The Words Alive Reader: September 23, 2020

Welcome to The Words Alive Reader, a regular newsletter keeping you up-to-date with the latest in how we've been connecting children, teens, and families to the power of reading. What have we been up to and how can you help? Read on to find out!

This newsletter, in addition to our blog and social media content, is written by us, a cohort of volunteers! Do you love writing and have an interest in helping Words Alive create this type of content? We'd love your help! Email to learn more.

- Zoe, Eli and Titiksha, Words Alive Storytelling Team

SNEAK PEEK: 2020 Annual Authors Event!

Text that reads: "Annual Authors Event: Featuring Ayad Akhtar in conversation with Dr. Seth Lerer” above a photo of Ayad and the cover of his book Homeland Elegies

We're so thrilled to announce the author for this year's (virtual) Authors Event & Fundraiser: Pulitzer Prize-winning author and playwright, Ayad Akhtar! 

Be on the lookout for an invitation—with links to a very special Authors Auction and Mission Marketplace—coming to your inbox very soon!

Books for Lindsay Community School

A woman holding up books stands next to boxes of books in front of a painting of a woman and the words Lindsay Community School.

We have been working with Lindsay Community School, a school dedicated to helping pregnant and parenting teens, for our entire 20+ year history! We recently donated books to Lindsay and were so happy to receive this wonderful response from Dawn Miller, Head Teacher!

"The girls and their children were THRILLED - what a beautiful collection of books! So exciting to see the students reading with their babies and children...Cannot thank you enough for helping us bring a little bit of joy to our families in these heavy times."

If you would like to support more collaborations like this one, you can donate to Words Alive here! 

Hello From Our New Storytelling Intern!

A picture of Zoe.

"Hi everyone! My name is Zoe and I am the Storytelling Intern at Words Alive. I have loved reading for as long as I can remember, and I'm so excited to share that love with others by telling the Words Alive story! If you're reading this newsletter, you have a unique perspective to share on what Words Alive brings to the world, and I want to hear all about it. You can reach me at [email protected]!"

Zoe got involved with Words Alive as a volunteer, like many of you! If you currently volunteer with us, we encourage you to add your volunteer position to your LinkedIn profile. Showcase your leadership skills and help us reach more people at the same time!

#WriteNow

Colorful balls of tissue paper representing emotions spread upward from a gray silhouette of a person in profile.

To help teens cope and connect with current events, we’ve started #WriteNow, a collection of writing prompts that provide inspiration in this difficult time. This week, we challenge teens to write a story in just ten sentences, ask them to think about the emotions they’re dealing with right now, and encourage them to reflect on how they handle conflicts.

Check out our latest prompts:

1. 10-Sentence Story

2. Emotions in Common

3. A Call for Equity

Now in 9 Languages!

Text that reads: “Help us support literacy in families’ home languages!” above images of literacy resources in Spanish, Arabic, and Haitian Creole.

Words Alive is now providing resources for students and families in 9 different languages: English, Spanish, Farsi, Arabic, Haitian Creole, Burmese, Karen, Amharic, and Portuguese! We want to ensure that we are supporting and providing curriculum to families in their home languages.

Are you interested in helping even more families build healthy reading habits and skill sets? Volunteer as a translator for our Translation Station! To learn more, visit our website. 

Donate Here to Support Words Alive!

Books Connect Us: April 24, 2020

Through Words Alive’s response to COVID-19, “Book Connect Us,” we are sharing best practices from our 20+ year history to help children, teens, and families use the love of reading to navigate this turbulent time. Here are a few highlights from the past few days. 

Mark Oshiro and Matt de La Peña Take Over #BooksConnectUs!

Words Alive is very excited to host authors Mark Oshiro and Matt de La Peña on #BooksConnectUs! This week Mark Oshiro desgined an exclusive writing lesson for our QuaranTEENS, check it out here.

Next Wednesday, April 29th, Matt de La Peña will be taking over Story Station on Facebook live with a reading of his book Love! After the reading make sure to check out the Story Station and QuaranTEENS pages for activities tying into the book!

Words Alive Celebrates Volunteer Appreciation Week!

This week is National Volunteer Week and we want to thank our volunteers for all of the passion, hard work, and dedication they bring to Words Alive!

We shared special thank you messages from our staff this week on social media. To hear our thanks, click here!

Read Aloud and Distance Learning!

