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Children’s Literature
to Develop Awareness and 
Advocacy for Social Justice

Abstract
Children’s literature can enhance readers’ 
understandings of themselves and others in an 
increasingly diverse world. This article examines the 
need for inclusion and discussion of diverse literature 
in the classroom. Specifically, the authors describe 
a partnership between fifth graders and preservice 
teachers to digitally discuss the book, A Long Walk to 
Water (Park, 2010) using a student-friendly blog. Both 
groups broadened their worldview and the need for 
social justice through the reading and blogging about 
the selected literature. The authors share classroom 
implications and extensions to advocate for social 
action. Projects such as the one described in this 
article remind teachers and children that common 
bonds of humanity can build empathy, unite us all, and 
inspire us to take action for social justice.
 
Children’s literature enhances students’ understanding 
of inequities that persist at the national and global 

by Dr. katie keLLy anD Dr. LinDSay yearta

level and can foster advocacy for social justice (Martin 
& Smolen, 2010). Literature opens the door to the 
outside world as it has the power to “put a human face 
on sociopolitical circumstances” (Botelho & Rudman, 
2009, p. 262). From resettling Syrian refugees to the 
fight to stop the Dakota Pipeline, opportunities for 
students to engage in social justice issues are plentiful. 
However, awareness of issues is a prerequisite to 
engaging students in these discussions.

This article describes a blogging partnership between 
fifth graders and preservice teachers to discuss the 
book, A Long Walk to Water, by Linda Sue Park (2010). 
Both Katie’s preservice teachers and Lindsay’s fifth 
graders increased their awareness of social issues 
related to access to clean water, education, and war. 
This moving novel was selected as shared literature 
for several reasons. As a high-interest dual narrative 
based on a true story, it fostered rich discussions 
between the elementary students and preservice 



GEORGIA JOURNAL OF READING 23 VOLUME 41, NUMBER 1   2018

teachers involved in the project. The book shares 
the compelling stories of two individuals in South 
Sudan whose lives later intertwine in an inspiring way. 
The novel is based on the true story of Salva Dut, a 
Sudanese Lost Boy who was forced to leave his home 
and family during the civil war. Salva traveled by foot 
across several countries to find refuge and safety from 
his war-torn country. The fictional story of Nya tells 
about the young village girl who spends most of her 
day walking to seek and provide water for her family. 
This story of hope for two determined survivors brings 
awareness to modern-day conflict around the world 
including the scarcity of water, which can so easily be 
taken for granted.

The Need for Diverse Literature
As our world continues to flatten (Friedman, 2007) and 
we become more connected, the need to learn about 
other cultures and ways of being is a prerequisite for 
becoming informed, participatory global citizens. One 
way to enhance students’ views of themselves and the 
world around them is with use of literature (Brinson, 
2012).

Children’s literature can have powerful effects on 
young children’s self-concepts and worldviews 
(Hughes-Hassell, Barkley & Koehler, 2009; Jackson & 
Boutte, 2009; Sims, 1982). Specifically, literature can 
act as a window, allowing students to get a peek into 
another culture’s way of being or as a mirror, allowing 
student access to deeper reflection of his or her own 
culture (Bishop, 1990; Brinson, 2012). When diverse 
literature is used as a window, it can shine a light on 
underrepresented groups to become more visible and 
in doing so, enable readers to develop empathy and 
challenge existing stereotypes.
 
Unfortunately, a small percentage of published books 
are written by or about cultures beyond that of dominant 
groups. According to the Cooperative Children’s Book 
Center (CCBC) at the University of Wisconsin, of the 
3,700 books published in 2017, 462 were written by 
or about African/African Americans and 332 by or 
about Latinos/Latinas. Souto-Manning (2013) notes 
that characters in books remain predominantly White, 
English speaking and represent heteronormative 
families. Furthermore, Koss (2015) analyzed 455 
books and determined that only 36 depicted culturally 
specific characters as having a central role in the 
story. With inadequate representation of diversity in 
children’s literature, there is an implicit assumption that 
the dominant culture is more valued and represents 
status quo (Rasinski & Padak, 1990). Therefore, it 
is essential that more diverse children’s literature is 
incorporated into the classroom to avoid a narrow, 
one-dimensional view of the world (Anaya, 1992).

