| Books for Children in Crisis | |
| Dealing with Fear, War, and Prejudice | |
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One of the results of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 has been a backlash against people with a Middle Eastern background. In an effort to combat this, educators, librarians, writers and others have begun publicizing booklists, stories, and online resources that will promote a better understanding of Muslims, Islam, and people from the Middle East. For example, the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana has compiled a list of more than 20 children's books and web sites that will be helpful to parents and children. Children's author Aaron Shepard is known for his picture books that feature retellings of folktales and other stories from around the world. On his web site, he has "stories and reader's theater scripts that are set in the Islamic world and can help generate understanding and tolerance of those peoples and cultures." Among them are "The Magic of Mushkil Gusha," "The Enchanted Storks," and "The Gifts of Wali Dad." Another good resource is Hoopoe Books, an imprint of The Institute for the Study of Human Knowledge (ISHK), which publishes colorful picture books of folktales from Afghanistan, Central Asia and the Middle East by Afghan author Idries Shah. Professor Kay E. Vandergrift of Rutgers University has published an online bibliography of recommended books, "Literature for Young People: Islamic Traditions and Muslim Cultures," for young and older children, young adults, teachers and parents. According to Vandergrift, "Such reading can help young people integrate in their own lives the increased knowledge, deeper understanding, and a caring acceptance of others vital to all of humanity."
SCBWI Booklist for Children in Crisis "These might be books that stress themes of tolerance, peace, unity, conflict resolution, methods of dealing with fear, historic perspectives of war, justice, and resolution."The SCBWI booklist is impressive. It is 41 pages long and includes books from two dozen publishers. These include Candlewick Press, Greenwillow Books (HarperCollins), HarperCollins Children's Books, Holiday House, Hyperion Books for Young People, Kids Can Press, Milkweed Editions, Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers, Random House, and Scholastic Books, among others. The most helpful thing about the list is that publishers included the following information for the books: title, author, illustrator, brief summary, and targeted audience. I have already downloaded the list and put it in a notebook; I expect to refer to it on a regular basis.
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