Developing cultural competence through multicultural children’s literature

Teachers have a responsibility to create an equitable learning environment where students’ needs are being met both emotionally and academically. Building understanding and empathy for others can be done through multicultural children’s literature. The purpose of this paper is to build teachers’ understanding of cultural differences and share quality multicultural children’s literature with students. This paper highlights 10 children’s books that share cultural themes of customs and traditions, food, religious attire, art, symbolism, and physical features within the following ethnic/racial groups: Middle Eastern, Hispanic, Asian, and African American. Through sharing both text and illustrations with students, culturally relevant literature opens a new perspective on diversity where students can build their own identities and feel represented in the learning environment.