Diverse books offer mirrors and windows — mirrors for children who are stereotyped, marginalized or underrepresented and windows for white children to better understand the experiences of children of color. Research shows that providing all children with an accurate and positive portrayal of the many cultural groups that make up our community is important in developing empathy, identity, and allyship. 

 

In my own family, reading diverse children’s books with my kids (ages 4 and 13) offers me more ways to talk about race and racism. I follow their lead and learn with them (and often from them) as they make observations and ask questions. And while I may not always have the perfect response; I know that being accessible and open to conversations and admitting that I don’t have all the answers is better than not saying anything at all. 

 

I recently launched a diverse books lending bag on the Buy Nothing app in my neighborhood so that our family can share books from our home library with others. My hope is that we will increase awareness of the importance of diverse children’s books in all of our homes AND become more comfortable talking with our children, especially when they are young, about race and racism.

 

These books are age appropriate for 4-8 years old (though younger or older children may enjoy them too). I’m happy to lend them out to folks for a two week period at which point they can be returned and passed to the next person.

 

If you are interested in borrowing the books, please feel free to reach out (or if you’re on the Buy Nothing app, comment on the #lendinglibrary thread). 

 

Nicole LeDuc Meehan (she/her)

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