Introducing Children to Strong Characters Using Diverse Texts

"Simply put, a book is both a mirror and a window. It can reflect the reality of a child’s life, allowing them to see the story of someone who looks like them, thinks like them, or lives like them. It can also help a child understand what it’s like for those who live different realities, whether that is a different racial background, religion, socio-economic status, or another facet of identity."

As an educator I have always tried to include diverse texts in my classroom. Whether they are provided freely and permanently to children in the cozy reading area or explored during whole and small group learning, I feel it is so important to help children learn about the amazing diversity in our world. I have spent my entire career collecting texts that help represent the diversity of the children in my care and introducing them to the beauty of humanity beyond their current life experience. I want children to feel seen, represented and appreciated in our learning space.  

A favourite character of mine is Peter featured in books by Ezra Jack Keats. Peter is a typical little boy - spending time exploring nature, connecting with his dog Willie, and feeling the changes that happen in his family when a new sibling is born. I appreciate the artwork created by Keats in the Peter books. They are a staple in my classroom.

This winter I was inspired to research Keats more deeply. I knew he authored The Snowy Day in 1962 but was surprised to learn that Peter is considered to be one of the most consequential children's book characters. Keats felt it was unfair for children to read books that only featured white characters so he created more diverse stories. How did I not know this? Peter is one of the first Black protagonists in a children's story that won the Caldecott award.

Looking back on past readings of The Snowy Day and Peter's Chair, I felt I may have glossed over Peter's Blackness, focusing instead on the plot of the book and its beautiful illustrations. I wonder how many of my students recognized Peter as Black, and made personal connections with him through the beauty of the text. This time I aimed to accomplish more. Before reading the story I introduced Peter to the children as one of the first Black characters in a book. We talked about representation and how before The Snowy Day Black characters were not prominent in books. We discussed how unfair that was and how important Keat's work would have been at that time. This was perfect timing because the children had just learned about the work of Alma Thomas in a previous exploration of concentric art work. During our research we learned Thomas could not attend school because she was Black, and was one of the first Black female artists to have her art displayed in a gallery. Exploring Peter consecutively with Alma Thomas helped give children context when thinking about social issues and racial discrimination. This made our 'text to self' connections to Keat's books richer and more attainable for children. 

I also intended to help children feel more connected to Peter. We used class discussions to think about him. How old did we think Peter might be? How were we alike? What might we say and do if Peter were a member of our class?

         

My teaching partner and I offered children STEM challenges to help design a new chair for Peter...

          

...and we explored the setting and actions he experienced using the language of art. The intent was for children to continue to think deeply about Peter as a character and feel connected to him beyond our initial explorations of the text.

         

As we continue to explore books that Keats wrote featuring Peter and his family, I am hopeful that children will think more deeply about him as a character and recognize that despite our differences we are really the same children at heart, and that all people have a right to feel seen, heard and represented in our classrooms and world. Digging into diverse texts, understanding their histories and connecting with strong characters is a step in the right direction.