Expanding Your Library
Children are constantly in the process of understanding themselves, their choices and their relationship to other things. A huge source of what determines these understandings are the narratives they consume. At Roots ConnectED we believe that the questions we ask are just as important, if not more important, than the information we choose to consume. We define Critical Literacy as “Analyzing a source of information by thinking about the creator’s perspective and how they use their power to position themselves and others.” To check out some useful questions that support understanding multiple perspectives, positions and power dynamics check out this resource!
It can also be extremely impactful to intentionally expand our libraries to include books that show an increase in representation. Read Alouds are an easy way to recognize multiple identities and experiences. But when expanding our libraries, it’s also important to include books that show characters of color with storylines that don't solely revolve around oppression, the character having to overcome a racial adversity or centered around cultural differences. Check out the links below to a few book lists that can help you expand your library! Please know that these lists are not exhaustive but a great place to start.
Booklist
Summary
This is a robust series of book lists that are separated by identifiers and targeted reading age.
This site is a compilation of smaller book lists. It is organized by categories and identifiers.
This list is 22 books separated by grade level. It provides a detailed summary of each text which may support discerning interest.