A brand new resource for schools to help promote wider diversity in children’s literature has been created, two years on from the initial launch of 'See Myself in Books' in Manchester. The resource provides information about all the books within the 'See Myself in Books' collection, as well as practical tips on how to use them in the classroom.
The ‘See Myself in Books’ project aims to vary the literacy resources in primary schools and promote ethnic diversity through the books children read.
National Literacy Trust research conducted in 2020 showed that 39.8% of children said that they would like more books with characters that are similar to them. The report also uncovered that more children and young people from ethnic minority backgrounds than white backgrounds say that they don’t see themselves in what they read.
"Our school library has benefitted from the influx of new books and it has offered children the opportunity to read new and interesting books that have a range of characters from different backgrounds, broadening our experiences and allowing us to make comparisons between our own lives and circumstances"
Sandilands Primary School
Partnering with schools
Read Manchester has already partnered with 55 schools across the city – with plans to collaborate with a further 85 schools. Half the schools that have already taken part have a pupil population where over 95% of pupils are from an ethnically diverse background, and the other half have much lower levels of ethnic diversity. We believe that it is important for all children to see and understand more about other people, their cultures, beliefs and differences, and also their similarities.
"It has raised awareness for the staff team about the importance of ensuring that the children we teach are always represented in the books we chose to teach from"
Crowcroft Park Primary School
Participating schools receive a free mini library of 25 books that celebrate diversity, including titles by A. M Dassu, Dapo Adeola and Patrice Lawrence. Each book in the collection is written by an author of colour and their central characters are from a variety of different ethnic backgrounds.
Download the resources and apply for your free mini library
You can download the resources, and if you are a teacher at a primary school in the Manchester Local Authority area, you can apply for your free mini library by emailing Cheryl Pridgeon Cheryl.Pridgeon@manchester.gov.uk or Margaret Duff Margaret.Duff@manchester.gov.uk
