September 22-28 is Banned Books Week! To amplify important children’s books harmed by censorship, we’re spotlighting banned books in the AmazeWorks curriculum and beyond.
Efforts to limit access to books featuring Black, Queer, and other underrepresented voices are higher than ever. These stories are essential to creating a sense of belonging for ALL children.
At AmazeWorks, we know the power of sharing stories. When we listen to each other’s stories, we build empathy. This empathy is necessary if we want to shift our thinking from “their issue” to “our issue.” When we take time to understand bias in all its forms, we are better equipped to stand up to it.
For educators and caregivers looking for books to spotlight during Banned Books Week, we’ve curated five AmazeWorks lessons on banned books. Use these lessons to guide intentional conversations about identity, bias, and difference with children.
A blue crayon is mistakenly labeled as red and struggles to find his sense of identity. Those around him try to help him become successful at being red, but to no avail. Red becomes miserable. He can’t be Red no matter how hard he tries. Finally, another crayon helps Red discover that he has been blue all along and Red learns to embrace his identity.
When Aidan was born, everyone thought he was a girl. When Aidan told his parents he felt more like a boy, they were responsive and fixed things in his life so they fit him better. Now, Aidan’s parents are about to have another baby, and Aidan is very concerned with getting everything right for his new sibling. He shows he knows how to love and be a big brother through his preparations and considerations for the new baby.
This book follows two Muslim sisters on their first day of school. The older sister, Asiya, wears a hijab to school for the first time, and the younger sister, Faizah, watches and worries about how other students react and respond to seeing the hijab. Listen to find out why the first-day hijab is so special and how the sisters get through their day.
The illustrations in this book include a wide variety of family structures, racial and ethnic identities, and ways of living. This helps children see themselves and their lived experiences reflected in the book as well as see a window into the lives of someone who is different from them, which fosters empathy and respect across differences.
written by Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, and Ann Hazzard, illustrated by Jennifer Zivoin
This book looks at how two families, one White and one Black, talk about and process a police shooting of a Black man in their community. The families have different perspectives, emotions, and responses because of their racial identities, but they all learn important lessons about treating people fairly and with kindness.