What Does Your Library Say About Your Neighborhood? Designing Cultural and Diverse Libraries Inspired by Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood

Through Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, Fred Rogers fostered fundamental dispositions that young children would need in their futures, including respect for the unique human qualities of others, cultivating positive peer relationships, and a heart for kindness and empathy. Fred Rogers gave his audience grace and hope to celebrate the curiosities of daily life. A small pilot study was conducted to encourage teachers to understand the importance of including a diverse range of reading materials in their classroom libraries by introducing Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Findings from the study demonstrates dispositions and qualities on how Fred Rogers provided children with a neighborhood that understood diversity and culturally responsive teaching for all children. Teachers can encourage culturally responsive teaching by reading and providing picture books from a classroom library that encourages conversations, sharing, and interactions with peers. Therefore, the pilot study also questions teacher bias when including picture books that may be criticized for being allowed and available to children to read in classroom libraries. Each teacher has a role to play in building neighborhoods of their own in classroom libraries. Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood has a place in democratic living skills training for teachers to nurture the affective and social lives of young children.