Celebrate Saturday: Diverse Kids Lit!

It’s Saturday, and that means it’s time to celebrate! I’m joining with Ruth Ayres and the #celebratelu community to connect, share and celebrate life’s small joys.

This week, I’m celebrating a group of dedicated, hard-working teachers, librarians, writers, parents and book-lovers who are passionate about supporting diversity in children’s literature. I’ve participated in this group for several months now, and I’m always inspired by the diverse literature I discover. Diversity and representation are major challenges in the world in the children’s literature. Despite census data that shows 37% of the US population consists of people of colour, only 10% of children’s books published have diversity content. This has got to change, and those of us who work with both books and young people are in a perfect position to support the fight.

If you’re looking to celebrate diversity in your classroom, your library or your home, the Diverse Kid Lit linkup is a fantastic resource. I really hope you’ll visit some of the blogs of our cohosts, and discover some great books to experience, explore and share. Perhaps more than ever, it’s vital that we spread messages of empathy, inclusion and openness with our children, and help inspire a spirit of love and equality at home and around the world.

What Is #DiverseKidLit?

Diverse Children’s Books is a book-sharing meme designed to promote the reading and writing of children’s books that feature diverse characters. This community embraces all kinds of diversity including (and certainly not limited to) diverse, inclusive, multicultural, and global books for children of all backgrounds.

Our theme for #DiverseKidLit in February is Love. Please consider sharing diverse books and resources that support love and families. (As always, the theme is only a suggestion. Diverse posts on alternate topics are always welcome.)

We encourage everyone who shares to support this blogging community by visiting and leaving comments for at least three others. Please also consider following the hosts on at least one of their social media outlets. Spread the word using #diversekidlit and/or adding our button to your site and your diverse posts.

We hope this community will grow into a great resource for parents, teachers, librarians, publishers, and authors! Our next linkup will be Saturday, March 4th and on the first and third Saturdays of every month.

Upcoming Theme

Our theme for the current month is Love. Themes are a suggestion only; all diverse book posts are welcome. If you’re interested, you can start planning now for our upcoming themes …

• March 4th and 18th: Changing Seasons. As we eagerly await the beginning of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere and Autumn in the Southern, let’s share favorite books and resources on the seasons.

Most Clicked Post from Last Time

 

The most-clicked post from the previous #diversekidlit is Svenja’s Multicultural Book of the Month: The Case for Loving. This picture book brings Richard and Mildred Loving’s Supreme Court case to a younger audience in an authentic and interesting way.

#DiverseKidLit is Hosted by:

Gayle Swift, Author of ABC, Adoption & Me
Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Google+

Jane @ Rain City Librarian
Blog / Twitter / Instagram

Marjorie @ Mirrors Windows Doors
Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Pinterest

Mia @ Pragmatic Mom
Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Pinterest / Instagram

Myra @ Gathering Books
Blog / Twitter / Facebook

Gauri @ Kitaab World
an online bookstore for South Asian children’s books, toys and games
Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Pinterest / Instagram

Shoumi Sen, Author of Toddler Diaries
Blog / Twitter / Facebook

Want to be notified when the next #diversekidlit linkup goes live? Click here to join the mailing list. Interested in joining as a host or an occasional co-host? Contact katie at thelogonauts.com.

(Never participated in a linkup before? Please click here for a more detailed step-by-step.)

Get #DiverseKidLit Recommendations on Pinterest!

Our Pinterest board highlights a wide range of amazing posts and resources for Diverse Children’s Books. Please consider following the board for even more great books!