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As a mom, one of the most important things I've done since my children were born has been to read to them daily. Specifically, as a Latina mom, a big part of that has been going out of my way to make sure my children are seeing and reading stories that feature characters who look like them and share some of their cultural experiences. When I was growing up as an Afro-Puerto Rican in the United States, reading was one of my favorite things to do, but till this day, I can't think of a single book I read that featured a main character, let alone any character, that shared a background like mine.
Most of the books I read were about middle-class or even rich white kids who lived in the suburbs. I still enjoyed them, but it was all very disconnected from my own experience. For my kids, I want better, and thankfully, for their generation, representation for people of color has become a priority, and there are now so many more options. When I take them to the library or the bookstore, I always point them in the direction of books by Latinx authors and books with images on the covers that remind me of our multicultural family.
We already either own or have read most of the classics, which are, of course, predominantly written by white authors, so it's not like I'm avoiding those, it's just that making sure my children read books by nonwhite authors about nonwhite people has to be intentional and takes a bit more effort. I've been building my kids' at-home libraries for years, though, so at this point, I've come across tons of beautiful children's books by Latinx authors that I'm happy to share here. Check them out!
