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Early Childhood Readers Collection

The Early Childhood Readers Collection (ECRC) includes children's literature that highlights and celebrates diversity across a spectrum of inclusion and diversity, from race to sexual orientation to gender identity and disability.

How do I find books in the ECRC?

To find all the books in the collection, type in "early childhood readers collection" in the Advanced Compass search box.

You can narrow down the results by searching for specific subjects. Change the drop down from "Any field" to "Subject":

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This guide was created to increase the visibility of the ECRC and specifically highlight books that discuss the topics of childhood interpersonal relationships and emotions. DU Libraries has a vast collection of children's and juvenile literature; the ECRC is only a small (albeit very special) subset.

Spotlights:
Celebrating Multilingualism

The ECRC features books in English, Spanish, Ojibwa, Cree, Salish, and Cherokee!

Say Hello!

Carmelita loves to greet everyone in her colorful neighborhood. There are people from so many different cultures! They all like to say hello too, so now Carmelita can say hello in Spanish, English, French, Japanese, and many other languages. And her dog, Manny? Well, he seems to understand everyone, and gives a happy "Woof!" wherever he goes.Caldecott Honor winner Rachel Isadora's eyecatching collages are full of kid-friendly details like colorful storefronts, pigeons and an ice cream truck, making Carmelita's neighborhood fun to explore. Emphasizing the rich diversity of America's neighborhoods, this simple portrait of a child's day provides a great introduction to the joy of language.

Book Cover Art

We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga

The Cherokee community is grateful for blessings and challenges that each season brings. This is modern Native American life as told by an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation. The word otsaliheliga (oh-jah-LEE-hay-lee-gah) is used by members of the Cherokee Nation to express gratitude. Beginning in the fall with the new year and ending in summer, follow a full Cherokee year of celebrations and experiences. Written by a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, this look at one group of Native Americans is appended with a glossary and the complete Cherokee syllabary, originally created by Sequoyah.

Good Rainbow Road

This is the story of two courageous boys and of how they saved their village. Written in the tradition of Native American oral storytelling and accompanied by colorful illustrations from celebrated Native artist Michael Lacapa, it brings the powers of language, memory, and imagery to a tale that will captivate children ages seven and up. As Simon Ortiz writes, "The Good Rainbow Road is located in the Native American world, but it is not limited to that world. Even considering humankind's many ethnic and racial differences, we are all part of each other as people and the rest of all Creation, and our stories join us together." This is the foundation of The Good Rainbow Road, and on that road young readers will broaden their understanding of humanity's common bonds. The Good Rainbow Road is presented in Keres, the language of Acoma Pueblo and six other Pueblo communities in New Mexico, and in English, with an additional Spanish translation in the back of the book.

A Day with Yayah

A cheerful story from a renowned Canadian children's book author and an award-winning illustrator "Radiant picture book" -Quill & Quire Set in the Nicola Valley, British Columbia, in Canada's westernmost province, a First Nations family goes on an outing to forage for herbs and mushrooms. A grandmother passes down her knowledge of plant life and the natural world to her young grandchildren.

Awâsis and the World-Famous Bannock

During an unfortunate mishap, young Awâsis loses Kôhkum's freshly baked world-famous bannock. Not knowing what to do, Awâsis seeks out a variety of other-than-human relatives willing to help. What adventures are in store for Awâsis? Awâsis and the World-Famous Bannock highlights the importance of collaboration and seeking guidance from one's community, while introducing the Cree words for different animals and baking ingredients. Find a pronunciation guide and the recipe for Kôhkum's world-famous bannock in the back of the book.

Canticos First 100 Words

From the Emmy-nominated, award-winning bilingual preschool series Canticos, comes First 100 Words, a part of the Canticos Bilingual Firsts collection. Learn everyday words to increase your child's vocabulary, in both English and Spanish. Complete with beautiful illustrations, this book is a great way to make learning opposites with your little chickie special and unique in not one, but two languages.

Nipêhon / I Wait

A quiet, gentle story about a family working together written in Cree and English. A young child, her grandmother and mother are going out to pick wild yarrow. As Grandmother gets ready, the child and her mom wait. Grandmother leads the way to the field of blossoms, where they can finally start to pick ... only now they have to wait for Mom! The simple story, written in Cree and English and accompanied by rich acrylic illustrations, shows the patience, love and humor involved as three generations accommodate one another on a family outing. nipêhon / I Wait was translated by Leona Morin-Neilson, who was the inspiration for the book. This companion volume to Niwechihaw / I Help includes a recipe for yarrow tea, known for its refreshing and soothing effects.