Did you know more than 110 classrooms of children are virtually participating in our Read Aloud Program while at home? Words Alive wants to extend a very special thank you to one of our volunteers who partnered with Warwick’s in La Jolla and Run For Cover in Ocean Beach to donate books to kids in our program! The books will be sent directly to students’ homes to help build their home libraries and allow them to follow along with our Read Aloud content.

Are you interested in sponsoring our Read Aloud classes and helping children build their home libraries? We’ve got you covered! Email Robyn to get started.

Upcoming (Virtual) Events:

Join us for Story Station every weekday afternoon (2 pm PT on Facebook Live):

4/27: Rubia and the Three Osos by Susan Middleton Elya

4/28: The Big Umbrella by Amy June Bates

4/29: Love read by author Matt de La Peña

4/30: Amelia & Elenor Go For A Ride by Pam Munoz Ryan

5/1: ¡Un día una señora se tragó unos libros! por Lucille Colandro

(Recordings are available on our Facebook page after the reading.)

Trending on #QuaranTEENS:

Top stories and activities trending this week on #QuaranTEENS:

1. Turn an Idea Into A Story by author Mark Oshiro

2. Stuck Inside, but Writing Outside the Box

3. DIY Mind Jar with Mindfully Empowered

Books Connect Us: April 17, 2020

Through Words Alive’s response to COVID-19, “Book Connect Us,” we are sharing best practices from our 20+ year history to help children, teens, and families use the love of reading to navigate this turbulent time. Here are a few highlights from the past few days. 

Words Alive Worldwide!

Image of a child holding their hands up to their eyes while watching Words Alive Story Station.

With the jarring arrival of COVID-19, Words Alive knew our decades of experience could help children, teens, and families use the power of reading to cope with the imminent trauma and turbulence, but we didn’t realize just how many people we would reach. 

Since March 26, there have been more than 7,000 unique visitors to our website from every state and 21 countries. (This week we’re averaging 500+ each day!) In addition, we’ve hosted 18 live story times on Facebook that average 720 views each. We can confidently say we’re connecting more children and families to the power of reading than ever before – and we are humbled to do so during such a stressful time.

Want to help spread the word? Become a Words Alive Ambassador and share our resources with the loved ones in your life. Get started here.

Going the Distance!

Image of a student writing with a laptop open in front of them.

Students are “returning” from spring break to find that Words Alive is embedded in their virtual classrooms. We worked with our teacher partners to launch exclusive virtual modules for more than 100 classrooms participating in our Read Aloud and Adolescent Book Group programs. These resources include videos of trained volunteers reading aloud to students, virtual and print books and resources, writing prompts and discussion questions, hosted online discussions, and interactive platforms for sharing work.

To learn how to bring these exclusive resources to your schools or classrooms, or to support this work, let us know you're interested here.

Mindfulness Mondays!

Starting Monday, April 13th, Words Alive launched an 8-week mindfulness series in partnership with Mindfully Empowered! 

Image of a Mindfulness Monday graphic! This one featuring a DIY activity to calm the mind.

We will “Make it Lit” by accompanying each post with a reading extension, journal prompt, or other writing activity. During this uncertain time, skills to manage stress and anxiety are more important than ever before. Words Alive and Mindfully Empowered are excited to help teens develop healthy coping skills through reading, writing, and creating together. Check out new activities every Monday here.

Upcoming (Virtual) Events:

Join us for Story Station every weekday afternoon (2 pm PT on Facebook Live):

4/20: Chalk by Bill Thompson

4/21: Hilda Must Be Dancing by Karma Wilson

4/22: Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Elhert

4/23: Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein

4/24: ¿Es tu mama una llama? por Deborah Guarino

(Recordings are available on our Facebook page after the reading.)

Trending on #QuaranTEENS:

Image of our QuaranTEENS logo!

Top stories and activities trending this week on #QuaranTEENS:

1. History Happening Now

2. Stages of Coping with COVID-19

3. Journal Prompt: Hope

Books Connect Us: April 10, 2020

Through Words Alive’s response to COVID-19, “Book Connect Us,” we are sharing best practices from our 20+ year history to help children, teens, and families use the love of reading to navigate this turbulent time. Here are a few highlights from the past few days. 

Reaching Coast to Coast

With the launch of Books Connect Us, Words Alive has seen an outpouring of individuals wanting to help!

We are excited to welcome our newest volunteers from California, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina, and Virginia!  More than 50 new "virtual volunteers" have reached out to ask how they can help create content, read and review titles, coordinate virtual book drives, promote Books Connect Us, and more.

