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\nGifting children books can be about more than just giving them something to read. Books are portals to adventure, imagination and new experiences. Importantly, books can help children understand and appreciate themselves, and those around them.<\/p>\n
Sadly, books normalising racial, cultural, family or gender diversity and diverse abilities are\u00a0few and far between<\/a>.<\/p>\n When children see characters and stories reflecting their background,\u00a0they can develop a stronger sense of identity<\/a>. Research also shows reading books with diverse characters and story-lines helps children develop a greater\u00a0understanding and appreciation of people different to themselves<\/a>.<\/p>\n Here are some\u00a0suggestions of diverse picture books<\/a>\u00a0you could buy for kids this Christmas. A student teacher I know was tutoring a nine-year-old Muslim girl and decided to share with her a book called\u00a0The Rainbow Hijab<\/a>. When the girl saw the book, her eyes lit up with excitement and she turned to her tutor and said, \u201cI didn\u2019t know they made books about Muslim girls like me.\u201d<\/p>\n No child should feel invisible in books. All children should be able to see themselves and people different to them portrayed in positive and inclusive ways.<\/p>\n The best books for children are those containing enjoyable story lines and reflecting diversity without preaching about it.<\/p>\n The Patchwork Bike<\/a>\u00a0by Maxine Beneba Clarke, illustrated by Van T. Rudd, is about children of African and Muslim background and the bike they build together from things they find around them. All children can relate to the joyful story of playing outside and being creative.<\/p>\n Other books containing relatable childhood stories are:<\/p>\n Magabala Books<\/p><\/div>\n Almost 5% of children in Australia live with a\u00a0severe disability<\/a>, while nearly 8% have some level of disability. This number is likely higher as there are many children with undiagnosed complex needs, such as autism.<\/p>\n Two Mates<\/a>, written and illustrated by Melanie Prewett is about a young Aboriginal boy and his non-Indigenous best mate who has spina bifida. The story focuses on their mateship and adventures rather than highlighting their differences. All children benefit from seeing diverse abilities being portrayed in such a positive way.<\/p>\n Two others books in which diverse abilities are normalised rather than highlighted are:<\/p>\n Larrikin House<\/p><\/div> This can be a problem, as older books often reflect\u00a0outdated views of gender, families, diverse cultures and abilities<\/a>.<\/p>\n For example, there are close to 48,000 single sex families in Australia. yet children from these families rarely see characters like them in books.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n1. Books with diverse characters<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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2. Books portraying diverse abilities<\/h4>\n
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3. Books portraying gender and family diversity<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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\nMany adults find selecting books for children challenging. My, and others\u2019, research shows\u00a0adults generally select children\u2019s books based on what they loved<\/a>\u00a0when they were children.<\/p>\n