Decolonizing Library Shelves through the Rise of Indigenous Children's Authors

Saturday, January 28, 2023

1:30 PM – 2:45 PM

Location: Morial Convention Center, Room 391-392

Level of Participation: Medium

Indigenous and Native American authors have been underrepresented in North American children’s books for a long time (and Indigenous characters have been poorly represented by non-Indigenous authors). Recent years have seen the growth of Native American children’s books, and Indigenous writers are feeling more empowered to share their stories. Join moderator Andrea L. Rogers and Indigenous authors David A. Robertson and Cherie Dimaline to discuss how decolonizing library shelves and building a catalogue of Indigenous children’s literature can help young Indigenous readers see themselves and their culture accurately (and at times heroically) depicted in children’s literature, as well as move all library users toward real actions of reconciliation for North America’s history of colonialism.

Learning Objectives:

describe what decolonizing their collection means.
develop a representative collection of Native American / Indigenous children's literature.
differentiate accurate Native American / Indigenous representation in books from appropriation.
list a number of notable Native American / Indigenous children's authors currently publishing.

Staff Liaison(s)

SD

Samantha Devotta (she/her/hers)

Senior Associate, Marketing and Publicity
Tundra Books

Moderator(s)

Andrea L. Rogers (she/her/hers)

Author
Levine Querido

Content Leader(s)

David A. Robertson (he/him/his)

Editorial director / author
Penguin Random House Canada
Cherie Dimaline (she/her/hers)

Author
Penguin Random House Canada