Culturally Diverse Books
The Parker Inheritance:
This video is of Varian Johnson, the author, talking about his book the Parker Inheritance. In this video he gives a summary of the book and talks about how it is based off of his hometown in South Carolina. He also talks about how the book has themes of Justice vs Forgiveness and the importance of preserving the past before it slips away.
Awards won by the Parker Inheritance:
2019 Coretta Scott King Honor Book
2019 Odyssey Audiobook Honor
2018 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book (Fiction and Poetry)
Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2018
Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2018
School Library Journal Best Book of 2018
2018 Horn Book Fanfare Selection
NPR Best Book of 2018
Boston Globe Best Children’s Books of 2018
2018 Parents Magazine “Best Chapter Book to Read With Your Kid”
New York Public Library “Top Ten” Best Books for Kids of 2018
Chicago Public Library Best Books for Kids of 2018
BookPage Best Books of 2018
A Junior Library Guild Spring 2018 Selection
2019 Texas Library Association Lone Star List Selection
2019 Texas Library Association Spirit of Texas Selection
All are Welcome Here
This picture book seems simplistic in that it follows a group of students in Elementary School through their day. The main theme of inclusivity comes with the pictures. In these illustrations you see students of all races as well as their families varying in different structures. For example you see families of same sex parents, single parents and families with both a mom and dad. This story can be a great text to accompany the Parker Inheritance as it can open up the conversation about what it took for us to be able to have a diverse school population. In the Parker Inheritance we learn about the racism that was in the town and how it affected many different families for years and didn't allow for people of different races to be seen together or even go to school together.
Here is a list of more culturally authentic authors to check out!
Meet the Author:
Varian Johnson was born in Florence, SC and is the author of nine novels. He attended the University of Oklahoma where he received a degree in Civil Engineering. He later went to Vermont College of Fine Arts where he received his Masters of fine arts in writing for Children and Young Adults.
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