Literature that represents different ways of being can 
develop students’ awareness and appreciation for 
diverse populations and encourages children to live 
harmoniously in an increasingly pluralistic society 
(Nilsson, 2005). “Stories (both fictional and factual) 
help humans to organize experiences, to make sense 
of them, and to learn from them” (Lehman, Freeman, & 
Scharer, 2010, p. 19). They connect us as humans by 
deepening our understanding of others and exploring 
our commonalities. Therefore, it is essential that 
teachers seek out and incorporate quality children’s 
literature that includes diverse characters and 
situations to in order to help all children feel valued 
(Koss, 2015, p. 39).

There are numerous sources available to help 
teachers find more diverse literature. With a social 
media campaign known as #WeNeedDiverseBooks, 
teachers can easily find online discussions and book 
suggestions related to diversity. We Need Diverse 
Books™ is a grassroots organization that advocates 
for the production and promotion of children’s literature 
that reflects and respects the lives of all individuals. 
Furthermore, several book awards including the 
Coretta Scott King Award, the Pura Belpré Award, and 
the Arab-American Book Award, offer educators lists 
of recommended children’s books to infuse diversity 
in the classroom setting. Integrating diverse literature 
in the classroom is a crucial first step in providing 
students with a foundational understanding of global 
diversity. Another powerful approach to fostering 
deeper understanding of text and the world around us 
is through connecting with a wider audience through 
digital discussion.

Digital Discussion of Diverse Literature
To move beyond exposure to diversity in children’s 
literature and provide more opportunities for literature 
to act as a conduit for learning about ourselves and 
others, teachers can facilitate discussion and provide 
guidance to deepen students’ understanding of the 
world. Discussion of diversity can be promoted through 
multicultural literature as children identify with their 
own culture as well as the cultures of others (Colby & 
Lyon, 2004; Koss, 2015).

While it is important to engage students in discussions 
about diversity using literature as a springboard, 
learning is invariably enhanced when students are able 
to interact with and hold conversations with students of 
other cultures and backgrounds. In fact, International 
Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards 
for Students (2016) suggest the need for students 
to be global collaborators. The use of digital tools 
connects learners from different backgrounds and 
cultures and to explore local and global issues and 
explore possible solutions (ISTE Standards, 2016).



GEORGIA JOURNAL OF READING 24 VOLUME 41, NUMBER 1   2018

Blogging is one type of digital platform that allows 
students to communicate with an authentic audience 
beyond the four walls of the classroom (Merchant, 
2005; Stover & Yearta, 2017; Yearta, Stover, & Sease, 
2015). Blogs can be used for literary purposes as 
students discuss and synthesize literature, share 
resources, and communicate with a wider audience 
(Zawilinski, 2009). Additionally, students can use blogs 
in content areas, to compose reflections, to respond 
to literature, to journal about mathematical processes, 
as well as many other possibilities (Stover, Yearta & 
Harris, 2016).

Digital Discussion of A Long Walk to Water
This section describes the blogging partnership 
between fifth graders and college students enrolled 
in a teacher education program to discuss the novel, 
A Long Walk to Water (Park, 2010). The fifth-grade 
students were part of an inclusion class in a suburban 
school located in the southeastern potion of the United 
States. Of the 21 fifth-grade participants, nine were 
male and twelve were female. Nine students were 
White, eleven were African American, and one student 
was Hispanic. The nine, white, female preservice 
teachers were enrolled in a literacy methods course 
in a small, private liberal arts university in the 
southeastern portion of the United States.

Two to three fifth graders were paired with one of 
the preservice teachers to communicate about the 
literature through a minimum of eight blog posts and 
responses. The preservice teachers elicited online 
dialogue through probing and open-ended questions 
to increase student engagement and comprehension 
of the text in an individualized manner.

