Supporting the Right to Read: Principles for Selecting Children's Books

Young readers depend on adults to provide access to a variety of materials representing diverse perspectives and providing information about topics of interest and importance to them. The decisions of literacy professionals to include or exclude a book from a lesson or a collection have far-reaching implications for the kinds of ideas, information, genres, and formats available for young readers. Given this gatekeeping role, how can educators ensure that they are providing students with a diverse range of books and avoiding censorship? The authors present six principles that educators can use when making book selections for the curriculum or the classroom or school library collection; application of the principles is demonstrated using George by Alex Gino, one of the most frequently challenged children’s books in recent years. Applying these selection principles will assist educators with understanding how to avoid censorship and support students’ right to read. © 2020 International Literacy Association