Top 3 Children’s Books for Teaching Kids to Embrace Diversity

Introduction

It has often been said by philosophers, scholars, and educators alike, that our differences, amid human similarity, are what makes us strong as a family, a community, a nation, and a world.  But for the child, full of curiosity about the world around them, nowhere is this fundamental truth more tangible than in that special world of children’s books. Stories hold remarkable power in the heart of a child, to teach this truth in a very real way; for inside a story, not only is it learned, but it is experienced. Society tends to generalize people into groups, onto which they can impress their preconceptions and bigotries, without having to think about the consequences. But the beauty of books is that they take the focus off the group and place it on individuals with feelings, hopes, dreams, thoughts, and emotions just as potent as anyone’s. It is only natural that people mistrust what they fail to understand. Only when people begin to gain this awareness, can perceptions start to change.

The Power of Story as a Teaching Tool

The presentation of ideas through literature has revolutionized societies, and its influence in the classroom can be just as powerful if wielded effectively. With careful selection and application, books can dispel stereotypes, reduce prejudice, correct misconceptions, and generally broaden the mind by fostering understanding, which is the first step to acceptance. Whether the difference in question is one of race, culture, background, gender, disability, or even character trait, the thoughtfully constructed story can teach readers to value differences, rather than to fear them. 

“Great books help you understand, and they help you to feel understood.” (John Green)

Yet, in a fallen world full of ignorance and suspicion, it is crucial that the process of cultivating this understanding begin as early as possible. Even the youngest children can comprehend the merits of diversity if presented appropriately according to age and developmental level. Here, I will discuss three tremendous titles of children’s literature that teach different is wonderful. Reflecting on how they accomplish this goal, I will suggest how teachers can employ them to facilitate the celebration of diversity and inclusion among students in the classroom, while remaining sensitive to the values and backgrounds of all students.

#1 Our Friend Mikayla: Biography

A very important type of diversity for young children to be made aware of, though often overshadowed by more popular issues such as multiculturalism and gender roles, is that of disability. Individuals with noticeable disabilities, including everything from deafness to paraplegic, autism to mental retardation, are arguably at the largest disadvantage when it comes to their reception by the public eye. If people are intimidated by cultural groups they do not understand, then they are most certainly capable of fearing those who live with physical and mental abnormalities that they themselves would be terrified to have to cope with. Yet, with all our progressive education programs and awareness drives on social media, the average person remains largely oblivious to many of these issues and to the people they affect. The result is that, when they have that rare encounter with one, they are utterly unprepared to deal with the situation appropriately, and school children are no different. When schools ignore this issue, while teaching how important it is to celebrate all the world’s cultures, religions, and gender types, they are inadvertently sending the message that the disabled truly are in a category of their own, farther removed from the rest of society than those of minority races or backgrounds. But when teachers, educators, and parents choose instead, to raise the issue on their own terms to explain about various kinds of disabilities in an appropriate manner, kids learn very quickly that other kids with disabilities may have to do things in their own way, but that does not mean they cannot do them or are any less human. They may have differences, but they also share just as many similarities, and sometimes, personal experience via exposure is the best teacher. This is the lesson of the spectacular children’s book, Our Friend Mikayla, which is my first book recommendation for teachers looking to develop inclusive classrooms.   

Our Friend Mikayla, suitable for children as young as kindergarten and 1^st grades, is a non-fiction, biographical picture book written by Mikayla’s third grade class at Lower Nazareth Elementary School in Pennsylvania. It is the true story, as experienced and explained by the children, of their transformative journey from fearing and shunning a severely disabled classmate, to understanding, acceptance, and eventually, real friendship with her, despite their differences. The brutal honesty of all the children involved is highly commendable, in addition to being quite revealing about the flaws in human nature as well as today’s society. Yet, the ending shows us that there is always hope. Inclusion in the elementary school classroom does indeed have the potential to bring great benefit, not only to the physically or mentally challenged student, but also to the typical students, and to the class community. For in the words of Mikayla’s mother, 

“I also think most parents wonder why any child would be affected by a disability. My personal belief is that the world needs to be filled with different types of people with varying abilities. This diversity builds understanding, compassion and acceptance, making us all better human beings. While my theory may have started as a means by which to justify my own daughter’s disabilities, her inclusion in a regular classroom has confirmed my thinking.” (Our Friend Mikayla, 2006)

Mikayla had an undeniably important and beautiful purpose in her third-grade class, her differences enabled the entire class to learn a powerful life lesson that they will never forget. To demonstrate the enormous impact Mikayla’s presence truly had on her classmates, look at this amazing juxtaposition comparing the beginning of the book (the children’s initial reactions to Mikayla), to the end of the book (after the children had been with her for a year), according to the kids’ own reflections.