Kidblog (www.kidblog.org) was used as the blogging 
platform for the fifth graders and the preservice 
teachers although the ideas presented here can be 
used with any student-friendly blogging site. Both sets 
of participants began by creating an “All about Me” post 
to familiarize themselves with the blogging features. 
Allowing students to begin with a post as a means of 
introduction provided them with an opportunity to gain 
experience with aspects of the blog including how to 
select a font and background, embed links, images, 
and videos, and comment to classmates (Yearta, 
Stover, & Sease, 2015). Additionally, this initial post 
provided the reading buddies with a way to break 
the ice and gain comfort with communicating with 
someone new before delving into the content of the 
book.

Using the blog as a discussion platform had several 
benefits. First, the fifth graders were accustomed to 
this type of technology. They had used the blog since 
the beginning of the year and were familiar with its 

features. The fifth grade teacher maintained a blog 
as well, providing the students with a safe space to 
ask questions or comment on posts in class or from 
home. Before the blogging exchange began, the 
fifth graders blogged to share about books being 
read independently. Their posts varied from in-
depth and regular to surface-level and infrequent. 
With communication between fifth graders and the 
preservice teachers as reading buddies, Lindsay 
began to notice that the posts became more focused, 
detailed, and dialogic in nature. While there were 
noted benefits for the elementary students (see the 
article, “Fifth Graders Blog with Preservice Teachers” 
published in Reading Horizons), the next section 
focuses on the lessons learned by the preservice 
teachers as blogging partners.

Lessons Learned
Prior to reading A Long Walk to Water and blogging 
with fifth graders, the preservice teachers indicated 
that they valued diversity but only demonstrated a 
surface-level understanding. They referenced holidays 
around the world as a ‘cute’ classroom activity and 
the need for understanding diversity for the purpose 
of travel. Many discussed their lack of knowledge 
and confidence about how to foster learning about 
diversity and social justice in the classroom. With 
limited previous experience, the preservice teachers 
desired to deepen their learning yet acknowledged 
that “attending to diversity and cultures is a challenge.”
 
Although viewed as a challenge, the preservice 
teachers examined ways to use children’s literature as 
a springboard to explore diversity in the classroom in 
more meaningful ways. Preservice teachers discussed 
how literature can create a safe space to explore the 
uncomfortable and the importance of students seeing 
themselves in the books they read. By participating 
in the blogging partnership to discuss the book A 
Long Walk to Water, preservice teachers observed 
how literature enhanced understanding of diversity 
and issues of inequality for themselves and the fifth 
graders with whom they blogged.

Literature with a focus on diversity acts as a catalyst 
to develop readers’ awareness of social issues such 
as inequality. In particular, A Long Walk to Water was 
“eye-opening” for many of the preservice teachers as 
they learned about the limited access to education 
and clean water in South Sudan. Reading this book 
increased participants’ awareness of their privilege 
and acted as a springboard for further conversation, 
research, and understanding about issues of inequality 
around the world. The preservice teachers learned the 
value in careful selection of literature that fifth graders 
can relate to. While the events in the story such as 
fleeing a war-torn country and walking to obtain clean 



GEORGIA JOURNAL OF READING 25 VOLUME 41, NUMBER 1   2018

drinking water are strikingly different than the lives the 
fifth graders lead, the preservice teachers reflected 
that since the characters in the book were of similar 
age, it made it easier for the students to relate.

After reading and blogging about the book, A Long 
Walk to Water with fifth graders, the preservice 
teachers moved beyond their surface level view 
of diversity as a study of holidays around the world 
and for the purpose of travel. They realized the 
important role classroom teachers play in fostering 
awareness of injustice and inequality with students. 
One preservice teacher explained that “as teachers, 
it is our job to make sure that our students grow up to 
be responsible citizens... this includes being globally 
aware and having the desire to want to change the 
world for the better.” These preservice teachers now 
hold a broader perspective on diversity as an essential 
underpinning in the classroom to develop acceptance 
of others, build awareness of social inequities, and to 
foster action for social justice.

