Scientia 2006 I - Marywood UniversityWomen by Louisa May Alcott, Treasure Island by Robert Louis...
Transcript of Scientia 2006 I - Marywood UniversityWomen by Louisa May Alcott, Treasure Island by Robert Louis...
SCIENTIA
2006
The Journal of the Honors Program
About the Author
Mary Jo G. Biazzo is receiving a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education with minors in Science and Nutrition/Dietetics. She is a member of Delta Epsilon Sigma, the National Honor Society for Catholic Colleges and Universities; Kappa Delta Pi, the International Honor Society in Education; and Kappa Gamma Pi, the National Catholic College Graduate Honor Society. She decided to pursue a Citation in Honors as a way to push herself academically, and prove to herself that she is determined, and prepared to succeed in any challenges she decides to take on. Mary Jo would like to thank her advisor, Ms. Ellen Burkhouse, for her time, encouragement, support, and valuable thoughts throughout the process; her reader, Professor Lloyd Hildebrand, for his support, and for reviving her love of children’s literature; Ms. Christina Elvidge for her encouragement and guidance; and her parents, and boyfriend Stephan, for their unconditional love and support.
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The Role of Multicultural Children’s Literature in the Elementary Classroom
Mary Jo Biazzo
Introduction
Multicultural children’s literature is often defined as literature that recognizes and accepts
human differences and similarities related to gender, race, culture, disability, and class. The
definition of multicultural children’s literature that best fits this paper is: literature for children
that recognizes and accepts human differences and similarities related to different cultures,
races, and geographical regions. It is literature that emphasizes respect for the different cultures
in society. In today’s diverse American society, multicultural children’s literature is a useful way
to introduce children to cultures that may be unfamiliar to them, as well as the cultures of their
own backgrounds.
Multicultural children’s literature is a valuable tool for educators to incorporate into the
curriculum. The many benefits of using this tool will be explored. This type of children’s
literature has not always encompassed a wealth of material as it does today. The history of
multicultural children’s literature, as well as reasons for lack of representation of certain cultures,
will be touched upon. Educators planning on incorporating multicultural children’s literature
into their curriculum need to be sure that they choose appropriate and sound literature of this
type. What are the criteria educators need to look for when exploring this type of literature? The
critical measures involved in choosing multicultural children’s literature will be examined.
Benefits
Professionals in the field of multicultural education often stress how important it is to use
multicultural literature to heighten cultural awareness (Norton, 1990). Stories are powerful
learning tools that need to be recognized as compelling ways to gain cultural understanding in
the classroom (Mathis, 2001). Multicultural literature addresses the toils, beliefs, and dreams of
all Americans (Lee, 1995). This type of literature teaches children ways in which people are
different, as well as ways in which they are similar. When children realize the similarities that
are shared across cultures, they acquire a sense of acceptance and appreciation for other people
(Hillard, 1995). An awareness of similarities may help to diminish a fear of differences, and
decrease cultural ethnocentrism, therefore reducing chances of prejudice. Multicultural
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children’s literature acts as an influence for children to identify prejudice and to work toward its
reduction (Ford, 2000; Lu, 1998; Stewig, 1992). By making children aware that there is
prejudice towards differences the teacher can help them to be prepared for encounters with
prejudice that they may have in the future, or may help them understand encounters that they
may have already had (Higgins, nd). Through this type of literature children find that all people,
no matter from what culture or geographic region, have the same basic needs, feelings, and
emotions (Ford, 2000).
Bishop (in Gillespie, Powell, Clements, Swearingen, 1994) poses three major reasons for
using multicultural children’s literature. First, this type of literature shows how we are similar to
each other when it comes to needs, desires, and emotions. Secondly, this literature allows
children to honor the differences that make each cultural group special and enhance the whole of
society. Finally, multicultural children’s literature can be a source for learning about the effects
of social issues on the lives of everyday people (Bishop in Gillespie, Powell, Clements,
Swearingen, 1994).
