning about Native Hawaiian culture was a huge thing in our family for a while).
I'm so jealous that you work at a library and have all these amazing books at your fingertips! I love that you bring home a diverse sampling and let them decide what to pursue further. What are some other cool deep dives you've done?
I don’t know if it’s because I grew up in a strong East Indian community in Guyana, and because I read stories from around the world as a child, I don’t feel deprived. Yet I do see the need for diversity in children’s books, especially books that have magic, and books that don’t preach to children. I started working on this a few months ago.
(I do feel deprived for this reason though - we don’t study Indian / Pakistani / Arab writers in our universities in the Caribbean even though we come from all these places.)
One of my BFFs is Guyanese so I have a very soft spot in my heart for Guyana. ❤️ I think representation should definitely be in our academic systems as well. It's so important since you spend so much of your formative years learning in the education setting and it needs to reflect the people in these institutions.
Please say hello to your BFF for me.
I would love to know how many understand the importance of seeing ourselves in our own stories. I know the Jamaicans do. They’ve got children’s book publishers.
LOVE the book categories ❤️
Absolutely grateful to be here at a time when our children are being introduced to so much diversity as compared to our generation. But still takes a lot of effort from parents, caregivers and teachers to cultivate this. So thank you for all the recommendations
So glad this resonated with you, Nam! Yes, I love that we can bring so much intentionality to the way we curate our book collections. This wouldn't have been possible a decade or two ago!
❤️❤️❤️
Sri, thank you so much for putting this post together. I enjoyed reading your perspective. I think we're lucky to live in a time where there are many more diverse children's book titles available but we still have a long way to go. Your book categories are perfect. I'm putting a pause on adding to our home library at the moment but I'm going to keep those categories in mind as I scroll the library's online catalog. I follow a lot of bookstagram accounts that focus on diverse picture books and I'm constantly saving them to my list to look out for! (We also love the Stella dolls! Both kids have their own.)
We are so lucky! I am so grateful that my kid is going to have so many great reading options and that will hopefully continue in her lifetime. I love using libraries to flesh out a book collection. We talk about toy rotation, nothing wrong with a good book rotation too.