The preservice teachers learned about the value of 
using literature as a tool to develop understanding 
and to foster empathy and passion for social equality. 
One preservice teacher described the book as “a 
wonderful resource for teachers to expose their 
students to different cultures, societies, ideas, and 
economic disparities.” They discussed the importance 
of learning about other parts of the world so students 
can develop respect and an appreciation for global 
perspectives and cultures. In the words of one 
preservice teacher, “It is important that students see 
other groups and cultures and diversity so they can 
learn to cooperate and interact.” Acknowledgement of 
the importance of accepting others to coexist in a more 
peaceful world in connection with the book’s message 
of respecting and loving one another regardless of our 
differences was highlighted. One preservice teacher 
shared that “reading [the book] allows us... to move 
beyond the words hung from the pages and further 
into the depths of humanity. Through an increased 
awareness as global citizens, children can build 
empathy, understanding, and inspiration to help.” The 
book was a catalyst for potential change as noted in 
the following preservice teachers’ comments:

“The theme and story based on Salva Dut’s real 
life is inspirational and should urge people of any 
age to be more aware of the world they live in and 
push them to possibly even get involved with the 
hopes of providing clean water or education for 
villages of Sudan.”

“[The book] leads us to a realization that our world 
is bigger than where we live, and there are many 
different kinds of people... it motivates us to help 
these people, so that others around the world 

have privileges and opportunities that we get.”

The use of literature allowed both sets of readers 
to develop global awareness to move beyond their 
narrow views of life through their own perspectives 
and privilege. Specifically, readers were shocked 
and saddened to learn about the current struggles 
for freedom and the lack of daily necessities such as 
clean drinking water in South Sudan. One preservice 
teacher explained, “Even in this modern world today, 
human beings don’t have an easy means of acquiring 
clean water.” Reading the book and engaging in 
conversations was instrumental in allowing the 
preservice teachers to see more clearly through 
the fog of their privilege. As one preservice teacher 
noted, “there are still places in the world struggling to 
get the basic necessities while we live in a country 
of opportunity and excess.” She continued, “[I] think 
the way I view education and [the book] has definitely 
allowed me to see how lucky I am to be living in a 
country where clean water is readily available.”

While the blogging partnership to discuss the book, 
A Long Walk to Water occurred prior to the water 
crisis in Flint, Michigan and the protest against the 
Dakota Pipeline, these events speak to the increasing 
importance of raising awareness of social justice 
issues for our students both abroad as well as in the 
United States and the possibility of using literature 
as a catalyst to begin important conversations about 
equality and access to water, a basic human need. 
The next section explores extensions to conversations 
about water as a human rights issue.

Extending Conversations about Water  
as a Human Rights Issue
Water is a basic human right. Water is a necessity 
for life. Yet, millions of people, in villages around the 
world, including many in South Sudan, lack access 
to clean, safe water. According to the Charity Water 
Organization, 663 million people worldwide live 
without clean water. Often, girls, like the fictional 
character of Nya in A Long Walk to Water and African 
born supermodel Georgie Badiel featured in the book, 
The Water Princess (Verde, 2016) bear the burden of 
walking miles to gather water, water that is dirty and 
full of disease, at the expense of attending school. 
Access to clean water leads to greater growth of crops 
for food, overall health and well-being, and ability to 
obtain an education especially for women and children.

Access to clean water is not only a problem in 
developing countries. Here in the United States, the 
people of Flint, Michigan as well as members of the 
Sioux Tribe in Standing Rock, North Dakota continue 
to struggle for their right to water. In 2014, Flint, 
Michigan, a city with a high poverty rate, changed its 



GEORGIA JOURNAL OF READING 26 VOLUME 41, NUMBER 1   2018

water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River in an 
effort to save money. However, this new water source 
was contaminated with lead which created a public 
health crisis. The polluted water with its yellowish 
color and foul taste contains high levels of lead, 
affecting people, pets, and plants. Many children have 
tested positive for lead in their blood which can lead to 
possible developmental delays, learning disabilities, 
and behavioral problems. President Obama declared 
a federal emergency and efforts to mitigate the 
effects have been underway. These efforts include 
providing water bottles and filters to residents as well 
as educating parents about healthy diets for children 
in order to counter the effects of the lead poisoning. 
However, the need for long term solutions remains as 
residents are still unable drink tap water without the 
use of a filter.

