I think kids in every minority need to see people like themselves in books; that's an acknowledgment of their existence on this planet and in this society.
Interpretation
Representation in literature helps children from minority backgrounds feel acknowledged and validated in society.
This quote emphasizes the importance of representation in children's literature, particularly for kids from minority backgrounds. It underscores that when children see characters who look like them in books, it not only validates their identity but also helps them understand their place in the world. This acknowledgment is crucial for fostering a sense of belonging and self-worth among young readers.
In practice
In a discussion about diversity in literature at a book fair.
When I was growing up as a young lesbian in the '50s, I looked in vain for books about my people. I did find some paperbacks with lurid covers in the local bus station, but they ended with the gay character's committing suicide, dying in a car crash, being sent to a mental hospital, or 'turning' heterosexual.
For fifteen years, I was a teacher of youth. They were years out of the fullness and bloom of my younger manhood. They were years mingled of half breathless work, of anxious self-questionings, of planning and replanning, of disillusion, or mounting wonder.
If you have a 2 or 3 year old who is not talking, you must start an early intervention program. The worst thing you can do with an autistic 3 year old is to do nothing.
I've learned that education, experience, and memories are three things that no one can take away from you.
There is something irreversible about acquiring knowledge; and the simulation of the search for it differs in a most profound way from the reality.
Praise your kids. Inspire and motivate your players with praise. Ten years from now it won't matter what your record was. Will your kids love you or hate you?
Even we schoolchildren know that ordinary diplomats don't drive around in unmarked cars carrying Glock pistols.
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