Kala Williams on Culturally Diverse Literature for Children

Kala Williams has been in education for over 15 years as a tutor, project manager, secondary and finally primary teacher with most of her career spent in Primary Education. She developed ReadMaster, a planning support website for reading teachers, using the Mastery Approach. She provides mastery resources, in-school coaching and CPD to develop rigorous outstanding teacher practice to raise achievement and attainment.

Kala is an avid reader of children’s literature with a passion for reading for pleasure and sharing knowledge of children’s books.

Discover how to create truly inclusive book collections that reflect the diversity of children in your care. Leading literacy specialist Kala Williams reveals surprising statistics about representation in children’s literature and shares practical strategies for proactively building diverse collections that help all children see themselves in stories whilst expanding their understanding of the wider world.

In this episode you’ll:

• Learn why only 2 out of 743 children’s books feature ethnic minority characters as main characters
• Discover specific websites and resources for finding diverse books across all age groups
• Understand how to avoid stereotypical representations whilst showcasing authentic cultural experiences
• Find out why diverse literature matters even in settings with little visible cultural diversity
• Get practical tips for working with libraries, bookshops and publishers to increase access to inclusive books

Watch this essential episode to build book collections that truly represent and celebrate the children you work with.

Episode Links:

https://readmaster.co.uk/

Mastery in Reading Comprehension: A guide for primary teachers and leaders by Kala Williams https://amzn.to/3LaQeMc

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reading.rogue.9

And Kala’s reading group is here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/readks2/

https://www.instagram.com/readmasteruk

Centre for Literature in Primary Education (CLPE) report, Reflecting Realities: https://clpe.org.uk/library-and-resources/research/reflecting-realities-survey-ethnic-representation-within-uk-children

Arts Council: Time for Change https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/sites/default/files/download-file/04-11-19 Time for Change – Literature Review FINAL.pdf

Penguin #Merky Books https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/company/news/2018/july/stormzy-merky-books-penguin-story-so-far.html

Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe: https://amzn.to/2WZtdy0

Hidden Figures by Margot Shetterly: https://amzn.to/2NvQvsf

Handa’s Surprise by Eileen Browne: https://amzn.to/2K5lbPf

Flotsam by David Weisner: https://amzn.to/2p3J7ev

Cendrillon by Robert D San Souci: https://amzn.to/2WVRXrd

Love Reading 4 kids: https://www.lovereading4kids.co.uk/

Coffee bookshelves: https://coffeebookshelves.com/about/

We Need Diverse Books: https://diversebooks.org/

News from Nowhere: https://www.newsfromnowhere.org.uk/