Activity 2.3 | Children’s Books helping to create a vision of inclusivity

Representation

Analyzing your books

Examine the list of books in your centre. Visit the Raising Luminaries Bookshop website, peruse some of the books showcased on the site and reflect on these questions:

What do the books at your centre represent about the children and families in your care?
What story are they telling?
Are children seen from a strength-based perspective or seen as their disability first?

Your children’s books should represent all genders, races, ethnicities, and abilities with a focus on who they are and their experiences. Often stories of children with a disability are told from a friend's perspective. Eg. My friend is in a wheelchair.

Books for Littles - Ages 0-12 months - Books For Littles by Raising Luminaries

“We as educators [and managers] have the power to decide how diverse our bookshelves look. We can make an active choice to consider the books we bring into our [centres] and ask ourselves who is represented and in what way. Representation is not just for individuals to see themselves, but also for other children to see a world outside of themselves” (Davies, 2023).

Recommended books: Also visit Critical Literacy at Picture Books - Delving Deeper into Diversity through Critical Literacy created by: Mosaic Group

Julian is a mermaid
More than works
The color of us
A book about pronouns. What are your words?
Sparkle Boy
My Rainbow
Pink is for boys
Fishing with Grandma
All Creations Represented

References

Raising Luminaries. (n.d.). Raising Luminaries Bookshop. https://bookshop.org/shop/raisingluminaries