Over 1,000 miles away, concerns about pollution of 
air, water, and land as a result of the Dakota Access 
Oil Pipeline has led to protests at the construction 
site. The Standing Rock Sioux tribe aims to prevent 
the 1,100-mile-long pipeline that will carry half a 
million barrels of oil across four states daily from 
being built near their reservation in North Dakota. 
They are concerned about the contamination of their 
water supply and the threat to destroy sacred land 
and ancient burial sites. In order to protest actions 
and protect their land, a camp was established at 
the construction site. With the project nearly halfway 
finished, the federal government ordered a temporary 
cease to construction of the section north of Standing 
Rock. However, with the shifting power of a newly 
elected president, the future of the pipeline and the 
sacred land is again unknown.
 
While political shifts are inevitable in a democratic 
country, students and teachers do not have to remain 
uninformed and powerless. To raise awareness and 
encourage discussion and action, teachers can 
incorporate multiple text types including images, 
interviews, the novel A Long Walk to Water, the picture 
book Water Princess, and Dave Matthews’ “Song for 
Billijo” (see YouTube) to raise awareness and increase 
interest in the water crises around the world. Lyrics 
(see Appendix) from the Dave Matthews’ song depict 
the freezing temperatures at the camp in North Dakota 
as well as Standing Rock’s threatened water sources.

Through examination of different types of nonfiction 
and fiction texts, students can engage in multiple 
discussions about the importance of access to clean 
water and begin to research ways to get involved 
to advocate for social justice. As students conduct 
research, they are encouraged to triangulate and 
synthesize sources and engage in ongoing class 
discussions as new understandings develop. The next 

step is for students to get involved by writing for social 
justice. Students may have an outlet in mind before 
they begin to research, or the recipient may become 
clear as the students read and learn about the selected 
topic. Students can write letters or emails, or create 
infographics or videos. In fact, the options are endless.

Classroom Implications
While the blogging experience focused solely on 
discussions of the book, A Long Walk to Water (Park, 
2012), triangulation of sources to examine issues 
related to water could span across the curriculum 
and deepen students’ understanding of how this 
human rights issue not only affected the lives of 
Salva and Nya in South Sudan, but also people living 
right here in their home country of the United States. 
In this article, we share how preservice teachers 
developed a broader worldview as a result of the 
selected literature and the dialogic conversations via 
blogging. Although many of the preservice teachers 
had limited notions of diversity or experiences beyond 
family travel, they developed an appreciation for the 
role children’s literature can play in enhancing their 
own understandings as well as the perspectives of 
their students. Although teachers may feel trepidation 
towards their own experiences or a lack of comfort 
with addressing issues of inequity with their students, 
exposure to children’s literature can help both the 
teachers’ and consequently students’ understanding 
and views continue to evolve. Educators should not 
allow their lack of experience with or knowledge 
of others to prevent them from engaging students 
in thoughtful, reflective conversations to examine 
privilege and issues of social justice. Reading and 
discussion of quality literature is critical in helping 
readers of all ages develop a worldview and greater 
understanding for and appreciation of diversity which 
leads to greater empathy and desire to take action to 
help humankind.

With a greater awareness of global diversity, students 
can then move towards action for social justice. 
Specifically, students can become involved in service 
learning experiences in numerous ways. For instance, 
in this project, one of the fifth graders did some 
self-initiated research on the Internet to discover 
information about Salva’s organization, Water for 
South Sudan. She found the website: http://www.
waterforsouthsudan.org/salvas-story/ and learned 
more about Salva’s work to build wells in South Sudan 
in an effort to bring fresh water to the community. This 
led to engaging classroom discussions to brainstorm 
ways to get involved such as making donations, 
sponsoring the construction of a well, and informing 
others as a way to advocate for the cause. Separated 
by diverse cultural norms and experiences, as well as 
geographic distance great or small, projects such as 



GEORGIA JOURNAL OF READING 27 VOLUME 41, NUMBER 1   2018

this help to flatten the world and inspire children to 
learn how common bonds of humanity can bring us 
together.

