3 Ways to Use Books to Teach Kids About Inclusion
With Children’s Book Illustrator Holly Hatam
As parents, it’s our responsibility to consciously incorporate strategies to help our kids learn to be inclusive of those who are different to us, whether it’s evident in skin tone, religion, physical ability or otherwise. Books can be a wonderful tool to facilitate conversations about differences with your kids when you’re not sure where to start.
The world is a diverse place, and books that represent diversity help develop a sense of pride in children and affirm their identity, their families and their communities. Kids of all races need to see diverse kids in books to help them realise everyone is unique, and everyone needs to be seen and heard.
We spoke to children’s book illustrator Holly Hatam to get her view on the importance of diversity in children’s literature, and to hear her insight on how books can be used to teach kids about inclusion.
3 Ways to Use Books to Teach Kids About Inclusion
Acknowledge our Differences and Similarities
Discuss Emotions
Match the Message to Life
1. Acknowledge our Differences and Similarities
It’s natural for kids to notice differences, and it’s important not to make it taboo to do so. A good first step is to make sure your kids are exposed to a wide range of skin colours and physical differences. Encourage your kids to recognise and celebrate both the differences and similarities in the people they see in the world. Even if you don’t live in a particularly diverse area, books can help to open up conversations about diversity, inclusivity and acceptance. When reading books with your kids, make sure to ask kids questions about what they notice, and affirm that all skin tones and people of all shapes, sizes and abilities are special. When Holly reads books to her son, she points out all the diverse characters with comments like: “Doesn’t this girl have beautiful braids?”
Acknowledge all the different types of people, abilities, and relationships your kids see in books as well as in everyday life. Nurture a belief that these differences are what make the world so interesting and amazing. Help your kids to notice what similarities they have with others too, regardless of what they look like. We are all human, we all have feelings, we all know what it’s like to laugh or cry, to taste food or feel the rain. ‘Them’ and ‘Us’ thinking can be broken down by establishing a sense of commonality. When considering this, try to help your kids strike a balance between celebrating individuality while recognising the joy of community.
2. Discuss Emotions
As a child with Iranian heritage growing up in a primarily white area, Holly felt invisible. She assumed she wasn’t as important as the characters she saw in books and TV, and she felt as if something was wrong with her. When the only portrayals people see of minority characters in books and TV are negative, it eclipses the public image of those groups. It teaches the public about these minority groups in a negative and incorrect manner. It also lowers the self esteem of these minority groups and can cause other stressors in their lives because of how they come to view themselves.
You can use books as conversation starters to ask your kids questions about how they would feel if they were excluded or treated unfairly. Exploring emotions that alienation and exclusion can cause can help kids to understand big concepts like racial injustice on a more relatable, personal level. Using stories as a bouncing off point to talk about big feelings like anger, resentment, fear and trust (and what can cause these feelings) can help kids process their own experiences and those of others. It can also help kids to build empathy, compassion and kindness.
3. Match the Message to Life
Characters and stories can make it easier for kids to interpret new concepts and process new information. Books can be a great way to help kids make sense of current events in language they can understand. Use a particular character or plot point to relate to what’s going on in the world right now. Match the message of the book to real life, and get your children’s opinion on what’s happening. For example, if a character is being excluded, you might ask your kids how they would feel if they were the only child in class who wasn’t invited to a birthday party. You can then link this idea to a bigger concept like racism, and ask your kids what they do when they feel something is unfair.
Speaking about unfairness might naturally lead to addressing the recent anti-racism protests. You could ask your kids what makes them happy, uncomfortable, angry or sad about the situation? Through these conversations, you can talk about what values are most important to your family, and what virtues you want to uphold. Books can be a powerful medium for communication, especially when you can’t find the words to explain the world’s injustices with your kids.
Children’s books are a fantastic vehicle for exploring differences in culture, race, and ability, especially when the characters portrayed are authentic and relatable. Speaking with Holly gave us further insight into just how impactful books can be, and we’re excited to broaden our personal library! If you need some suggestions on what to stock up on, check out these books that celebrate diversity and inclusion. We hope you enjoy cosying up with several informative and inspiring reads this summer with your kids!
Holly Hatam is an author and illustrator working in book making, animation, textile and surface design. Holly is also the #1 New York Times Bestselling illustrator of Dear Girl and Dear Boy. Her picture books have been translated into over 10 languages and sold over 1 million copies worldwide. Emotion and magic are underlying themes throughout Holly’s art and she sets out to create illustrations that will be an inspiration for people to live a happier and magical life. She hopes her art will make people feel less alone and more loved.Holly lives in Waterloo, Ontario where she can be found hugging trees, drinking tea, sniffing books and dreaming of unicorns.
Check out her website: www.hollyhatam.com
Connect with Holly on Instagram @hollyhatamillustration