How many books on your children’s shelves feature Black and Brown characters? The stories we read to our children should be mirrors to see themselves and windows to see others who are different from them. We spoke with Newbery Medal award-winning author, Kwame Alexander about the importance of representation in kids’ literature. He shared about his own writing process, how to inspire your kids to write and some of his favorite books!

Resources:

• Explore the books published by Kwame’s own imprint, Versify.
• Pre-order Kwame’s next book, Becoming Muhammed Ali, via Barnes & Noble or Amazon
• Watch Lee & Low’s webinar, “Representation Matters: Strategies for Building an Inclusive Bookshelf”
• Check out National PTA’s Our Children article, “5 Great Kids’ Books that Highlight Diversity”
• Follow Kwame Alexander on Twitter and Instagram at @KwameAlexander