Multicultural literature also allows minority children to see their culture and learn more
about it. By reading stories about their own culture, children can find commonalities with the
characters, such as experiences similar to their own. They can gather ideas and develop
strategies to help them deal with issues in their lives (Lu, 1998). Reading about their culture
helps children to feel proud of their culture and heightens their self-concept. Children learn
about the many variations of culture, like the celebrations, actions, and languages of the people
(Ford, 2000). It is important for children to see a representation of all races, ethnicities, and
cultures that are in society in order to form a true acceptance for all and an understanding of
pluralism. Children should have the opportunity to be familiar with and value their own heritage
and those of other people (Micklos, 1996).
As a future educator, it seems promising that there are numerous positive outcomes of
using multicultural children’s literature with all students. This type of literature seems to be an
excellent source of citizenship education. Students can learn about issues that people of different
cultures must deal with, and compare and contrast these issues with the ones they face in their
own lives. Incorporating multicultural children’s literature provides unique learning
opportunities that cannot be gained from most textbooks.
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History
Not all literature that is labeled multicultural serves the purposes that are outlined above.
Especially, but not exclusively, in the past, literature defined as multicultural contained
inaccurate, and sometimes offensive descriptions and portrayals of the people of several cultures.
Many multicultural books contain stereotypical generalizations about cultures. For example,
certain books may describe Africans as dark-skinned people who live in the jungle and hunt
animals, or Asians as frail, slanted-eyed individuals who wear silk clothing and live in pagodas.
While this may be true about many individuals who are members of these cultures, they are not
true descriptions of each culture as a whole (Lee, 1995). Good multicultural literature shows the
lives of individual people. It does not describe an entire culture by using general personality
traits and/or behaviors (Shioshita, 1997). Using only books that present these types of
descriptions of minorities would not allow children to gain a fair understanding of cultures.
During the past two decades, only four best sellers out of 253 featured African-American
characters. A book is called a best seller if more than 1 million copies of it have been sold. The
four best sellers that included African-American characters are The Cay by Theodore Taylor,
published in 1970; Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor, published in 1991;
Sounder by William Armstrong, published in 1972, and Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats,
published in 1976 (Fiction, 1999 in Pirofski, nd).
This lack of African-American representation in children’s literature may be attributed to
the fact that there is a lack of African-American authors, as well as a meager representation of
minorities among committee members of certain influential groups, such as the Newbery Medal
Award. The Newbery Medal Award criteria for its selection committee is based on the
explanation of a theme, clarity, organization, development of plot and character, appropriateness
of style, description of setting, and accuracy of information (Peltola, 1996 in Pirofski, nd). This
means that a book that contains inaccurately portrayed language, and stereotypes, could pass the
criteria and qualify for the Newbery Medal. In the same way, a book that contains social value
can be overlooked if it does not fit all of the above criteria (Pirofski, nd).
More than two decades ago, Adams (1981), (in Pirofski, nd), conducted a content
analysis of multicultural representation in children’s classics and Newbery Medal winners. The
multicultural factors that were considered are: age, disabilities, ethnic ancestry, gender,
illustrations, language, regional culture, religious affiliation, and socioeconomic status.
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According to Adams, of fifty-seven combined Newbery and children’s classics that were
surveyed, only three of the twenty-five classics were considered acceptable, and nineteen of the
thirty-two Newbery books were acceptable. This meant that just over a third of the books that
were surveyed were found to be acceptable. The books that were analyzed include: Swiss Family
Robinson by Johann David Wyss, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, Little
Women by Louisa May Alcott, Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, Gulliver’s Travels
by Jonathan Swift, Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers, Bambi by Felix Salten, Moby Dick by Herman
Melville, Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie, and Heidi by Johanna Spyri (Adams, 1981 in Pirofski, nd).
Gary, 1984 (in Pirofski, nd) found negative stereotypes of African-Americans in
Newbery Medal and Caldecott Award books that were published between 1969 and 1983. These
negative stereotypes were found in descriptions of physical characteristics, language of African-
American characters, and the depiction of their status within a community (Gary, 1984 in
Pirofski, nd).
Many unacceptable representations of minority groups are found in books that are written
by persons who are not part of that cultural group. This type of literature is known as cross-
cultural literature. Cai and Sims Bishop (1994, in Taxel, 1997) draw attention to research that
shows that cross-cultural literature may actually enforce ignorance and prejudice against
minorities rather than lessen it (Cai & Sims Bishop, 1994 in Taxel, 1997). One example of the
stereotyping that has been found in books of this type is the portraying of African-Americans as
submissive toward Caucasians (Taxel, 1997).