We rely on our community's expertise, passion, and commitment to help deliver exceptional programs and resources to families - and for your support we are truly grateful.

We’re hosting weekly virtual volunteer orientations. Click here to learn more.

Help Support our Westreich Scholars

Last week, Words Alive hosted a virtual check-in with our young adult Scholars and Mentors to see how they are coping and what we can do to help.

Given the implications of the pandemic on schools, jobs, housing, and health, the Scholars in our Westreich Scholarship and Mentorship Program are leaning into their resilience to adapt to a "new normal." Many are struggling to access food, shelter, internet, and child care – making a shift to distance learning in their post-secondary program extremely challenging.

We are honored that our volunteer mentors are side-by-side with this year's cohort to help them creatively problem solve and prioritize their pursuit of education during this turbulent time.

You can support our 14 Scholars by investing in our mentorship program, signing up to become a mentor, and/or donations of grocery, meal delivery, or gas gift cards. Click here to find out how.

Story Station en Español & Upcoming (Virtual) Events!

¡Hola! ¿Quieres escuchar una historia? Join us on the Words Alive Facebook page for a special edition of Story Station every Friday at 2 p.m. PT as we feature a different a story in Spanish!

Are you interested in reading stories or creating resources in Spanish or another language?  Click here to get started!

Join us for Story Station every weekday afternoon (2 pm PT on Facebook Live):

4/13: Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae

4/14: Z is for Moose by Kelly Bingham

4/15: We Do Not Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins

4/16: I Like Myself! by Karen Beaumont

4/17: Gracia, Sr. Panda by Steve Antony

(Recordings are available on our Facebook page after the reading.)

Trending on #QuaranTEENS

Top stories and activities trending this week on #QuaranTEENS:

1.  Write a Letter To Your Future Self

2. All the Feels - Writing Tip from author Elly Swartz

3. TikTok Challenge: Why are books the best stay-at-home activity?

Books Connect Us: An Introductory Guide!

As the effects of COVID-19 continue to evolve, we are wishing good health and peace to the greater Words Alive and San Diego community!  And as we continue to navigate this situation, we are writing to share free and engaging resources to continue connecting children, teens and families to the power of reading! 

Please use and share these ideas as ways to support learning, healing, and a sense of connection among your families, students, and communities! 

Visit our Books Connect Us page at www.wordsalive.org/booksconnectus, and check back often as new content is added daily. 

Here's a sneak peak: 

• #QuaranTEENS: Where you'll find: 

  • Activities and writing prompts helping teens process and cope with impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as response poetry and 6-word memoirs. Fun challenges for teens on TikTok, live author talks, and virtual book discussions are coming soon! 

  • Collection of videos from YA authors and illustrators with insights into their experiences as writers and creators. 

• Story Station: Where you'll find:

  • A growing collection of ready videos of wonderful stories read by both authors and Words Alive guest readers, many with links to ideas for extended activities that families can do together at home. Stories in Spanish are coming soon! 

  • Short videos for parents and caregivers about strategies they can use to help children connect with books and stories at home. 

  • Storytime on Facebook Live!: Join us every weekday at 2pm PST for a new, interactive storytime. Our first two have seen over 1,500 views and were a blast! Find us on Facebook at @WordsAliveSD. Please share with families, on social media, and with fellow educators.

From everyone at Words Alive, stay safe, be well, and we'll see you soon. 

How to Access Books Without Leaving Home!

We know that reading provides an incredible, and sometimes necessary, escape from reality. Now, as we navigate this unprecedented situation to keep all members of our society safe, we have resources to help the Words Alive community to find comfort in reading.  

Thanks to a number of amazing resources, you don’t have to leave your home to access books! You can use this new technology to download books and volunteer for Words Alive from the comfort of your own home. Words Alive Page Turners help us read and review books to use in our programs. Simply sign up for a book here and when you’re done review the book using this form! 

Here’s a few ideas for where to get books with a few simple clicks. 

Libby 

Libby is a public library app and allows you to borrow from a collection of thousands of ebooks and audiobooks right from your phone, all while supporting your local library! 

Here’s how to use it: 

• Open your App Store and search for Libby. Download the app. 

• The app will prompt you to answer the question: do you have a library card? Choose Yes or Not Yet and follow the prompts. 

• Search for books! You can download e-books or audiobooks directly to your phone. 

 Scribd

Scribd is an app where you can access thousands of the best books, audiobooks, and more. All in one app. Due to the current situation, Sribd is making their entire library available to anyone, for free, for 30 days.

