Sagunto brings five books on affective diversity to classrooms with the Maleta Viajera
Sagunto launches the Maleta Viajera: five books on affective diversity for classroom libraries, from nursery school to the fourth year of secondary.
Pupils in nursery, primary and secondary schools across Sagunto will have five new books in their classroom library this school year, all focused on affective diversity (relationships and identity) and on accepting differences. They are part of the Maleta Viajera ("travelling suitcase"), the programme that the Sagunto City Council's LGTBIQ+ Policies Department presented on 2 November.
The idea is a travelling collection of children's and young adult literature. The books move through the different school stages and are meant to deal naturally, and from a positive angle, with the plurality found in society. The council sums up the purpose in three ideas: respect, inclusion and recognition of diversity.
The project includes buying five titles. They were chosen on two criteria: literary quality and usefulness in class. Teachers can use them to talk about diversity, prevent discrimination and build safe school environments for every pupil. The copies will be added to each classroom's library, and the readings for older years have been matched to the interests and needs of that age.
The split by stage is as follows. Nursery school gets Monstruo Rosa by Olga de Dios, a picture book the council presents as a reference for teaching acceptance of what is different. Primary school gets Vivan las uñas de colores by Alicia Costa and Luis Amavisca, which invites reflection on freedom of expression and stereotypes from childhood. For fifth year of primary, the choice is Empar i Jaume el primet by Fani Grande. First year of secondary (ESO) will work with Heartstopper, the young adult graphic novel by British author Alice Oseman, and fourth year of ESO with Annie en mis pensamientos by Nancy Garden, a reference work in young adult literature on affective diversity.
The title for first year of ESO has a well-known life outside the classroom. Heartstopper began in 2016 as a webcomic by Oseman, before becoming a series of graphic novels. Netflix later adapted it as an eight-episode series that premiered on 22 April 2022. Some pupils of that age may therefore already know it, which can make class discussion easier.
The councillor for LGTBIQ+ Policies and Education, Raúl Palmero, explained the logic of the programme: the books travel from school to school carrying stories that reflect the range of experiences living side by side in society. In the councillor's words, when pupils find diverse role models in what they read, they learn that everyone deserves respect, recognition and the same opportunities to develop freely.
Palmero also placed the project within the council's commitment to human rights, equal treatment and the prevention of any form of discrimination. He added that schools play an important role in building a more inclusive and democratic society, and that public administrations should provide them with resources for that work.
In his closing remarks, the councillor defended reading as a tool for teaching values and encouraging empathy. For him, educating in diversity is not limited to fighting discrimination: it also means teaching that difference is a richness that strengthens coexistence.
The council's announcement does not give the purchase budget, the rotation calendar between schools, or which schools will receive the collection first. Those are the details families and teaching teams will need to know when the books will reach each classroom.
According to the Sagunto City Council, with additional data from Wikipedia on Heartstopper.