Having multicultural children’s literature in your library — and programming around it — can provide much-needed positive representation for a child. These books can also help to normalize the acceptance of others and influence the actions children make as they mature.

The following book lists come from ALA’s Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table’s December 2020 webinar, “Combating Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia with Multicultural Children’s Literature” with Heidi Rabinowitz and Sadaf Siddique.

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Positive representation 

• Muslim Kids as Heroes: Books that create positive representation and a sense of inclusion
• The American Jewish Experience: Features books about Jewish life in the United States from the earliest days to present time
• Standing Up For Each Other: Stories of Jews and non-Jews standing up for each other and working out differences
• “Muslims in Story: Expanding Multicultural Understanding Through Children’s and Young Adult Literature,” written by Saddaf Siddique and Gauri Manglik
• The Black Jewish Experience: Highlights the experiences of Black Jews; books on this topic are sadly limited, and books by Black Jewish authors are even more rare
• Orthodox Jews: Features stories depicting Orthodox Jews; because some Orthodox Jews have a distinctive manner of dress, they are often easy targets for anti-Semitism

Global perspectives

• Inspiring Muslim Leaders and Thinkers: Books that offer a global perspective
• Folktales from Islamic Traditions: Expanding perspectives on how to tackle difficult situations, folktales share core beliefs and reiterate cultural values
• "We Need Diverse Jewish and Muslim Books: A Conversation," The Horn Book Inc, March 27, 2020

Celebrating diversity year-round

• Celebrating Islam: Books about festivals such a Ramadan and Eid, explore similarities between world religions and offers a greater understanding of common ideas and beliefs across faiths
• Passover: Features books about the eight-day springtime festival of Passover, a major Jewish holiday that is one of the most widely celebrated of the year
• Let’s Be Friends: Features stories of Jews and non-Jews enjoying each other’s company, stories and food
• Synagogues, Clergy & Jewish Ritual: Stories that feature synagogues, rabbis and other clergy to demonstrate selected Jewish rituals

Teaching resources

• Learning for Justice: Religion
• Facing History and Ourselves
• "7 Ways for Parents and Teachers to Stop the Rise of Anti-Semitism," Parent Map, September 20, 2019
• "How to Talk to Children About Anti-Semitism," PJ Library, July 17, 2020
• Hijabi Librarians: Favorite Books, Seattle Public Library
• “Children’s Holocaust Literature That’s Worth Reading,” Tablet Mag, January 25, 2021

Podcasts

• Rad Child Podcast: Season 2, Episode 5: Judaism
• Rad Child Podcast: Way to Go & Room to Grow – Judaism featuring Heidi Rabinowitz
• Rad Child Podcast: Season 2, Episode 6: Islam
• Rad Child Podcast: Way to Go & Room to Grow – Islam featuring Sadaf Siddique
• Kidlit These Days: Remembrance (Holocaust Remembrance Day)
• Book of Life Podcast

Additional resources

• Combating Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia with Multicultural Children’s Literature Webinar Slides (12/14/20)
• Anti-Defamation League
• Council Of American Islamic Relations
• Association of Jewish Libraries
• Lantern Reads
• Kitaab World

Know of additional resources not listed here? Comment them below or email publicprograms@ala.org.