Here’s how to use it:

• Open your App Store and search for Scribd. Download the app. Sign up.

• You can also go directly to scribd.com and sign up there!

Audible 

Audible is Amazon’s audiobook company and they are home to an unmatched selection of audiobooks. 

Here’s how to use it: 

1. Open your App Store and search for Audible. Download the app. 

1. Sign Up.  

1. On your computer, go to www.audible.com. Browse and purchase an audiobook.  

1. After purchasing, the book will appear in the Audible app on your phone and you can download it directly. 

1. Start listening! 

Happy reading and stay safe! 

Executive Skills in Reading and Learning!

By Omar Jawdat, Blog Intern

An image of two children exploring a book with their parent in our Family Literacy Program.

Executive skills are a set of skills and “brain tools” used to manage tasks, behaviors, and one’s own thoughts in order to achieve and accomplish goals. From an early age, executive skills play an important role in cognitive functions, such as reading comprehension and overall learning. According to Kelly Cartwright, (author of Executive Skills and Reading Comprehension: A Guide for Educators [2015, Guilford Press]), students who have difficulties with reading comprehension, ‘despite having age-appropriate word reading skills, have lower levels of executive skills than their peers with higher comprehension’. In addition, students may not be able to fully understand or gain sufficient knowledge from information taken from vital core subjects in school, which include science, math, or social studies, especially if they cannot comprehend what they read.

The key components of executive skills for reading comprehension can be broken down into three main categories: Cognitive Flexibility, Working Memory, and Inhibition.

Cognitive Flexibility is the ability to shift from one activity to another, or back and forth between important components of a task. It relies on how you think about a situation, as well as what you think about it. Other skill sets that pertain to Cognitive Flexibility include:

• Open-mindedness in terms of different opinions and perspectives. 

• Willingness to accept and risk mistakes.

• Considering different methods for problem solving.

• Engaging in learning, discovery, and innovative creativity.

When reading, all these factors included with cognitive flexibility allow for a student to actively shift focus between many important parts of reading, such as word and text meanings, letter-sound information, and sentence grammar. 

Working Memory is the capacity to hold information in mind for a period of time and use that information for the particular work/task to achieve goals. In reading, working memory is necessary to comprehend the meaning of a text by keeping in mind what you have already read. As you read, you update your understanding of the written text. Children use working memory to sound out words in order to memorize and remember different letter sounds, then put them together to figure out what the word is. Working memory also helps with: 

• Following instructions.

• Reading an unknown word.

• Paraphrasing/Summarizing written information. 

• Answering questions, as well as asking them.

• Organizing words or sentences. 

Inhibition refers to one’s control of stopping automatic and impulsive responses, while at the same time, ignoring irrelevant distractions that would otherwise interfere with one’s main focus for a certain goal. To be a good inhibitionist, one must think before acting. This skill is also necessary when trying to comprehend reading. People who are good at comprehension will leave out the irrelevant words or text that do not connect with the main themes, ideas, messages, or instructions being brought out by the reading. Inhibitionists will be able to point out and locate the most effective sources of the text, while leaving out the irrelevant ones.

Teach Them at an Early Age 

According to research, children with better executive function skills perform better on literacy exams. Children who begin to learn how to read and write acquire their executive skills through pre-literacy training, such as recognizing and sounding out letters. Once they are able to master pre-literacy skills, their executive skills will increasingly continue into reading comprehension and other more complex abilities. 

Cognitive flexibility, working memory, and inhibition are also obtained from an early age when children are learning to read and write. For children, working memory has to do with helping a child keep a main topic or a goal on paper while writing, as well as helping them with remembering the spelling and grammar rules. 

Cognitive flexibility helps children think of different ways to say things, especially in writing. It encourages kids to think more about what is being read, by putting what is written into different sentences, or explaining it in different ways. 

Inhibition control is the process of brainstorming: to gather thoughts and ideas for planning before the writing process. ‘It is needed when encountering words with multiple meanings, by choosing the correct meaning in the context of the story and ignoring its other meanings’. An example of this could be when differentiating between words that have different meanings, such as “bat”, which could be used to either describe a baseball bat or the animal.

Long Term Benefits for Building Executive Skills 

These three skills (cognitive flexibility, working memory, & inhibition) for executive function are crucial for academic performance. It helps students organize their work more efficiently, and engage with learning through a wider variety of options, rather than just glueing one’s eyes to a book and reading through the text just once. These skills and methods help young students absorb the actual information given by the text, and helps their minds process it in a more successful manner.

