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Creating a Diverse and Intentional Bookshelf

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“If you want your kids to imagine a better world the books on your shelf should reflect that.” — Kwame Alexander

I am a serial book buyer. Book club selections, birthday gifts, impulse buys, you name it. Having two children, both developing readers, has given me a license to add even more books to our collection. It’s also provided an opportunity for me to talk about books with other parents, colleagues, and online communities (not to mention strangers in bookstores, grocery lines, and on airplanes).

Through these conversations, I’ve come to appreciate how children’s books are instrumental in not just promoting reading, but shaping family conversations. They allow us to understand childhood emotional growth, discuss current events, and explore other cultures, communities, experiences, and identities. I was able to tell a neighbor that “A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo” helped me explain voting to my 4-year-old daughter, and that “Adrian Simcox Does NOT Have a Horse” led to an important conversation about poverty and empathy with my 7-year-old son. I saw parents eagerly jot down these book recommendations for their own reading lists. With this in mind, I teamed up with writer Natalie d’Aubermont Thompson to develop the workshop, “Creating an Intentional Bookshelf: Children’s Books to Spark Family Discussions.” This workshop has provided a forum for parents, grandparents, caregivers, and educators to broaden their own collections and explore the wealth of diverse books currently available to us.

Here are some of the recommendations that have come out of these conversations.

Looking for book recommendations? Here are a few favorites in our house:

Picture Books

Middle Grade

Being intentional in your selections is a great way to deepen your reading experiences. There is a wonderful world of diverse children’s books available- have fun exploring!