I love the #WeNeedDiverseBooks campaign. I also love summer reading lists. The Lee and Low diverse summer reading list is perfect for both!
They have a list for grades K-8 broken down into age groups. I will read them all. I spotted one of the SCBWI Crystal Kite winners on the list.
A really fun part of this reading list is the award certificate parents can download. If you know me at all, you know I love award certificates.
We’ll be doing a trip to the library soon for sure. If you go, and all these books are checked out, blame us.
I’m going to read them and share my reviews here. If you’ve read any, send me your reviews.
Diverse Reading List Book Reviews
June 29, 2017
We’ve read four books on the diverse reading list so far. I put a ton on reserve and when I picked them up from the library, my youngest son was pretty upset. It turns out he thought I was ordering “baby books” for him. I reminded him I was working hard to be a picture book author and that I needed to study these books to learn what makes them great.
And I would say three out of the first four we have read are great. I especially loved Block Party and Juna’s Jar.
Me: David’s Drawings is definitely diverse and encourages group interaction. It’s an interesting read, but frankly I – an adult – was frustrated at what the kids did to David’s Drawings.
Kid: I liked that they worked together, but I didn’t like when the stars were added.
Me: Juna’s Jar was by far one of my favorites. It started out with a food that tingled my taste buds and excited my curiosity. Then the flights of imagination intrigued me. The ending surprised me and satisfied me. A winner.
Kid: I agree. I liked that they got pets.
Me: A pretty good introduction to moving to a home in the city. I feel like a lot of books I’ve read take kids out of the city. I liked this twist and the way the family helped the kid adjust.
Kid: I liked that Lily made friends and that she did stuff with her parents. I didn’t like that they walked around stores and didn’t show enough background. I want to see more colorful and detail, not just white.
Me: Block Party is another one of my favorites because it includes food and the exciting part is that the recipe for the food is in the back of the book! We are definitely trying this. The story line captured the attention of my older kids. I’d love to construct something like this.
Kid: I agree. I liked that she was expecting her friends NOT to like the food but then they did.