By Deborah Overstreet In 2001, I wrote an article titled, Organize! A Look at Labor History in Young Adult Fiction, which was published in the National Council of Teachers of English’s young adult literature journal, The ALAN Review. In that analysis I examined how unions and labor were represented in historical fiction for young readers, […]
35 Years of Teaching for Change
Juneteenth in Picture Books
With Juneteenth a national holiday, we share our Reconstruction booklist to introduce young people to the emancipation era. When reading picture books on Juneteenth, we were disappointed to find that many reinforce Eurocentric narratives. The most common problem with the books is that they strip African Americans of any agency in their own liberation, crediting […]
My Purple World Series: Not Recommended
At a time when children need to see their diverse identities more represented in children’s literature, celebrity picture books still absorb a significant chunk of the children’s book market. While there are some authentically wonderful celebrity-authored books, the trend itself indoctrinates kids into the cult of celebrity name recognition and consumption. These books fly off […]
Teach Banned Books Buttons
Wear Teach Banned Books buttons — and share them with your friends — to prompt conversations about the need to actively oppose book bans, teach truthfully, and defend LGBTQ+ rights. Your donation supports the Zinn Education Project’s efforts to provide free people’s history lessons to teach outside the textbook. The buttons are 1.5″ round with […]
USA Today on Resistance to Book Bans
Teaching for Change executive director Deborah Menkart was interviewed for this story in USA Today by Deborah Barfield Berry about the resistance to book bans. She noted that the chilling effect of book bans and anti-CRT laws extends beyond the books on official banned lists. USA Today, December 29, 2023 WASHINGTON – They signed in […]