Linked below are local and regional resources posted with the full intention of supporting teachers all over the great Mitten State to bring equity and inclusion to their classrooms. Here you will discover informative blogs, helpful organizations, and many authors, illustrators, and translators ready and willing to walk beside you to prepare students to thrive emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually.

Our mission is to support the creation and availability of quality children’s books in every region of the world; we recognize that those books must reflect the rich diversity of our human family. The only way to do that is to support educators, writers, illustrators, and translators that reflect every lived experience. As a global organization, we acknowledge that inclusion looks different in every corner of the world.

No matter who you are, how you identify, where you live, what your abilities/disabilities are, whom you love, and what you look like, we want you here. Welcome!

Equity and Inclusion Resource Library

• SCBWI | Resources for Asian and Pacific Islander Children’s Book Creators
• SCBWI | Organizations and Resources Supporting Black Lives
• SCBWI | Disability Employment Awareness Month Resources
• SCBWI | National Hispanic Heritage Month Resources
• SCBWI | Native, First Nations, and Indigenous Creators | Organizations and Resources
• SCBWI | Resources for Women Children’s Book Creators

Partnerships & Endorsements: 

The Equity & Inclusion Corner (scbwimithemitten.blogspot.com)– The SCBWI-MI E & I Team is energized to create a stronger SCBWI-MI community that includes, engages, and embraces disparate voices.

Michigan | The Teachers’ and Librarians’ Corner (scbwi.org) – SCBWI-MI is proud to partner with teachers and librarians to provide students with the resources to expand their love of reading.

Inkluded (getinkluded.com)-Inkluded Academy is a tuition-free publishing course taught by industry professionals.

Raising A Reader – Our mission is to engage caregivers in a routine of book sharing with their children from birth through age eight to foster healthy brain development, healthy relationships, a love of reading, and the literacy skills critical for school success.

Black Men Read – Expanding Possibilities Through Storytelling: At Black Men Read, we’re changing lives and learning by exposing kids to powerful stories and powerful role models. Every child deserves to feel seen, loved, and valued. To make that happen, we elevate Black men as storytellers and community leaders.

BlackCreatorsHQ (@blackcreatorsinkidlit) – A community of Black authors and illustrators. Increasing Black representation in all genres of literature.

We Need Diverse Books – diversebooks.org – Dedicated to creating a world where every child can see themselves in the pages of a book.

The Brown Bookshelf – The Brown Bookshelf – The Brown Bookshelf is designed to push awareness of the myriad Black voices writing for young readers.

WATCH the LatinX KidLit Book Festival! – KidLit TV – A diverse group of parents, educators, librarians, kid lit creators, and award-winning filmmakers working together to create fun new ways to reinforce an appreciation of reading that children will carry with them for the rest of their lives.

Diversity in Middle Grade. – From The Mixed Up Files: Mixed-Up Files Middle-Grade Authors are a team of writers and readers of middle-grade books with the shared goals to celebrate and generate enthusiasm about books for 8-12 year olds.

Guides by Deb: A free resource consisting of over 300 CCSS & NGSS-aligned educator guides showcasing contemporary literature for children and young adults – Celebrating Black History Month at Guides by Deb

Authors & Illustrators from Michigan (shown alphabetically)

• Kelly J. Baptist:
• Book titles:
• The Electric Slide and Kai: A “grooveless” boy from a family of dancers tries to master the Electric Slide before his aunt’s wedding.
• Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero: Isaiah finds a connection to his late father through words-his father was a writer and Isaiah loves poetry. With his father’s notebook powering him on, Isaiah seeks to be a hero for his family.
• The Swag Is In The Socks: It’s time for Xavier to come out of the shadows and into the spotlight! His musician great-uncle Frankie Bell sends him cryptic messages and swaggy socks, but is it enough to help.

• P.J. Bass
• Book title:
• Together with Dad! Andy’s Adventure-Filled Week!: A father and son sharing experiences during a week. The book introduces days of the week, big and small quantities, and social-emotional interactions. Perfect for children 2-6 years old!

