A Had To Have Book About Diversity
 

Usually I just get books from the library or yard sales, to save money. But I read this one to the kids and had to buy it from amazon, for our own.
https://www.amazon.com/Other-Side-Ja.../dp/0399231161

Having 3 black and 3 white dcgs, I found it wonderful. The kids and I had an amazing discussion through lunch about it. I'm also taking a 2 part class on diversity in your dc and how we can present it, explore it, talk with the kids about it. So it fits in beautifully. I love when kids ask things so freely and 'just say it', much more so than adults do. It seems like we're always afraid of stepping on somebody's toes. One of my adopted dcgs, who's black, noticed one day that the dad of one of my other black dcgs, was black too. She pipes right up at pick up time and says 'Hey! You're black like me!' She loves it because our town, aside from the local high schools' dorm programs, the majority is white. It is changing, but slowly.

Interesting approach... I see the value in it but my style is more subtly and less direct - with this topic as well as with academics, etc. I have books about how we are all different and that it's great that we're different... I also have a good amount of books on accepting who you are many of with have hints on accepting others just like you accept yourself. I am in Southern CA which is very diverse however my home is in an affluent (mostly White and Asian neighborhood).

We touch on...

• different family structures
• (Kim might have two daddy's or four mommies, James might be raised by Grandma & Grandpa, Sue might have just one parent, etc.)
  
• different religions
  
• differences physically (including race)
  
• different customs/holidays

I have books that reflect all of these areas but we do not overtly talk about them or have planned talks about them. (With the exception of holidays as we celebrate all holidays of the families in care with equal attention). The books are naturally there with the others and we talk about any book the desire to talk about.

Some of my favorite books of differences specifically are.

Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match by Monica Brown

The Family Book by Todd Parr

Who is in a Family by Robert Skutch

Love is a Family by Roma Downey (Single parent family but overall beautiful book)

The Great Big Book of Families by Mary Hoffman

I'm Like You, You're Like Me by Cindy Gainer

Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes

All the Colors of the Earth by Sheila Hamanaka

I like Myself by Karen Beaumont

I'm Gonna Like Me by Jamie Lee Curtis

A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon

I find young children notice differences and if I approach differences as something to be valued both in themselves and in others they are more likely to take that away without adult themes, bias or undertones.

Well, the reason our discussion was started was because while they eat lunch(captive audience) I choose stories out of the library bag that our reader brings us weekly, this was the first I pulled out. :o I asked a couple simple questions about what their thoughts were on some of the pages I had just read(as I do with most books I read to them) and it became a very involved interesting conversation. :)

Originally Posted by Josiegirl:
Well, the reason our discussion was started was because while they eat lunch(captive audience) I choose stories out of the library bag that our reader brings us weekly, this was the first I pulled out. :o I asked a couple simple questions about what their thoughts were on some of the pages I had just read(as I do with most books I read to them) and it became a very involved interesting conversation. :)

I think it's great you support talks about diversity. Another title I forgot to mention is Shades of People by Sheila M. Kelly (not a favorite of mine but seems to always be the first librarians and teachers pull on the topic)