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We read a lot of books here at Diverse BookFinder and there are some that just stick with us longer. Maybe it’s the perfect rhyming scheme, the haunting illustrations, or the laugh out loud content. But whatever the reason, these are the books that we keep reaching for:

Illustrations by Yuyi Chen, Trisha Hautéa, Christina Forshay, Xun Liu, Dayong Gan, Charlene Chua, Anna Kim, Yao Xiao, Basia Tran, Seo Kim, and Qin Leng Note: This post and list of books are focused on East Asian and Southeast Asian representation, in response to recent anti-Asian attacks that have mostly targeted members of these groups ...continue reading "Centering Asian Girls"

Illustration by Michaela Goade (Tlingit-Haida) from We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom (Anishinabe/Metis; enrolled member, Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe) Note: This summer I read the middle grade novel, Indian No More by Charlene Willing McManis (Umpqua) with Traci Sorell (Cherokee Nation). In the book, ten-year-old Regina, enrolled in the Confederate Tribes of Grand Ronde, ...continue reading "9 Ways to Lift Up & Learn from Indigenous Voices"

As our schools and libraries are closed, we at the Diverse BookFinder are trying to continue to offer access and resources related to picture books featuring BIPOC. This post will explore e-books, with a few recommended titles that you can borrow immediately (unless they’re already on loan in your library system). Through the coming weeks, ...continue reading "For These Strange & Difficult Times: Finding Diverse Electronic Picture Books #1"

This piece was co-authored by our project coordinator, Dr. Andrea Breau. Last month, we once again joined the excellent offering of Martin Luther King Jr. Day commemorative activities at Bates College, hosting the only event on the day-long program for families with young children. To our surprise, in addition to the dozen or so children ...continue reading "Using K-3 Picture Books to Talk About Race & Racism With Children"
Colorful books stacked on top of each other.

Photo Credit: Kimberly Farmer on Unsplash In October, we launched our free, online Collection Analysis Tool (CAT) -- funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services -- to help librarians across the nation diversify their bookshelves. A recent survey done by School Library Journal indicates that the majority of librarians feel it is "very ...continue reading "How to Gain Support for & Navigate Challenges to Diversifying Your Library’s Collection"

This is the first in a series of posts chronicling the places where members of our team have traveled to share the Diverse BookFinder. At the end of June, I flew to Israel at the invitation of the English Teachers Association of Israel (ETAI), to speak at a number of events during July's "English Week." ...continue reading "DBF On the Road: Israel"

As we find ourselves in the thick of mud season (AKA spring) here in central Maine, and the trees are finally budding after a long winter, we’re excited to share our own news of growth! This coming fall, the Diverse BookFinder (DBF) will launch a free, online Collection Analysis Tool (AKA “the CAT”) to help ...continue reading "The Most Diverse Picture Book Collections in the U.S. & How the Diverse BookFinder Can Help You Diversify Yours"

As some of you may remember, I started this year by writing a blog post about a collection development experiment I decided to undertake that was focused by this question: What if the only picture books and picture book biographies I buy for my K-3 collection only featured characters of color? It is now late-February ...continue reading "An Experiment with Inclusive Literature, Part II: One White Elementary Librarian’s Endeavor to Diversify Her Picture Book Collection"

For the third year in a row, the Diverse BookFinder team honored the observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday with a family program as part of the Bates College series of events. In response to the 2019 theme, "Lifting Every Voice: Intersectionality and Activism," we focused on women activists. An initial search for Category: Biography ...continue reading "Women of Color Leading the Way: Celebrating MLK Day"
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