• Laura Benson-Hadley
• Book title: 
• The Padmin Stone: Seventeen-year-old Blakely Caplan is counting down the days to college – until she and best friend Cameron enter a portal to war-torn Noríah.

• Pria Dee
• Book titles:
• Balu saves the Day: A heartwarming story of a day in the life of a young boy and his mother living in a small village in India. When his mother gets sick, a brave boy saves the day with his courage and resourcefulness. Five-year-old Balu and his mother live in a small village in India, selling vegetables from their garden at a local outdoor market. When his mother gets a cold and is unable to open her market stall, the brave boy knows just what to do to help. Filled with words of cultural significance such as the holiday Diwali and customary food Gulab jamun, Balu Saves the Day is a vibrant and compassionate story highlighting both the delights of everyday Indian life as well as its hardships.
• Diya Dances the Dandiya: “Little Diya misplaced her anklets just before her dance performance. She could not possibly dance without them tinkling with her steps. Read Diya’s story as she goes on a hasty treasure hunt with her little brother Ramu. Will they find the anklets on time?
  The book includes an illustrated glossary to learn popular words from Indian Culture
• Vik and Tara get a Puppy: Siblings Vik and Tara want a puppy and convince their parents to get one. The family together go through the process of adoption and the children that their is more to taking care of a pet than fun and games.

• Deborah Diesen
• Book title:
• Equality’s Call: The Story of Voting Rights in America: A nonfiction rhyming picture book appropriate for all ages, looks back at the activists who answered equality’s call, working tirelessly to secure the right for all to vote. 

• Jean-Alicia Elster
• Books titles:
• Who’s Jim Hines?: Who’s Jim Hines? is a coming-of-age story about a 12-year-old African American boy coming to terms with the racial realities of Detroit in 1935.
• The Colored Car: In the summer of 1937, after a train trip down south, a twelve-year-old African American girl discovers some life-changing truths about her world both in her hometown of Detroit 
• How It Happens: Focusing on three successive generations of African American women, How It Happens is a story of race relations, miscegenation, sexual assault and class that explores how these women struggled to overcome the numerous racial and gender obstacles they faced as they staked their claim to the American dream.

• Kinyel Friday of KinYori Books which promotes literacy among Black families, while encouraging children to love themselves while they’re young. 
• Books titles:
• I Am My Hair: Tanya learns a lesson about self-love after she gets made fun of by her classmates. Therefore, her parents help her appreciate the uniqueness of her hair and of herself as a whole.
• Swim Like the Fishes: Charles is super excited to go on his family’s beach vacation. But, there’s one major problem- he can’t swim!

• Susan Santone: Author/Educator for sustainability & social justice.
• Book title: 
• Reframing the Curriculum: Design for Social Justice and Sustainability: A practical, hands-on guide to weaving the concepts of healthy communities, democratic societies, and social justice into project-based instruction across grades and disciplines.

• Heidi Woodward Sheffield:
• Book titles:
• BRICK BY BRICK (Winner of the Ezra Jack Keats Award): “A striking debut celebrating the warm bond between a little boy and his dad as they work hard to achieve their dreams.”–Goodreads 
• ARE YOUR STARS LIKE MY STARS?: “In beautiful, evocative rhyme, this lovely picture book helps children consider the colors of their everyday lives…and imagine how others around the world experience the very same things.”–Goodreads
• ICE CREAM FACE: As far as this ice-cream-loving kid is concerned, every meal should include ice cream. But what he doesn’t love is seeing other people with ice cream .  .  .  while he’s still waiting in line for his.

• Chandra Ziegler
• Book Title:
• Let Nature Be Your Teacher: Planet Earth is our only home. Earth is our collective Mother that we must honor, cherish, and respect.

Did you write, illustrate or translate a children’s book that can bring a diverse perspective into classrooms? Or do you have a resource to share? Complete this form so we can add your information.

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators celebrates difference and values inclusion. Creativity and innovation are borne of environments that support psychological safety and inclusive spaces. We invite you to contact us to learn more about how our esteemed organization might be of service to you and your students.