E12 EZ EE THE WASHINGTON POST.SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22 , 2020
BY CHRISTINA BARRONM
any new children’s books offer something especially
useful this year: an opportunity for kids to understand
the perspective of someone who’s not just like them.
That may come from a friendship story, a head-on look
at racism or even a picture book about eating lunch.
But it’s not a coincidence that books for young readers have
become more diverse in the past several years. It has been an
organized push for change.
In 2014, children’s author Ellen Oh tweeted her frustration
about an all-White-male panel at an upcoming book conven-
tion. The outrage that followed — from White women as well as
people of color — led to the hashtag WeNeedDiverseBooks. It
went viral.
“It’s kind of like ‘Horton Hears a Who.’ We were finally able to
be heard outside our little ball of fluff,” said Oh, who is Korean
American and had previous conversations with others whose
identities were not well represented in children’s publishing.
Oh wanted more than words.
“I’m a very solution-oriented person,” she said. “We actually
have to do things to make change happen.”
Oh and a half-dozen other authors, illustrators and book
industry professionals, started the nonprofit We Need Diverse
Books with the aim to shake up the industry.
The organization has done so with a dizzying array of
programs. It has offered grants to unpublished authors and
illustrators from diverse backgrounds. It has created awards for
authors and independent booksellers. There’s a mentorship
program, a publishing internship grant, three short story
collections and a partnership with Scholastic Book Club. And it
has donated about 20,000 books to public schools.
Oh said she has seen the publishing world — although still
dominated by books by and about White people — move away
from the long-held idea that diverse books don’t sell. Authors
used to hear, “We already have an Asian story or we already have
a Black book,” she said. “What you now have is a desire and
hunger for more stories about diversity.”
That desire may come from a changing idea of why diverse
books are essential.
“When we began we thought it was necessary for everyone to
see themselves in the pages of a book,” Oh said.
In the past several years, the organization’s focus broadened.
“Diversity had to be for every kid,” she said. “Otherwise we
will never learn empathy, and we will never grow.”
Oh is hopeful children’s publishers will continue to embrace
diverse authors and the power of their stories. “There are so
many stories out there of people whose minds have been
changed by reading a book.”
Oh, several other children’s authors and illustrators, and
Washington Post children’s reviewers share their favorite books of
202 0 at right and below.best books
New and diverse frontiers in children’s literature
MIDDLE-GRADE FICTION
“Loretta Little Looks Back: Three
Voices Go Tell It”
By Andrea Davis Pinkney,
illustrated by Brian Pinkney
(Little, Brown, ages 8 to 12)
Short monologues and radiant
art combine in a dynamic work of
historical fiction. On their small
farm, Loretta, Roly and Aggie B.
— characters based on members
of the author’s family — contend
with the racism of the Jim Crow
South. But in 1962, when 12-year-
old Aggie B. volunteers to help
register Black people to vote, Lo-
retta and Roly must grapple with
their fears and hopes for change.“A Whale of the Wild”
By Rosanne Parry,
illustrated by Lindsay Moore
(Greenwillow, ages 8 to 12)
Watch sea otters and battle a
giant wave, along with Vega and
Deneb. Two young orcas search for
lost family, meet unique friends
and deal with the dangerous im-
pact of pollutants and global
warming on their undersea world,
which is vividly rendered in this
novel through words and pictures.“Prairie Lotus”
By Linda Sue Park
(Clarion, ages 10 to 13)
There’s a new girl in town, in
1880s South Dakota, and she
wields needle and thread with
determination and pride. Sewing
skills learned from her late moth-
er, a Chinese immigrant, help
14-year-old Hanna and her White
father to combat the town’s ra-
cially motivated resistance to
their dress goods business. This
engaging historic novel explores
the place and time of the classic
“Little House” books by Laura
Ingalls Wilder, from an Asian
American perspective.“Cast Away: Poems for Our Time”
By Naomi Shihab Nye
(Greenwillow, ages 8 to 12)
Trash is poetic treasure in this
intriguing collection of verse by
the current Young People’s Poet
Laureate. Nye’s keen eye for the
small, revealing detail — a com-
forting pine cone, a lost mitten —
encourages us to notice and per-
haps write about the odd, stray
things that surround us.“Twins”
By Varian Johnson,
illustrated by Shannon Wright
(Graphix/Scholastic, ages 8 to 12)
In this lively, touching graphic
novel, twins and best friends
Maureen and Francine navigate
sixth grade, new interests and the
frequently confusing changes in
their relationship. Tensions rise,
and soon sister is pitted against
sister in the election for class
president — an election that roils
family and friends as well.
