If we include books that wrongly represent the experiences of students or lack books that represent all students, we will never open our students’ hearts and minds to inclusivity and we will continue to teach them to judge others based on their isolated experiences and shallow reading identities.įour Feet, Two Sandals, a collaborative work by Karen Lynn Williams and Khadra Mohammed is a portrayal of two fictitious refugee children based on past true stories and experiences from Mohammed’s work in refugee camps. We need to be mindful as book detectives to find and include books written from a variety of perspectives and in a variety of voices to foster empathy and affirm the history, culture, family background, and experiences of every child in our classroom. In grade 2, we have been building our capacity throughout the school year to “respond critically to texts and to develop an understanding and respect for diversity” (ACELAC K-3, GCO7, SCO pg.31). Books are the heartbeat that give learning life in my classroom.

Books are a way to connect as we vicariously experience the world in a thousand lives from a thousand minds to broaden our perspectives. In this way, books become a mechanism for the social connection needed for dialogue to affect social change. Stories allow us to broaden our horizons by perceiving other ways of living and being in this world. Books act as both a mirror to self-reflect, and a window to unveil the lived experience of others.

Four feet two sandals