Book Unfair: The recent addition of the diversity section to the Scholastic Book Fair paints people of color and others being classified as diverse as “abnormal”

Walking into the library, elementary kids excitedly clutch dollar bills and stare at the spectacle of the annual Scholastic Book Fair. 

On the left is a “diversity” section full of books written by or about “diverse” people, and to the right are all the other books: a clear message that diverse books are inherently different.

Book fairs need to stop creating separate sections for diverse books to better prepare students to be inclusive in high school and beyond.

Yes, having diverse books available to young students is important. But it’s unnecessary for the section to be separate from the rest of the fair. This makes it more exclusive than inclusive. Having to draw special attention to diversity makes the concept feel “weird” for some kids. 

This year, Scholastic — the U.S.’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s books — piloted their “Share Every Story, Celebrate Every Voice” section of elementary school book fairs. It featured a selection of 64 books classified as “diverse” spread over two mobile bookshelves. 

The section features titles such as “All Are Welcome” by Alexandra Penfold and “Justice Ketanji” by Denise Lewis Patrick as well as many other “diverse” books.

While the initial intent of this new collection was to combat the recent effort to censor LGBTQIA+ and racial identity topics in children’s books, its caused children to feel more called out than represented, according to Education Week.

In response to the criticism they received for the section, Scholastic decided to make the section optional for librarians and teachers ordering the merchandise their school will display at their book fairs. Now diversity as a whole can be removed from the book fair. 

Children who see themselves in “diverse” books that are singled out may feel more exposed than represented. Kids who already struggle with their racial or sexual identity may also feel uncomfortable browsing these books as it could draw attention to a part of themselves they aren’t comfortable with yet. 

A simple solution to this issue would be to recategorize these diverse books so they’re spread out through all genres. This way, children are able to browse books with diversity without feeling singled out while being able to purchase books from genres that interest them. 

Students would rather pick up a book that looks interesting to them and realize it was written by a black author than have to venture to a whole other section to find the same book. 

Diversity needs to be embedded into the education system as a whole, not slapped on one bookshelf away from the other “normal” or “not diverse” books. 

English classes, inclusive school celebrations and open conversations about diversity and different lifestyles should be where students are exposed to cultural and racial diversity rather than Scholastic Book Fair shelves.

It’s important that children are able to see themselves in their favorite books or as their most influential role models. When students are able to see diverse authors, historical figures and characters in their daily school lives without having attention brought to the fact that they’re diverse is when students of different backgrounds will begin to feel truly included.

Book fairs are a great place to start.

In more than 30 states, diverse books mainly including LGBTQIA+ characters and topics have been censored, making it impossible to ignore the issues schools are facing with diversity and inclusion, according to the American Library Association. 

Books are currently being censored due to “inappropriate” topics or topics that adults don’t want children being taught such as LGBTQIA+ stories and cultural diversity subjects. The reality is that these subjects need to be incorporated into the education system, but spotlighting them unnecessarily is simply not the way to do this. 

Isolating these books is almost as detrimental as not having them at all.