“In some ways, our libraries or what we read hopefully reflect a world we wish we saw - maybe a world beyond what we are in right now.” - Shuli de la Fuente-Lau, founder of @AsianLitForKids.
Shuli de la Fuente-Lau of @AsianLitForKids sat down virtually with Angela Chen from Democrats Abroad Lion City to discuss the intersection of children’s books, racial identity, and the anti-racism journey.
The concepts of “race,” “acceptance,” and “other” take seed at a young age. Come learn about how the current progress in “diverse” kids’ book publishing is important in shaping today’s children, why Representation must be paired with Conversation, and which new children’s books you should be adding to your cart right now (also listed below).
About
@AsianLitForKids is an Instagram account (or “Bookstagram”) which recommends and reviews children’s books featuring Asian and other BIPOC characters, as well as advocates diversity and intersectionality in children’s book consumption and publishing.
Shuli de la Fuente-Lau is the creator of the Instagram @AsianLitforKids, and the Content Lead at LittleFeminist.com – a monthly book club subscription and publishing house. By day, she is an assistant principal at an elementary school.
Shuli is proudly a third-culture kid who holds her Chinese Malaysian American identity with gratitude. Much of her perspective she attributes to her ability to stand in multiple places and to wrestle with what home and belonging means.
Shuli lives in Oakland, California with her husband and two strong, spirited, and vibrant daughters.
Recent Releases Recommended by @AsianLitForKids:
- The Fearless Flights of Hazel Ying Lee by Julie Leung
- Laxmi’s Mooch by Shelly Anand
- A Big Mooncake for Little Star by Grace Lin
- Eyes That Kiss at the Corners by Joanna Ho
- Mommy Sayang by Rosana Sullivan
- When Lola Visits by Michelle Sterling
- The Paper Kingdom by Helena Ku Ree
- The Most Beautiful Thing by Kao Kalia Yang
- Grandpa Grumps by Katrina Moore
- Home is In Between by Mitali Perkins
- My Footprints by Bao Phi
- The Many Colors of Harper Singh by Supriya Kelkar
- Hair Twins by Raakhee Mirchandani
- Nine Months by Miranda Paul
- Going Up by Charlene Chua
Further Resources (mentioned in interview):
- Report: 2019 Diversity in Children’s and YA Literature - Article by Jaime Herndon briefly summarizing Cooperative Children’s Book Center statistics (below).
- CCBC Diversity Statistics - Data on books by and about Black, Indigenous and People of Color published for children and teens compiled by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
- Where is the Diversity in Publishing? The 2019 Diversity Baseline Survey Results - Article and infographic by Lee & Low Books summarizing publishing industry’s workforce diversity statistics.
- The Best Nine Children’s Books to Combat Asian Racism with Tips to Raise Anti-Racists - Article by Shuli de la Fuente-Lau.