As librarians, we know how important it is that kids see themselves in books--and see others in books, as well. #weneeddiversebooks, aimirite?!
When is the last time you assessed your collection for books/titles containing Indigenous characters?
“Most of what kids see in books today are best sellers & classics that stereotype & misrepresent Native people in history. There’s a lot of bias in them. The books that I recommend are ones that can counter that bias in several ways. One, they’re not stereotypical. Two, most of them are set in the present day, which is important in countering what we see in a lot of children’s & young adult literature, which says that we vanished, we didn’t make it to the present day, and of course we did.”
- Debbie Reese, Nambe Pueblo, of
American Indians in Children’s Literature
At this year's WLA, Valerie Morris of
Whitefish Bay Public Library presented on just such a topic during her session,
Experiences in Weeding Insensitive Picture Books About Native Americans. The PowerPoint about the presentation is now available on the WLA website--and through
THIS LINK.
Perhaps you're looking for more books written and/or illustrated by Indigenous people to help enhance your collection? Try the blog
American Indians in Children's Literature! Or take a gander at
this delightful booklist containing titles for children written by Indigenous authors.
For an idea how best to select and utilize these titles in your programming/classrooms/what-have-you, be sure to check out the following article from the July 2018 edition of
Language Arts written by Debbie Reese:
Critical Indigenous Literacies: Selecting and Using Children’s Books about Indigenous Peoples.
Here are a few other online resources to explore:
National Congress of American Indians
Wisconsin First Nations: American Indian Studies in Wisconsin
