Diversity

With today's ever-changing world, we have become more diverse than ever.  It is important to remember diversity when building your media center's collection.  Below you will find two children's book that address the topic of diversity. 

The Two Mrs. Gibsons by Toyomi Igus

I was a bit thrown by the title of this book I must admit.  However, the old cliche is true- never judge a book by its cover.  This book is filled with diversity.  The author creatively sites the differences between the African-American Mrs. Gibson and the Japanese Mrs. Gibson.

The young girl in the story tells of two important people in her life, the two Mrs. Gibsons.  She describes the differences in the personal appearance including hairstyles.  One Mrs. Gibson gives big hugs while the other strokes her hair softly.  One Mrs. Gibson has a big laugh and large hands to play the piano while singing spiritual songs while the other is quiet and soft spoken, even when angry, and uses her petite hands to write in Japanese.  The first Mrs. Gibson likes to catch fireflies and cook large pots of greens from her garden as opposed to the second Mrs. Gibson who prefers origami and cooks rice with meat and vegetables and eats with chopsticks. 

I was surprised to find out that the first Mrs. Gibson was her Nanny and the second Mrs. Gibson was her mom.  I never thought that she would be related to both of them.  While she explained many, many differences between the ethnic backgrounds, she did mention a couple of things that both Mrs. Gibsons had in common.  They both loved her daddy, and they both loved her.

This picture book should be in every elementary school's library as it creatively shows the differences between two very different backgrounds.  It also discusses some customs and traits familiar to each ethnicity.  I wonder if elementary students would fall into the same trap that I did; it's easy to do.  I would love to see their faces when they learn who the two Mrs. Gibsons are.





The Watsons Go To Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis

Who would have guessed that a book about racism and prejudice could be humorous? Told through the eyes of ten-year-old Kenny, the reader is introduced to his close-knit, loving, and crazy family; affectionately known as the “Weird Watsons of Flint, Michigan”.

When his parents start to believe Kenny’s brother, Byron, is headed down a troubled path, they call Grandma Sands in Birmingham who decides that he should spend the summer with her.

What the reader may, or may not, know is that the year is 1963, the height of civil unrest in the South where racial discrimination and tension between the races are a part of everyday life. So, just when the family starts to settle into a comfortable Southern lifestyle, tragedy strikes in Birmingham and changes all their lives forever.

A bomb, planted by white racists, explodes in a local church, killing four African-American girls and injuring many others. At first Kenny believes his sister might be one of the fatalities. Luckily, she is found safe, but Kenny is haunted by the image of the crumbled, burning church and the screaming people gathered around it…a vision that continues to haunt him long after he returns home. He drifts further and further away, no longer whole, but no one knows how to help him. He struggles to understand how anyone could be hateful enough to commit such a horrible crime. But through the sadness and confusion, Kenny, with the help of his big brother, comes to an understanding and gains a new appreciation for the strong love that makes the Watsons not so weird, but very special.

This story should be a part of every media center's collection.  It tells of events that occurred in the United States through a child'e eyes.  The humor found throught the story makes it more entertaining and enjoyable for a child.  Children can learn about a terrible time period that our country endured in a more positive light than many other resources offer.