Why Read Woke?

Milton Public Library is participating in Read Woke to help Miltonians join in the fight to be stronger, more active, and more consistent allies in the fight for racial equality. One way that children learn about the world around them is through the social messages found in stories. Stories help children understand how society perceives their culture as well as the cultures of their friends, teachers, caregivers, and others, thereby influencing their social and identity development. Stories can be found in traditional print materials for children or in newer digital formats. Regardless of the format for delivering a story’s message, children are greatly influenced by the stories they encounter.

Below are some lists of books available at MPL to get you started on your reading journey. Please note these lists are not definitive. 

If you wish to find your own materials, just a reminder that a Woke Book should be by and about marginalized persons, and must:

•  Challenge a social norm;  
   Give voice to the voiceless;
   Provide information about a group that has been disenfranchised;
   Seek to challenge the status quo;
   Have a protagonist from an underrepresented or oppressed group.  

To participate in the challenge, you will need to make sure you have registered for a Beanstack account. If you or someone in your household participated in a previous Beanstack challenge (e.g. Summer Reading Club), then you already have one. If not, here is how you can get started:

1. Visit your app store to download the Beanstack Tracker App to your smart phone or device, OR visit https://beinspired.beanstack.org to use the browser version.

2. Register yourself for an account. If more than one person in your household is registering for the reading challenge (we have three age groups to choose from), create one account for the whole family and add multiple readers. If you are an educator/childcare provider, you can register as a "class or group".  (TIP: make sure you look for Milton Public Library, Ontario. We’re the one with the bee logo). 

3. Select your Read Woke challenge, based on your age.

Have questions? Email beanstack@beinspired.ca 

Teen's Read Woke (13-17 years)

Adult's Read Woke (18+ years)