Howdy all! Not a parent here, I’m actually a college student. I’m currently taking a children’s literature course and we have to do an essay and presentation on an “unfamiliar picture book.” Essentially, a book we didn’t read as a child. The books we select are supposed to focus on more “modern” issues, or at least issues that up until recently, we haven’t been teaching kids about much.
(Ex: feminism. Sure, as a kid I read books about women doing great things. But I was never taught to be a feminist in my children’s books or shown the word. I don’t think I even heard the word “feminist” or “feminism” until I was eleven or twelve years old.)
But I digress, I figured I’d ask some parents here, what books have you read to your kids and recommend for teaching them about issues like feminism, racism, other cultures/cultural acceptance, LGBTQ. That sort of thing.
If it helps, some of the books that have already been selected by my peers are A is for Ambitious by Meena Harris, There was a Hole by Adam Lehrhaupt, 321 Awesome by Eva Chien, and The Other Side by E.B. Lewis.
I was considering doing Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry. I used to read that one with a little boy I nannied (technically breaks the whole “unfamiliar” rule but I won’t tell if you don’t.) I was also considering The Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Muhammad & S.K. Ali and Sulwe by Lupita Nyong'o. Those I found through google. Any thoughts on these books? Have any of you read them to your kids?
I hope it’s okay that I post this here! I’ve just been searching for a good children’s book and I thought who better to ask than parents?
(Ex: feminism. Sure, as a kid I read books about women doing great things. But I was never taught to be a feminist in my children’s books or shown the word. I don’t think I even heard the word “feminist” or “feminism” until I was eleven or twelve years old.)
But I digress, I figured I’d ask some parents here, what books have you read to your kids and recommend for teaching them about issues like feminism, racism, other cultures/cultural acceptance, LGBTQ. That sort of thing.
If it helps, some of the books that have already been selected by my peers are A is for Ambitious by Meena Harris, There was a Hole by Adam Lehrhaupt, 321 Awesome by Eva Chien, and The Other Side by E.B. Lewis.
I was considering doing Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry. I used to read that one with a little boy I nannied (technically breaks the whole “unfamiliar” rule but I won’t tell if you don’t.) I was also considering The Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Muhammad & S.K. Ali and Sulwe by Lupita Nyong'o. Those I found through google. Any thoughts on these books? Have any of you read them to your kids?
I hope it’s okay that I post this here! I’ve just been searching for a good children’s book and I thought who better to ask than parents?