Roots of Representation

Episode 5 - Highlighting Diverse Black Experiences of Climate Change through Children’s Literature.

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In this episode, guest host and leadership team member Crystal Allen asks Christine Taylor-Butler about strategies for writing stories that acknowledge the diversity of Black Americans’ experiences of climate change, and about incorporating STEM content into children’s media in ways that promote hope, agency, and a knowledge of how to prepare for and respond to a wide variety of climate-related threats. Taylor-Butler also mentions several resources for broadening the representation of diverse youth in children’s literature, including: 

  • Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions  – in this STEM picture book, author Chris Barton and illustrator Don Tate provide a biography of Lonnie Johnson, inventor of the SuperSoaker. 
  • Abby in Orbit – written by Andrea J. Loney, this series tells the story of Abby Baxter, a third-grader whose parents are scientists at the OASIS International Space Station. 
  • NASA – a government agency whose research focuses not only on outer space, but on planet Earth and the various species whose lives are being impacted by climate change. 
  • International Tiger Project – A project launched by Wildlife Conservation International whose work looks at how conservation efforts can help mitigate the effects of climate change. 
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    Roots of RepresentationBy Knology Research