Dear Read Naturally Supporters,

We had another blog post planned for today, but it feels more important to write directly to you and acknowledge the incredible sadness our communities are facing right now. Being based in the Twin Cities, we’ve witnessed the tragic events of the past week unfolding in our own neighborhoods, not far from where Read Naturally began. Like you, we are committed to showing up for all students and all communities in pursuit of a more just world. We believe that helping students of all backgrounds achieve literacy is one step toward that goal—but we know there is an incredible amount of work yet to be done. 

At Read Naturally, we always like to begin with books. Here are some book suggestions to start discussions about racism and discrimination and to help students build empathy: 

All the Colors We Are by Katie Kissinger (ages 3-7)
Strictly No Elephants by Lisa Mantchev (ages 3-8)
Candy Shop by Jan Wohl (ages 4-8)
Fair Housing Five by the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center (ages 8-12)
Something Happened In Our Town by Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, and Ann Hazzard (ages 4-12)
Justice Makes a Difference: The Story of Miss Freedom Fighter, Esquire by Dr. Artika Tyner and Jacklyn Milton (ages 8-12)

Additionally, our friends at Doing Good Together put together this wonderful list of picture books to celebrate diversity. For older students, they also have a fantastic list of chapter books about this topic.

Today, we stand with you in the desire to learn more about how we can best serve our students during these challenging times. We want to use our influence in the educational community to help as many students as possible, especially those who lack resources and a sense of safety. Please contact us anytime and let us know how we can support you as we do this work together. Thank you for all that you do.