Diversity, equity, and inclusion has long been the focus of educational scholarship. This study explores the potential of wordless books with protagonists of color for children to access portraits of diverse characters and engage with various stories. To expand the existing body of literature on diversity in picturebooks, this study offers two…

In the realm of modern children's literature, biographies of women showcase lives of exceptional talent, perseverance, civic engagement, and more: lives meant to inspire young readers. Since its inception in 2001, the Robert Sibert Informational Book Medal and Honor award has included a biography (or two) every year, with the exception of 2004 and…

The disproportionate impact of environmental degradation on First Nations peoples and on other communities of color is not new. Indigenous peoples, Black people, and other marginalized communities experience the consequences of environmental degradation disproportionately (Taylor, 2014; Washington, 2019), telling us that environmental justice and…

Historically, early lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer-inclusive (LGBTQ+) picturebooks deployed representations of (in)human characters (i.e., birds, bunnies, shapeshifters, and more) to open readers to queer subjects (Young, 2019). While useful for expanding conceptions of queer life, such a move has had unintended consequences. The…

Access to green space has always been a social inequity, but the recent global pandemic has exacerbated this injustice for lower-income families even more. Environmental access strengthens mental health, encourages exercise and healthy social habits, and reduces pollution. Many have argued that children not only need play, but they need play in…

Sharing literature representative of students' diverse experiences opens up conversations, invites inquiry, and develops empathy (Ward & Warren, 2020). It is well documented, however, that these books can be challenging to locate in schools, libraries, and bookstores (Bickmore, Xu, & Sheridan, 2017; Crisp et al., 2016; Jipson & Paley,…

A limited number of studies have examined Asian American children's literature over the last half century. While the selection and availability of this literature has increased substantially in the last two decades, many of these texts continue to perpetuate stereotypes (Morgan, 2012), such as the overachieving model minority (Loh-Hagen, 2014) and…

Teachers report using trade books in the science classroom to humanize the subject matter, appeal to student interests, and aid with understanding (Fang, 2014). Trade books are deemed easier to read aloud and more appealing to younger readers, while some teachers also believe that trade books add an emotive element to the field of science (Donovan…