Testimonials

Diverse Achievers is a gift to early education. It comes at such a vital time as we help our youngest to understand the value of individual differences while, at the same time, applauding our common humanity. Storytelling works especially when we are guided through it with questions that provoke thinking. Thanks to Irene and Gary for helping all of us seek truth.

— David Magill, Ed.D, Director Emeritus, University of Chicago Laboratory Schools

Diverse Achievers is a powerful resource for teachers to make inclusion an ongoing part of instruction. The break down that shows books for both male and female achievers, self-esteem, history, and questions for discussion helps to simplify instruction and planning.

— Tiffany Sudler, Teacher, School District of Philadelphia

What a delicious educational resource for parents, teachers and other human services professionals to use when starting conversations about the contributions of other racial/ethnic groups in shaping the American culture we live in today.

This compilation of children’s books as tools for having tough conversations is simply ingenious. Why? Because of the way it’s organized, the rich selection of topics/books and the fact that it is user friendly. This is a tall order for any author(s) to handle complex issues with a stimuli that directs ways for adults to discuss diverse achievers with young people. The contexts of ‘Jim Crow’, restrictive immigration laws and fear of losing power in the midst of rapid social change is unsettling for many Americans.

Teachers and parents will simply love the range of books connected to grade levels and the guided tours to help them ask meaningful questions. There is no dogma. Readers are free to help children explore values in the context of their personal experiences. There are questions on social problems children experience in schools and communities. This approach is value free and non-judgmental, so the teachers and parents can help loved ones define their own values.

I cannot say enough about this book. I highly recommend it for educators and families who are navigating the complexities of race, class, gender and physical/mental abilities. It prepares us to develop skills of racial literacy and is a great resource for diversity consultants.

— Portia Hunt, Ph.D, President, Eclipse Management Consultant Group and Executive Director, National Center for Family Recovery, Licensed Psychologist

Diverse Achievers is a wonderful resource for educators, parents, grandparents, mentors, or really anyone who reads to children and would like to explore themes of diversity and equity.

The book is an anthology of story summaries along with discussion questions. Perhaps most useful is the way the summaries and questions are organized – Courageous Conversations, Celebrating Differences, Diverse Female Achievers, Diverse Male Achievers, Inspirational Children, and Diversity in History.

As a former middle school Reading teacher at a Title 1 School, I would have welcomed a book like this to guide my curriculum. I often struggled to find books and stories that featured minority protagonists, and Diverse Achievers offers 80+ stories focusing on people of color, along with helpful questions to encourage deeper thinking and reflection. Story examples include selections focusing on John Lewis, Rosa Parks, Barack Obama, Lena Horne, Lin Manuel Miranda, Aretha Franklin, and many others.

I’m also a mentor in the Big Brothers / Big Sisters program, and I’ll use this book to pick stories to share with my Little Brother going forward.

I highly recommend Diverse Achievers to anyone who reads to kids and wishes to offer inspirational stories that focus on the achievements of people of color. Thank you to the authors for providing such a needed and useful resource.

— Jack R Reed III

There is something in here for every teacher. This book provides such a wide range of topics to be discussed and gives you all the tools to implement their work in the classroom. It is easy to read and very thorough! For teachers and DEI directors that don’t have the time but want to put in the work this is a very useful tool to refer to again and again. I loved the summaries and how thoughtful the questions are. So thankful for this resource!

— Dr. Harold Fryeazon

I wish I had had this book and guide decades ago! Eizen and Plummer have enhanced educators’ and parents’ ability to explore dozens of brilliantly written children/young adult books centering diverse achievers by writing this resource for us. Diverse Achievers is thoughtfully organized and incredibly easy to navigate I’m excited to have added this to my resource collection… and will keep it close to for easy reference!

— Carrie K