Children's and Young Adult Literature

Cultural Studies books for kids and teens

The following is a list of recommended resources, including articles, videos, and other content, used in our various in-person and virtual training sessions and workshops on diversity and cultural literacy for librarians.

Resources for raising a brave generation, written by experts.

A bilingual site for educators and families of English language learners

The CCBC has been documenting books it receives annually by and about Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) since 1994. Before that, between 1985 and 1993, we documented books by and about Blacks only. Beginning in 2018, we began to document the content of every book we receive. Also in 2018, we began to document additional aspects of identity in our analysis, including disability, LGBTQ+, and religion.

Where to find Diverse Books

Children's Lit posts archive:"Book Riot is dedicated to the idea that writing about books and reading should be just as diverse as books and readers are."

YA Lit posts archive: "Book Riot is dedicated to the idea that writing about books and reading should be just as diverse as books and readers are."

From the Children's Book Council

The Brown Bookshelf is designed to push awareness of the myriad Black voices writing for young readers.

Blogger and author, Minh Le, focuses on picture books.

Thousands of popular, high-quality books for K - 5. Epic! is 100% Free For Elementary School Teachers and Librarians in the U.S. and Canada

A one minute video on using the library catalog to limit search results to materials in the Children's Collection, and by language.

Adapted by A. Minter & M. DesHarnais from: Derman-Sparks, L. (2016, January 27). Guide for selecting anti-bias children's books [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.tfcbooks.org/guide-anti-bias-childrens-books

Blog focusing on diversity in children's and YA literature by Dr. Sarah Park Dahlen

Blog from School Library Journal by Elizabeth Bird

"Your connection to teen collections."

Critical perspectives and analysis of indigenous peoples in children’s and young adult books, the school curriculum, popular culture, and society

"Igniting the kind & brilliant leaders of tomorrow."

The mission of Research on Diversity in Youth Literature (RDYL) is to publish scholarship attending to issues of diversity, equity, social justice, inclusion, and intersectionality in youth literature, culture, and media. Research on Diversity in Youth Literature is a peer-reviewed, online, open-access journal hosted by The Center for Children's Books, School of Information Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. RDYL is published twice a year.

Lessons; learning plans; student texts; student tasks; teaching strategies; learning plan builder; film kits; printable posters

Cooke, N. A. (2020, May 30). Anti-Racism Resources for all ages. [A project of the Augusta Baker Endowed Chair at the University of South Carolina].

NYT Login info for TU Community: https://www.towson.edu/studentlife/activities/engagement/readership/
The 1619 Project is an ongoing initiative from The New York Times Magazine that began in August 2019, the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery. It aims to reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of our national narrative.

Black Lives Matter At School is a national coalition organizing for racial justice in education.