GPL Welcomes Diversity
The youth staff at Greendale Public Library strive to increase diversity in the materials that we purchase for the library. You will see a lot of diverse youth books on our New Books shelves and on book displays. We have a World Language Section that was funded by Greendale Welcomes Diversity Steering Committee and the Friends of Greendale Public Library. The Friends of the GPL donated monies to purchase diverse fairy tales in 2020. We have received private donations to purchase diverse books for our collection. In addition, our staff has curated lists on various diverse topics. Some of the lists are available in the in the youth area, on our website, and available by request at lreinke@greendale.org.
Stop by the library to see our efforts!
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In 1990 children’s literature researcher, Rudine Sims Bishop, wrote about “windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors” as it relates specifically to children’s books.
Books are mirrors when readers see their own lives reflected in the pages.
Books are windows when they allow readers a view of lives and stories that are different from their own.
Books become sliding glass doors when readers feel transported into the world of the story and when they feel empathy for the characters.
Finding Diverse Books
Diverse Books Website: https://diversebooks.org/resources-old/where-to-find-diverse-books/ 
Honestly Modern Website: https://www.honestlymodern.com/great-picture-books-about-everyday-stories-with-non-white-characters/
Religious Diversity Website: https://lib.stpetersburg.usf.edu/ChildrensLiteratureReligiousDiversity
Diverse Book Finder: https://diversebookfinder.org/books/
Award Winning Diverse Books
American Indian Youth Literature Awards: Awarded biennially, the AIYLA identifies and honors the very best writing and illustrations by Native Americans and Indigenous peoples of North America.
https://ailanet.org/activities/american-indian-youth-literature-award/
Asian Pacific Awards for Literature: Honor and recognize individual work about Asian/Pacific Americans and their heritage, based on literary and artistic merit.
https://www.apalaweb.org/awards/literature-awards/
Coretta Scott King Book Awards: Annually recognizes outstanding books for young adults and children by African American authors and illustrators that reflect the African American experience.
https://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/coretta-scott-king-book-awards
Mike Morgan and Larry Roman's Children's and Young Adult Literature Award (Stonewall): Presented annually to works of exceptional merit for children or teens relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience.
https://www.ala.org/rt/rrt/award/stonewall/honored
Pura Belpré Award: Presented to a Latino/Latina/Latinx writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latine cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth.
https://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/belpre
Schneider Family Book Award: Honors an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences.
https://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/schneider-family-book-award
Sydney Taylor Book Award: Presented annually to outstanding books for children and teens that authentically portray the Jewish experience.
https://jewishlibraries.org/sydney_taylor_book_award/
Madison, WI is the home to Cooperative Children’s Book Center, one of the leading institutions that studies diversity in youth literature. It is located at the University of WI-Madison and open to the public.
Location of Cooperative Children’s Book Center: https://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/about/location/
Frequently Asked Questions about Diversity Statistics: https://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/literature-resources/ccbc-diversity-statistics/diversity-statistics-faqs/
Diversity Statistics: https://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/literature-resources/ccbc-diversity-statistics/
CCBC Recommended: https://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/literature-resources/ccbc-diversity-statistics/books-by-and-or-about-poc-2018/