Intersecciónalianza: hacemos espacio para todxs

Escrito por tres sociólogas de color, Intersecciónalianza: hacemos espacio para todxs es una entrada jubilosa al feminismo interseccional. Los nueve personajes se describen con orgullo a sí mismxs y sus origenes. El libro explora temas de diversidad, como discapacidad física y ser un intermediario de idiomas para su familia, de una manera que hace que lxs niñxs se sientan orgullosxs de su historia personal y se conecten con la lucha colectiva por la justicia. La forma en que los personajes se conectan entre sí promueve un mensaje de aliado e igualdad. Cuando la vida se pone difícil, lxs niñxs se apoyan mutuamente. Intersecciónalianza es una herramienta necesaria para aprender a aceptar la diferencia, en lugar de ahuyentarla. El libro presenta hermosas ilustraciones en cada página de Ashley Seil Smith, así como poderosas presentaciones de la activista y profesora de Derecho Dra. Kimberlé Crenshaw, quien acuñó el término "interseccionalidad", y Dra. Ange-Marie Hancock Alfaro, autora de Interseccionalidad: una historia intelectual.

Nibi Is Water

A first conversation about the importance of Nibi, which means water in Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe), and our role to thank, respect, love, and protect it. Babies and toddlers can follow Nibi as it rains and snows, splashes or rows, drips and sips. Written from an Anishinaabe water protector's perspective, the book is in dual language: English and Anishinaabemowin.

Colores de la Vida

"Each page captures a sense of wonder, of the vibrancy of color, the imagination of the artist, the name of the hue. Colors take life in this small picture book, perfect for small hands, in an astonishing pairing of visual intimacy and artistic joy that make this one of the most distinctive recent books on color--in English or otherwise." --Papertigers.org This book truly did take a village of artists, scattered all around mountain villages in the beautiful state of Oaxaca. Fifteen in fact! Go to our website to see who carved what lovely animal. And, please, imagine the adventurous Cindy Weill traipsing from village to village in search of these wonderful artisans. Este libro tomó el trabajo de toda una comunidad de artistas, esparcidos por los pueblos de las montañas del hermoso estado de Oaxaca. Tomó quince artistas, de hecho! Ve a nuestro sitio para ver quien esculpió cada bonito animal. Y, por favor, imagina a la intrépida Cindy Weill paseando de pueblo a pueblo en búsqueda de estos maravillosos artesanos y artesanas.

Bowwow Powwow

Windy Girl is blessed with a vivid imagination. From Uncle she gathers stories of long-ago traditions, about dances and sharing and gratitude. Windy can tell such stories herself-about her dog, Itchy Boy, and the way he dances to request a treat and how he wriggles with joy in response to, well, just about everything. When Uncle and Windy Girl and Itchy Boy attend a powwow, Windy watches the dancers in their jingle dresses and listens to the singers. She eats tasty food and joins family and friends around the campfire. Later, Windy falls asleep under the stars. Now Uncle's stories inspire other visions in her head: a bowwow powwow, where all the dancers are dogs. In these magical scenes, Windy sees veterans in a Grand Entry, and a visiting drum group, and traditional dancers, grass dancers, and jingle-dress dancers-all with telltale ears and paws and tails. All celebrating in song and dance. All attesting to the wonder of the powwow. This playful story by Brenda Child is accompanied by a companion retelling in Ojibwe by Gordon Jourdain and brought to life by Jonathan Thunder's vibrant dreamscapes. The result is a powwow tale for the ages.

Paletero Man

A vibrant picture book celebrating the strength of community and the tastes of summer from Latin Grammy-winning musician Lucky Diaz and celebrated artist Micah Player. Ring! Ring! Ring! Can you hear his call Paletas for one! Paletas for all! What's the best way to cool off on a hot summer day Run quick and find Paletero José! Follow along with our narrator as he passes through his busy neighborhood in search of the Paletero Man. But when he finally catches up with him, our narrator's pockets are empty. Oh no! What happened to his dinero It will take the help of the entire community to get the tasty treat now. Full of musicality, generosity, kindness, and ice pops, this book is sure to satisfy fans of Thank You, Omu! and Carmela Full of Wishes. Includes Spanish words and phrases throughout, an author's note from Lucky Diaz, and a link to a live version of the Lucky Band's popular song that inspired the book. A Junior Library Guild Selection!