In addition, students will not only have better reading comprehension, but it will allow them to effectively manage and control their own behavior, regulate overall thinking and learning, regulate emotional processes, impulses, and develop peer relations through friendship and strong communication.  

Sources: 

• https://keystoliteracy.com/blog/executive-skills-and-reading-comprehension/

• https://npjscilearncommunity.nature.com/users/20252-judy-willis/posts/19380-building-students-cognitive-flexibility

• https://reflectionsciences.com/literacy-executive-function/

• https://childdevelopment.com.au/areas-of-concern/working-memory/

Life Lessons Learned From Popular Children's Books

By Jennifer Van Pelt

An image from The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. The Lorax is standing on a tree stump and text on the images says, “‘Mister!’ he said with a sawdusty sneeze, ‘I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees.’”

If you think back on some of your favorite books as a child, or the books you read to your own family members and loved ones, there’s likely some stories or motifs that stick out in your memory. Examples of popular themes in children’s books include not getting to bed on time and all of the chaos it can create, what eating too much food can cause, or why being nice to siblings can bring positive experiences. These subtle themes introduce new ideas to children as well as humanize lessons for them.

Some books take these lessons even further by relating them to some of the “Golden Rules” or basic social skills that children should learn when they are young. Aesop’s Fables is perhaps one of the most famous for popularizing these ideas for children, but it’s a common practice among popular contemporary children’s literature. Take a look at some of the examples below that you may have not realized subtly suggest a larger life lesson to children.

“The Rainbow Fish” by Marcus Pfister follows the story of a beautiful rainbow fish who keeps his beautiful scales to himself instead of sharing them with the other fish, leaving him with no friends. By the end of the book, the fish learns that giving the other fish some of his scales made him friends, thus embodying the “sharing is caring” motto we often teach children.

“Corduroy” by Don Freeman depicts the story of a teddy bear who goes on a hunt for his missing button that he believes he needs for any child to love him enough to buy him. After an adventure-filled and fruitless excursion for another button, a little girl buys him and loves him for his flaws. This book touches on the lesson that no one is perfect and everyone has flaws; it’s just about learning to love yourself as you are.

No children’s book list would be complete without a book from Dr. Seuss. “The Lorax”, perhaps one of his more popular and pertinent books, is a cautionary tale about treating the Earth with respect. It follows a child and his discovery to how his previously breathtaking town came to become such a desolate and destructed area. This book not only teaches children about the importance of sustainability and moderation, there’s also an overarching theme about the importance of learning from the past.

Words Alive knows that there are countless more benefits to reading aloud to children. In addition to introducing life lessons to them, reading aloud can also support their overall knowledge of books in general, cadence of reading a book, and vocabulary. If you would like to support our journey in ensuring more children are able to participate in the experience of reading aloud, you can visit our Read Aloud Program homepage here to learn more.

Annual Report: Family Literacy Program

What happened in our Family Literacy Program in the 2017-2018 school year? Well…a lot!

To start, 437 families came through the door, taking home 2,511 books and clocking 1,310 hours of shared learning time. Let’s dive in and share what else happened in the program this year!

Meet Sheena

An image of Sheena Burks. She is standing in front of a bare wall and smiling at the camera.

In our sixth year of the program, our expanded facilitator team included Sheena, a talented mother and preschool teacher who attended the program the past two years with her young boys. She is the first parent participant to go on to lead the program with other families. Sheena has been able to use her experience as a participant in the program to shape her leadership style. Over the past year, Sheena has inspired 72 families through the Family Literacy Program, while sharing her own stories and experiences to help strengthen their connection to reading. Through this unique perspective, Sheena has been able to see the incredible effects the program has on children and families.

“I had a parent say that they couldn’t get their son to read at all because he thought it was boring,” said Sheena. “But after the program, they’re saying that he wants to read more and more...he’s comfortable now — he’s not feeling forced to read!”

Reporting Out

An image of Sheena facilitating a Family Literacy session. She is sitting on the floor with guardians and children while they all look at books together.

To engage returning families, Words Alive introduced new curriculum, including new book titles and supporting activities — and it was a huge hit! What’s more, parent knowledge in understanding child development, implementation of literacy-building activities at home, and book sharing behaviors continue to increase for our families during their time with us. With the increased knowledge and skills that come from our programs, parents are empowered in their role as their child’s first and most important teacher. By the program’s end:

• 68% more families reported having a routine for looking at books with their child.

