Strengthen Your Child’s Racial Identity 

with Books

By Martha Caldwell

Our children need strong racial identities to feel good about themselves and be proud of who they are. A strong sense of racial identity 

is essential to self-esteem and healthy relationships. Learning to love and respect 

one’s self is an important part of growing up 

and seeing one’s self mirrored in characters 

in books can support this process. Research 

shows that it’s important for children to read books with characters who look like them, come from similar kinds of backgrounds, and face similar challenges. 

Rudine Sims Bishop, an expert on multicultural children’s literature, says that children who don’t see their culture represented in books they read are more likely to devalue their importance in society and in school. She believes that multicultural literature has the power to be a lifeline for students from diverse backgrounds, because it validates their existence.

Even ten years ago, it was difficult to find books story books that featured children of color as characters. Fortunately, this is no longer the case. Today there are a multitude of books to choose from. Some books talk about race and skin color explicitly, such as All the Colors We Are: The Story of How We Get Our Skin Color by Katie Kissinger and Hats Off to Hair, a celebration of differences through exploring different kinds of hair, by Virginia Kroll. There are books that deal with racial history such as Boycott Blues: How Rosa Parks Inspired a Nation by Andrea Davis Pickney or Jazz on a Saturday Night by Leo and Diane Dillan. Then there are books in which the race of the characters 

is incidental to the stories. In Jamaica’s Blue Marker by Juanita Havill, Jamaica resolves a conflict with a difficult classmate. In Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall, Jabari overcomes his fear of jumping off the diving board with gentle encouragement from his dad.

While it’s important for children of color to “see themselves” on the pages of books, it’s also important for white children to read about characters from different backgrounds and cultures. When white families read books about race, it can open the door to conversations that help children develop empathy and understanding. Reading about characters of different races should be part of every child’s experience. Research shows that white children whose families talk freely about racial differences are less racist because they view race as a normal part of life and not a topic to be avoided. 

All children benefit from learning about the lives of characters from a diverse array of cultures and backgrounds. 

Making Reading a Family Ritual

By Martha Caldwell

When my daughter Lee was in fourth grade, her teacher, Peter, required his students to read a half-hour each day. Peter encouraged us parents to schedule quiet time before bed each night for our children to read. He didn’t care what the kids read and he encouraged us to help them find books that matched their interests, had characters that they could relate to, and stories they would find fascinating. He stressed that reading below grade level was fine because anything they read, even picture books, would strengthened their mental reading muscles. His goal for his students was that they learn to love reading and that they develop a daily reading habit. 

Sometimes Lee and I sat beside each other silently and read our separate books at bedtime. Sometimes I read aloud to her and sometimes she read aloud to me. We talked about the stories we were reading and shared our anticipation about how the stories might turn out. I saw her interest in reading skyrocket that year. Now she’s an anthropology professor at a university, so of course, she still reads every day!

Making a daily habit of reading, however, doesn’t have to start at the age of ten. My son-in-law, José, reads to my two grandsons every night before bed. The boys look forward to their reading time ritual with their dad. They each get to choose a book they want to hear and then José chooses a third book he wants to read to them. Then the three of them snuggle up in bed and story time begins. After the finishing the books, they’re calm and ready to go to sleep. It makes bedtime so much easier!

Reading Aloud Sets the Stage for a Brighter Future

By Martha Caldwell

Learning to read begins the first time you hold your baby in your arms and read a picture book to her.  At first she may bat at the pages and lose interest quickly, but in a few months, she’ll be bringing you her favorite books and climbing into your lap to hear the story. How often parents read to their preschoolers is one of the best predictors of how well that child will do in school.

Children of all ages love it when parents, grandparents or older siblings read to them. Reading aloud to young children (and older children!) helps them develop verbal and written language skills. The more words they hear, the more words they learn. Just as importantly, hearing stories read aloud sets the stage for them learn to read! The rhythm and flow of written language is different than spoken language, so when children hear the stories read aloud, their young brains absorb the cadence of the written word, which makes learning to read on their own easier.

Maryanne Wolfe, author of Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of Reading and the Brain, tells us that middle class kindergarteners enter school having heard up to 32 million more words spoken than less privileged children whose parents haven’t read to them. These words, along with the rhythm of reading, are stored in their brains, giving them a huge advantage in school. “Children who have never had a story read to them, who never hear words that rhyme, who never imagine fighting with dragons or marrying a prince, have the odds overwhelmingly against them,” writes Wolfe.

Reading aloud to children not only sets the stage for success in school, but paves the way for economic success too. Studies show that children from families who read aloud to them have more opportunities for higher education and future economic mobility.

Written by Denise L. Peroune, Ph.D.

 

At the beginning of this semester, I attended Curriculum Night at my daughter’s middle school. It takes place near the start of each academic year as parents and guardians are invited to meet with their child’s teachers
and hear firsthand the plans for the school year: the expected AKS (Academic Knowledge and Skills) students are expected to know and be
able to do in that particular grade or subject i.e. what their child will be learning, promotion requirements, enhancements to the curriculum such as projects, field trips etc.

The first teacher with whom we visited was the Language Arts teacher. I sat enthralled as she explained some of the activities these 13-year-olds would be involved in; the books they were required to read; the depth of reflection, critical thinking and application that were expected and encouraged, if students were to get the most out of her class. And, I yearned to have been a part of such an environment. The link between effective reading and critical thinking, and the ability to choose and act wisely outside of the classroom were clearly being demonstrated, not just to us adults, but to the young students. The goal was not simply about achieving the AKS for eighth grade, but equipping students to function effectively and contribute substantively outside of the classroom.

The walls of the room were covered with students’ work to date, and tips and quotes to motivate them. One large poster got my attention—Reading Reasons—and I had to jot it down. We hear that reading is a lost art. Maybe it’s worse than that. Maybe some have never even known the joy that a good book can bring, the way the imagination soars as you are transported in your mind (sometimes you forget that it’s only in your mind) to unexpected and unimaginable places.

Reading has been key in my life, not only because of the pleasure I experience, but because without it I would not have been able to function effectively in my many roles. So, maybe that’s the key, our young people still don’t know why reading is important. We tell them that everything else depends on it. At 6 or 8 or 16, that’s not a good enough reason; you believe that time is on your side.

So, let’s tell them why reading is worth being pursued with every cell of their being. Reading Reasons, the poster on the wall of my daughter’s eighth grade classroom, is a list of nine reasons why reading matters. It was developed by Kelly Gallagher, a California high school English teacher, and some of his students. The goal: to help his students understand the role of reading in their lives. So, tell a child why reading is important. Don’t wait for them to ask! Use Reading Reasons as talking points in your conversation with the children in your care. My favorite: Reason number 4. 
Reading Reasons 

1. Reading is rewarding.
2. Reading builds a mature vocabulary.
3. Reading makes you a better writer.
4. Reading is hard, and "hard" is necessary.
5. Reading makes you smarter.
6. Reading prepares you for the world of work.
7. Reading well is financially rewarding.
8. Reading opens the door to college and beyond.
9. Reading arms you against oppression.