December 6, 2022 | Marie Bouteillon
Celebrate Le mois de l'Histoire des Noirs
Le mois de l’Histoire des Noirs is fast approaching! Historically, it has been a challenge finding books to celebrate Black History Month in French. Recently, I’ve seen a real effort on the part of publishers. Each time new books are released, I look for titles that will add more representation of Black figures and characters in French children’s literature.
Last year, I curated the Black History Month in French collection. It’s made up of 40 handpicked titles including biographies of Civil Rights activists, picture books featuring Black characters from around the world, and historical novels. When selecting titles, I chose to represent Francophone Black Identities: the Caribbean, Louisiana, Africa and French Black kids. I tried to steer clear of stereotypes of the white savior, the adopted child and the "sans papier." Readers will find quite a few books that show interracial friendships, but are not about interracial relationships. I just want to spotlight a few incontournables (must haves):
It's a privilege to be able to read these books for you, and make these selections. Years ago, teachers were asking for diversity, but I couldn't find enough titles to meet their demand. These titles are topnotch, and I wish I had had them in my dual language classroom in Brooklyn.
Bonne lecture à tous et à toutes !
- Marie
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