Conclusion

Technology has made it easier to spread awareness and truth, but we still need help from those in charge of educational systems such as at schools or libraries, to do better with creating a more diverse experience for our young readers. When consuming materials, readers should be taught to question what they are reading--Who's story is this? Who benefits from this? Whose voices are not being heard? (Reese, 2018). It is important that traditional colonized beliefs be questioned in hopes of establishing this type of critical thinking and using children's books is a great way to do that. By sharing Indigenous worldviews and perspectives through art, colonized thinking will be challenged as readers are able to absorb the offering of a different perspective--A perspective that showcases what it was like to be the one being colonized rather than the one doing the colonizing (Korteweg, Gonzalez, & Gulliet, 2010). Using books matters here because "stories have the capacity to open up processes of relationship and responsibility" (Hanson, 2018). 

When we are exposed to the stories of others in a way that is engaging and interesting, we come away inspired and are easier to educate (Hanson et. al., 2020). This is especially true when using images or picture books because, according to art theory, images create a stable representation of culture, invite opposition, and cut across time (Albers, 2008). Picture books help bridge gaps, deepen understanding, and offer different perspectives as emotions are visible, settings come to life, and relatability sets in. That's exactly what the authors and illustrators in this blog are doing every time they write or illustrate a new story--one that pushes back against the biased narratives that have been sold to society for generations regarding Indigenous people. Each book, each picture, each story shared, is another step in the right direction, but we could benefit by being more intentional as a society in doing our part to help move this forward. We can help do this, in part, by creating more truly diverse environments in the children's sections of our local libraries.