Immigrants Who Have Changed the Course of History

Abstract

A positive exposure to diverse children's literature, literature which represents a more inclusive experience of the many cultural, ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds representative of the people of the United States of America (USA), is important in the current era of book bans and censorship of schools' curricula. Immigrants and their experiences are often overlooked in the curricula. This chapter discusses contemporary children's biographies of immigrants who have made a difference in the USA, while implementing a three-lenses framework—reader lens, evaluative lens, and instructional lens—to interrogate the texts. The chapter offers this approach to help classroom teachers critically read and enjoy before selecting reading materials for their students.