But it is not only the beginning and ending that are perspective shifting. Every page in between is chalk full of words of wisdom, expressed perfectly in the simple, easy to read language of a child. Without a doubt, Mikayla’s differences are sowing seeds of understanding, compassion, and acceptance in the hearts of many in every place she goes, just as they did in her third grade year.  Her story, and those of her classmates, is a powerful message every child and adult needs to hear. It is one with the power to benefit any community, whether that community takes the form of a family, classroom, or school. 

A lesson centered on the book “Our Friend Mikayla”, is certainly worthy of a place in any teacher’s unit on valuing diversity and inclusion, but such a lesson would be most appropriate for kindergarten, 1^st, and even 2^nd grade classes. The main purpose of including this lesson would be to help students realize that people with disabilities share all the same human qualities as they do, and that although they may need to do things differently, they still have purpose and can contribute meaningfully to society (or the learning community) in many ways. Here are some activities that could be used to help students consider the content of the book in greater depth. Take the reading levels of the students into account when choosing activities. First, read the entire book aloud to the class, while they follow along. Then, separate the students into groups of two or three and discuss their first impressions of the book. After a couple of minutes, have the students gather to the reading area, or just go back to their seats for a teacher guided class discussion. Go around the circle and ask each student to verbalize one thing they learned from the story. Then, ask for volunteers to talk briefly about personal experiences with someone who has a disability. Base further discussion on the degree to which the students were able to verbalize what they learned from the book, mention any key points from the book that were left out. An additional activity might include having students select their favorite quotes from the book, copy them out on construction paper, and decorate the words and/or background with art supplies. Then, hang their posters up around the classroom or out in the hallway. 

#2 Year of the Dog: Realistic Fiction

Year of the Dog by Grace Lin, is the heartwarming story of Taiwanese American elementary schooler Pacy/Grace as she struggles to discover herself, her purpose, and her cultural identity. The year of the dog is a year for good luck, wealth, family, and friendship, it is a year for finding yourself. Pacy is determined to accomplish these goals by the end of the year. She is the only student at her school with a Chinese background, but when Melody Ling, another Taiwanese American moves in, the girls soon become best friends. Throughout the story, readers experience a full year of Chinese holidays, meals, traditions, and values, as well as Pacy’s conflicting emotions as she contrasts these with those of the American culture around her.  Is she an American, is she Chinese, or is she Taiwanese? Does she have to pick one or the other to be accepted? What will she do when she grows up, and how can she prove her talent to her family? By the end of the special year of the dog, Pacy/Grace discovers the answers to these questions, and learns she can be confident in herself without fitting into the mold of other peoples’ expectations. She doesn’t have to choose between her family’s heritage and her American life, but can instead enjoy some of both. The love between family and friends, runs much deeper than cultural background or skin color. Author Grace Lin, portrays her cultural heritage with affection and delicacy. As the book is intended for young readers, rather than a full immersion into the Chinese culture’s values and practices, she instead introduces both of these through a series of snapshots, periodic glimpses into a world of rich heritage, and strong family ties, as seen and understood by a child. The reader will learn along with the Lin children as they witness a calendar year of Chinese holidays, family get-togethers, traditions, and enjoy life-lesson packed short stories from the mother’s childhood growing up in Taiwan. 

A perfect choice for 2^nd and 3^rd grade classes, Year of the Dog truly impresses upon the reader how important valuing each student’s cultural heritage is to their self-worth and engagement in school. For example, in the book, Pacy is disgruntled when she realizes that none of the books she reads or the movies she watches, feature realistic Asian Americans. This leads her to mistakenly conclude that Asian people are not important. But when she mentions this to her teacher, she receives support and encouragement. In fact, her teacher inspires her to compose and illustrate a book herself that will portray the values of her Taiwanese background in the right way. As educators, we must also be deliberate in doing the same, helping each student to see their cultural roots in as positive a light as possible and letting every individual know they are a valued member of the classroom community. We can do this by stressing the good things in every culture, how they contribute, rather than detract from society, and by making sure to call equally upon deserving students from all cultural backgrounds when it comes to classroom discussions or tasks.  