• Families reported an average 38% increase in the size of their home libraries, growing on average from 11 to 16 books.

• Families that completed our program reported a 40% increase in understanding how their preschool child learns and have created a language-rich environment for them.

Moving Forward

Parents play the most critical role in developing skills and abilities within their children. Parent engagement is one of the key factors in a quality childhood program. At Words Alive, we know that our Family Literacy Program is engaging parents in a meaningful way and making an impact on the families who participate each year. We have successfully collaborated with a variety of partners like the Fullerton School District, who offered four sessions of our program in their schools after we trained their staff and provided curriculum.

“Words Alive has empowered parents to support their children acquire valuable literacy skills, engage families in discussion about meaningful literature, and connect our parents into our school community.” —Dr. Robert Pletka, Fullerton School District Superintendent

We continue to see the same results in the families through this training model and through direct services. Going forward we want to continue to diversify where we can offer our Family Literacy Program by reaching out to families through classes located within their communities.

Learn more about our Family Literacy Program here!

Why Diversity in Books is So Important

By Jennifer Van Pelt

Image of young adult author Nicola Yoon and her husband holding up a sign that says, “We need diverse books because of everything in this circle.” There is a circle cut out of the sign and their daughter is standing so her face is in the circle. Photo credit: Nicola Yoon

In a recent blog post, we previewed a few books included in our curriculum for the 2018-2019 school year. Among the books included are short stories and novels that feature characters and are written by people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, authors who deal with mental health issues, and have other diverse experiences.

ADL is a nonprofit whose mission is to secure justice and fair treatment to all, including those of varying religions, races, genders, and identities. ADL posted an article outlining anti-biased education and how diversity in books was related. The article explains the difference between “mirror books” and “window books” when referring to diversity in children’s literature. A “mirror book” contains a reflection of oneself: your culture, gender, race, religion, etc. and enables the reader to potentially see themselves in a different light. On the other hand, a “window book” gives the reader a glance into another life that features different people, events, and places that they may not be familiar with. Exposing students to different environments through these “window books” is a unique opportunity to learn empathy and perspective, while allowing children to reflect on their experiences through “mirror” books helps them relate in new ways and learn more about themselves in the process.

A graphic titled “Proportion of children’s books by people of color published in the US (2017).” The graphic shows the following statistics: 3,150 white, 274 Asian Pacific/Pacific Americans, 122 African/African Americans, 116 Latinos, 38 American Indians/First Nations. Source

What Portion of Books are Considered Diverse Today?

The Cooperative Children’s Book Center does a yearly study on how many books are published from non-white authors. Though there has been an increase in recent years for books published from multicultural authors, there are still just over 10% of books published in the last 24 years that were written by and about people of color. This is compared to the 2017 census data that reported 40% of Americans as people of color.

Examining the books in the Young Adult LGBTQ category, where the characters or plot line focuses on LGBTQ issues, the percentage has doubled in the last decade. Malindo Lo, an author who writes about such issues, conducted her own study in 2017. Malindo counted books published each year by mainstream authors, reaching nearly 80 books in 2018, up from 55 in 2015. Comparing this to the 4.5% reported American LGBT population in 2017, there is a large variance between the population and the representation within publications and what students are exposed to. This under-representation is what a lot of advocacy groups and movements aim to address today.

Is Diversity in Books an Important Topic Today?

Yes! We Need Diverse Books aims to “produce and promote literature that reflects and honors the lives of all young people.” An 11 year old African-American girl, Marley Dias, launched the #1000BlackGirlBooks to bring awareness to the lack of diversity in contemporary books.

Words Alive understands the importance of diversity as well and works hard to bring “window books” and “mirror books” into the classrooms to teach students self-reflection and empathy. Most of our participants are non-white students, a group that is severely underrepresented in American publications. By exposing students to different cultures and reliving how main characters have endured experiences that the reader may have gone through personally, we are able to bring more representation, tolerance, and understanding into the classroom.

Sources:

https://www.adl.org/education/resources/tools-and-strategies/table-talk/why-we-need-diverse-books

https://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/literature-resources/ccbc-diversity-statistics/

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045217

https://www.malindalo.com/blog/2017/10/12/lgbtq-ya-by-the-numbers-2015-16

https://news.gallup.com/poll/234863/estimate-lgbt-population-rises.aspx

https://diversebooks.org/about-wndb/