• What is your overall assessment of the book?
• Who is the intended audience of this book?
• What is the purpose of this book?
• Will this book appeal to children? Teens? Adults?
• Is this title or a similar work available to my community? Do they need access to both?
• Does this book offer new content or a new approach to the subject or genre?
• Will it be popular?
• Does it have literary appeal?

These last two may not apply to the same title and that’s OK!

Authority refers to the qualifications of the creators.

• What are the author’s or illustrator’s credentials?
• How knowledgeable is this person about this subject or type of literature?
• Does the author acknowledge specialists who contributed to or checked the information in the book?

Consider also authenticity.

• Who is telling this story?
• Why are they telling it?
• What do they bring to the telling?
• How have they lived or experienced the story, these characters? What are their ties to them?
• How might their own identities inhibit, distort, or enhance the storytelling?
• What work have they done to tell this story?

Is it appropriate? – will the reader understand the facts, concepts, and fantasies?

• Is the presentation appropriate for the reader’s social and emotional development?
• Will the content be of interest to the intended audience?

No one title will be appropriate for every person, especially children and teens. Every young person has different interests and developmental levels, so what might be appropriate for one child may not be for another.

Accuracy is when the information is correct and current but also consider accuracy in terms of diversity and inclusion.

• Is the information up-to-date? Including social and cultural norms.
• Does the author distinguish opinion from fact? What about when information is not known?
• Is there an author’s note or other backmatter in informational books that identify sources of information, credit photographs, etc.

Scope is the author’s goal or purpose of the book and the breadth and depth of coverage.

• What is the purpose of the book?
• Does the purpose meet a known need?
• Does the author state the limitations of the book?
• Does the book present information with an introductory style, in detail, or in a technical manner?

Treatment refers to how the material is presented. Style of presentation should be appropriate for the subject, age level, and potential use of the book.

• Does the book appeal to and catch the attention of the reader?
• How does the book involve the reader?
• How does the book hold the reader’s attention?
• Does it encourage problem solving by identifying issues or presenting more than one point of view?
• Does it stimulate readers to explore the subject further?
• What role do visual materials play in presenting information?
• Do the author and illustrator avoid using stereotypes and tropes?

Analyze the book for anti-bias. Here are 10 things to look for adapted from the Guide for Selecting Anti-Bias Children’s Books by Louise Derman-Sparks. These guidelines can also be applied to teen and adult literature. Visit Social Justice Books for the full guide: https://socialjusticebooks.org/guide-for-selecting-anti-bias-childrens-books/

1. Check the Illustrations. Look for stereotypes, tokenism, and invisibility.
2. Check the Story Line and the Relationships Between People. Even if a book shows visual diversity, the story line may carry biases related to how it handles power relationships among people of various identities.
3. Look at Messages About Different Lifestyles. Look for books that depict diversity of and among racial/ethnic groups, as well as family structures, living environments, socioeconomic conditions and types of work.
4. Consider the Effects on Children’s Self and Social Identities. Do your books reinforce or counteract messages that teach children to feel inferior or superior because of their skin color, gender, family income, able-bodiedness, or type of family structure?
5. Look for Books About Children and Adults Engaging in Actions for Change. To fully develop a strong sense of self and a disposition toward cooperation and fairness, children need to know how to stand up for themselves and others when faced with unfairness.
6. Consider the Author’s or Illustrator’s Background and Perspective. All authors write from a cultural as well as from a personal context. What is the background and perspective of the author and how does it relate (or not) to the characters, setting, and story? If they are not part of an underrepresented group, what qualifies them to write about that group?
7. Watch for Loaded Words. A word is loaded when it in any way demeans or makes people invisible because of any of their identities. Always consider the context in which a word is used and to whom it applies.
8. Look at the Copyright Date. Although a recent copyright date is no guarantee of a book’s relevance or sensitivity, copyright dates are useful information. 
9. Assess the Appeal of the Story and Illustrations to Young Children. Although these guidelines focus on the messages about diversity and equality reflected in children’s books, it is also important to take quality into account.
10. Omission continues to be one of the biggest problems in literature for young readers today. Exclusion is one of the most insidious and painful forms of bias. The implicit message is that the group does not exist, is insignificant, or has made no contributions to society. Erasure is destructive not only to the group(s) involved but to the larger society.