Another multicultural book list?

Librarians are always searching for books that feature diverse children and teen, whether racial or ethnic minorities, children with disabilities or other groups underrepresented in most current writing for young people. Once the books are found and purchased, it’s sometimes hard to see them to kids, especially mainstream readers who are looking for entertainment and shy away from anything that seems goody-goody or adult approved. It’s good to know that Elizabeth Bluemle, a blogger at Publisher’s Weekly has come up with a refreshing list of multicultural books that should please both librarians and their patrons. As she describes it, “This is a list of books a great list of multicultural books published in 2011 featuring main characters of color in stories that are not driven primarily by racial issues”. The books, suggested by readers of Ms. Bluemle’s blog, include titles for the picture-book crowd as well as for teenagers. What they have in common is the unselfconscious use of characters from varied backgrounds who are coping with the joys and worries of childhood or the anxieties and pleasures of adolescence. What better way to let children realize that the thoughts and feelings of the people around them are not so different from their own no matter how different their skin color, weight, or language may be? Too many old standards from the early days of multicultural sensitivity make a great point about overcoming racial differences, sometimes exemplifying the worst of 1960s self-consciousness that makes today’s teens snicker. Let’s keep it cool. Let’s not talk so much about differences but demonstrate what is the same (and what is different) about the lives of different people living in our society. The blog post also makes a point about the importance of covers that do not blur the fact that the protagonists of the book are not white Barbie-doll types. Publishers love to use covers that don’t exactly misrepresent, but certainly try to hide who the characters are. It’s time that librarians and teachers stand up and say that children and teens can and will read books about other races and groups if we give them a chance to meet fascinating characters in intriguing situations. Let’s trust the kids and be honest with them!