Modern BIPOC Representation

This Booklet Contains:

General information on the topic of Modern Representations of BIPOC

Background information on each book, why they were banned, and discussion questions for you and your child

More Information You can Find Online
(Use the included QR code or visit the FFPLTC website)

More recent books on the topics discussed above

Further resources for you to talk about tough subjects with Your child

...Antiracism and Diversity

Talking about race and racism can often feel like an uncomfortable topic to tackle for some parents, but in a world that has become connected through the internet and travel, it is inevitable that we meet people that will come from different backgrounds, cultures, and ethnicities than we do. Here are some tips on how to discuss race and racism with your child:

Research. Listen to podcasts, watch shows, or read up on the history of racism and civil rights so you’re prepared to answer questions.

Clarify your family’s values. Model the values you want to see in your children by using your voice and actions to demonstrate a belief in equality for all.

Speak in simple terms. Don’t overwhelm kids with too much information. Be honest about the facts that are needed, and nothing more.

Be age appropriate. Here are some suggestions for addressing race and racism by age:

Preschoolers: Talk about what’s fair and what’s not.
Make sure to give examples they can relate to.

School-age kids: Use real-life examples to
understand how they may feel if they were
discriminated against. These can be connected to
examples of people who have been marginalized.
This’ll work to increase kids’ empathy.

Keep the conversation going and allow a safe place to share feelings.

Why is Diversity Important in Children’s Books?

Rudine Sims Bishop (a multi-award-winning professor who researches children’s literature) has written about how books can serve as windows as well as mirrors. Windows allow us opportunities to see experiences different from our own while mirrors reflect, validate, and celebrate our own lived experiences. With only 26% of books received by the CCBC (Cooperative Children’s Book Center) being about Indigenous people or characters of colour and only 3.4% received being about queer characters or 2SLGBTQ+ families, children from these communities may have a lot of windows…but not a lot of mirrors.

You can Choose Diverse Books by…

Taking out stories about underrepresented groups like BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) written by BIPOC writers. These are known as Own Voices books. Look at characters that reflect more than one marginalized group. This is an example of intersectionality and gives insight into stories that are even less represented.

Look for books that emphasize joy, not just trauma. A lot of stories featuring BIPOC or other marginalized communities will focus on the harm and suffering they have faced throughout history and today. These are important stories, but it’s also important to showcase books that show them as regular people who celebrate, laugh, and enjoy life.

Some questions to consider throughout reading The Name Jar, The Snowy Day, Sulwe, Separate is Never Equal, and We are grateful:

1. What characters in the book would you like to be friends with?

2. How often do you notice people who look different from you?

3. How are the characters in the story different or the same to you?

4. How would the stories have changed if the main character was white?

Banned Books about Modern BIPOC Representation

The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi

Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o

Being the new kid at school is hard enough without worrying if anyone will be able to pronounce your name. Unhei has just moved from Korea, and is anxious about fitting in. This book teaches us about finding the courage to be yourself and being proud of your background.

Information on these books' bannings can be found on page 10.

Sulwe introduces a concept that many who are not people of colour may not know about: colourism. Colourism is like racism, but specifically focuses on oppressing people with darker skin while privileging those with lighter skin. We see this in Sulwe in how Sulwe’s sister, who has lighter skin, gets nicknames like “Sunshine”, “Ray”, and “Beauty”, while Sulwe gets called names like “Blackie”, “Darky”, and "Night.” In the book, we see how Sulwe tries many methods to lighten her skin (through makeup, eating light coloured foods, and even trying to painfully rub off her skin with an eraser) before coming to see her own beauty. The author, Lupita Nyong’o, talks about her own experience with colourism at the back of the book if you want an example of a lived experience.

Questions for The Name Jar

1. Why do you think the kids on the bus teased Unhei?

2. Do people have trouble pronouncing your name? How do you feel (or how do you think you’d feel), and what would you do to help them with pronunciation?

3. Do you know the meaning of your name and why your parents chose it?

4. Would you change your birth name if you could? Why?

5. Why do you think some people change their birth name?

7.What do you think the lesson of the story is?

Questions for Sulwe

1. How does Sulwe feel about her skin color at the beginning of the book? Why do you think she feels that way?

2. What happens at school that hurts Sulwe?

3. Have you ever felt that way about your skin color, or another aspect of how you look?

4. What do you think it means to feel “beautiful inside and out?”

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

A book with a simple plot about a young boy, Peter, exploring a snowy day. This book was considered for banning not because of anything specific to the story; but for the fact that a white author wrote about a black character in an era where that was vastly uncommon. Some thought Keats (the author) portrayed African Americans in a bad light, some thought he had no right to write a black character as a white person, and some thought he chose a black child only to contrast with snow. When he won the Caldecott Medal in 1962, there were accusations that he made Peter black only to win the award. Considering the author’s identity when analyzing a story’s characters can help you and your child think critically about a book.

Questions for The Snowy Day

1. What sort of games do you play in the snow?

2. How do you think Peter felt when the older kids didn’t let him join in the snowball fight?

3.What do you think happened to the snowball in Peter’s pocket?

4. Do you like winter? Why or why not?

This 1962 Caldecott Medal-winning picture book was challenged (both upon its publication and again in 1963) “on the grounds that a white man did not have the right to create a Black character” and that he only created a "Black" story so that he could get the award.

Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tontiuh

The 1940s may feel like eons ago to your kids, but they may have family members who were alive when Sylvia Mendez - a real life person - played an instrumental role in the Mendez v. Westminster case, which helped end school segregation in Californian schools.

We are Grateful Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorell and Frane Lessac

This book explores the Cherokee year: full of traditions, holidays, and reasons to be thankful. This book also helps teaches Cherokee language. The Cherokee Nation is the largest tribe in the United States with over 450 000 citizens worldwide, with its sovereign tribal government located in the city of Tahleguah, Oklahoma.