Read Across America Week: Building a Better Reading List

Many schoolchildren of America just finished celebrating and participating in Read Across America Week, ending today, March 2, Dr. Seuss's birthday. While at face value these things sound great and a librarian like myself should be all about it, this entire week - and specifically the celebration of such a problematic person like Dr. Seuss - needs some work.

NPR's Code Switch has a great write up on Dr. Seuss's racist beginnings and how that plays out in classrooms across America:

Dr. Seuss Books Can Be Racist, But Students Keep Reading Them

subscribe to Code Switch podcast This week, millions of students and teachers are taking part in Read Across America, a national literacy program celebrated annually around the birthday of Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss.

They discuss how difficult it is for schools and teachers to adjust plans, and just how much of a staying power Dr. Seuss and his works have. Schools don't want to not participate in a week that seems like such a positive thing, and is generally an easy win: kids and teachers alike enjoy dressing up, readalouds are one of the BEST things for early literacy, and there are so.many.books to choose from for a variety of reading levels and content interests. But. At what (and whose) expense does Read Across America exist?

The National Education Association, for its part, rebranded Read Across America to include a better diversity of authors, illustrators, and readers. They also expanded the program to include an entire year's worth of reading, with featured books for all ages.

So. Looking for something more inclusive to read in the classroom? Julián is a Mermaid is one of my absolute favorites, and I also enjoyed Alma and How She Got Her Name and Do not lick this book, all from the elementary reading list. Vera, aka The Tutu Teacher, has great lists of (new) books as well (plus some great teaching materials on her TPT site!). Poetry makes for great readalouds. Giraffes are always fun. This list includes books about giraffes AND mermaids. Don't forget wordless picture books! There are a lot of great books in this world, and I think it's about time we let them into our homes and classrooms.