From the Westport Public Library & the Westport Public Schools PTA:

“FINDING DIVERSE BOOKS

An Initiative of the Westport Library and Westport Public School PTA 

Westport, CT - The Westport Library and Westport Public School’s PTA Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are proud to announce the launch of Diverse Books Need Us, a curated list from the Library’s collection that feature characters that have been historically underrepresented in children’s literature.  This significant initiative supports Westport’s commitment to provide an excellent education to our children and develop global citizens and future leaders. 

 The Library staff selections are targeted at four age/grade levels: kindergarten through 2nd grade, 3rd through 5th grade, middle school, and high school.  Books were selected and will continually be updated that feature characters who are Asian, Latinx, Black, LGBTQ, Native American, have a disability, or are Neurodiverse.

 Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop, who first posited the concept of windows and mirrors as it applies to children’s literature, was a major influence on this initiative.

“Books are sometimes windows, offering views of worlds that may be real or imagined, familiar or strange.  These windows are also sliding glass doors, and readers have only to walk through in imagination to become part of whatever world has been created or recreated by the author.  When lighting conditions are just right, however, a window can also be a mirror.  Literature transforms human experience and reflects it back to us, and in that reflection, we can see our own lives and experiences as part of the larger human experience.  Reading, then, becomes a means of self-affirmation, and readers often seek their mirrors in books.”

“We live in a diverse world where all children want to see themselves in the stories they read,” said Westport Library Executive Director Bill Harmer.  “The books we’ve selected provide windows and mirrors for the children of Westport and will help them become empathetic adults.”

 “This initiative features curated book lists with characters who are often underrepresented in our storytelling,” said Ngassam Ngnoumen, Co-Chair for the Westport Public School PTA Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.  “We hope these books help nurture a society that is connected through a shared humanity.”

 To view Diverse Books Needs Us please visit  https://westportlibrary.libguides.com/DiverseBooksNeedUs

 To view the Library’s #OwnVoices Resource Guide visit https://westportlibrary.libguides.com/ownvoices

Own Voices is a term coined by the writer Corinne Duyvis and refers to an author from a marginalized or under-represented group writing about their own experiences and from their own perspective.”