As students develop their sense of agency and become 
more engaged in social justice action, the possibilities 
are truly endless. In addition to researching Salva’s 
organization, students can engage in a myriad of 
other research related projects. For example, they 
could research and bring awareness to the Dakota 
Pipeline protest, the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, 
or any number of social justice issues. To engage in 
meaningful writing experiences for real audiences, 
students could write lawmakers or create infographics 
to advertise for fundraisers for a number of causes. 
Projects can be ongoing and fluid as students develop 
interest in various topics and causes.

Intentional selection of literature to be more inclusive 
of diverse cultures and issues of social justice helps 
readers of all ages deepen their understanding of 
the larger world around them. As Bishop (1990) and 
Brinson (2012) reminds us, literature can serve as 
windows into other lived experiences. With increased 
reading of more diverse texts and multiple text 
types, students can enhance their understanding of 
others and their own privilege and ultimately develop 
increased empathy, tolerance, and an awareness 
of social injustices around the world. Reading and 
working with diverse literature in the classroom allows 
students to have a better understanding for other 
lived experiences and perspectives (Templeton & 
Gehsmann, 2014). Moving beyond awareness to 
action through research to foster change and action 
for social justice will help young students make this 
world a better place to live for all humankind.

Conclusion
As educators, we are constantly pondering ways to 
enhance learning opportunities for our students. In 
this blogging project, the preservice teachers read 
and discussed A Long Walk to Water (Park, 2012) 
with a group of fifth grade students. By providing the 
preservice teachers with an opportunity to read global 
literature and communicate with elementary students 
via the blog, both sets of participants developed new 
understandings. The preservice teachers began to 
develop global awareness and consequently realized 
the importance of incorporating diverse literature in 
the elementary classroom. Specifically, preservice 
teachers learned that purposefully selected literature 
can serve as a catalyst to help elementary students 
engage in conversations about diversity and equity. 
Moving beyond the classroom, preservice teachers 
also learned that literature can help elementary 
students think beyond their own experiences to 
develop a deeper understanding of global awareness.

Literature is powerful, and “as technology advances 
and opportunities for global communication expand, 
the value and importance of international children’s 
books will continue to grow” (Lehman, Freeman, & 
Scharer, 2010, p. 19). We agree with Linda Sue Park 
(2015) who stated from the TedTalk she gave that 
while a book cannot save the world, “the young people 
who read them can.” Reading provides a window into 
a variety of lived experiences and important social 
justice topics. When preservice teachers expand their 
repertoire of children’s literature beyond the traditional 
canon to include more diverse books and learn about 
ways to engage students in meaningful discussion 
of literature including digitally mediated approaches, 
they will be better prepared for meeting the needs of 
today’s diverse student population in an increasingly 
pluralistic world. The result may be that readers of all 
ages learn to embrace the common bonds of humanity 
and leverage empathy to take action for social justice.

Appendix: “Song for Billijo” by Dave Matthews
A cold wind blows over North Dakota
Billijo says, “This is my fire” 
“Come warm yourself by my fire”
She said, “Come, my friend, warm your soul”
The river flows in North Dakota
Billijo says, “Oh, this is my water”
”Come quench your thirst in my river”
Billijo said, “Come, my friend, warm your soul”
She said, “You are not alone, not in North Dakota”
Billijo says, “This is my home”
She said, “Come warm yourself by my fire”
Billijo said, “Come drink your fill of this water”

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Cooperative Children’s Book Center. (2018). 



GEORGIA JOURNAL OF READING 28 VOLUME 41, NUMBER 1   2018

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Children’s Literature
Park, L. S. (2010). A long walk to water. New York, NY: 

Clarion Books.

Verde, S. (2016). The water princess. New York, NY: 
G. P. Putnam’s Sons. 

Once you learn to read, 
you will be forever free.

—Frederick douglass