Activities to encourage celebration of ethnic diversity might include having the students complete their reading of the book, with select chapters being read aloud by the teacher to peak interest and keep students engaged; then, hosting a grade wide international foods day to celebrate all the tasty dishes we would not be able to enjoy without one another, by giving each student the chance to bring in a favorite family dish. For teachers short on time and resources, students could make a list of all the restaurants they like to eat at, then count the number of cultural groups that contributed to making their list a reality. Alternatively, teachers could divide the class into project groups of two or three, then assign each group a cultural heritage to research and present a short report to the class, focusing on some positive aspect of that group such as a cultural tradition, type of food or clothing, or key values central to that group’s way of life. After finishing reading, but before beginning these projects, teachers may want to consider the following strategy for motivating students to think more critically about the material. Assign each student a different essay prompt designed to illuminate a significant lesson of the text, then have them read their essay aloud to the class to ensure that they are sufficiently motivated to put forth their best effort. Make the essay an open book open note assignment to reduce test anxiety. Reflective, inferential comprehension essay questions might include a few of the following: 

1. What do the mother’s stories about life in Taiwan reveal about Chinese cultural values? List at least three values and provide evidence from the text. Discuss the most important lesson you learned by reading Pacy’s story. Support your answer with an example from the text, and explain why you think that lesson is important for us. 
2. What do you think Pacy ultimately learned from the entire Wizard of Oz play experience? Cite evidence from the text and explain your reasoning. 
3. What about Pacy’s cultural heritage did you enjoy learning about the most, and why? Describe the scene from the story, or sketch a picture of it.   
4. Why did the main character go by the name Pacy at home and Grace at school? What reasons do you think her parents had for giving their children both a Chinese and an American name?   

#3 Upside Down Magic: Fantasy

Upside-Down Magic by Sarah Mlynowski, Emily Jenkins, and Lauren Myracle is a fabulously fantastic fantasy story, with an especially poignant lesson for every 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th grade reader. The first in a series, it is set in an alternate community similar to our own in many ways, except that society revolves around magic. Every person is born with a magic talent which surfaces at age 10. Hundreds of years before the start of this story, these talents were divided into the five F’s. Flyers, Flare’s, Flickers, Fuzzies, and Fluxers. The main character, Nory Horace is a fluxer of a sort, she has big magic, powerful magic. There’s just one problem, it’s different from everyone else’s. Rather than fluxing into regular animals, she fluxes into spectacular animal combinations like the bitten (beaver kitten), snitten (snake kitten), dritten (dragon kitton), skunkephant (skunk elephant), koat (goat kitten), and even a mitten (mosquito kitten) among others. At the beginning of her magical journey, Nory is embarrassed and ashamed to have unconventional, “wonky” magic. Everyone who finds out about it responds with fear, disgust, pity, or some combination thereof. Even her own family is ashamed of her wonky magic and does nothing but urge her to squelch it and force herself to stick rigidly to normal animals. After failing to be normal at the audition to get into Sage Academy, the rigorous and esteemed private magic school, her father, who happens to be the stern and distant headmaster of said academy, sends her off to live with her Aunt Margo, an unknown entity who lives in the distant town of Dunwiddle. Aunt Margo turns out to be the warm, caring, friendly, and best of all, open-minded understanding adult that Nory needed all along. Soon, Nory learns that she is to attend Dunwiddle Magic School, a public school with a rare but promising new program called Upside-Down Magic. At the UDM class, Nory meets other kids like her who have different magic talents not appreciated by society, and a wonderful teacher named Ms. Starr who believes different magic is beautiful and should be valued and understood, rather than hidden away. During much of her first months in Dunwiddle, Nory spends her time constraining her magic and focusing on making herself look normal. All she wants is to escape UDM by convincing the principal that she has earned the right to be transferred into a normal 5^th grade fluxer class, so that she can go home and reapply to her father’s fancy school. But one day, when the school bully and her hapless sidekicks attack the “wonkos” in a particularly cruel way, it is the very wonkiness of Nory and her friends that saves the day. They used their different magic to do something truly good. By the end of the story, Nory learns a powerful lesson, it is never worth it to lose part of yourself, in order to fit into society’s definition of normal. She should be proud of her big magic, not ashamed because it is not the same as everyone else’s. Her magic may be different, but is also awesome.       

