It will be International Women's Day this week and it is always a good time to celebrate strong women. I have written about what books to display to celebrate this day in the library, but this year I thought to draw attention to two gender issues and what teachers, teacher librarians and readers in general can do about this.
Firstly, there is the SDG Book Club and its list of recommended reading to address gender inequality in the world. See my Pinterest list of books here and my blog entry here.
Or secondly, just read a picture book which has a female protagonist to your class. This is important because male protagonists have long been the default in picture books and we need to show the girls we teach that girls can be the main character, can do amazing things and be exemplary humans. If you need convincing or some background reading start with Sarah Mokrzycki’s article in the Guardian about Australian picture books. It is a good start then look at the research done in Early Childhood settings by Helen Adam and Laurie Harper.
If you are not sure what to read, try these and discuss what qualities their protagonist exhibits.
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