There are many wonderful resources out there delving into why representation in children’s literature (and on your child’s bookshelf) is important, and how to read books with children through a race-conscious lens. As a parent raising a child bilingual in Russian and English, I’ve been glad to see that many lists have been published of amazing English-language kid’s books with Black characters in lead roles, and similar lists exist for kid’s books in other languages such as Spanish, too. But in trying to keep plenty of Russian language books in addition to English language books on my child’s bookshelf, I noticed it’s trickier to find diversity among main characters in Russian-language kid’s books. So I’ve searched far and wide and compiled this list of Russian-language kid’s books featuring Black protagonists and/or antiracist themes as a resource for other parents, educators, or anyone else with kids in their lives who may find this list useful. There are certainly more great books out there, and as such, this list is a work in progress and will continue to be updated with more books.
For general information about using bilingual books while raising bilingual kids, check out my previous blog post Buying the Best Bilingual Book.
This post is divided into 3 sections – click on the link to jump to that section.
Russian/English Bilingual (aka Dual language) books
Russian language books
Babies and Toddlers
Young School-Age
Preteen
Teen
Do-it-yourself
In my search for Russian kid’s books, I’ve found that unfortunately, it’s tough to find Russian-language kid’s books with Black protagonists or with antiracist themes. Having said that, with some creativity, you can create the resources you wish to see. Now, it’s not necessary to write and publish your own book (although it is possible to create your own book!) There are personalized books out there in various languages, including Russian. For example, TimTimTom allows you to create your own book in Russian and design your own main character. The books can either be in one language, or bilingual. Here’s an example in Russian and English:
Another idea is to translate books into Russian yourself. This is especially true for kid’s books that have antiracist and racial justice themes, because more book options are available in English. Now, some people out there are amazing at translating off the top of their heads, but I am not among those fortunate folks! In addition to interpreting offhand while you’re reading to your child, there are a few ways to translate your books in writing: for shorter books, you can put a post-it on each page, or write Russian translations with a pen or marker by the English words. If you’re up for something a little more time-consuming but with a neat-looking end result, you can print your translations and tape them into the pages, as seen here. The books shown here are A is for Activist by Innosanto Nagara, Antiracist Baby by Ibram X. Kendi, All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold, and Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats; check out your local Black-owned bookshop to purchase kid’s books: 125 Black-Owned, Independent Bookstores By State
NOTE: I have no affiliation with the books referenced in this article. The links contained herein are not part of any paid affiliate program, they are simply my own recommendations.
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For more tips on raising bilingual children, check out Polyglot Parenting’s online course, How to Raise A Bilingual Child.
Or, for individualized advice, families raising bilingual/multilingual children may find it useful to create a custom Family Language Plan with the help of a bilingual professional. If having a guide to help you navigate the ins and outs of implementing effective and realistic bilingual methods and strategies sounds helpful to your family, contact me for a 60 minute initial consultation.