Cross-cultural literature is at the heart of the extremely controversial issue of who should
write and illustrate multicultural literature. Cai and Sims Bishop, 1994 (in Taxel, 1997), divide
multicultural literature into at least three specific categories of literature. The largest category,
world literature, is literature about minority cultures. The second category, cross-cultural
literature, is literature that is about a specific culture and is written by individuals not of that
group. This category of literature is the most controversial. Finally, parallel culture literature is
literature that is written by individuals who are part of “parallel cultural groups” such as Asian
Americans, African Americans, and Native Americans. This literature discusses the experiences
and beliefs that are developed by being a part of these specific groups (Cai & Sims Bishop, 1994
in Taxel, 1997).
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Cultural authenticity is a major concern. Some people believe that only individuals of a
given culture should be allowed to write stories about people of that culture. On the other hand,
some people believe that anyone, no matter what culture they represent, should be free to write
about whatever they wish (Shioshita, 1997). Some people who believe that it is best for authors
to write about their own culture do acknowledge some exceptions. Some exceptions include
people who have lived in the culture that they are depicting most of their lives, authors who write
based on experience of other cultures in our society, and authors who may not be of that specific
culture but still can provide an accurate portrayal of the culture (Barrera, Liguori & Salas, 1992;
Howard, 1991; Nieto, 1992; Sims Bishop, 1992; Hillard, 1995; Yakota, 1993 in Higgins, nd).
Since pictures form much of what children believe about a country or culture, the
accuracy of illustrations is also very important (Kurtz, 1996). The best advice may be summed
up in a statement by Harold Underdown, 2001, “Whatever an author’s background may be, in
my experience it is best to stick to what she or he knows.”
When writing and/or illustrating another culture, the author and illustrator should study
and know as much about the culture as possible before even starting their work. It is best that at
least the author or illustrator have first-hand knowledge of the culture portrayed. However, if
neither the author nor illustrator has first-hand knowledge, they should be in contact with an
expert on the culture to ensure accuracy. The issue of accuracy in this situation is as important
as accuracy is in a situation that deals with scientific information (Kurtz, 1996). There are
qualified people available to ensure that multicultural books that are published are culturally
authentic. Unfortunately, this important step is not taken as often as it should be, which is
leading to unnecessarily inaccurate details that, while they may not seem significant to outsiders,
may cause offense to people of that culture (Lee, 1995).
If authors, illustrators, and/or publishers do not take the initiative to be sure that
characters and situations are culturally accurate, some negative circumstances may arise. People
of the misrepresented culture may find the book offensive. Incorrect information can create
misconceptions for readers, which can lead to false knowledge about a certain place or culture,
and can even create stereotypes.
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Selection Criteria
With the amount of literature available, finding books that are appropriate and accurate
may be challenging. Experts provide many suggestions for selecting quality multicultural
children’s literature. The Anti-Defamation League has developed a list of such suggestions.
First of all, the story itself needs to be appealing and interesting to children. Good
characters should be represented by a variety of backgrounds. The theme of the book should
offer lessons to be learned, and values that are examined instead of values that are sermonized.
The setting should represent urban, suburban, and/or rural settings accurately. The setting should
also be culturally accurate. Diversity of people should be represented in illustrations. The
diversity should also be seen within cultural groups. It should be clear that not all people of a
cultural group look alike. The illustrations should realistically represent people and evade
supporting cultural stereotypes (Anti-Defamation League, 2003).
There is a list of other suggestions that experts advise educators to use to aid them in
selecting multicultural children’s literature. Educators should look at critical reviews of books
before they select them. These types of reviews can be very useful in providing important
information. There are a number of review journals that can be used for this purpose. Some
examples are the ALAN Review, Children’s Literature in Education, Horn Book Guide to
Children’s and Young Adults’ Books, Horn Book Magazine, Interracial Books for Children
Bulletin, and MultiCultural Review (Lu, 1998).
