Books That Celebrate Diverse Readers
By Mark W.F. Condon, Unite for Literacy vice president
Webster's Dictionary (2022) defines “representation” as: “The description or portrayal of someone or something in a particular way or as being of a certain nature.” One thing a simple definition cannot explain is how deep representation can truly affect a child when they see someone who lives, looks or feels like them.
In early literacy circles “representation” is most often used for referring to the cultural, disability and racial makeup of a book’s or story’s cast of characters. In truth, representation is much deeper and wider than those commonly indexed and obvious qualities. Children who don’t see themselves, their daily experiences and their family’s values represented in books can naturally develop the impression that books or maybe reading in general might be for others, but clearly not for them. Worse, they could conclude that they don’t count.
Along new readers' road to a fully literate life, such a conclusion can cause them to experience a literacy flat tire or worse! On the other hand, growing up learning easily to connect with and love books and reading can lead to predictable success in school, and ultimately, to a life of personal growth and enrichment.
Children and even adults who are new to literacy and books won’t automatically expect to relate to or even encounter familiar aspects of their own lives in the books that they open. However, representation of things familiar to them found or discovered in their reading choices paves the way to developing an affection for books and strengthening their relationship to reading. It doesn’t matter what each reader’s reason is. New or reluctant readers must encounter one or more things (e.g., experiences, characters, ideas, or other emotionally appealing issues) that make them increasingly comfortable with the expanding range of books that they take into their hands.
Good authors know this and build their understandings of their audiences into their writing. A short list of how authors reach out from the page to connect with and represent the experienced lives of their selected audiences includes: physical appearance/abilities, personality types, religion or belief systems, regional or ethnic culture, age range, gender identity, prior experiences and learning, life or background knowledge, unique personal interests, special talents, favorite pastimes or toys, and strengths and weaknesses.
Parents and teachers can use this kind of list to assist their literacy learners in seeing themselves, their lives, their friends and families in books. Inviting kids to search for personal connections to book characters and topics, and to see what touches their imaginations also adds to their sense of books and reading as personally expansive and important, thus worthy of consideration.
We might all consider the above connections when giving books as gifts, especially to older children who are still reluctant to commit to reading entire books. These ideas also can be included in discussions about books they’ve finished or even chapters they have recently completed. By observing and encouraging personal connections between any reader and books they have selected, caregivers and teachers demonstrate for all children that each unique reader’s individual interests should be a growing source of pride and fulfillment. Those commitments to topics, authors or genres can be expressed through their book choices, hobbies, music and openness to engaging with and savoring the lives of others.
Developing the expectation that each of their book choices should have something perfectly suited to them can fuel growing reader’s engines to seek out and select the next book and the next and the next. That above all creates the impetus for them to become lifelong readers and learners. Parents, friends and teachers can be the perfect guides and cheerleaders, uniquely positioned to validate for new readers the personal WHY of reading that will power them through learning their HOW to read well, and then onward to deeply enjoying reading throughout their lives. And for others in those families who may not yet have made literacy a part of their lives, the ideas above apply as well.
That is the path to a life of personally rewarding literacy and can even open the door for connecting with and writing for others who don’t share their life experiences and the breadth and depth of their values but can find them in some way inspirational or intriguing.