Girl in the Mirror by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley

I love that Ada is spirited and determined and as annoyed as her parents are with some of her behavior, they ultimately accept and love her and her super curious mind.

Ada is curious and a little chaotic too! She asks questions and seeks answers and can’t stop even when she is sent to the thinking chair. It was a little long for my daughter, who was 3 when we read it, but she sat the whole time enjoying it all the same.Īda Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty, is a wonderful tale of a little girl who is a born scientist.

This book is all about a child discovering that different isn’t bad and that those differences are all she needs to stand out in a great way. So often, adults can see how awkward and different children are really striking and unique, but getting the child to see that can be impossible. arises, other dancers in her studio make her doubt her talent. When a chance to audition for a summer ballet program in Washington D.C. Sassy is tall – too tall to partner with any of the boys in her ballet studio – and sticks out like a sore thumb. It’s about overcoming being different, accepting your body, and even standing up for yourself. The advanced vocabulary will appeal to their desire to act older.ĭancing in the Wings by Debbie Allen is about more than ballet. I think that it’s perfect for Pre-K and older. To get it, she must convince her family that includes a judge, a business person, a politician, and a very, very strict grandmother. The story is about a little girl Sophia that wants a giraffe for her birthday. One Word From Sophia by Jim Averbeck is a funny look at family quirks, manners, and big words like loquacious and quadruped. One way to weave more diversity into our children’s lives is to make a place for it on our bookshelves. The sad truth is many of our schools are segregated by race and socioeconomic class, and that hurts all children. While your soapbox may be getting outside more or being aware of the environment, mine is inclusion, especially on bookshelves and during storytime. There are a lot of ways that we need to help our children grow into complete empathetic and understanding adults. One of my favorite resources is We Need Diverse Books, and you can read more about why I think and why research supports a need for diversity in raising happy, well-adjusted children. I hope it helps you find new books to act as mirrors to your student’s lived experiences, as well as windows to new ones. This list of books with Black girl main characters is aimed at all teachers and parents. Children deserve to see a complete view of the world that includes all people, and that includes themselves.

Girl in the Mirror by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley