A More Diverse Author / Illustrator Study

The beauty of using author/illustrator studies is that it provides students with the chance to not only enjoy great stories, but also go deeper into analyzing craft (both visual and written) and identify important themes and characteristics through compare/contrast methods. These types of analysis skills integrate wonderfully into the larger benefits of #ClassroomBookADay and literacy standards.

Two years ago I posted an initial version of this list and it has only grown since then! I often see questions about who makes a good author/illustrator study and the names that come up most frequently in recommendations are straight, cis, white creators. As librarians and educators, it is our responsibility to do better than that. We need to take the lead and remind everyone that representation matters so that kids of all backgrounds, identities, and communities get the chance to see the global majority not only in, but also behind the pages of, the books we share. If we only promote the same voices over and over, there is a whole world children miss out on.

With the current efforts to limit, challenge, and ban books, it’s more important than ever that librarians are using their knowledge of the entirety of the field of children’s literature and uplifting, highlighting, & recommending those voices from communities who have historically been marginalized, attacked, and erased from curriculum. This is one way in which we can push back and advocate for all kids in efforts to show our broader global society and develop caring, welcoming, & empathetic human beings.

Through some brainstorming and crowdsourcing, and several rounds of revisions, my recommendation list is now up to 170 names of picture book authors and illustrators to choose from for more inclusive representation in these types of study units.

My parameters for curating this list:

  • Picture book author and/or illustrator
  • Public identity aligns with the We Need Diverse Books definition of diversity
  • At least 4-5 published picture books -> enough for a week-long classroom study or month-long library study (for some significantly underrepresented identities – like Arab creators – I used a 3 book criteria due to the fact that they often have a more difficult time even getting to publish traditionally in the first place.)
  • I have personally read at least two of their books & would recommend them as read alouds

Who will you be choosing to study this school year?

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