It seems logical that the sensible thing to do before using multicultural books for
educational or classroom use would be to consult one of these journals. Educators should be
sure to provide students with accurate information about people and cultures. Educators will
avoid running into problems with accuracy and stereotypes by choosing selections listed in a
review journal.
Another avenue for choosing quality, reliable multicultural children’s literature is to
choose a book that was a winner or honor book of a literary award dealing with that culture.
There are many awards that are based on specific cultures. It appears that a book recognized by
one of these award committees will most likely present cultural information accurate enough to
be used in the classroom as an educational tool.
The Coretta Scott King Awards are awarded to an African-American author and an
African-American illustrator whose children’s books were considered to be an exceptional
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addition to children’s literature and to promote an understanding and appreciation of the
“American Dream.” This award was founded in 1969 to honor the late Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr., and his widow (College of Education, 2003). The 2005 winner of the Coretta Scott King
author award is Toni Morrison for Remember: The Journey to School Integration. The 2005
winner of the Coretta Scott King illustrator award is Kadir A. Nelson for illustrations in
Ellington Was Not a Street, written by Ntozake Shange.
Founded in 1996, the Belpré Award honors Latino writers and illustrators who have
exceptionally depicted the Latino culture in children’s literature (College of Education, 2003).
The award is named for Pura Belpré, who was the first Latina librarian in the New York Public
Library. The 2006 Pura Belpré Award winner for narrative is Viola Canales for The Tequila
Worm. The 2006 Belpré Award winner for illustration is Raul Colón for illustrations in Doña
Flor: A Tall Tale About a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart, written by Pat Mora
(Association for Library Service to Children, nd).
The Amèricas award, established in 1993, honors authors, illustrators, and publishers
who have created children’s literature about Latin America, the Caribbean, or Latinos. This
literature must pass certain criteria. The books must have exceptional literary quality and
cultural accuracy. They must also brilliantly incorporate wording, images, and design, and must
have the potential to be used in the classroom (College of Education, 2003). The winners of the
2005 Amèricas award are My Name is Celia/Me Llamo Celia by Monica Brown, and Sammy&
Juliana in Hollywood by Benjamin Alire Saenz. The 2005 honorable mention is Call Me Maria
by Judith Ortiz Cofer (Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, 2005).
The Asian Pacific American Award for Literature, founded in 1998, is co-sponsored by
the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association and Chinese American Librarians
Association. This award honors authors and illustrators of adult, young adult, and children’s
fiction and nonfiction of high quality that pertains to Asians and/or Asian Americans (College of
Education, 2003). The 2004 winner of the Asian Pacific American Award for Literature for
illustration of children’s literature is Margaret Chodos-Irvine for the illustrations in Apple Pie 4th
of July, written by Janet S. Wong. The winner of the 2004 Asian Pacific American Award for
Literature for text in children’s literature is An Na for A Step From Heaven (Asian Pacific
American Librarians Association, 2004).
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The Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award was founded in 1995 in
honor of Tomás Rivera, the first Mexican American to be selected Distinguished Alumnus at
Southwest Texas State University. This award was established as an effort to maintain Rivera’s
view of Mexican Americans as a healthy, responsible community. The 2002 winner of this
award is A Library for Juana: The World of Sor Juana Inés by Pat Mora (Austin Public Library,
2003).
As a future educator, I am thrilled that there are so many journals and organizations
dedicated to showcasing the best in multicultural literature.
Conclusion
Multicultural children’s literature is vitally important in today’s interdependent world
where it is crucial that we cooperate with people who come from all walks of life and
backgrounds. Research proves that exposure to this literature is beneficial to all people.
Multicultural children’s literature can be used to learn about a culture that a child knows very
little about, as well as to help a child understand his or her own culture. This type of literature
allows children to understand that the people of America have roots all over the world. The goal
of using multicultural children’s literature is to help children realize that we all come from
different backgrounds, that we may differ from one another greatly, but when we examine people
closely, we see that regardless of culture, we are all capable of feeling the same emotions,
sharing the same dreams and aspirations, enduring similar struggles, and acquiring the same
wisdom. After all, as part of the human race, we are more alike than we are different.
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