Guarding against book challenges with professionalism and confidence

Teaching literacy skills through high-quality trade books that provide diverse cultural perspectives is increasingly difficult due to challenges to teachers’ book selections. To meet their professional responsibilities, teachers must select literature they judge effective for developing students’ awareness and understanding of others’ perspectives. Adriana L. Medina, Rachelle Kuehl, and Edwina Pendarvis discuss how teachers can prepare for challenges by relying on learning standards, consulting book awards lists, and building trust with families. They offer methods for navigating controversy while fostering social responsibility and global competencies and protecting students’ access to literature that teaches perspective-taking and promotes understanding of people with differing backgrounds, experiences, and societal contributions.