Access and Opportunity
When a variety of protagonists are showcased in children’s books, it provides an opportunity for all children to feel seen and heard and to learn about the unique experiences of communities close to home and around the world. Rising Voices: Amplifying AANHPI Narratives provides engaging books that celebrate the achievements and experiences of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander people inside and outside of the United States. They include stories that often are missing from children’s literature. Along with the books, other resources in the collection help children build greater understanding of and appreciation for the world they live in. Why Rising Voices? In 1990, Rudine Sims Bishop used the phrase “windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors” to emphasize the need for all children to experience diverse stories through the characters and real-life people they meet in books. When they see aspects of their own experiences reflected in texts, they use books as mirrors. When they gain insights into the world beyond their own experiences, they use books as windows. Books later become sliding glass doors as children develop connections with the characters in the stories they read. Reading a variety of books allows children to look into and outside of their own experiences and to make text-to-self and text-to-world connections. According to award-winning author Grace Lin, diverse books can even perform as “eyeglasses” that help children develop a clear view of the robust world around them. Ideally, every classroom would contain a library filled with hundreds of books that reflect a variety of characters featured in a positive light. Positive representation in books can result in children who have higher self-esteem and increased classroom engagement (Schwartz, 2019). Providing access to high-quality literature, as well as effective instructional supports, creates environments in which teachers feel supported in expecting great things from all students.
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