Just why should a fantasy story be brought into the elementary or early middle school classroom’s discussion on Diversity? To put it plainly, the book is simply a marvel. It illustrates, in a delightfully imaginative way, how “different” in its many forms, can be both beautiful and extremely useful, but it is also packed with additional wisdom, practical advice, and life lessons we would all do well to consider. For one thing, it communicates, in a subtle but palpable way, the ever-important message that stereotypes, rumors, and gossip are often misleading and wildly exaggerated. For instance, on Nory’s first walk to school, UDM classmate Elliot, an Upside-down flare who later becomes her best friend, warns her in dire tones, to beware of a terrifying kid named Pepper, a fierce who scares the daylights out of both animals and fluxed students. He tells her wild stories about the people and animals Pepper has fierced so far, and advises her to stay awayfrom the kid at all costs. Later that morning, when Nory hides in a supply closet due to overstimulation and a failure to locate her classroom, she finds that someone else is hiding out too. The girl is small, sympathetic, and very friendly. She has experienced many of the same heartaches as Nory, so they relate to each other well. She offers Nory candy and, after a few minutes, they walk to UDM class together. Nory feels warmly towards the girl and wants to be her friend. At the door of their new class, she warns her to beware of Pepper, just as Elliot did her. But when Ms. Starr calls role, the tiny girl Nory liked so much, turns out to be the infamous Pepper Phan herself. Through processing her embarrassing and hurtful mistake, Nory eventually learns to look more at who people are, rather than what they are. 

“Nory looked at Pepper and saw the small, friendly girl she’d first met, the girl Pepper was to her before Nory knew she was a Fierce. Nory had liked that girl. A lot. Poor Pepper, Nory thought. How lonely she must be. How awful to have a talent that pushes people away.”

She, and the other members of her class, quickly overcome their previous prejudice, form real friendship with Pepper, and learn to accept her despite her, as yet uncontrollable fiercing magic.     

Book One of Upside-Down Magic also teaches two very important lessons about friendship that are particularly meaningful for kids who are beginning, or preparing to begin the difficult transition from an elementary to middle school atmosphere. Firstly, real friends will not try to make you into something or someone you are not, they will like you for who you already are. A potent example of this truth can be found in an emotionally charged scene involving Elliot’s first conversation with his old “friends” from ordinary school, since he was declared an upside-down flare. Before this point in the story, Elliot has talked fondly to Nory about his flare friends from ordinary school, and how they called themselves the Sparkies. But his illusions about their continued friendship, come crashing down when they openly mock and belittle him to his face, and to others. He approaches them with Nory in the cafeteria, hoping they will be glad to see him. But instead, Lacey Clench and her entourage of manipulative bullies, Rune and Zinnia, humiliate him shamelessly and tell him with glee how they have been trying to ditch him all summer, and were the ones to burn his bike tires into puddles. Surprisingly, Elliot still thinks he can win back his old friends by joining Nory on her misguided attempt to squelch her magic into the confines of “ordinary” magic. He spends most of this first book thinking they will accept him back into the gang when he learns to stop freezing things and “only do normal flare stuff”. After a perceived successful audition with Principal Gonzalez, petitioning to be transferred into the regular flare class, Elliot’s first reaction is to go tell them the good news. However, he soon discovers that these bullies truly were never his friends, they will never accept him, no matter what he does. This encounter with them prompts the aforementioned climactic confrontation, and subsequent turning point of the story. But Elliot realizes that he does have real friends, good friends. Nory and the other UDM kids like and accept him for who he is, and that is what true friends do. Secondly, everyone makes mistakes, and forgiveness is an important ingredient to strong friendships. An illustration of this principle can be found in the same scene involving Nory, Ellliot, and the Sparkies in the cafeteria. After Lacey, Rune, and Zinnia’s cruel remarks to Elliot infuriate Nory, she loses control of herself and fluxes into a skunkephant. She ends up spraying the entire room in fright when an unsuspecting Pepper comes toward their table and accidently fierces her. The entire cafeteria ends up being shut down and the entire school blames Nory. Although they know she did not mean to do it, and is extremely sorry about the whole episode, even the UDM kids shun her for a few days. But eventually, as they all take turns having magical accidents in class, inconveniencing one another in many spectacular ways, they grow to see the situation from Nory’s point of view and forgive her for the incident.        

