How Big Is The World - Britta Teckentrup

I used this book the week after the attacks on LGBT people in Orlando, in both assembly and later as the basis for a PSHE lesson. Mole asks various animals how big the world is; the spider believes the world is as big as her web and the horse believes the world to be as big as his field. The whale, however, takes Mole on a journey across the globe to discover the huge diversity of places that can be visited. The message in the story is that the world is as big as you want it to be. 

I'm linking this to prejudice and encouraging children to look for diversity, meet different people and be open to new experiences. Imagine if you stayed in the same place all your life, talking only to people who had the same skin as you, practised the same faith as you or spoke your language; your world would be tiny like spider's web. It's great to travel beyond your web; meet different people, hear different ideas and exchange dialogue. Its how we learn and accept each other.

We are not afraid of difference or of diversity. We want to meet different people in different places and listen to different stories. That's why we say there are No Outsiders; everyone is welcome in our world and our job is to spread that message.

Jamie by Olly Pike

Great to have a children's picture book where a character transitions during the story. This is a wonderful vehicle to use when discussing transgender awareness with children; use the book to promote a school ethos where everyone is safe and there are no outsiders.

Olly Pike uses the Cinderella fairy tale as a base for a story where Jamie (Cinderella) feels something isn't right;

"You see, how Jamie felt inside didn't match up with what she saw in the mirror, and oh how she wished it would"

I love that Jamie transitions without help from the Fairy Godmother; there is no magic involved, it's a tale of empowerment. Looking at this book from a teaching perspective, the way pronouns are used on the page where Jamie finally understands who he is, provides perfect stimulus for a class discussion. This is also a great text to use in Guided Reading.

There is a theme running through Pike's stories where the characters worry about factors other than being gay or being trans and these provide fantastic conclusions, modelling acceptance to children. Jamie chooses at the end of the tale to tell the princess his own story and she is only concerned about how a mouse cut his hair! Brilliant!

Buy Jamie by Olly Pike from here 

Pig In The Pond by Martin Waddel

"Pig In The Pond" is a great book to introduce the concept of No Outsiders to young children in Reception or in Y1. I used the book in assembly this week and talked about how the pig felt when he was out of the pond and no one offered to move up and let him in. When he first jumps in everyone else stays out but the farmer saves the day, joining the pig and then inviting all the other animals in too. The last page shows all the animals together in the pond; an image that shows on the farm there really are no outsiders! The children loved it.

Are you a boy or are you a girl? by Sarah Savage and Fox Fisher

This book is a fantastic resource for introducing the concept to children that not everyone is defined by the gender they were assigned at birth. The character in the story takes part in activities successfully without ever defining themselves by gender. It also gives a good example of adult support when another child questions the lead character.

This is a wonderful and positive celebration of transgender awareness. Highly recommended.
Buy the book here: http://sarah-savage.com/product/book/

The Whisperer by Nick Butterworth

I've been using "The Whisperer" for about ten years in Primary classrooms to teach about accepting diversity and difference and it is one of my favourite stories to use in Year 5 and 6. The story can also be used to discuss gang culture, family expectations and why and how two people fall in love. In short, it makes for a great basis to a PSHE lesson.

The story focuses on two gangs of cats and is narrated by a rat who discovers by spreading rumours about the offspring of the two rival gang leaders falling in love, he can deflect attention away from him. This also gives us a fantastic opportunity to discus why people spread rumours and the effect on a community.

The story has a fantastic ending where the two rival gang leaders change their behaviour and also the rumour-spreading rat has his comeuppance.

A super story for upper key stage 2. I cannot recommend this enough.

A lesson plan using this story is included in forthcoming resource, "No Outsiders in our school: Teaching the Equality Act in Primary Schools." Available soon from www.speechmark.net

Picnic in the park by Joe Griffiths, Tony Pilgrim, Lucy Pearce

"Picnic in the park" is a great way to demonstrate the No Outsiders ethos where no one is left out and everyone is made to feel welcome. Jason has a birthday picnic and each page shows a different family arriving; by the end there is a mix of gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, age.

The focus for me when I use this in Year 2,3 and 4 classes is that Jason does nor turn anyone away; everyone is different in some way and everyone is welcome; "A bit like in our school," I say, "Where there are no outsiders!"

When reading this in Year 2 classes we have our own picnic and I ask children to come to a picnic rug in a family of their choosing. We make sure everyone is welcome; in this way we also talk about British Values where society is diverse and furthermore we like living alongside people and families who are diverse. 

Red Rockets and Rainbow Jelly by Sue Heap and Nick Sharratt

"Red Rockets and Rainbow Jelly" is a perfect picture book to start equalities education in Reception class. Nick and Sue like different things on every page but at the end they still like each other. I use this in EYFS and Year 1 to demonstrate that we can like different things yet we can still be friends.

This ethos underpins all of the equalities work I do in schools and I always begin with this book when training teachers who may be feeling a little nervous about what equalities education is. The book is simple, but the simplicity makes it effective. The beautiful illustrations and blocks of colour make it engaging for young children. Every early years classroom needs this book in their book corner!