Books change lives – even save them – and at the right time, a single book can have that same power.

A recent article from School Library Journal, discussed how libraries across the country are seeing diverse titles on the rise. After all, many readers – kids in particular – want to read about people and things they can relate to, and sometimes that means judging a book by its cover. Who's image do you see on the cover? What about the author's photo on the back? Do they look like you? Why not? The fact is, these images should be diverse as the plot lines in the stories that line the shelves. And thanks to a big push by librarians, that's becoming more of a reality. 

The SLJ article Can Diverse Books Save Us? shows that in today's divided world, librarians are on a two-fold mission. First, to address the need of representation and make sure readers can find characters, authors and illustrations who are like them on their shelves. The second is to deliberately give readers access to books with characters, authors and illustrators who are not like them, in hopes of building empathy and understanding by getting a glimpse of someone else's lived experience and point of view.
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According to the article, "Across the board, librarians are buying more diverse books – two-thirds of the sample, 68 percent of survey respondents – report purchasing an increased number of children’s/YA (young adult) titles with diverse characters in the last year." Not surprisingly, the level of importance of access to a diverse collection varies in communities where populations tend to be more homogenous.
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​While there has been a lot of progress made thanks to the work of individual librarians and organizations like We Need Diverse Books, there's still a long way to go. My own experience as a librarian and a few quotes for the SLJ article make this clear:
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I encourage you to read the entire article to draw your own conclusions, but mine is this: There are lots diverse voices writing books, and more readers are reading them. Librarians are buying diverse books now more than ever, which is great – but that can't be it. Now let's see the school curriculums change to reflect this, and let's support publishers who use their resources to make these types of books a reality. Let's hold each other accountable and not build any more unnecessary walls. Let's work together to keep tearing them down, brick by brick.
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I love March. It starts to get warmer, the dreariness and the grey begin to seep out of the world and color returns once again. Red robins, blue skies, green grass – and then it's officially spring! But March gets even better, because it means one of my favorite times of the year is here . . .
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​One of my favorite things about being a librarian is getting to do book displays – which not only help match every book with its reader; they also give librarians a chance to boost circulation and highlight important parts of their collection that might otherwise get lost in the stacks. So naturally, March yields some wonderful Girl Power book displays.

I must point out, of course, that March shouldn't be the only time of the year strong girls and women are highlighted in your library – this should be happening every month, just as books about people of color and/or different cultures should be found in book displays year-round, not just during the months designated to honor them.

Whether you're a librarian or not, March can serve as an annual reminder for all of us about *just how important* it is to see ALL girls (and boys and others – but largely, girls) of ALL kinds represented in the media we consume and willingly and/or otherwise allow the future generation to consume!

So without any further ado, here are some of the titles I've been paying extra attention to displaying this month! Broken down into five categories, these are a few of my favorite picture books that promote women's history, feminism, bravery, strength and independence to our youngest library patrons – male, female or anything beyond and in-between!

Here are some of my favorite picture books that inspire girls to be bold, smart and strong, in addition to helping them find/embrace self-love and the true, inner beauty of themselves and others.
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Here are a few of my favorites that emphasize taking the power to the streets (and polls!), and will surely inspire future generations to be politically active, stand up and be heard, and whenever possible – lend a literal or metaphorical mic to someone else's voice that isn't otherwise being heard, perhaps maybe even because of the sound of your own.

Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics – they're all important fields that no child should be dissuaded from pursuing on the grounds of their identifying gender. Here are a few STEAM books that show young girls that female success in male-dominated fields is possible and important!
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There's nothing inherently wrong with girls liking pink or wanting to be a princess when they grow up. But when the vast majority of mass media and popular culture teaches girls that this is what they are SUPPOSED to like or that girls are the only one's who can like it . . . that's where I take issue. Here are a few not-so-pink and perfect stories to show just how bad ass princesses can be.

Girls are so often told to be nice, quiet and obedient while growing up. But thanks to a few noisy and persistent women banging the drum and demanding to be heard throughout history, we now are in a position where we are having mainstream conversations about equality and representation. Without these brave women paving the way for us, I don't know that we would be able to say the same.