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This column describes a three-pronged approach to incorporating into a classroom a book that represents some aspect(s) of diversity.
We DO need diverse books. We need diverse books because all our children deserve to know that they have a voice in the choir that sings the song of America. When diversity is absent from the literature we share with children, those who are leftout infer that they are undervalued in our society, and those whose lives are constantly reflected gain a false sense of their own importance, a sense that they are the privileged "norm." Diverse literature can reflect the unique life experiences of underrepresented or marginalized children at the same time it encourages readers/listeners to recognize and celebrate our shared humanity. In the classroom, diverse literature can also offer opportunities both to expand literary understandings and to encourage critical examination of issues that plague our democracy, such as inequities tied to race, gender, income, and disability.
I want to suggest a three- pronged approach to incorporating into a classroom a book that represents some aspect(s) of diversity. First, I believe that the book should be seen as its own excuse for being, so I advocate engagement with the book as a transactional experience, inviting and building on students' personal responses. Second, I advocate developing appreciation of the literary qualities of the book, enhancing students' awareness of the author's- and artist's- crafts with a view to enriching the reading experience and providing a potential resource to support students' writing. Third, I advocate taking a critical stance by examining aspects of the text that relate to issues of social concern and that could lead to social action on the part of the students. These need not be sequential steps; teachers can determine, based on the book itself and their knowledge of their children, how to address them and the amount of emphasis to place on each.
The 2016 John Newbery Medal winner, Last Stop on Market Street, written by Matt de la Peña and illustrated by Christian Robinson, is an excellent example of a book that fits under the diversity umbrella. After church on Sunday, CJ and his Nana routinely ride the bus to the last stop on Market Street. On the day of the...