—Mary QuattlebaumNONFICTION
“Drawing on Walls:
A Story of Keith Haring”
By Matthew Burgess,
illustrated by Josh Cochran
(Enchanted Lion, ages 6 and older)
Bright and bold as Keith Har-
ing’s art, this book follows the
artist’s ever-energetic creative
drive. Author Burgess and illus-
trator Cochran show how gen-
erous a person he was, and how
children played a central part in
his life and work.“We Are Water Protectors”
By Carole Lindstrom,
illustrated by Michaela Goade
(Roaring Brook, ages 4 to 6)
Presenting an urgent message
about protecting the Earth and its
water, this book also inspires fresh
appreciation for the world we have
been given. The illustrations fea-
ture stunning scenes of radiant sun-
sets, shining waterways, watchful
animals, and, not least, courageous
Indigenous people, young and old,
taking a stand against “a black
snake that will destroy the land.”“Stamped:
Racism, Antiracism, and You ”
By Jason Reynolds
and I bram X. Kendi
(Little Brown, ages 12 and older)
Covering hundreds of years with
ease, this adaptation of Kendi’s best-
selling book for adults explores how
the idea of white superiority has
affected the course of American his-
tory. It also shows how major moves
toward Black social equality have
stirred a backlash involving vio-
lence and legal trickery.“Finish the Fight”
By Veronica Chambers and staff
members of the New York Times
(Versify/HMH, ages 8 to 12)
In a big election year, this book
offers a fortifying and vibrantly
illustrated introduction to some
of the lesser known “brave and
revolutionary women who fought
for the right to vote.” It will
remain valuable in years to come.“Strongman: The Rise of Five Dic-
tators and the Fall of Democracy”
By Kenneth C. Davis
(Henry Holt, ages 12 and older)
In this clear-eyed chronicle of
Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin, Mao and
Saddam Hussein, Davis asks im-
portant questions about the de-
velopment of democracy and its
flip side, autocracy. The book
reveals how these leaders and
their allies manipulated their fel-
low citizens, killing millions of
people in their pursuit of power.
— Abby McGanney NolanPICTURE BOOKS
“Our Little Kitchen”
By Jillian Tamaki
(Abrams, ages 4 to 8)
Everyone gets to help in thekitchen — picking produce from
the garden, peeling carrots, mix-
ing chili, carrying dishes and
pans. It’s noisy and crowded, and
no one knows (until it’s ready)
just how it the meal turns out. But
the people who come Wednes-
days for the community dinner
are happy to have one another,
the food and the people in the
kitchen.“I Talk Like a River”
By Jordan Scott,
illustrated by Sydney Smith
(Neal Porter/Holiday House,
ages 4 to 8)
When the beginnings of words
get tangled up and get stuck in his
mouth, and certain sounds won’t
work as they should, this boy falls
quiet because of his stutter. But
his father shows him how a river,
running over rocks and through
its banks, sounds much the same
— sometimes rough, but some-
times smooth, sparkling in the
sunlight.“Lift”
By Minh Lê, illustrated by Dan Santat
(Little, Brown, ages 3 to 7)
Iris is surprised when her
little brother gets to press the
elevator buttons, because she
thought it was her job! But when
she gets an elevator button of
her own it opens the door to
astonishing places, from a tropi-
cal forest to space, and Iris
realizes that these are adven-
tures that would be wonderful to
share.“¡Vamos! Let’s Go Eat”
By Raul the Third,
colors by Elaine Bay
(Versify/HMH, ages 4 to 8)
El Toro and the other lucha-
dores are hungry before the big
match. They send a message to
their friend Little Lobo: Bring
food soon. Fortunately, there are
lots of delicious options! Dozens
of food trucks have gathered, like
the Taco Tuesday truck (with ta-
cos every day!), Bronco’s Burritos,
and Quique’s Quesadillas. And
everyone likes churros — how
about you?“The Old Truck”
By Jarrett Pumphrey
and Jerome Pumphrey
(Norton, ages 3 to 7)
A red truck is an important,
hard-working part of the farm as
a young girl grows up. Later,
parked in the yard by the barn, it
becomes an ocean explorer, an
airship, a planetary rover. Grass
grows longer around its wheels,
and seasons pass by, until one
day, the young woman, now a
farmer herself, fixes up the old
truck and it becomes part of the
work again.
