Diversity

The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) has awarded mini-grants to 15 libraries to start Día Family Book Clubs and incorporate Día literacy activities into their existing programs throughout the year.

Readers reply to Nina Lindsay's question: What qualities make a book a good one for kids? A school librarian challenges major publishers to stop ghettoizing "diverse" and "multicultural" children's books.

This has been a stellar year for Latino-themed titles for children. SLJ's Libro por Libro columnist, Tim Wadham, selected 10 of the best works published this year that represent the vibrant Hispanic cultures united by a single language and heritage.

Of the numerous concurrent sessions at the American Association of School Librarians' National Conference focusing on strategies for creating culturally diverse collections and serving the needs of all kids, “Queer Library Alliance Goes to School,” was a memorable one.

Spurred by recent findings by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, the topic of diversity (or rather, lack thereof) in children’s books has been receiving a lot of attention lately. The BBC has picked up on the topic and recently ran t...

SLJ has compiled an expansive page of diversity resources—including materials on people of color, non-American cultures, LGBTQ issues, and disability—to help librarians better serve children and teens. From author interviews to collection development tools and from blogs to news coverage, these articles and reviews aim to give insight into issues that are becoming more relevant for kids each day.

Being able to easily locate LGBTQ-friendly materials for children is an important task for librarians seeking to support their diverse reading communities. Kids must be given opportunities to explore literature from multiple points of view, yet it’s sometimes challenging to meet this need, especially for grades 3–5.

Welcoming Schools—a project of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation that provides tools and lessons to educators to stop bias and bullying in schools—is releasing a new short film and related materials for educators and parents. The film spotlights teachers in the classroom generating open conversations with students about the impact of bullying and the power of students to stop it.

From social media to publishing industry-led initiatives, the call for diversity in children’s and young adult literature has steadily grown into a loud roar in the past months. As part of School Library Journal’s SummerTeen virtual conference, the “Embracing Diversity” panel featuring Karen Arthurton, Jonathan Friesen, James Klise, and Amanda Sun, led to a lively and ongoing conversation about the importance of not only publishing books for kids by and about diverse people, but also getting them in the hands of readers. SLJ spoke to industry professionals who are raising awareness on the need for different perspectives in young adult books, and compiled a list of resources to find these titles.