For far too long, children's books that featured culturally diverse characters were hard to come by. But, that has changed significantly in the last few years. It is becoming easier than ever before for parents and kids to find diverse titles. And that's good news because, according to the 6th Edition Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report, 47% of parents want books featuring people of color.

It is really essential that we fill our kids' home libraries with books featuring characters that look like them. Here are three important reasons why:

1. It helps to inspire and create an impact.

Kids need to see people who look like them who have faced challenges, overcome obstacles, and made a difference in the world. Whether it's reading about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad or Cesar Chavez and his work for migrant workers, reading about people from our culture who look like us gives us insight into our history and background.

Stories of other people's lives can impact our own by helping us better understand our world. Seek out books about inspiring individuals who are culturally reflective of your kids. We have included some booklists below to help.

2. It provides a mirror to identity.

Some books our kids enjoy should be mirror books. These are books with characters that look just like our kids. Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop, children's literature scholar and recipient of the Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement, says, "Literature transforms human experience and reflects it back to us, and in that reflection we can see our own lives and experiences as part of a larger human experience. Reading, then, becomes a means of self-affirmation, and readers often seek their mirrors in books."

Not all mirror books need to be about a specific person who has achieved great things. Kids also need to see kids just like themselves doing ordinary kid stuff like visiting the library, going to the pool, and playing in the backyard. Highly relatable books allow kids to identify with the characters. It's validating for kids to meet a character in a story who has hair that resembles theirs or wears glasses just like they do.

3. It allows for connections to be built.

When kids enjoy reading titles with characters who look like them, it helps form a connection to the book on another level. Identifying with the characters in a story allows for a deeper comprehension of the text because kids are making these kinds of self connections.

That is not to say that all books must have characters that look like our kids. As Bishop says, books also act as windows into other cultures, allowing us to travel to other places and connect with others who are not exactly like us.

Filling your kids' reading diet with books that act as mirrors and windows allows for a deeper and more well-rounded reading experience for them. Help your kids find titles where they see themselves, and beyond. Here are some book lists to assist you in your search:

Connect with Jodie Rodriguez on her site, Growing Book by Book.

Featured Photo Credit: © FatCamera/iStockphoto

Article

What makes a good childrens book

Isabel Baker

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There were more than 5,000 children’s books published last year, twice as many as in 1975, but how is a teacher to choose the right books? Who would have thought that saying goodnight to the moon, to mush, and to nobody, would make Goodnight Moon a timeless bestseller and just the right choice for a young child? Selecting good books is more important than ever because there is so much competition for the quality time you spend with the children in your care. Every minute spent reading a mediocre book is time taken away from reading a good one. So, how does one know what makes a good children’s book? What follows are some guidelines to keep in mind at the library or bookstore.

Setting

Is it familiar, clear, and authentic? Most young children have never planted vegetables before, but city kids and country kids alike identify with the setting in The Carrot Seed because they can see the determined little boy in themselves.

Character development

Do the characters grow, change, and touch our hearts? Are they consistent, believable and whole, as opposed to flat and one-dimensional? Children relate to both the monkeys and the peddler in Caps for Sale. The monkeys have fun taking the peddler’s caps, and the peddler becomes frustrated with the monkey business.

Plot

Is there tension? Is there a goal? Corduroy wants a home and the Three Billy Goats need to cross the bridge. It is often through plot-driven obstacles like these that good stories develop.

Theme

Is there a central theme that holds it together? Will the reader become involved in the story or sit passively while being lectured to? There is a wide variety of books published today, but children are still attracted to books with a strong core and universal themes such as good vs. evil, hard work will be rewarded, or cleverness is more important than power.

Language

Children’s books are difficult to write because they must convey an entire story using very few words. Does the language show respect for the reader? Children love the security of predictable books with rhythm and repetition. The language can be simple as in Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? or more complex as in Madeline.

Art

Are the illustrations bold and in good taste, or overly detailed and busy? More is not better. Does your eye know where to go when you first look at the page? Color does not automatically equal quality and beautiful illustrations do not automatically mean a good story. Make Way for Ducklings, Millions of Cats, and The Story of Ferdinand have been favorites for decades yet they all have two color illustrations, black and white.

Cover-to-cover

Like a piece of art, a good children’s book is greater than the sum of its parts. It is honest, has a sense of wonder, and shows respect for the young child. The text and illustrations are integrated to raise the quality of the book. Goodnight Moon and More More More, Said the Baby are two examples that have that sense of wonder and respect that is hard to quantify.

Tips by age group

In general, the younger the child, the more the teacher is in charge of choosing books. What a teacher chooses for a young child is “required” reading so it should be the best of the best. Why waste time reading something mediocre? As a child gets older, the sense of freedom and confidence she gains from choosing her own books at school or the library is enormous and valuable. A year four child who is hooked on a book series, even if the series is not particularly literary, will only benefit and be encouraged to read more more more.

Baby/toddler

• Safe, child-safe, and sturdy board books. Introduce to hardcovers.
• Rhyme, rhythm, Mother Goose, song, chant books, “pointing” and identification books.
• Bold, simple illustrations that are not busy or messy. One Mother Goose rhyme per page is more inviting than a busy spread that is chock-full.
• Reading aloud is relationship based and often initiated by the adult. Frequently a book is not read cover-to-cover; there is a lot of back-and-forth of page turning and pointing. When a young child is eating finger food in the high chair, this is a good time to read a whole book aloud, introducing and reinforcing the beginning-to-end sequence.

Preschoolers

• Illustrated hardcovers and paperbacks.
• Wide variety of books – Mother Goose, poetry, ABC, stories, traditional tales, informational books.
• Bold illustrations, not overly detailed. Messy or abstract art is not appropriate.
• Reading aloud to preschool children is relationship based. The books need to be kept on a low shelf, accessible to children so they can also hold and read the books on their own.

Kindergarten

• Hardcovers and paperbacks.
• Fiction, poetry, traditional tales, fantasy, historical fiction, biography, nonfiction, series.
• Anything in good taste is appropriate. Kindergarten children need freedom to choose books on their own without judgment from the teacher.
• The listening vocabulary at this age is much larger than the reading vocabulary so it is important to continually read aloud good, more complex books.

Selecting good books is one of the best ways to nurture young children. Reading aloud shows affection, caring and a desire to connect and have fun. It is a teacher’s chance to be completely present and attuned to each child. Selecting books mindfully gives the message that only the best will do, emphasizing the dignity of childhood.
The Basic Library from The Book Vine contains essential books for every centre.

Big Red Barn

Brown

Blueberries for Sal

McCloskey

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

Martin

Caps for Sale

Slobodkina

The Carrot Seed

Krauss

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

Martin

Corduroy

Freeman

Curious George

Rey

Freight Train

Crews

The Gingerbread Boy

Galdone

Goodnight Moon

Brown

Harold and the Purple Crayon

Johnson

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

Numeroff

Make Way for Ducklings

McCloskey

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel

Burton

Millions of Cats

Gag

More More More, Said the Baby

Williams

My Very First Mother Goose

Opie

The Runaway Bunny

Brown

The Snowy Day

Keats

The Story of Ferdinand

Leaf

Ten, Nine, Eight

Bang

The Three Billy Goats Gruff

Galdone

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Carle

Where the Wild Things Are

Sendak

Printed with permission ©2005 The Book Vine. A version of this article previously appeared in Scholastic Parent and Child Magazine.