Children's and Young Adult Literature: Multicultural books
Appreciating differences...
"Literature can serve as a bridge to awareness and understanding and help students make intercultural connections. Opening their eyes and their minds requires helping them discern the similarities among cultures while learning to appreciate the differences. Multicultural books that assist students in seeing the "commonalities across cultures...play an important role in helping students cross cultural borders" (Cai, 2002, p. 121). When students reading about diverse cultures discover similarities with their own, they begin to look beyond the differences and take a step toward appreciating the cultural connectedness of all humanity."
Landt, S. M. (2006). Multicultural literature and young adolescents: A kaleidoscope of opportunity. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 49(8), 690-697.
Professional reading
Understanding Diversity Through Novels and Picture Books by "Understanding Diversity Through Novels and Picture Books goes beyond the usual multicultural book lists and looks at the wide expanse of the diversity of cultures and lifestyles impacting children's lives in America today and identifies good books to have in library collections for them to read."--pub. desc.
Booktalking Authentic Multicultural Literature by "This new booktalking resource for the multicultural literature series encourages secondary students to read more, read thoughtfully, and think critically. Library media specialists will find this a valuable tool to engage minority students, promote cross-cultural understanding, increase diversity, and prevent dropouts. One hundred and one booktalks are included for grades seven through twelve by authors of contemporary fiction, history, and memoirs."--pub. desc.
International Children's Books
International Children's Digital Library is a free library with access to children's ebooks in over 60 languages.
Featured title
The Red Pencil"After her tribal village is attacked by militants, Amira, a young Sudanese girl, must flee to safety at a refugee camp, where she finds hope and the chance to pursue an education in the form of a single red pencil and the friendship and encouragement of a wise elder"
Locating multicultural children's books
Fiction featuring: African-Americans Black Canadians Chinese-Americans Chinese-Canadians Japanese-Americans Japanese-Canadians Indo-Americans Indo-Canadians Immigrants
Fiction set in: Afghanistan China France Ghana Guatemala Haiti India Iraq Italy Kenya Korea Mexico South Africa Switzerland Taiwan Tanzania Vietnam
*Hint: To locate additional multicultural titles in the Library Catalogue, combine any country or cultural group with the heading juvenile fiction. Example: Germany - juvenile fiction.
*Note: For First Nations, Inuit, and Métis fiction, please refer to the Indigenous Children's Literature section of this guide.