— Kathie Meizner[email protected]Ellen Oh, author of “The
Dragon Egg Princess,” picks:“A Wish in the Dark”
By Christina Soontornvat
(Candlewick, ages 8 to 12)Once in a
while, I fall
hard for a
book and
just can’t
stop think-
ing about
it. “A Wish
in the
Dark” is
that book: a Thai-inspired
“Les Miserables,” set in a magi-
cal version of Thailand, an-
chored in themes of law and
social justice, but centered by
the beautiful human relation-
ships that make up the heart of
this story. It is absolutely en-
thralling. I fell in love with the
characters and the world
building and long after I’d fin-
ished, it still lives in my heart,
leaving me dreaming of hope
and light in times of darkness.Christine Day, author of
the upcoming “The Sea
in Winter,” picks:“The Only Black Girls
in Town”
By Brandy Colbert
(Little, Brown, ages 8 to 12)Set in a
coastal
California
town, this
book fol-
lows the
budding
friendship
between
Alberta
and Edie. In many ways,
they’re opposites: Alberta is a
surfer, her loving fathers met
in a commune, and she only
eats butter pecan ice cream;
Edie is the new girl from
Brooklyn, her parents are re-
cently divorced, and she
wears dark clothes and black
lipstick. But despite their dif-
ferences, the girls bond over
their shared Blackness, as
well as a mystery unearthed
in Edie’s attic. With its en-
dearing characters, suspense-
ful twists and heartfelt mo-
ments, this book is pure excel-
lence.John Parra, illustrator of “ The
Power of Her Pen,” picks:“Swashby and the Sea”
By Beth Ferry,
illustrated by Juana Martinez-
Neal
(HMH, ages 4 to 7)The story
of a
bumpy
road to an
unlikely
friendship
between
retired
Captain Swashby, a big
grouch of a man, perfectly
content to live a quiet life
next to his only companion
the sea, and his newly ar-
rived neighbors, a friendly
granny and her lively and
inquisitive little grand-
daughter. With charming
and playful illustrations and
diverse characters by Juana
Martinez-Neal, and a snap-
py sweet narrative by Beth
Ferry, this story moves our
hearts and reminds us to
stay open to new friends and
ideas, and be present in life’s
moments of adventure.Lamar Giles, author of
the Legendary Alston Boys
series, picks:“Black Is a Rainbow Color”
By Angela Joy,
illustrated by Ekua Holmes
(Roaring Brook, ages 4 to 8)In this
beautifully
rendered
work, a
child con-
templates
the per-
ception of “Black,” noting its
place among the spectrum of
rainbow colors and the world
as a whole. From Black culture
to Black history, readers are
treated to lovely examples of
Black woven throughout the
everyday (“Black is the skillet
for bread to fry”) and the leg-
endary (“Black was the man
who gave the world his
dream”). Joy’s words and
Holmes’s art are a perfect pair-
ing where the verse is as vivid
as the paints and collage. Chil-
dren (and parents) of all colors
will be rereading this one
plenty.Robert Fowler is a producer, screenwriter and director,and son of the USS Duncan’s torpedo officer.THE GUN CLUB tells the story of the USS Duncan,the first Allied ship to penetrate a Japanese battle line,and “a vivid day-to-day account of the lifeof a warship, told largely in the words of survivors(The Maritime Executive).”Available at thegunclubbook.com and Amazon.
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