Beyond the 'Single Story'

TO FIND BOOKS for young people by and about people from a variety of perspectives—including race, sexual orientation, gender, religion, class, and disability—the children’s librarian at your school or the public library will often be the place to start (read why we need diverse children's literature in our December issue article, "Stories for All God's Children"). If you’re fortunate enough to have an independent bookstore in your area with a robust children’s department, the staff there may also be of help.

If in-person advice is in short supply where you live, several online sites can also provide ideas. These include the website of the Cooperative Children’s Book Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (ccbc.education.wisc.edu/books), which has bibliographies and booklists on a wide range of topics and population groups. The We Need Diverse Books campaign website (weneeddiversebooks.org) has a variety of resources for finding diverse books for young people, including a list of other websites that focus on books featuring certain demographics or on diversity in specific genres. ThePirateTree.com features interviews, reviews, and other articles from a collective of children’s and young adult book writers interested in children’s literature and social justice issues. School Library Journal (slj.com) is a key source of reviews and other publishing information for librarians and teachers who work with children and teens.

The following are examples of recent books that break free of the restraints of a “single story.”

Families, by Shelley Rotner and Sheila M. Kelly, is a picture book for very young children that describes and celebrates all different configurations of families. Holiday House (Ages 2 to 6)

Thunder Boy Jr. is the first picture book by beloved young-adult fiction author Sherman Alexie. Illustrated by Mexican- American artist Yuyi Morales, it is the exuberant story of a little boy who is nicknamed after his father but wishes instead for a name “that celebrates something cool that I’ve done.” Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (Ages 4 to7)

In Lailah’s Lunchbox: A Ramadan Story, by Reem Faruqi, with illustrations by Lea Lyon, young Lailah is excited to be old enough to fast during Ramadan but is reluctant to tell other children why she is skipping lunch. An understanding teacher helps Lailah find a solution. Tilbury House Publishers (Ages 5 to 8)

The Land of Forgotten Girls, by Erin Entrada Kelly, is a story about two sisters from the Philippines, Soledad and Ming, abandoned by their father and living with an abusive stepmother in Louisiana. A realistic but ultimately hopeful story of imagination and resilience. Greenwillow Books (Ages 8 to 12)

Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement, by Carole Boston Weatherford, with collage illustrations by Ekua Holmes, channels the voice of grassroots civil rights activist Hamer through poetic verse. Candlewick (Ages 10 and up)

In the novel The Last Cherry Blossom, by Kathleen Burkinshaw, Yuriko Ishikawa lives in Hiroshima with her father, aunt, and cousin during the turmoil of World War II. Both the details of Japanese life in that era and the devastation caused by the atomic bomb are inspired by the author’s mother’s experiences growing up in Hiroshima. Sky Pony Press (Ages 11 to 13)

The Sun Is Also a Star, by Nicola Yoon, is set in New York City and tells a bittersweet love story between Natasha, a Jamaican girl under threat of deportation, and Daniel, the pressured-to-achieve son of immigrants from Korea. Delacorte (Ages 12 and up)

Due out in February 2017,The Hate U Give is the debut novel by Angie Thomas. The protagonist, 16-year-old Starr Carter, navigates between her city neighborhood and the suburban prep school she attends. Her life is upended when she is the sole witness to a police shooting of her best friend, Khalil. Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins (Ages 12 and up)