For many educators, cultural representation in children’s literature begins with the calendar. Heritage months and holidays create clear opportunities to introduce stories tied to specific identities and traditions. As a starting point? Not bad. But it does reveal an interesting limitation if that’s where we stop: identity becomes occasional rather than integrated.
The Limits of Holiday-First Representation
Holiday and heritage books play an important role, but they are episodic by nature. They represent moments rather than lives. And for teachers, it is totally understandable that you want to start there if you’re teaching about a culture that you yourself are not that familiar with. A quick google search for a given holiday will give you loads of material to kick off a lesson.
However. And it’s a big however: When representation relies primarily on these texts, kids only get a partial picture of themselves (if it’s their own culture). Or even worse, kids who aren’t of that culture are getting a partial picture of their classmates. I say ‘worse’ because the kid whose culture is being represented can at least go home to their community and get a more robust reflection of who they are. The kid in the class who is just learning about that culture for the first time has that introduction as their only source. For them, that identity appears during designated times and then disappears.
When identity appears only in special moments, it risks being reduced to symbols. Foods, clothing, rituals, and vocabulary take center stage, while emotional life recedes. Everyday stories, on the other hand, correct this imbalance by showing identity as context rather than content.
What Everyday Representation Offers
Everyday stories normalize identity by embedding it in the ordinary flow of life. Culture shapes the setting and relationships without becoming the lesson. These stories allow children to see themselves as protagonists rather than representatives. They allow peers to encounter that difference without the distance.
In a previous article, I discussed the importance of funny books; they are also relevant to this discussion, particularly when we consider “encountering the difference without the distance.” Put simply, the phenomenon of laughing together is such an effective bond, it’s one of the best ways to shrink the distance between kids’ cultural experiences. The fear people have (although I see this more with adults than kids) that they might ‘get it wrong’ when engaging meaningfully with someone else’s culture magically dissipates when they can all laugh together. (As it happens, Jewish comedians have known this for centuries.)
The Classroom Impact of Integrated Stories
Everyday cultural stories fit naturally into classroom reading. They don’t require special framing or scheduling. This lowers barriers to inclusion and increases the frequency of a culture appearing, and frequency matters. One story a year cannot do the work that consistent presence can.
Moving beyond holiday books shifts the goal of representation. Instead of asking whether an identity has been covered, we ask whether it is part of the shared narrative environment.
The future of representation lies in balance. Holiday and historical books remain essential, but they must be complemented by everyday narratives that show children living full, emotionally varied lives. It enables year-round representation, deeper emotional connection, reduced cultural distance, and classrooms where identity is present without being spotlighted. Representation works best when it is lived, not scheduled.
Rick Duchalski is the founder of Mad Dreidel Press and author of Leah’s Magic Dreidel (2025), Don’t Unbraid the Challah! (2026) and Carl (2026).
