Roland Park Country School: Book Selection Tools

Via the Conscious Kid

This list consists entirely of longform interviews, essays and articles by black people about the experience of being black in the white supremacy of America, police violence, and the U.S. government’s undeclared war on its black citizens.

Includes a vetted list of recommended titles featuring differently abled characters.

We aspire to be a go-to resource for librarians, educators, parents, book creators, and publishers who seek to create collections in which all children can see themselves -- and each other -- reflected in the picture books they read.

Multicultural Children's Book Publisher, website is searchable by grade, leveled reading, and culture. Includes STEM titles and Spanish, bilingual, and language collections.

Mix and match the filters below and the years above to explore more than 2,000 recommendations from NPR staff and trusted critics.

Rich in Color is dedicated to reading, reviewing, talking about, and otherwise promoting young adult books (fiction and non-fiction) starring or written by people of color or people from First/Native Nations.

Via Teaching for Change Project, website is searchable by a huge range of topics about identity, culture, and social justice and by age level.

Includes lists, The We Are Kidlit Collective works to create materials and opportunities to recognize the humanity of Indigenous and People of Color (IPOC) in youth literature. Our work is premised upon the principles of social justice, equity, and inclusion and centers IPOC voices in children’s literature in order to identify, challenge and dismantle white supremacy and both internalized and systematic racism. Our intended audience includes educators, librarians, caregivers and young people. We look for ways to improve the literacies of IPOC children, promote books written by and about IPOC, and to encourage gatekeepers to bring a lens of critical literacy to their work.

Via NPR's Book Concierge

Via Teaching Tolerance, extended edition, printable PDF

Via Teaching for Change Project, By Louise Derman-Sparks, based on “Ten Quick Ways to Analyze Children’s Books for Racism and Sexism.” Updated in 2013.* Includes reviews searchable by reading level, theme, etc.

In addition to selecting books that reflect the criteria of the Guide for Selecting Anti-Bias Children’s Books, consider the balance of books in your library or classroom as a whole.

Established in 2006 by Dr. Debbie Reese of Nambé Pueblo, American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL) provides critical analysis of Indigenous peoples in children's and young adult books. Dr. Jean Mendoza is a co-editor at AICL.

Modeled after the award-winning A Broken Flute: The Native Experience in Books for Children (which I had the honor of co-editing), De Colores reviews and critiques children's and young adult books about Raza peoples throughout the Diaspora. This blog contains critical reviews, poems, “living stories,” and essays setting the work in cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts.

Via Reading is Fundamental, includes the original article by Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop about the concept of books acting as "mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors."

"We are White librarians organizing to confront racism in the field of children’s and young adult literature. We are committed to working in the ongoing struggle for authenticity and visibility in books; to supporting opportunities for people of color and First Nations/Native people in all aspects of the children’s and young adult book world; and to holding publishers, book creators, reviewers, librarians, teachers, and others accountable."