Diverse book sets, syllabi, classroom libraries, and reading lists are essential for today's educators and readers.
This guide collects tools you can use to discover new books or remember things you've seen before. These tools relate to a wide variety of identities and environments, including race and ethnicity, socioeconomic class, religion, disability, gender identity and sexual orientation, age, and nationality. Some of these lists focus on highlighting excellent books, while others also include more nuanced literary criticism.
Tools are divided based on their PRIMARY identity focus.
NOTE: This list is mostly a brain dump of the tools we know about and use, as well as some we have created ourselves. If you know of other lists, awards, etc., that fit the purpose of this list, please let us know! Identities that do not have boxes may also be included on lists in the "Broader/Multi-Topic Resources" section at the bottom.
Because most of these are resources from outside UNI, we may or may not have all of the books on the lists. To get access to books, try searching for them in OneSearch or referencing the Award-Winning Youth Books LibGuide. If we don't have a copy, you can request it via Interlibrary Loan.
Concerned about mispronouncing an author, illustrator, or character's name?
Audiobooks and author interviews (check YouTube!) can help.
TeachingBooks also has THOUSANDS of recordings of authors and illustrators pronouncing their own names. Listen, practice, and speak confidently!