What is this book about?

Each book in the Rosa series features a young girl exploring a unique topic, conducting an investigation, or playing with a toy of interest with her friends. This important series celebrates inclusivity, promotes gender equality, and embraces the uniqueness of every child.

In this inclusive story, described by Kirkus Reviews as "an effervescent celebration of play in the early years," a toddler named Rosa bucks gender stereotypes to engage in her favorite activities. Rosa races her cars, does monster truck stunts, rescues toy animals, and gets stuck in traffic, among other adventures.

Diversity is everywhere in Rosa Loves Cars: Rosa has brown skin and curly black hair. Her friend, Samira, uses a wheelchair. Mustafa appears to be Black and Sarah and Marcel appear to be white. Other books in the series include Rosa and Her Dinosaurs, Rosa Rides Her Scooter, and Rosa Plays Ball.

Spanyol's Clive series—which includes Clive and His Babies, Clive is a Nurse, and other titles—also celebrates diversity and challenges gender stereotypes.

Who is depicted in this book?

• Children who transcend gender stereotypes 

What early childhood themes and concepts does this book explore?

• Vehicles of various types and the sounds associated with them
• The many things that vehicles are used for
• Community helpers such as firefighters, mechanics and construction workers

How does this book support anti-bias education?

This book depicts Rosa as aware of her preferences for play and shows her confidence in and comfort with sharing her cars and engaging in a variety of cooperative play scenarios with her friends. Rosa’s play and toy choices represent a range of activities that transcend gender stereotypes. She shows leadership and helping skills while engaging in active play.

Depending on how the book is shared or used—and the developmental levels of the children—Rosa Loves Cars may be used to support the following core goal from Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves:

Identity—Teachers will nurture each child’s construction of knowledgeable and confident personal and social identities so that children will demonstrate self-awareness, confidence, family pride, and positive social identities.

How can this book be used to meet early childhood learning standards?

For all ages

Use Rosa Loves Cars to meet early childhood literacy standards

For children from birth to age three

Teaching suggestion: Imitate the various actions and sounds that are a part of Rosa’s car play while looking through the book. This can be done by imitating actions from the book (with or without cars as props).

What Illinois Early Learning Guideline does this meet for children from birth to age three?

Developmental DomainCognitive Development

Standard: Symbolic ThoughtChildren demonstrate the understanding of concepts, experiences, and ideas through symbolic representation.

Indicators for children:

• Engages in simple pretend play  (7–18 months)
• Engages in pretend play with familiar objects and experiences (16 –24 months)
• Builds in sequencing while engaged in play (21–36 months)

Teaching suggestion: Point out and name the many types of vehicles that Rosa plays with.

What Illinois Early Learning Guideline does this meet for children from birth to age three?

Developmental DomainLanguage Development, Communication and Literacy

Standard: Early LiteracyChildren demonstrate interest in and comprehension of printed materials.

Indicators for children:

• Imitates gestures and sounds during activities (7–18 months)
• Repeats familiar words in a book while being read to (16–24 months)

For preschoolers (ages three to five)

Teaching suggestion: Rosa and her friends play with their cars in a variety of ways and act out many different activities. Encourage the children to discuss the different actions that they see in the book and then plan which ones they will act out in the vehicle/block area. Teachers can also incorporate cars into the book share and use these props to support and affirm young girls who like to play with cars.

See inside this book.

What other resources are available?