BLOGS > AUGUST 4, 2021
BY JILLIAN HEISE
The US Census report from 2014 projected that by 2044, whites will no longer be the majority of the United States population. In 2018, the Cooperative Children’s Book Center in Madison, Wisconsin, reported 50% of children’s books published that year depicted white characters. So, what does this mean for #ClassroomBookADay?
It means that making sure to consider diversity and representation of the global majority in the books we share with students is important. It also means we need to be cognizant of ensuring we expose our students to books that go beyond the confines of our borders.
We have a chance to help them gain a global perspective through the settings and characters in the picture books we choose to share. With that in mind, this month I pulled together a list of 20 titles that help show perspectives outside of the United States and lives that may be different from what the students in our classrooms experience.
One of the benefits of #ClassroomBookADay is that it provides an opportunity to bring in topics there may not be room for within prescribed curriculum or district expectations. By reading a picture book every day of the school year, we end up with over a hundred opportunities to share topics, ideas, peoples, cultures, settings and characters that may not be included in the rest of the curriculum.
In this case, it’s a collection of stories about refugee experiences; communities at play; school adventures; immigrant experiences; environmental activists; family traditions; distractions from war; community celebrations; adventures in towns and in rural areas, in cities and on the water; communities coming together; and a cave rescue that captured international news.
Within all 20 of them is a thread of love. Love for self, love for others and love for community. As we build community in our classrooms through #ClassroomBookADay read-alouds, we can also use that time to help our students see themselves as part of the global community in which we all exist.
Lester Laminack has said, “Reading aloud is a place where we become bonded through common stories that allow us to see, as human beings, that we are more alike from the inside out than we are different from the outside in.” I’m hopeful these books will help remind all of us about that as we share in the journeys of these characters, visit these settings, and learn more about the world outside of our borders.
Jillian Heise
Jillian Heise is a Grade K-5 Library Media Teacher in southeastern Wisconsin. She previously taught Grades 7-8 ELA in the Milwaukee area for 11 years and is board certified. Jillian is a passionate advocate for student choice in reading and the power of shared stories through #ClassroomBookADay picture book read-alouds. She brings her literacy expertise and knowledge of books to her role as Chair of the WSRA Children’s Literature Committee. You can find Jillian talking books and education at Heise Reads & Recommends and on Twitter at @heisereads.
Watch webinar recording presented by Jillian Heise, Building Community: #ClassroomBookADay Read Alouds.
Introducing Follett List Notifications
October 16, 2026
Curated book lists for public library selectors – delivered to Titlewave, free, and reviewed by you before anything is ordered.
Read more
Shelf-Ready Services for Public Libraries: 5 Takeaways from Our Webinar
October 16, 2026
During our Shelf-Ready Services webinar, Trisha Vreeman, Custom Library Services Director, and Corrine Lagacy, Professional Services Manager, showed public library staff how shelf-ready services shorten the trip from delivery truck to shelf. Here's what they covered.
Read more
New Books for Librarians: 30+ Standout Titles from Four Publishers
October 16, 2026
Reader requests pile up, budgets stay tight, and new releases arrive faster than anyone can read them all. So, we brought four publishers together to do the sorting for you.In one hour, HarperCollins, W. W. Norton & Company, Candlewick Press...
Read more
A Modern Classic: Building the Public Library Partnership for What Comes Next
October 12, 2026
Last month, Emily Henry announced the title of her next novel: Modern Classic, due out in April 2027. As a reader, I can already imagine the holds lists! But the title caught my attention for another reason: it’s a fitting...
Read more
Why Students Stop Reading for Pleasure and What Schools Can Do About It
October 7, 2026
Most children enter school eager to explore stories, characters, and new ideas through books. Yet as students get older, many begin reading less frequently for enjoyment.According to data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the percentage of 13-year-olds...
Read more
October 2, 2026
Sometimes, a community exceeds every expectation.When Follett Content began planning its 2026 book sales, the goal was ambitious: Raise $15,000 to support United Way of Greater McHenry County’s Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Program. By the end of the fundraising effort, that...
Read more