Another significant aspect of this series is the multicultural makeup of the characters. The entire UDM class is full of cultural diversity. The loveable main character, Nory, is black. Pepper is Asian American. Andres is Hispanic, and Bax is Indian American. The teacher, Ms. Starr, is black, Aunt Margo is white, and Principal Gonzalez is Hispanic. Additional ethnic backgrounds are represented. In other words, there is no division and races are represented fairly and equally. The UDM kids are friends based on who they are as individuals. Through implicit messages like this, the story reinforces the central theme that all kinds of diversity make a community stronger and are worth celebrating. No matter how diverse a classroom, there is a character here for every student to identify with and cheer on.  

For all these reasons, the book is a superb choice for teachers looking for a guide to direct their instruction on the value of diversity. Consider starting by having them read an assigned portion of the book every day. For each reading segment, to help students process the meaning in the story, as well as to reinforce perspective taking skills and make sure they are doing the reading, have each student choose one character from the given portion and complete a character analysis graphic organizer, such as the one shown below. 

This assignment can either be done during class time or for homework. Then, when they have reached the end of the book, have students complete another type of character analysis organizer; this one designed to demonstrate the change that occurred throughout the story in one particular character.

Suggest that students choose a major character, but allow them to make the decision themselves. Lastly, instruct students to write an essay explaining, in at least three paragraphs, why they chose the character they did, how they identify with the character, what they liked about the book, and what they learned by reading the book. Encourage creativity by suggesting they add a colorful picture of their character. Provide at least some class time, along with access to art supplies, for this assignment. Wrap up by having students compile all their previous character analyses, their essay, and any other related documents into a three-prong notebook project portfolio.                 

Conclusion

An integral part of being an outstanding teacher, is choosing to not only talk about the value of diversity and the importance of accepting one another’s differences, but striving to live out these principles in a practical way, by promoting an atmosphere of respect, understanding, and compassion. We must lead by example. This means refusing to tolerate unkindness in our classrooms and cultivating an attitude of open-mindedness. We must teach our students to seek understanding before condemnation. Perhaps one strategy for this would be: whenever issues between two students crop up, take them into the hallway separately and have a talk with them. Ask them why they did what they did. Listen to their side of the story, then ask them how they think the other person felt about what they did. The goal is to get students into the habit of considering the impact their actions and words have on others, to get them thinking about how they would feel in the other person’s place. The good thing is that the right books can provide teachers with many effective strategies for facilitating this understanding and hopefully, behavior change as a result. Dunwiddle Magic School’s principal Gonzalez provides us with an excellent illustration. After Lacey Clench’s gang lashes out at the UDM kids for being different, he handles the situation this way:   

“All right. Now let’s talk about your manners. Would you like being mocked for your glasses, or for anything else that separates you from others?” Lacey swallowed and shook her head. “I did not think so.” “I have to wear them,” Lacey said. “They’re prescription.” “I will not tolerate bigotry,” said Principal Gonzalez. “I will not tolerate unkindness about race, gender, orientation, family background, religion, weight, magical abilities, favorite candy, or anything else that distinguishes one person from another. Not here at Dunwiddle Magic School.” “It was an accident,” whispered Lacey. “Possibly what you did was an accident. But what you said to Elliott and his UDM classmates was most certainly a choice. We can discuss it more in my office. Zinnia and Rune are there now. Please go and join them.” 

Whenever situations occur with one making fun of another because of a perceived difference, to discourage further instances, it is crucial to handle them quickly and firmly, so that the entire class sees that such behavior is not acceptable, that such actions do have real consequences, and that they truly will not get away with it if it continues. In other words, developing a strong sense of empathy in our students is key for building an inclusive learning community. Stories are the most powerful tool we have for bringing these principles to light and life for the children we love and serve. 

Related Posts: