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The Selection and Use of Multicultural Children's Literature
Louise Margaret Granahan
Graduate Department of Education
A Thesis submltted in confonnity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy ln the University of Toronto
Q Louise Margaret Granahan 1999 National Library Bibliothèque nationale Wl *f,,",Ei du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographic Services senrices bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A ON4 Ottawa ON KIA ON4 Canada Canada
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The author retains ownershp of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts fkom it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. Acknowledgements
1 would llke to thank the members of my thesis cornmittee: David Booth (ch&). Linda Carneron and Clive Beck.
Many other people have supported me through thls work. I thank my mother.
Isabella Lawson Granahan. for her patience through thls time. 1 thank the people from my Bellefair comrnunity, especially Carol, Crystal and Krys. for their love, prayers and a quiet place to work. 1 thank Alexandra for celebratlng me and my efforts. 1 thank Finney for Ns constant support, humour and for telling me 1 could do it. You're next, Flnn!
This work could not have been possible without the help of the four teachers who allowed me access to their classes, and to the students who shared with me so openly and honestly. I aiso thank the many people who allowed me to intenrfew them.
This thesis is dedicated to my students. The Seledon and Uue of Multicultural CWdren'a Literature
Louise Margaret Grmahan Doctor of Philosophy. 1999 Graduate Department of Education University of Toronto
Âbstract Multicultural Children's Literature is literature about groups of people who find or gather themselves into community through a cornmon bond of self- identification such as race. religion. sexual orientation. abiliv or colour. This Srpe of llterature has been looked at as a tool to try to achieve many goals - to empower. educate, enlighten, influence, create empathy, encourage critical thinking and questioning. and to give vision to those who will see themselves and others. The materials we select and how we use these rnaterîals will have a great influence on the extent to which these goals are or are not achieved. This exploratory and descriptive study looks how people select and use multicultural chfldren's literature. The question this study attempts to address 1s: What factors h-nce the seiectbn and use of rndticdturd chllben's literature? Three types of lnformants were used to gather the data for thls study: 1) the providers of the Uterature, who determine what will be made available to the consumers: 2) the consumers of the literature, who select from what has been made available and 3) outside influences, which help consumers make choices. A variety of tools was used for the data collection - questionnaires. interviews, 4 case studies of elementary classes, field notes, partfcipant/observer reflections and a survey of literature which reviews books, videos and magazines. The main issues which were studîed are: 1) the importance of quality of literature as a selectfon factor; 2) the availabiiîty of qualily Uterature for a variety of reading levels; 3) how connections to literature influence cholces and 4) the importance of encouraglng authentic use of the Ilterature through teacher development. The study showed that there are Merent factors which affect sekction and rejection of multicultural children's Ilterature. Selection of the literature was affected by content. illustrations. and famlliarity with the book or author. while the illustrations played a major role in the rejection of the literature. The study also showed that teachers maînly use multicultural literature as an addition to the existing curriculum, and at ce- Urnes of the year for cultural celebratlons. Table of Contents
Acknowledgements ...... ii
Abstract ...... M
List of Figures and Tables ...... vlll
Chapter 1 Introduction and Literature Review Introduction ...... Literature Review ...... Multicultural Children's Literature as a Window. Mlrror and Vehicle ...... Deflning Multicultural Children's Literature ...... Types of Multicultural Children's Literature ...... Historical Criticism ...... Looking at Selection ...... Reasons for Using or Not Using Multicultural Children's Literature ...... Issues ...... Multicultural Children's Literature as Medicine ...... The Banks Model ...... Discussion of the Model ...... The Banks Model and Children's Literature ...... Summary ......
Chapter 2 Methodology Qualitative Methodology ...... The Problem ...... Study Rationale ...... The Question ...... The Study ...... Criteria for Case Studies ...... Procedure . How the Study was Carried Out ...... A . Inception and Social Relations ...... B . Private Feelings ...... C . Data Gathering ...... D . Data Focusing and Analysis ...... E . Retrospect ...... The Resources ...... HOWthe Study was Informed ...... The Role of the Researcher ...... Reflection ...... Metacognition ...... Data CaUection
Chapter 3 The People who Rovide the Idteratun Authors. Illustrators and Self Identification ...... 58 Authenticity ...... 60 Publishers ...... 64 Librarians ...... 67 Booksellers ...... 69 Summary ...... 73
Chapter 4 The Teachers and Students The Role of the Teacher ...... Case Studies...... 1. Crystal ...... 2. Matthew ...... 3 . Rachel ...... 4 . Gheeta and Julie ...... Student Interviews ...... Student Book Choices ...... ReJectlon of the Literature ...... Questionnaire Responses ...... Use of Multiculturai Children's Literature ...... a...... ,. Summary ...... *......
Chapter 6 The Researcher .Obeemations and Reflectiona Persona1 0bse~ations ...... 116 How the Books were Classified ...... 118 Cornmentary ...... 120 Genre ...... 123 Newspaper Reviews ...... 127 Profiles of Authors and Illustrators...... 127 Limitations ...... 129 Surnmary ...... 129 CoaeoUdating the Data
Chapter 6 Concluaionri and Recommenditio~for P'urther Study Conclusions ...... 215 Recommendations for Further Study...... 220 Bi bliography ...... 225
Appendices
Appendix A: Bibliography of Children's Books Cited ...... Appendlx B: Bibliography of Children's Books Used in Student Interviews . Appendix C: Questions to Guide Classroom Observations ...... Appendix D: Sample Questions for Students...... Appendix E: Case Study Intewew Questions ...... Appendix F: Student Interview Questions ...... Appendix G: hblisher Interview Questions...... Appendix H: Bookseller Interview Questions...... Appendix 1: Author Interview Questions ...... Appendlx J: Student Permission Slip ...... Appendlx K: Questionnaiire lnformed Consent Form ...... Appendix L: Teacher Questionnaire ...... Appendix M: Questionnaire Responses ...... Appendk N: Questionnaire Respondents' Definitions of Multîcultural Children's Literature ...... Appendix O: Review Literature Tally Sheet ...... List of Figures and Tables
Number Page
Figure 4.1 Map of Crysral's Classroom ...... 81 Wue 4.2 Map of Matthew'; and Parnela's Classrooms ...... 87 Figure 4.3 Map of Rachel's Classroom ...... 94 Figure 4.4 Map of Gheetas /Julie's Classroom ...... 100 Table 4.5 Book Choices and IntentionaliS in Student Interviews (Crystal's Class)...... 102 Table 4.6 Book Choices and Intenttonallty in Student lntenrlews ( Matthew's Class 1...... 103
Table 4.7 Book Choices and Intentionality in Student Interviews (Rachel's Ciass)...... 104 Table 4.8 Book Choices and Intentionality in Student Interviews (Gheeta's/Julie's Class)...... 105 Table 4.9 Requency of Book Choices and ReJectfons...... 107 Table 4-10 Reasons Cited by Students for Choosing Books ...... 108 Table 4.1 1 Reasons Cited by Students for Rejecting Books ...... 110 Table 4.12 Purpose for the Use of Multicultural Children's Literature as stated by the Questionnaire Respondents ...... 114 Table 5.1 Number and Percentage of Multicultural Books in Gender Posftlue! ...... 131 Table 5.1.1 Synopsis of the Frequency of Multicultural Books in Gender Positiuel ...... 133 Table 5.2 Number and Percentage of Multlcultural Books in Great Books for Girls...... 134
Table 5.2.1 Synopsis of the Requency of Multicultural Books in Great Books for Gfris ...... 137 Table 5.3 Number and Percentage of Multicultural Books in Plchue Books for Children...... 138 Table 5.3.1 Synopsis of the Frequency of Multlcultural Books in Pfcture Books for Children...... 139 Table 5.4 Number and Percentage of Multicultural Books in The Canadian Children's Book Centre's Too Good to Miss II ...... 140 Table 5.4.1 Synopsis of the F'requency of Multicultural Books in The Canadian Children's Book Centre's TOO Good to Miss II ......
Table 5.5 Number and Percentage of Multicultural Books in Best Books for Chlldren.....,...... Table 5.5.1 Synopsis of the Frequency of Multicultural Books in Best Books for Children...... Table 5.6 Number and Percentage of Multicu~iuralBooks in The Canadian Children's Book Centre's Our Choice 1996/97......
Table 5.6.1 Synopsis of the F'requency of Multîcultural Books in The Canadian Children's Book Centre's Our Cholce 1996197......
Table 5.7 Number and Percentage of Multicultural Books in Adventurin~wf th Books ...... Table 5.7.1 Synopsis of the F'requency of Multîculturai Books ln Adventurina with Books ...... ,, ...... Table 5.8 Number and Percentage of Multîcultural Books in Chooslw Books for Children...... Table 5.8.1 Synopsis of the F'requency of Multicultural Books in Choosim Books for Chlldren...... Table 5.9 Number and Percentage of Multicultural Books in Guide to Children's Books...... Table 5.9.1 Synopsis of the Frequency of Multicultural Books in Guide to Children's Books ...... Table 5.10 Number and Percentage of Multicultural Books in CoUected Perswcff ves: Choosiw and Usincl Books for the Classroom......
Tabk 5.10.1 Synopsis of the Frequency of Multicultural Books in Collected Perspectiues: Choosl~and Usina Books for the Chssroom,......
Table 5.11 Number and Percentage of Multfcultural Books in Books Kiâs Wiil Slt SM For ...... Tabk 5.11.1 Synopsis of the Requency of Multicultural Books in Books Klds Wlll Slt Still For ...... Tabk 5.12 Number and Percentage of Multicultural Books in Best of the Best for Children...... , ...... Table 5.12.1 Synopsis of the Frequency of Multicultural Books In Best of the Best for Chfldren...... Table 5.13 Number and Percentage of Multicultural Books in Choosiw Children's Books ...... 182 Table 5.13.1 Synopsis of the Frequency of Multicultural Books in Choosiq Chiîdren's Books ...... 1 85 Tabie 5.14 Nurnber and Percentage of Multicultural Books in The Read ALoud Handbook ...... 186 Table 5.14.1 Synopsis of the Frequency of Multicultural Books in The Read Aloud Handbook ...... 187 Table 5.15 Number and Percentage of Multicultural Books in Hamer Colllns Children's Books Fall 1 997...... 1 88 Table 5.15.1 Synopsis of the Frequency of Multlcultural Books in Hamer Collins Children's Books Fall 1997...... 1 89 Table 5.16 Number and Percentage of Multicultural Books in The Best of Bookflnder...... 190 Table 5.16.1 Synopsis of the hequency of Multicultural Books in The Best of BooicfZnder,...... 19 1 Table 5.17 Number and Percentage of Multicultural Books in Books for tkGifted Chiid...... 192 Table 5.17.1 Synopsis of the Frequency of Multicultural Books in Books for the Gifted Chlld ...... 193 Table 5.18 Number and Percentage of Multicultural Books in Hicrh/ Low Handbook...... 1 94 Table 5.18.1 Synopsis of the Frequency of Multicultural Books in iffahlLow Handbook ...... , ...... 195 Table 5.19 Number and Percentage of Multicultural Books in The Literature of DeIicrht ...... 196 Table 5.19.1 Synopsis of the Fiequency of Multicultural Books in The Litemture of Delipht ...... 198 Tabie 5.20 Number aind Percentage of Multicultural Books in the Globe and Mail Newspaper Children's Book Reviews ...... 199 Table 5.20.1 Synopsis of the Requency of Multicultural Books in the Globe and Mail Newspaper Chiidren's Book Reviews ...... 200 Table 5.21 Number and Percentage of Multiculturai Books in the The Toronto Star Newspaper Chlldren's Book Revlews...... 20 1 Table 5.21.1 Synopsis of the Frequency of Multicultural Books in the The Toronto Star Newspaper Children's Book Reviews...... 202 Table 5.22 Number and Percentage of Multicultural Magazines in Maaazines for Klds and Teens ...... 203 Table 5.22.1 Synopsis of the FYequency of Multicultural Magazines tn Magazines for Klds and Teens ...... 204 Table 5.23 Number and Percentage of Multicultural Videos in Check it out!: The Essential, Indispensable Guiùe to Children's Video...... 205
Table 5.23.1 Syr.opsis of ihe Frequency of Multicultural Books in Check it out!: The Essential, Indispensable Guide to Children's Video...... 206
Table 5.24 Synopsis of the Number and Percentage of Multlcultural Books. Magazines and Vldeos ln Review Llterature ...... 207 Table 5.25 Number and Percentage of People from Parallel Cultures and/or Authors / Illustrators born Ou tside North Arnerica or Western Europe in Meet the Authors and Illustrators ...... 209
Table 5.26 Number and Percentage of People from Parallel Cultures and / or Authors / illustrators born Outside North Arnerica or Western Europe in Books Are Bq People...... 2 10
Nurnber and Percentage of People from Pardel Cultures and/ or Author / Illustrators born Outside North Arnerica or Western Europe in Wrltlm Stories, Makfw Pictures ...... 2 1 1
Table 5.28 Number and Percentage of People from Parallel Cultures and/or Members born Outside North Arnerica or Western Europe in The Canscai~Cormanion ...... 2 12 Table 5.29 List of Al1 Cultures Represented In the Review Literature. ... 2 13 Chapter 1 introduction and Literature Review
Some people are so used to hearing their own voices that they hardly hear anything else. while others have been silenced or unheard for so long that they either never learned to speak or have forgotten how (McElroy-Johnson, 1993. p. 85).
Multicultural Children's Llterature is literature about groups of people who flnd or gather themselves into cornmunity through a cornmon bond of self-identification such as race. religion. semal orientation. ability. or colour. This type of literature has been looked at as a tool to try to achieve rnany pals - to empower. educate. enlighten. influence, create empathy. encourage critical thinking and questioning. and to provide vision for those who see themselves and others. The materiais we select and how we use these materials will have a great influence on the extent to which these goals are or are not achleved. This exploratory and descriptive study lwks at the factors which influence how people select and use multicultural children's literature. The question this study attempts to address is: what factors influence the selection and use of multicultural children's literature? Three groups of infonnants were used to gather the data for this study. First. the providers of the Uterature - authors. illustrators. publishers. Librarians and bookstore owners who determine what will be made available to the consumers. Second, the consumers of the literature - chiidren and teachers, who are able to select from what has been made available. Third, outside influences, such as newspaper and magazine reviews. and books that recornmend other books or videos and help consumers to make choices.
A variety of tools was uscd for the data collection - questionnaires. interviews.
4 case studies of eiementary classes. field notes, ~articipant/observerreflections and a survey of literature which reviews books and magazines. The interviews were conducted following a mode1 for booktalk established by Chambers ( 1993) in Tell Me. This format was chosen to allow participants to express their authentic views in a way that does not presuppose correct responses.
The main issues studled in this thesis are: 1) the importance of quality of literature as a selection factor; 2) the avatlabiiity of quality literature for a variety of reading levels; 3) how connections to literature influence choices: and findly. 4) the importance of encouraging authentic use of the literature through teachet development. Multicultural Children'e Literature as a Window, Mirror, and Vehicle
The term 'literature' is described by Rosenblatt (1978)as û very fluid term
which can mean eit!ier any printed work or work with an artist!~quality. which is regarded by some as having more value than other works. For the purposes of thls
study. 1 will take literature to include books; either wrltten for or by children as well
as videos. Blm plays. drama, dance. computer programmes. magazines. music. and storytelling.
The use of multicultural children's llterature in an elementq classroom setting
cm fulfil a number of inter- and intra-personal curricular objectives. As a window. it can provide readers with a place from which to view 'parallel cultures' - a term used to "denote equaiity in value and respect for the contributions of cultures CO-existing
within an area" (Walker-Dalhouse. 1992b. p. 416). instead of 'rninority*.which implies hierarchy and inferiority. rather than a numerical quantity - framed by a context that includes their own personal culture and experiences (Hamilton, 1993: Walker-
Daihouse, 1992b; Young, Campbell and Oda. 1995: and Blshop. 1992). It can also
act as a window to reveal "a rnuiticultural vista that juxtaposes the farniliar and the
less familiarH (Cox and Galda. 1990, p. 582). By provlding students from mainstream and pardel cultures with information. multicultural chikiren's Ilterature
has potential for a more empathetic approach to differences and an opportunity to view their own culture from other perspectives in a pseudo-vicartous way (Banks.
1997). It is "essential to the educational and psychological well-being of both Black
and White children" (Sims. 1983 p. 21). As a mirror, multicultural children's literature allows the reader to see herself.
She can reflect on the way she is presented and represented. The mirror allows her to catch a ghpse of what others aee. It can give validation and credence to the 4 experiences of students and a pride in herftage (Norton. 1985). More importantly. previously silenced voices are allowed expression (Godina. 1996).
A work of multicultural children's literature may be both a window and minor
at the same time. depenciing on the audience, intended audience or the ways in which
people interact with the text. A bobk may inform, raise issues. present a retelling of a
traditionai or histori~altale. or tell a story. Depending on who is reading the book
and what the conte& of that reading is, the interaction will determine whether the
book acts as a mirror or window and the depth to which the view will extend.
Mirrors and windows do not dways present a clear view. Extendhg this
analogy, a mirror actually shows a reverse image of what others see. It only presents
a superficial. outward view without looking deep inside. In addtion, mlrrors dso often allow us to only see ourselves. which may lead to " a false sense of superiority"
(Bishop. 1992. p. 431. A window may be clouded or may be placed to look out only to
a speciflc and narrow vista or to catch a glimpse of what will remain separate. if that is Our only view. This presents the danger that these distorted images and their
accornpanying negatlve messages will be absorbed. Mirrors should be accurate and
windows should ailow for a broad view. but this is not always the case. but readers are changed as a result of authentic interaction with a text (Rosenblatt. 1978).
In order for that real. potentially changing experience to occur. we must look
to multicultural literature as a vehicle for discussion. questioning and critical interaction. Through literature we can "move beyond Our boundaries to explore these other times and placesw(Martinez and Nash, 1995. p. 538). Only with cross-cultural dialogue will issues be made concrete. thus providing a place from which to take action towards social justice (MacPhee, 1997). As a vehicle. a text does not carry the whole weight of solvlng al1 Our curricular. social and personal goals. Instead, we interact with the text and construct meaning from that interaction (Vygotsky. [ 19341
1986: Wells. 1988). It is possible to look critically and question boldly. thus deconstnicting that sarne text. 5 It is important to recognize the role that the reader plays in interacting with the
text [Rosenblatt. 1976). To each readlng a reader brings his own personal experiences. knowledge, emotions. beliefs. interests. curiosities. thoughts. ideas.
preJudices. mlsunderstandingo. and problems. Each reader may have his own interpretation of a text. and therefore. will have a different outcome of experience
with the textual trmsactiori and interaction. Therefore, it is the audience who
determines whether a text will be used as a window, mirror or vehicle. We determine
the depth and breadth to which we will extend Our view. Readers decide where the vehicle will take them. because they are in control of the destination when they invite
people to accornpany them on the joumey. The text alone cannot be relied on to fulflll the desired goals without a cornmitment on the part of the reader to take some responsibility for the outcome.
DefWng Mdticultural Children'e Literature
Defining multicultural children's literature is very ài!Ticult. The term is an umbrella for many different types of literature. and there is little agreement about what should be included or excluded. In order to define 'multiculturai children's literature' it is Brst necessary to define what is meant by 'culture'. Opinions as to what should be included and excluded in the definition of culture vas, greatly. Do we include semial orientation, religion. language. regionality (e.g. Quebec's distinct/unique soclety). abilitylclisabiiity (cg. deaf culture). generation. family groupings. socio-econornic class. age. as well as the vwng degrees of oppression in which these factors have occurred (Harris, 1994; Labbo and Field. 1996)? As 1 will show later in this study. the definitions held by teachers, students. publishers. and authors are quite individual and unique. often shaped by a person's own experience and cultural membership as she sees It.
Multiculturd literature has ken described as 1) "books for and about people who fa11 outside the narrow conception of Canadians as White. middle-class. English (or French) speaking Protestants of British descent" (Dudley-Marllng, 1997. p. 123): 2)"literature by and about people who are members of groups constdered to be outside the socio-political mainstream" (Bishop, 1992. p. 39): 3) "by and about people of color" (Ginny Moore-Kruse in Madigan. 1993): 4) "by and about people who are members of groups considered to be outside the socio-pollttcal malnstream"(Bishop.
1992. p. 391: and 5) books about an identifiable 'other' (Cai and Bishop. 1994). 1 feel. however. that these conceptions are inadequate as ;bey classify people who are from the dominant 'White majority' as one large homogenous group. It does not acknowledge the many cultures Wth unique histories. languages and practices that make up the White population - Celts. Anglos, Saxons. Nords. and Slavs for exarnple. Just as there is variance ln African culture. so there ts variance in White groups.
To exclude literature that represents European cultures from the definition and use of multicultural literature is to deny the value and existence of those cultures.
For instance. Rudman (1984) States. "if any segment of Our sociew is excluded from literature. the implication 1s clear that the group is not valued by society" ( p. 159).
It is not necessary to disempower one particular majority group. 1.e. the mainstream. even though it has been and continues to be the power broker. in order to ernpower groups that have been controlled and devalued as long as perspectives are balanced and respect is fostered (Elizabeth Marünez in Madigan. 1993). This means that multiculturalism represents a diffusion of the hlstorical and ongciing centrality felt, experienced and perpetuated by some in the mainstream. However. exclusion of mainstream cultures from multicultural literature will only lead to resentrnent. In order for multiculturalism to be an accepted practice. it must include al1 groups and the literature must reflect this. A more inclusive deflnition of multicultural literature is "literature that represents any distinct cultural group through accurate portrayal and rich detail" (Yokota. 1993. p. 157). On the other hand. Fogelman disagrees, saying "but when it (multiculturalism)expands to include every single group. then it becomes meaninglessn(quoted in Ford. 1994, p. 30). Llke many other cultural groups, Europeans have also become stereotyped
(Hamanaka. 1994). During their long history in North Arnerica. they have ken 7 lumped into one group. in many cases. reducing cultures to syrnbolic stereotypes (e.g.. shamrocks and green beer. Oktoberfest sausages. or bagpipes). Sara Moon
traces the changes in her understanding of multiculturalism. from the narrow
deflnition in the '60s of her childhood when it meant Black or Hispanie. to its more
inclusive ideology in the present. "T'o me. the word 'multiculturai* doesn't mean
anything. because it's what we al1 are. It's what die world is. so how can you
categorize it?" (Quoted in Ford. 1994. p. 30). Harris ( 1996)further differentiates between rnuitiethnic and multicultural literature. She states that 'rnultiethnic' refers
to ancestral groups such as Latino/a or Native. 'Multicultural'. however. cmbe wider
and include race. etl~niciQ.gender and class. She also argues that 'multicultural' denotes elements of ciifference. Many questions influenced my own understanàing of multicultural children's
literature and what 1 would include when completing my observations and when
recording the books 1 have selected and used. For example. I think about the line
between authentic and non-authentic representation? Should 1 consider a book that
has stereoStpical images. words or illustrations to be a valid part of multicultural
Ifterature? 1s it enough to just depict people of parallel cultures without referring to. or examining, the culture in question? 1s a book to be considered multicultural if the main character is from a parallel culture even If the theme or setting is not about that culture? How much culture is required to cal1 a book *multicultural*? Do 1 include folktales because they show an important side of the storytelling aspect of a culture or should 1 only consider contemporary and redistic works?
In the end, based on the defnitions fomd in the literature, discussions with people. and my own feelings as a teacher working with a multicultural population. I decided that for me. what defines a piece of literature as multicultural is Identity.
Can a reader see herself reflected in the book? Does the book connect to the history of the reader, either recent personai experiences. or those of the reader's ancestors? Does the book provide some emotional or spiritual connection for a reader to his own culture or another culture? Do the iiiustrations provide a familiar and accurate 8 connection to traditional, cultural artlstic styles? For a reader interacting with a book
that is not about his culture. does that book provide a window through whkh to
obtaln an understanding of or information about the culture being represented? Does it provide a positive personal experience for the reader?
The conception of culture. for me is strongly connected to self-identification.
There wlll be variance arid dissent about hcw groups and individuais ldentify themselves - who they include or exclude. This cannot be easily resolved. This Und
of identification carries through to the definition of what is and 1s not multicultural.
In the end. each dennition is accepted because to do so is to value the informant and
his own personal cultural identity. Such is the case in this paper. "Multicultural
literature is a literature of inclusion: stories from and stories about aii Our children"
(Rohmer. in Madigan. 1993). It is a literature that speaks of "struggles. myths.
movement. beauty. rituals. religion and holidays of Our people" (Henderson. 199 11.
1 would like to propose the followîng operative definition (see Berg, 1989. pp. 23-24) of multicultural children's literature:
Multkultural Chikiren's Literature is llterature about groups of people whoflnd or gather themelues into cornmuniiy through a common bond of self-iàentiicution such as race. religion. belief. sexual orientation. ability. or colour.
The following questions and answers speak to what is included and excluded from the above de finition:
1. Does this deflnition include authors who write outside the& culture?
Rarely. WMle I believe it is possible to write wlth a certain degree of success outside one's culture. 1 beiieve that is it important and essential to the authenticity of a piece of writing (or illustration) that the creator know the nuances of the culture or specific way of iife. through lived experience. 2. What about illustrations?
The same nile applies for authentic illustration and authentic text.
3. Does this deflnition include folk and jaQ tales?
Sometimes. When a folk or fairy tale gives insight into the culture in question. then it can be a valuable tool in multicultural education. Cross cultural examinations of similar tales cm also provide lnsight into a culture. However. when a tale has become unidentiflable with the culture from which it originated (e.g. the Brothers Grimm), it can no longer and a place in the category of multicultural Hterature.
4. Does the defnition inclu.de historlcalflction?
Yes. as long as it is a history that cornes frorn the perspective of the people who are involved. Many cultures have suffered because their histories have not been told in a consistent manner (Henderson, 1991).
5. Can thls deflnition include books about mninstream culture?
Yes. If a book is about a specific culture within the dominant group (for example, a book about Celtic culture). then it is identifiable as an intrinsic culture.
6. Why lnclu.de sexwil orientation and abiflty?
Both of these groups are populations which are becorntng more visible withln sociev. but they are also groups which have ken overlooked and shunned in the past, as has ken the case with many other cultural groups. In both instances. some members of these groups argue that they have no choice about their membership within the group, which points to a need for acceptance and understanding, both on the part of the group members and on those who will interact with them. 10 7. What is meant by those luho ujlndor gather themseloes into communiQ*?
Some people becorne members of a culture by birth. for exarnple being bom
Chinese. and others join by choice. such as those who join a religion. In each case. there Is a cornmurdtjï of people who have a bond of similar cultural membership.
8. What Is consld~redto be 'Ilterature' luithln thfsdeflnltion?
1 consider literature to be books: either written for or by children, as well as videos. film. plays, drama. dance. computer programmes. magazines. music. and storytelling.
9. Does 'mufti'not refer to more than one culture? Yes. but the term 'multicultural' has corne to mean 'pertaining to a specific culture'. At times. multicultural children's literature is thought of as a genre unto itself. In this case. books with a representation of one culture belong to this genre and are therefore considered 'rnulticultural'. Types of Multicultural Children's Literature There are a number of types of multicultural children's literature. Yokota
(1994) describes three types of literature where more than one culture is represented in the same book or anthology:
1) multiple cultures. presented separately; 2) multiple cultures, comparisons/contrasts presented; and 3) multiple cultures, interactions between/among cultures.
Yokota notes, however. that "many books of this type promise more than they deliver. ..questions of cultural identity are sometimes mere 'mentioned' but not explored: at other times, the issues are given stereotypical treatment' (Yokota. 1994. p. 212).
Sims (Bishop]( 1983) has created three categories of 'contemporary realistic fiction about Blacks':
1) social conscience books; 21 meting pot books: and 3) culturally conscious books.
According to Sims [Bishopl, the first category contains only four basic storylines: desegregation, integration. discrimination and friendship/ hostility. The melting pot books. or as Blshop ( 1991) calls them - "me-and-my-Black-friendwbooks (p. 33). - contain three subgroups of stories told from White. Black and interracial points of view. Sims (Bishop]list of culturally conscious books cont~lned89 titles and were divided into seven subgroups: heritage. raclsm. everyday experiences. urban living. friendships. family. and stories about growing up. It is ironic. though. that the books in the Brst two categories seem to deal more with issues of culture. while at least five of the culturaiiy conscious subgroups could be classifled as mainstream issues.
In addition. Bishop (1992)also defines three categorles of books about people of colour: speciflc, generic and neutral. The specific book deals specifically with the 12 experience of being a member of a nonWhite cultural group. The generic book features characters from parallel cultures, but does not deal with cultural details.
The neutral book also features characters from parallel cultures. but the book's theme is about something else. Even though the latter two categories do not deal speciflcally with issues of culture, these books do show that the culture is valued by its inclusion.
Stewlg (1992) describes three types of literature that can serve as bridges to 'other cultures'. These are:
II fiction set in another place; 2) fiction set in another place and tirne' and 3) informational or factual accounts of other countries,
The bridge analogy seems problernatic to me because it stresses the 'otherness' of paralle1 cultures without looking at those parallel cultures that exist in one's own classroom. The life experiences of a Black child ralsed in Toronto will be vastly different from those of a conîinental African child. While looking at the experiences of those living in other countries is valuable and educational. it is not adequate unless it is balanced with literature that will represent a variety of experiences. In the same article. however. Stewig does go on to recommend juxtaposing two or more books about the same culture in order to gain tnsight into how authors perceive and represent a culture. This would be particularly valuable when combined with a study of the author's background and/or research preparation.
Another type of multicultural children's literature is text translated from another language. The dimculty of obtaining books written in Spanish is reviewed in Hudelson et. al. (1994). Problems such as the quality of books selected for translation. the quality of the translation itself. poor editing and prwfreadlng and the expense of translated materials proved to be challenges for the use of such literature.
Moreover, books available in non-English speaking countries abound with poor quality. mass-market books translated from English. Dual-language books make up another category. These books have text in two
languages (e.g. English and Urdu) on the same page or doublespread. These books
may be translations of one of the printed language texts or may be written specifically for publication as dual language books. The effects of a literacy intervention using
such books were studied by Feuerverger (1994). Duai language books were
introduced to the achool library to support the childrcn's home language skills. a?d in
an attempt to create a sense of pride and family harmony (Feuerverger, 1989; 199 1:
Cummins & Danesi, 1990). The intervention showed that there was a positive "impact ...on the children's self esteem and sense of pride in their first language and ethnic identity" (Feuerverger. 1994. p. 130). In addition, the ESL children who were able to read these books in their first language felt that their language and culture
were valued IFeuerverger & Scane. 1995). Feuerverger (1994) has found that dual
language texts can be accessed by students of both rnainstream and parallel cultures. They can provide a link to the homes of parallel culture students. which has often proven dimcult in the past. They can act as a transition for students with reading
skills in their flrst language while they develop skills in English. For the newcomer to Canada, they may provide a much needed connectlon to their home country.
Virginla Hamilton ( 1993) refers to 'liberauon literature' as those books that
allow or invite the reader to become a part of the literary experience in order to "bear
witness to the characters*trials and suffering and triumphs" (p. 193). The airn is for
the reader to identify with the personal side of the struggle. Literacy itself is
described as a liberator and equalizer (Harris. 1992).
The use of folktales to promote multicultural understanding is described by
Bieger ( 1996) as "giving insight into the dreams. customs. and philosophy of life as a group ... myths, legends and folMales reflect the values and attitudes of people around
the worldw(p. 309). Foiktales can also be useful for examining cross-cultural interpretations of the same tales. for example. the 900+ varhtions of the Cinderella taie. Critical examination of modem retellings of traditional folktales should also be included as part of the curriculum. The retelling of The EQu~tlanClnderella (Climo. 1989). for instance. has been seen as problemattc as It perpetuates the ideal of the blond. blue-eyed beau@. While this is a retelling of a traditional tale. one rnust question whether or not it should be told in a manner which includes a harrnfd ideology. The result of the tale has the hero valuing the 'fdr mafden' over the women of his own culture. This is how the story was originally told. but is this how the story needs to be reiold? What darnage ensues to the dark-skinned reader who is told that sorneone like her is overlooked in favour of a Hght-skinned woman? Here. the imagery 1s not even subtle.
Folktales cmprovide the reader with an understanding of the universality of feelings and needs. while using different means of expression with similar niotlfs
(Chan.1984). As literature records our 'collective human experience'. to have an unbalanced point of view affects the chiid's sense of heritage. self-image and self- esteem. Chan provides suggestions for ensuring the authenticity of folktales. including date of publication, background of writerl translater and illustrator. source of the folktale, content of the story and the evaluation of the book by members of the cultural group represen ted.
Hietorical Critdciem
Nancy Larrick kstbrought attention to the lack of rnulticultural children's books in 1965. She states that the impact of the disproportionate arnount of all-white books probably had an even greater effect on white children because "there seems little chance of developing the humility so urgently needed for the world CO-operation, instead of world conflict, as long as our children are brought up on gentle doses of racfsm through their books" (1965. p. 60). Larrick also raises the question of the visual depiction of Black characters in books. The sketches may show colour. but there is little racial differentiation, accoràîng to Larrick (Seealso: Dowd. 1992: Council on Interracial Books for
Children. 1980). Allen (1996)found that the lack of accurate portrayal is sU1l a problem in modem publishing. The term 'multicoloured' has been used by Chan (1984) to designate those books which make little attempt to value and accurately
depict racial features. a problem whfch has continued, as some publishers. those
gatekeepers and custodians of Ilterature. make half-hearted attempts to lncrease their quota of cultural representation (Maàigan. 1993). Variance within cultures, in
physicd features and characteristics. colouration. men and women acting in a wide
variety of professions and roles, and having a variety of influences within society is
also missing from many multicultural books. This is emphasized by Bishop ( 1991)
who states that 'Wthin any culture there is more dlfference than there is similariîy"
(p. 35). Sims (1983) has lwked at what progress had ken made since Larrfck's article.
The historical books that have contained Black characters produced what Godina
(1996) refers to as 'representatlve markers*. Negative stereo-s were "partlcularly devastating. because other images of Blacks were not available as counterpoint"
(Sims. 1983, p. 650). Harnanaka emphasizes this point:
Why don't people cornplain when a white male ia depicted as a slovenly, lazy good-for-nothing? Because it's in the context of literally millions of other images which show white people as heroes and heroines. Al1 the depictions add up to a rounded view of the race (Hamanaka, 1994. p. 235). This points to the need for a larger number of accurate portrayals of parallel culture characters in a sort of literary affirmative action. in order to balance previous negative portrayals (Sîms, 1983). The number of books containing Black characters in
Larrlck's 1962-64 survey was 6.7%. Sims reports the 1983 figures as 14.4%. It rnust be noted, however, that both Larrick and Sirns confine their studies to books containing Black characters, and do not examine books pertaining to other cultures. There is no clear line demonstrating the onset of a development of multicultural literature. Where do The Stonr of the Llttfe Bhck Sambo (Banneman. 19651 The Fiue
Chlnese Brothers (Bishop, 1938)and TlkM TtkM Tembo (Mosel. 1968) find exclusion from the genre? To many. these widely banned and crlticized books are beloved childhood tales. providfng a connection of fmliarity and fondness towards a certain
culture. regardless of the Inaccurades. Does multicultural Ilterature have part of its
genesis In these and similar tales, or is purity within the genre a necessity? Should
we disassociate ourselves from the problematic literature of the past and present?
While literacy has been seen as a means to empower and free learners to
expertence their world ln a wider variety of ways, it has also been described as 'execrable' when the materials used reflect oppressive philosophy and dispedagogia
(Harris. 1992). The effect is to perpetuate misinformation. misrepresentation and Inequitable power structures.
How we select multicultural chfldren's literature may be based on a number of
factors: recornmendatîons oiothers. reading book reviews. previous experience with other books by the same author or illustrator. the theme we are teaching. as well as the look of the cover or illustrations. Availability 1s also a large factor - whether the books are found in libraries. bookstores, classrooms or by family and friends. We select books based on the connections we make with them. but until we interact with a book personally. we should not make critical decisions about its merit or worth.
A number of studtes have been done on the selectlon of literature in general. Maxwell (1979)found seven important factors that influenced Grade 6 students:
1) a friend's recomrnendation; 2) the length of the book: 3) the print size: 4) the cover; 5) the title; 6) the titles of the chapters: and 7) the first page. 17 Ross (1978) suweyed middle school students and found the following seven factors:
1) ease of reading: 2) setting: 3) character of same age and gender; 4) familiarity with the book; 5) paperback rather than hardcov~r: 6) interest in the topic; and 7) action.
A sirnilar study was conducted in 1983 by Wendelin and Zinck who looked at students in Grades 5-8. They found the following important factors in selection:
peer rather than teacher recornrnendation: paperbacks rather than hardcovers: movies and television; books by familiar authors; book jacket descriptions of the book; thickness; picture on the cover; print size; and number of illustrations.
Reutzel and Gali (1997)found that there was a recognizable pattern which children followed when selecting books. They found that children chose books based on the physkal characteristics of the books. and that there were limitations such as the number of books that could be signed out of a library. time limits and personal self-concept restrictions that influenced selection. A factor that should be noted by librarians. teachers and bookstore owners Is that when books were shelved at or below the child's eye level. it was more likely that these books would be chosen.
At mes, multicultural books are dealt with as a separate genre. existing in what Harris ( 1994) refers to as a 'literary ghetto' and are not accepted as an integrated and integraieable entity. For instance. do newspaper reviews Hmit multicultural books to Black History Month or other significant holidays and mesof 18 celebration? Do the recomrnended titles focus solely on the superficial aspects of culture - e.g. holidays. food, heroic figures. or do they dso present the more meaningful and challenging issues such as freedom. war, poverty. systemic and individual racism. exclusion. misrepresentation. etc.?
Reimer (1992)looks at some problems with the selection of multlcultural literature. She states that while there is a quantity of material available. the quaiity is not always good. Bishop ( 199 1) emphasizes that the inclusion of the Black experience within literature is no excuse for poor quality of literature. This lack of quality may result in dimculties of discrimination on the part of a teacher, librarian or parent who strives to provide multicultural materials. in order to make an attempt at inclusion without regard to the form or content of those materiais. The themes of many of these books are stereotypical. and biographies were often narrowly focussed. for example, the biographies of African Americans. which were mostly about athletes.
Reimer ( 1992)also raises the question of authenticity. Many books are written about Native American/Canadlans. but few are written by Native Peoples themselves.
Reimer goes on to state that selection is also hampered by the market. Multlcultural books have a narrow market and go out of print rapidly. 1s it accurate for Reimer to argue that the number of authors and illustrators of multicultural children's literature is limited? How much of that limitation is put upon those authors and illustrators by a society that is not meeting the educationai needs of students and 1s not providing them with the opportunity for the jobs for which they are qualified?
Reasons for Udng or Not Uaing Multicultural Children's idterature
My attempts and those of other writers to offer sustenance will necessarily be largely ineffectual. Not only do we as human beings have limitations - so also does the written word. It cannot be eaten or worn; it cannot cure disease: it cannot dissipate pollution, defang a racist. cause a spoonful of heroin to disintegrate. But. at the right time. in the right circumstances. falling on the right rnind. a word may take effect (Greenfleld. 1975. p. 624). What are the goals for the use of multicultural children's literature? One can look to literature to provlde personal. social and historical understanding of oneself or others (Walker-Dalhouse, 1992; Chan. 1984); and to assist in the work towards social justlce and equality (Harris. 1990: Bishop. 1992). It can foster a wider outlook and cultural appreciallon and awareness that help readers accept and respect the dlfferences of others (Chan,1984); explore the immigrant experience (Feuerverger. 1994): develop a world view (Bishop, 1992): and liberate us from "stereotypical hang- ups that lmprlson us wlthin narrow boundaries" (Howard, 1991, pp. 91 -92). It can be used to present ideas for reflection and to explore beliefs and values (Rasinski and
Padak. 1990); to foster positive behaviour (Sims. 1983): to develop persona1 pride and to uplift (Hanis. 1992): and to increase general knowledge. cornprehension and vocabulary, to explore criticai issues, to prompt imagination and foster response acUvities in writing. drarna and art (Harris. 1991). Al1 thfs is in addition to the fundamental objectives of al1 children's Iterature - to inform. entertain. provide models. to provide material for the practice of reading skills and strategies (Harris,
1991). Martinez and Nash (1990) quote Violet Harris in an interview about the importance of multicultural chlldren's literature. Harris states the following reasons for using this Uterature for non-matnstream children:
1) to &rm and empower the children and their cultures:
2) to see that people in their culture contribute and have contributed to hurnan We; 3) for pleasure and pride and to hear about people lfke themselves and see illustrations of thernselves and their communities; 4) to offer hope and encouragement: and 5) to read material with inventive and mernorable language, multidimensional characters and to engage in a whollstlc Literary experience (p. 599). 20 Every teacher. dependhg on his beliefs (both pedagogical and personal). curricular orientation. and teaching goals Ml have different reasons for using or not using multicultural children's literature in the classroom. School administration will ais0 vary in their financial and philosophical support of Its use (Madigan. 1993). Policies and misslon statements may look nice on a wall. but actual practice may not always reflect these carefully worded documents. Some have also criticlzed the lengths to which multiculturalism has been accomrnodated. such as Lasky's statement that.
"Multiculturalism has corne into full bloom. We have inhaled deeply its fragrant scent and become nearly heady on the fumes" (Lasky. 1996. p. 2). The lack of awareness on the part of adults is dso a reason for the perpetuation of the canon (Violet Harris quoted in Martinez and Nash, 1990).
The literature describes a number of purposes and expectations that multicultural children's literature is intended to fulflii:
Literature presents readers with new worlds. new ideas. new options - stuff to reflect upon and to use to better themselves as people as well as readers ...teachers and children can use literature to explore and act upon thelr cultural values and beliefs (Rasinski and Padak. 1990. p. 576).
The important word in this statement is 'reflect*. When a student is able to look back on the text. apply it to what she already knows and construct knowledge from it, she is then able to make the critical decisions about its value. The text itself is not the panacea for fulfilling these goals, but it is Our transactions with the text that is important and has the potential for tramformative education (Rosenblatt. 1978). Aesthetic appreciation is noted by Norton (1990)as one result of developing a familiarity with multicultural works. She states that people can gain an appreciation of the contributions that different cultures have given and developed in the arts. This is echoed by Ada ( 1988), who argues, "Because children reared in poverty are usually deprived of aesthetic. upllfting experiences. Our minority children have an even greater need for beautiful matedals" (p. 99). Although she seems to suggest here that 21 minori5 equals poverty. but her point is that the importance of hlgh quality literature wlth accurate and varied visual depictlons of parallel cultures must not be overlooked.
Margerison ( 1995) describes her attempts to encourage student teachers to use multicultural literature. Unfamillarity with speciflc titles was one of the main reasons for avoidance of the use of multicultural literature. so she attempted to develop greater familiarity with the texts in order to promote t!!eir use (see also. Maàigan.
19931. Some of the attitudes Margerison faced were "the students' reverence for the canon: and the students' belief that the themes of literature are the same in minority and canon literature" (p. 261). In the attempt to ignore the importance of cultural differences and experiences. and to be 'colourblind', which Bishop 1199 1) described as an ideal that existed before the acceptance of the term 'multicultural'. readers fail to see a part of the person that has infiuenced her life and the ways in which others react to her (Abt-Perkins and Gomez, 1993).
In addition. canonical literature is considered to be synonymous with the literature of the mainstream. Green (1994) points out that the canon did not develop. but it was deliberately constructed. Few works by authors from parallel cultures have become canonical (Harris, 1990). One of the solutions suggested by Magerison for introducing more literature from parallel cultures into the curriculum was to pair canon and parallel cultural literature in order to allow student teachers to open themselves to the use of multicultural literature while maintaining their respect for the canon. This compromise was also suggested by Cox ( 1988). The factors which influence how secondary school English teachers choose literature was studied by Lovelace (1997) in his doctoral dissertation. He found that in spite of the teachers' values. the blocks placed by the departments, school boards. the curriculum and the authority of the cornmunity. cornbined with the teaching tools, guidemes, textbooks and tests make for a perpetuation of the literary canon. This is aiso perpetuated by the high value that teachers place on the canon.
This issue of hypersensltivity is raised by Reimer ( 1992). She states that in an attempt to avold stereotyping. some teachers do not use multicultural literature at all. 22 Some teachers may fear king accused of insensitivity. and worry about being able to tell if a book is authentic or not (Bishop, 1992): because as Howard ( 199 1) points out, it is difllcult to evaluate authenticlty 'unless and until they have ken immersed in a large body of authentic works" (p. 92). To avoid potential difflculty and conflict. some educators throw out the baby with the bathwater. avoiding issues that rnay be problematic rather than confronting them. unaware that the practice of avoidance and omission is also sending a clear message to students (Madfgan. 1993). Books that may be controversial are not used in spite of their potential for critical questioning and discussion.
Another problem is that the use of multicultural chiidren's literature. if only used at certain tirnes for specific reasons. results in the vfew that the culture is rendered "either exotic or an object of amazement or compassion" rather than presenting a "reality that is never quite the same" (Greene. 1994. pp. 13- 1 4). This reality. however, Is dependent upon perception. and without challenges to those perceptions. we Mil choose to maintain Our views and remain where we are safe and cornfortable (Henderson, 199 1). Student attitudes towards multicultural literature have been studled in a number of recent doctoral dissertations. Gwinn (1998)studied the influence of multicultural llterature and reader responses in second grade students. She found that the children were able to make connections from events in the literature to events in their personal lives, and that they valued picture books with literary merit. quaîity of illustration and character with whom they could identify.
McCabe (1998) studied the effect of using multicultural children's literature on the cultural attitudes of fifth grade students in her doctoral dissertation. She found that the use of rnulticultural literature had an effect on the attitudes of students to their own cultural group, and less negative attitudes towards other groups.
Hemn (1997), analyzed the influence of culturdy conscious African American literature on six third grade students in her doctoral thesis. She looked at self- concept, writing and attitudes towards reading. Hemfound that through discussion 23 and questioning. students were able to make connections to the literature. Similar conclusions were made by McBride (1997) in her doctoral dissertation. who found that students who read multiethnic literature developed more positive perceptions to parallel cultures.
Tyson's doctoral dissertation ( 1997) examined student response to contemporary redistic Bction with social issues as the central point of the books. She found that this literature could increase engagement and interest and help to develop socio-polttical awareness. It is important to note the role of meaningful tdk within the literacy circles. to empower and educate students to improve conditions for themselves and others.
The use of chtldren's literature to promote anti-bias education was studied by
Black (1997). In her thesis, she found that the use of rnulticultural literature, book selection and teaching strategies affect literary transactions.
Issues
The importance in quality of text. illustration. language and translation. fairness of portrayai. and historical accuracy cannot be overstated. or as Harris puts it. "Men individuals find literature that captures and sustains their attention. they have the opportuniSr to e.xperience the world through the written word" (Harris. 1996. p. 107).
This cannot happen unless the literature is accessible. available and of such a quality that attention wlll be captured and sustained.
There are. however, potential problems wlth the way multicultural children's literature is used. When we read these books only during Black History Month. for example. or on anti-racism day. we may be doing more harm than good by segregating them to an lsolated pocket of the curriculum. This cmlead to what Derman-Sparks (1989)calls a 'tourist curriculum*,comprised of tokenistic treatment of culture by only experiencing superficial aspects such as food, holidays and heroic figures. In the
'tourist curriculum'. the students visit a culture for a short period of time. only to return 'home' when they are finished. 24 Multicultural books can also be used in the curriculum to question stereotypes and representations. Do the children see themselves accurately portrayed in the literature. or do they see a false representation in how authors and illustrators have decided to portray them? For example. a recent survey of my schwl library indicated that most of the books in our 'Mrican*collection showed children who were poor, rural dwellers. and barefoot (Granahan. 1997). This is not the reality of most of Our continental African students. who usually corne from a more privileged background.
We must see if we are unknowingly perpetuating rnyths and stereotypes in the literature we present.
Rudrnan (1984)raises a number of excellent questions regarding issues in multicultural children's literature: "What criteria do we consider when we build a library? How do we handle racist attitudes in books? How aware are we of the connotatlons and innuendoes in the books Our children read? How do we manage the classics? What of the popular fantasies and novels and even works of so-cailed nonfiction that are rife with racist ideas? How do we manage to keep progressing with Our own sense of openness and world-mindedness. and at the same time influence children who are, perhaps. not at the same level of awareness that we are? How can we recognize our acts of omission?" (p. 160).
Yokota ( 1993) raises a number of issues that surround the selection and use of multicultural children's literature. These inchde: Culturally Conscious Llterature - texts that portray cultural experiences in "culturdly and historically authentic ways" Inside Perspective - the importance of authenticity of voice from llved experience.
Cultural Accuracy - reflection of the values and beiiefs of the culture. Rich in Cultural Detatls - that details should enhance the story and inform the reader Authentic Dialogue and Relationships - giving a true picture of how the people really speak and Uve In-depth Treatment of Cultural Issues - exploring the real issues that are central to cultures. Inclusion of Members of a 'Minority' Group for a Purpose - showing distinct individuals rather than including people of colour for no specinc reason (from Yokota. 1993. pp. 158- 160).
Children cannot be sensitized to the existence of people who are not like them by merely king told to like others ...Through readlng. we briefly share in the lives and feelings of the characters rather than dealing only with the facts. (Bieger. 1396. p. 308)
Dudley-Marllng (1997)describes his experiences using foiktales from around the world wifh a Grade 3 class in an honest critique of what went wrong with his good intentions. In his attempt to provide a mirror for the cultures represented in his class, he found that the students dld not always appreciate his intentions and efforts. and did not want to be singled out and identlfied as being different. He aiso realized there was a problem of portrayal. and that a child from a privileged background may not necessarily identify with a poor chlld from the same country. saying "..A was unreasonable for me to have assumed that a piece of literature could speak to the culture and experlence of al1 people from a partlcular continent, region, or country''
(Dudley-Marllng. 1997, p. 127). Dudley-Marling found that using such literature as 'medicine' was dso unsuccessful because it singled students out and some resented him for doing so. In particular. the use of stories about other religions "may have been an unwelcorne intrusion tnto students*personal lives that aiso had the effect of marking some students as 'different'" (1997, p. 130). His idea was not to avoid using books that reflect the cultures of Our students, but to aliow students access to books in which they flnd accurate representations of thernselves, not what we as teachers or outsiders from their cultures thhk they should see. or as Rudman has pointed out, 26 "When a book 1s assigned as medicine. the chances of its king accepted are slim" (Rudman, 1984. p. 3).
Bibliotherapeutic books. while atternpting to fulftll a specific role. often lack the literary quality that makes books attractive to readers. The attempt to provlde a moral or lesson can overshadow the plot, characters and quality of illustration
(Bishop. 1992). The dilemma of meeting the needs of the student to develop relationships. grow as an individual. becorne part of the larger world and open himself to possibilities is explored by Rosenblatt (1976). According to Rosenblatt, there is a fine line between the importance of literature as a tool to rneet social. psychological and ethical needs, and the danger of losing the aesthetic appreciation of literature when it 1s used for didactic purposes. She cautions, "Wise teachers have opposed any tendency to make of literature a mere handrnaiden of the social studies or a body of documents illustrating moral pointsn (Rosenblatt. 1976, p. 4). Rosenblatt I1978) describes the difference between efferent (informational)reading and aesthetic readfng, and states that what is important with efferent reading 1s the 'residue' of information, solutions to problems and plans for further actions that will be carried out as a result of the reading. What is not proposed by Rosenblatt is a middle ground for a text that can have efferent qualities while stiii remaining aesthetically beautiful.
This middle ground is the domain into which quality multicultural literature should fall.
Harris ( 199 1) discusses the importance of the use of African American children's llterature in classes where there are no Black children. The importance of allowing the students to interact with the literature opens them to perspectives they may never othenvise encounter. However, she also states that using the literature
Wsway must be done Wllingly. and that teachers "cannot be harangued into doing so" (p. 42). The Banks Modd
Banks ( 1997) has created a model with four levels of the integration of
rnulticultural content. While it was developed to look at multicultural education in
general. this model can also be applied to examine the extent to which multicultural
children's literature is used and integrated in the curriculum.
The four levels are:
1. The Contributions Aoproach. In this approach. only certain elements of a culture are studied or presented. In this most frequently used approach. heroes.
holidays, festivals. food and artifacts are studied without looking at their deeper significance or meaning within the culture. Unfortunately, tliis limited approach fails to address issues such as racism, power relation. and victimization.
2. The Additive Approach. While the basic structure of the curriculum
remains the sarne. sorne content. themes. materials. or perspectives are added to the curriculum. By adding to the exlsting curriculum. the teacher avoids having to
rework the curricular structure and re-image his curricular beliefs and ideals. The
main drawback of this approach is that the addition may still rely on mainstrearn
perspectives.
3. The Transformation Approach. Unlike the flrst two levels. where the basic curriculum remains unaltered. this approach changes the goals. structures and perspectives of the curriculum by preaenting the students wlth several points of view.
The mainstrearn point of view is oniy one of many. The purpose is not to present every possible perspective. but to look at how events influence and were influenced by various ethnic. cultural and racial groups.
4. The Social Action Approach. With the Transformation Approach as its base. the students here have the opportunity to make their own decisions and follow through with action for social justice. The goal of this approach is to provlde students with the knowledge. values and skills needed to enact social change in order to empower members of society. 28 This is not an easy approach to teach. It requlres that students have a great
deal of ownership. as they will be making the necessary decisions and Ml1 be taking responsibility. This means that the teacher must really know her students and trust them to take positive action with proper guidance and support when they are ready.
This cannot be a 'do as 1 say' approach. This approach must be led by exarnple. If the teacher does not believe what she is presenting. the students will be aware of this and the approach will backfire.
Discussion of the Mode1
The value of the Banks model is that it is levelled. By viewing the various levels as developrnental teaching approaches. teachers can be supported in their attempts to move on to higher levels in the model. Banks states that "the move from the first to higher levels of multicultural content integration is Iikely to be gradua1 and cumulative" (Banks.1997. p. 242). This means that a teacher need not be labelled or remain at any certain level. There is room for movement within the model and in reality, there is often a mix of levels happening at any given urne. If a teacher is at level 1. it does not mean that she is trivializing or putting down a culture by cornpartmentalizing and focussing solely on certain elements of that culture. A teacher operatlng at level 1 one day may also work at level 3 on a different day or in a different unlt of study. The Banks model sees the first level as a attempt at integration rather than a narrowrninded approach.
By labelling teachers as operating at a level which trivializes or only scratches the surface of cultural reaiities, we are potentially discouraging these teachers frorn moving through to other levels. Teachers who are criticized even though they are operating out of the best of intentions are Wely to become fnistrated and let go of attempts to tackle tough issues. By valuing their work at even the lowest level. teachers can be encouraged rather than alienated. The Bank's Mode1 and Ctiildren'e Literature How can this mode1 be used to look at multicultural children's literature? Level
1. the Contributions Approach. would see multicultural children's literature presented only at certain ttmes of the year - perhaps on Chanukah or durfng Black History Month. The books would be read wîth a respectful. but unquestioning Ar. Extending the curriculum rnay mean maiung latkes and applesauce or learning a Caribbean dance.
At level 2. the Additive Approach. a book or text set rnay be presented and
discussed more in depth. For example. a teacher may read Pink and Say
(Polacco. 1994) and discuss the events surrounding the Civil War. interracial
frîendship and protection. Omitted from this discussion would be the contribution of
Blacks to various war causes, the underlying reasons for keeping Blacks illiterate and the reasons for loyalty in spite of oppression and victirnization.
At level 3. the Transfomative Approach. the entire approach to literature as it
is used in the curriculum would be different from the previous 2 levels. In thls
approach. a subject would be examhed from various points of view. The study of
Canadian history. for example. would look at books like llndemround to Canada
(Smucker. 1978) for an understanding of how and why some Blacks came to Canada. Books about Native history would be examined to look at the changes that took place for the First Nations peoples when their land was disrupted. Paul Yee's books about
the forced contributions of the Chinese to railway construction could glve perspective
on how people were used to build the land. Naorni's Roud (1986) Kogawa could
present the intemment of Japaneae Canadians during the Second World War.
In this Transformation Approach. multicultural literature is not merely an adjunct to the curriculum or a means of supplementing the existing structure. but it
is an integral part of learning and critical questioning. The lîterature is not seen as
separate to the curriculum. but a way to support and preaent perspectives that have been absent from the tradltional literature or textbooks. At level 4. the Social Action Approach takes the elements of the transformation approach and adds decision making and action taking on the concepts. issues and problems which are part of the units of study. Here. rnulticultural children's literature would be a fully integrated part of the curriculum. Literature would be used as a starüng point from which to iden* and examine issues of vlctimization. exclusion. discrimination and preJudice. Critical questions about socletal and systemic injustice would be raised and dealt with in an open and honest manner.
Plans for action. either personal or publlc. could be made and carried out. For example. students may look at books which have ken banned or restricted in certain
Jurisdlctions. They may gather data on which types of books have been banned. the people or interest groups who have influenced the decisions and the reasons for the actions which have been taken. Students may lobby against censorship by writing to the people who have banned the books and engaging in critical discussion about the dangers of intellectual censorship.
This approach is not an easy one in which to operate. It requires that a teacher work from a place of courage and confidence. For the teacher. he himself must be able to start from self-examlnatlon and self-lnquiry: to question his own beliefs and actions and be ready to accept the beliefs and actions of hi3 students based on the infomed decisions made in and out of the classrmm (Abt-Perkins and Gomez. 1993). The outcome will be that "conceptions of multiculturalism will continue to change as groups and indivlduals acquire. lose, share and contest power within schools and society" (Harris. 1991 p. 25). The social action strategy goes beyond the additive one. in that. "Just adding a few books written by or about people of color will not change the system. You eventually have to reevaluate the whole system" (Rohmer,in Madigan. 1993). Multfculturalisrn is not a deviation from the study of one's own world. but a precondition of Lt. Who knows ody one thing. knows not even that. A thing entirely isolated would be unknowable (Wills. in Madlgan. 1993. p. 176).
In conclusion. this study will examine the factors that influence the selection and use of multicultural chfldren's Merature. By looking at the various people W~O deal with multicultural children's literature. 1 hope to be able to outline the many ways in which we are influenced. both by the literature itself. and by the effects of outside opinions. recomrnendations and cautions. and how these influences impact the marketing of materials. teacher curriculum progriunming. student lnteraction with the texts and consumer choices. Chapter 2 Methodology
Qualitative Methodology
This study involves the description of observations, interviews. case studies
and research conducted over a one year period during the 1997/98 school year. This
Phenomenological methodology was chosen to ailow the researcher to see the question
from the point of view of those people who interact with the literature at various levels. In thls subjective and inter- subjective exploration. the meanings found by
both the researcher and the informants are used to develop knowledge.
understandings. to critique and to pose more questions (Silverrnan. 1985, pp. 5-8).
Ethnography has been used by those who try to enter the field and merge with the
culture being studied. and includes a rise in the number of studies within educational
ethnography (Berg. 1989). There is. according to Clandinln and Connelly ( 199 1 1
"shared narrative construction and reconstruction through the inquiry" (p. 265).
The characteristics of qualitative rnethodology are explored in Taylor and
Bogdan ( 1984). What follows is a statement of each aspect that they analyze. with an
explanation as to how each is achieved within thls study.
1. Qualitative research k inductiue.
The tnsights found in thls study are based on understandings found by examining the patterns in the data. Much flexibility was necessary in this study. especially during 33 the work with the children. who cannot be relled on to follow strict guidelines if authentic responses are sought.
2. ln qualitative rnethodology the researcher looks at settings and people hoktically; people, settings or groyps are not reduced to uariables. but are ufewed as a whole.
The informants were looked at within the context of their surroundtngs and the people with whorn they worked. In the example of the case studies. 1 tried to participate as much as possible In the life of the school. for example. yard duties with the teachers. recess discussions with the staff', and field trips with the classes, 1 was able to see the teachers and students in a variety of settings. and was able to view both peer and student/teacher interactions. Once 1 had settied into the routines of the school. my presence was no longer seen as unusual. As teachers and students became more cornfortable with my presence. the reality of the everyday took place.
3. Qualitative researchers are sensitive to their eflects on the people they study (see also Schatzman and Strauss, 1972).
As much as possible. 1 tried to remain in the background when taking notes and making dlagrams. For the most part, I only took notes when the teachers were giving w-hole-groupinstructfon. During worktirne. 1 was usually brought into the context of the class experience by the students who asked me questions. told me stories, sought help with their work. and involved me with their play. This. too. was a time for observation. but I did not take notes durlng the interaction with the students. Field notes were often completed immediately following the class visits.
My aim was to observe the events as they took place around me. I was not trying to change the way the school day would unfold. but rather to engage in interaction only when it was requested of me. I wanted to avoid the possibility of creating the "Hawthorne effectn of hnprovernent through change and the knowledge that a study is taking place, ao the frequency and normalcy of rny visits was important (Roethllsberger and Dickenson. 1939). By becorning a familiar face over a 34 period of time 1 was no longer a cataiyst for change or false impressions. I did not
become 'f nviaible'. but 'usual'.
4. Qualitative tesearchers try to understand peopîe jrom their ownframe of reference.
My goal in this stiidy was to see the question through the eyes of the informants. 1
was not trying to influence. change. or force my own agenda regarding the issues.
rather I wanted to see how other people realized the selecdon and use of multicultural
literature In their own particular contexts. It is this phenomenological perspective that allows the researcher to see the other points of view.
5. The qualitattve researcher suspends. or sets aslde. his or her own beltefs, perspectloes, and predkposi tions.
This was probably the most difTlcult precept to maintain duzing the study. As the
teachers in the case study saw me as a fellow teacher with a degree of knowledge in
children's Ifterature. my opinlons and knowledge were frequentiy sought. While 1 did
oblige in situations where I could. 1 did not offer my suggestions for change or improvement. I also had to suspend judgement with the students in interview
situations when they made what 1 would normally consider to be inappropriate
comments, as it was important to dlow the students to express their views openly. Overall. though, this study is personal in nature due to my role as a reflective practitioner. or as Eisner has pointed out, "qualitative inquirers confer their own signature on their workw(Eisner. 1991. p. 169)
6. For the qualitative researcher, al1 perspectives are ualuable.
In this study. it was important to give a voice to people at ali levels of particfpation in the production and consumption of multicultural children's Ilterature. Therefore, authors. iilustrators. publishers. bookstore owners. teachers, librarians. and students were ali considered to have valuable perspectives when it came to addressing the research question. 7. Qualitatiue methods are humanistic.
This study was one in which 1 came to know and understand the people in the case
studies in a personai way. 1 saw them in everyday situations. which included the
regular curricular routine. special events, and the mundane. 1 saw good days and
bad. and came to see beyond the superficial. 1 learned about their ldeals and the dimculties that faced them when they tried to achieve their ideais. The humanistic
nature of this study Is of utmost importance, because it is the people who are
affected and influenced by multicultural Iiterature. The people involved here bring themselves to the literature and may corne away changed by interaction with it.
8. Qualitative researchers emphasize valldlty in the& research.
1 have used tools in this study which enabled me to ensure that the data collected is
reflected in the reporting, and that this data is a 'true' reflection of what the
informants did. said, asked. wondered about and reported. Clnlike a quantitative
study, the emphasis is not on replicability. Even in the section which looks at books
which review and recomend books. the emphasfs is not on the numbers and
percentages, but on patterns and informaîion found within the data.
9. For the qualitattue researcher. all settings and people are worthy of s ttidg
As in number six above, there was no preference for settings when the study was
conceived. A setting with an exemplary !xogramme can provide as much information
as a setting with a programme that is not fuiiy realized.
1 0. Qualitative research fs a cmft.
There 1s flexibility and creativity in qualitative research. In this study. that flextbility was reaiized when I had to change the approach to interviewing the students. because I soon reaibed that young children are too immediate and present in the 36 here-and-now to be able to reflect on experiences. Therefore. 1 had to stop my approach and develop a new way of interacting with them that would respect their imrned-iacy. As Mills has recomrnended. "the qualitative social scientist is encouraged to be his or her own rnethodologist" (Mills in Taylor and Bogdan. 1984. p. 8). The purpose of this study is not to amass data. but to answer questions and pose new ones (Berg. 1989).
The Roblern
My own experiences teaching in a large elementary school in the inner city showed the need for quality literature that would engage the students and allow them to raise critical questions for dlscussion. The students in my own classes had been mainly recent immigrants from countries where war or famine was a reality - countries like the former Yugoslavia, Romania. Somalia. and Ethiopia. These students would arrive with very little, often having missed years of schooling due to their clrcumstances. Many had been refugees or had travelled through and lived in two or three other countries on their way to Canada. The rest of my students. who had been born in Canada, were mostly White, living on welfare or whose parents had Jobs that barely paid a living wage. Many were from single parent homes. The students rarely visited the nearby public library, and it was often dimcuit to encourage the parents to participate in school activities that were academic in nature.
I soon began to realize that my students had dîfllculty relating to the llterature in my classroom. They could not see themselves. Whfle many books strive to encourage teachers to allow the students to bring books from home in their first ianguage. my students did not have such luxuries. and some could not even read in their nrst language because their schooling had been disrupted due to war or frequent moves.
When I tried to obtain books from the library. 1 found that there were plenty in
French. Ceman. Chinese. and Spanish, but Little or nothing in Serbian. Romanian. or
Amahric. One student complained about the materials from the Schwl Board office in 37 Our mandatory Africa unit kit. He denounced the unit as ûying to palnt a pretty picture and avoiding the reality of poverty. starvation and death in the area of East
Africa where he was born. He was right. so 1 allowed him to lead the rest of the study. thus giving us a more personal and balanced picture. He couid not relate to the literature as 1 presented it because the literature itself was hadequate.
The students in my class who were born in Canada and were from European backgrounds also suffered from the effects of a lack of quality rnulticultural literature. They lived prirnarily in high-rise apartrnent buildings surrounded by people from many different countries. religions and cultures. but in school 1 saw little interaction with those who had arrived more recently.
1 knew the problems I faced in finding literature that would meet the needs of al1 my students. Money was the largest factor. Classrwm budgets were slashed. so most of the books in my class were my own. There was little at the library that included positive images of the chlldren in my class and it was not enough, ln my opinion. to have books that were multicultural but not representations of the cultures of my students. Time was another factor. Searching for books is Ume consuming when it requires trips to Teachers' Centres, various public libraries. and different bookstores.
This study, therefore, arose frorn frustration. In the most multicu1tur;il city in the world. 1 could not easiiy provide literature for my students that would value them as members of a specific culture. 1 began to wonder if this frustration was shared. and how other teachers dealt with it. Perhaps their solutions would help me and others.
Study Rationale
This study was also provoked by a children's book cailed Ten Little Rabbits
(Grossman, 1991). which was lllustrated by Sylvia Long. This book was published in
1991 was rereleased in 1995. and is currently available in print. Based on the T'en Little Indians' counting rhyme. this book depicts rabbits taklng part in 'traditional' 38 Native American activities such as performing a rain dance. tracking and sending smoke signals.
I found this book very disturbing for many reasons. The use of rabbits WB unnenring. The rabbits in this story are also performing very unnatural acts for
rabblts. such as wearing earrings. flshing (rabbits. of course, are herbivores) and
running upright. 1 saw this as an affront to the Native respect for and understanding
of nature. The illustrator explains that her inspiration for the use of the animais was
a reading of Watership Down (Adams. 1973). The animais on the cover are huddled
in Native blankets. They appear as decorated Easter eggs - another rabbit
connection. but 1 do not understand what purpose it serves or the connection
between Watershio Down (Adams, 1973) and Native culture.
The authenticity in this story is very questionable. There is no explmation as to
the extent of research or that consultation with Native authorities was conducted.
Neither the author nor the illustrator is Native. although th<:illustrator explains that she had lived on a reservation. Bishop (1992)states that a book written by an author from outside a given culture rnay be denounced because of a lack of awareness of the nuances of the culture and that this may result in "an ethnocentric. biased. or at worst. racist point of viewt' (p. 41 1.
Even more disturbing than the issues of authenticity are the review quotatlons at the beginning Ten Little Rabbits (Grossman. 1991)."Hurrayl At long last primary school educators and lovers of children's literature have an accurate American Indan book written for primary children" (Quoted from The Five Owls). 1 find this book anything but accurate. Another quotation states that this book 1s "guaranteed to pique interest in counting for youngest children. and in Native herican cultures for olcier ones" (Quoted from the Los Anaeles Times). 1 would be very interested to see the reactions of Native people. This book also won the International Reading Association
Children's Book Award. Ten Little Rabbits (Grossman. 1991) not only recalls a rhyme that is demeaning, it also treats Native peoples in a way that is trivializing and 39 humiliating. This rhyrne could also seen as a metaphor for the genocide of Natlves. as it progresses by countîng backwards until there is none left.
The book's tone also goes against Native understanding and respect for Nature. It maintains and perpetuates stereotypes without educating readers about modern
Native life. While each act and Native culture represented is explained in postscript. the reader is left with an histortc portraya1 of Native Ufe that 1s not baianced with reality. Ten Little Rabbits (Grossman. 1991). was cdticized by McCa- (1995) as "the objectification of whole groups of people as 'cute*diminutive animais" (p. 971. While they may Wear different blankets to symbolize various Native groups. the book continues to classi@ 'Native' as homogeneic. She goes on to question what image the
Native reader will see of herself.
The Council on Interracial Books for Children lists 10 ways to analyze children's books for racism and sexisrn:
1 ) Check the illustrations: 2) Check the story Ilne: 3) Look at the lifestyles; 4) Weigh the relationships between people: 5) Note the heroes: 6) Consider the effects on a child's self image: 7) Consider the author and illustrator's background; 8) Check out the author's perspective; 9) Watch for 1oaded words; and 10) Look at the copyright date (nom CIBC. 1980. p. 14- 15).
These indicators can provide a basic guideline to determine which books might not be acceptable as positive literature in the classroom or library for general reading. There are many books like Ten Little Rabbits (Grossman. 1991) in classrooms, homes and Iibraries. They may be overlooked because of their look of innocent appeal. They may be left in use or circulation because it is often dlmcult to cul1 books from a collection. We know that censorship is wrong, but careful selection ia vital. However. books such as Ten Llttle Rabbits (Grossman. 199 1) are very valuable 40 if used ta discuss and Pxpose the perpetuation of racist stereotypes in society and
literature. Such books can be used to teach students how to examine literature
critlcally and question the validity of the material preaented. Left on their own for
students to read without critical discussion, books such as these may do more harm than good.
This book brought many questions to my mind. Do publishers feel there is a
market for books that compromise traditional values? Why would an author attempt
to write outside her culture? Are children able to look beyond the 'cuteness' of the
illustrations to see the inappropriate cultural representations? What has ken the reaction of the Native comunities to this book? How can teachers use a book such
as thfs to educate students and teach them to thhk and question critically?
The Question
The question thls thesis wlll atternpt to address is:
Whatfactors infZuence the selection and use of multkultumi children's fiterature?
Within that larger question, there are a number of smaller ones. Who is actually using the literature? Where do we look for advice about what to choose? How are
Our choices influenced? Are the reasons for selecting multicultural literature different
from the reasons for choosing other types of literature? What do we have to choose
from? What do we hope to accomplish by using multicultural iiterature? What responsibilities are placed on the literature? How do Our interactions wlth the
literature affect our responses to it?
In attempting to answer these questions. 1 will look at the düferent levels at which multicultural children's literature is made available and used. These include the primary sources of the Ilterature: 1) publishers, bookstore owners and librarians;
2)the various consumers of the literature: teachers, parents and children: and 3) the 41 sources of recommendations - reviews in books that recornmend literature for children and newspaper reviews of children's Ilterature.
The Study
The study took place over the course of the 1997-98 school year. The data
collected included many pages of field notes and photographs to allow me to reflect or, the environment and the vartous learning and interactions that took place. The
measures used to ascertain the factors which influenced the seiection and use of
mu~ticulturalchildren's literature included interviews of teachers, students, bookstore
owners. publishers. authors and illustrators; records of the literature read aloud and
present in the classroom; questionnaires completed by teachers, librarians and
admlnistrators. as well as sunreys of books and newspaper articles that review and recomend literature for children.
Criteria for Case Studies
There were a number of important criteria that determined the choice of classes for the case studies.
1. Variety of schools. The schools which were chosen represented different socio-economic and cultural areas. Two schools were larger inner-city schools. The other school was a small suburban school,
2. Range of grade levels. The classes ranged from a JK/SK class to a Junior General Learning Problems class. The other two classes were Grade 2. 3. Teachen, from dlnerent backgrounds. The four teachers who participated In the case studies came from a variety of backgrounds: a Jewish woman. a
Trinidadian woman. a White woman and a White. gay man. Al1 four teachers were in their late 20's to late 30's.
4. Teachere with different levelr, of experience. The teachers in the study had between 2 and 10 years of teaching experience. 'hohad done extensive work 42 beyond their initiai training, graduate studies. and additional qualification courses. while the two others had little. 5. Students from various backgrounds. One school had a majoriw of Black
students, while the other schools had a wider mix of cultures.
Procedure - How the Study was Carried Out
The followlng description of this study is based on a rive part structure for
rnethodological accounting of the research process laid out by Lofland and Lofland
( 1984, pp. 147- 149).
A. Inception and Social Relations
Gaining access to the sites and the CO-opemtbnof the teachers and principals
The teachers 1 asked to participate were very enthusiastic. They wanted me In
their classrooms right away and were anxious to have someone to talk to and interact
with. They were al1 interested in the premise of the study and were willing to help by
recording the books they read aloud. provkiing me with resumes, collecting
permission slips and participating in intenlews. The principals, too. were welcoming and willing to help.
Obtaining permission from the schwl boards was a different matter. Although
the study was approved by an ethical review cornrnittee at OISE/UT, one board refused to grant permission and another required many letters and explanations of my
intentions. definitions and goals. In the end. 1 was able to obtain permission from three boards (which have since joined the Toronto District School Board) to work in four classes.
Parental permission
The parents and guardians were informed of the study by a letter (See
AppendLx J. p. 257) which outlined what the purpose and goals of the study were. and why I wanted to include their chiidren in the study. A section at the bottom of 43 the letter asked for their permission to include thelr chlldren in the study. These letters were distributed and collected by the case study teachers. My telephone number was provided on the letter so parents or guardlans could contact me for clarification or to ask questions. No calls were received. but a number of parents spoke with me at the school. Student interviews were very informal. but based on questions found in Appendix D. p. 238.
B. Rivate Feelings
My feelings about king in the classes for the case studfes were mlxed. It was
interesting to see how other classes operated and how teachers interacted with their
students. At Urnes. 1 would have liked to remain more separate from the ongoing daily classroom events. but to have done so would have been to create a false role, which may have impeded the research process. 1 was very sympathetic to the events that were taking place within the classes. because 1 am a teacher myself and can relate to the dally stresses and Joys of the classroom.
Mthough 1 had known each of the four teacher/participants prior to the study.
I knew them as acquaintances rather than as friends. Therefore. 1 was able to complete my study and analysis without worrying about compromising my relationships with them. In addition. each of the teacher/participants had been very eager to participate, so this made my work much easier.
C. Data Gathering
1 visited each class every 2-3weeks. based on the teacher's convenlence. My officia1 role in the classrooms was that of participant/observer. The questions which guided my observations are found in Appendk C. page 237.
Interviews
Students were interviewed flrst using a protocol that 1 quickly found dîd not work. 1 discovered that it was too dlfncult to ask young children to reflect on thelr 44 experiences. Certain books stood in their mind because they had an experience with
an author who had visited their schwl. or because they had Just completed a study unit on a particular theme. Their sense of the immedlate impeded my attempts to have them reflect on their own experiences with literature.
1 decided that another strategy was necessary. 1 selected a number of books that represented a variety of cultures. 1 included books with photograph plates. as well as ones with a varieV of illustrative techniques and media. 1 chose both fiction
and non fiction. story books. alphabet books and historical works. Due to the age and reading ability of my participants. 1 chose picture books rather than chapter books.
1 intewiewed the students who had returned permission slips in pairs and indlvidually. The interviews took about 1 /2 hour each. 1 started by giving the students Ume to look at the books and to select one that they found interesting and wanted to discuss. Once a selection was made. 1 gave the students time to read the book.
The subsequent discussion of the book was based on a model by Aidan
Chambers. In his book Tell Me (1993).Chambers dlscusses ways to engage students in booktalk. The discussion is framed by 'tell me' rather than 'why' so that there is
CO-operationand mutual respect (Berg, 1989). This allows students to respond authentically because al1 of the responses are vaiued. These probing questions elicit responses that are thoughtful and personal. Responses are recorded verbatlrn. which allows the student to know that he is king heard. If the questions were 'why'. as this would suggest that there is a correct answer. that the teacher or interviewer has that answer, and that the student must do his best to match his answer to what is expected. 1 chose the Chambers model because it would allow the participants the freedom to express their ideas and opinions without concern about king Judged or having wrong answers. The four basic questions that the Tell Me (Chambers 1993) format looks at are: 1) Was there anything that you liked about this book? 2) Was there anything you disliked? 3) Was there anything that puzzled you? and, 4) Were there any patterns - any connections - that you noticed? (Chambers. 1993. p. 76).
1 developed an standardized interview tool based on the Chambers mode1 (See
Appendlx F. p. 245). Some of the students answers overlapped in two or more questions, so the protocol was more of a guide than a strictly followed set of rules. In addition, 1 did not want to discourage the student participants from their book tallc if they wanted to talk about the book In a way that dld not follow my protocol. In fact. the circular discussions were often the most interesting. The purpose of having a standarciized interview was to give each of the respondents an opportuniw to be asked the same questions. so that the response could be compared.
Each of the teachers in the case study was also interviewed following the year of observation. These interviews took between one and two hours. As with the student interviews. a standardized interview instrument was developed (See Appendix
E. p. 239). and followed where possible. When the discussion strayed. 1 took notes on the back of the interview sheet. Usually. these notes were relevant to the dlscusston and worth recording. In both the student and teacher interviews, 1 attempted to write the responses verbatlm. The interviews were entered lnto the computer as soon as possible. usually the same evening.
I interviewed six authors and one illustrator using the author interview questions found in Appendix 1. p. 253. 'IWO of these interviews were conducted over the telephone. Three publishers and four bookstore owners also agreed to interviews
(See Appendix G. p. 245 and Appendlx H. p. 249). Field Notes
During every visit to the case study classrooms. 1 recorded fleld notes. made sketches and Jotted down lists. At times. it was dimcult to make my notes during the actual visit. as the students would invite me to participate in their activities, engage me in conversation, or share thefr work. Many times. my field notes were completed after the visit. They were then transferred ont0 the computer as quickly as possible.
Questionnaires
1 handed out over 500 questionnaires to teachers. librarians and admlnistrators
(See Appendlx L. p. 259). Two adrnlnlstrators retumed the questionnaires. In total, 1 received 75 questionnaires from colleagues. fellow graduate students who were teachers and teacher friends.
Reuiew Literature
1 looked at 21 books and 2 newspaper articles which review books and videos for children. 1 counted the total number of books. magazines or videos reviewed. counted the number of multicultural books. calculated the percentages and then looked at the actual cultures which were represented. By looking at the cultures represented. I wanted to determine if some cultures were king overlooked. and if the cultures found withln the recornmendations reflected the cultures in present North
American Society. 1 also looked at 4 books which provided biographies of authors and illustrators to determine the percentages of authors and illustrators of colour. and those born outside North American and Western Europe.
D. Data Focusing and Anaiysim Most of my field notes were transferred to computer as soon after the observation period as possible. The original hard copies were also kept for reference.
By having the notes on computer. it was easier to find and refer to the notes during 47 the creation of my analysis. and 1 was able to bring those relevant parts of the notes
into the final writing quickly and emciently.
When reviewing the books which provided revlews and recommendations of literature. 1 began with a tally sheet which could be used to record the cultures represented within each section (See Appendix O. p. 275). This tally sheet grew as 1 reviewed more books, as more and more cultures had to be added to the list. The tally sheet also provided the list for the final table of cultures represented within the books of recornrnended literature.
Before 1 began the study. rny feeling was that culture would play a large role in the selection of literature. especially for students from parallel cultures. This feeling was not based on any particular background knowledge or experience. but was a personal hypothesis. It soon became obvious to me that this hypothesis would require major rethinking. as the students surprised me with their reasons for literature selection. In addition, my own views on what constitutes multlcultural children's literature were expanded and reflned the more 1 read and worked on the subject.
At the outset of the study. it was very clear that I wanted to see why we choose the literature wlth which we interact. and how we go about those interactions.
1 wanted to understand the limitations that others place on our selection and the extent to which those Umitations can be overcome, if at dl.
E. Retroepect
In hindsight, I would like to have included in the study a case study from a school which had a maJority of White students In the study to be able to see thelr reactions and feelings about a literature that does not include them. Hindsight also occurred during the study. when 1 had to make a major change to the way I intervlewed the students in order to honour the way young children respond to the imrnediate world. Many questions have arisen from this study that remain to be answered (See Chapter 6 - Recommendations for Rirther Study. p. 220). The Resources
This study is based on three types of informants. I chose this to allow for a
range of informants and to allow for a more vdid collection of data.
Those that Provkie the Li terature
Publishers, bookstore owners and librarians were one kind of resource. These people are at the forefront when it cornes to presenting the books which consumers will choose. They make the initial choices about what consumers will or Ml1 not see. Some rnay form their collections to reflect their personal values or may have more financiai and practical motives. Others will try to provide meaningful materials for those they serve.
The people who use the lltemture. Teachers and students are the second type of informant. Whtle some may argue that teachers. like librarians. choose which books will be presented to students, I place teachers wîth students because they share books with the students through read aloud. guided readlng. novel studîes and class library selections.
Ideally. not dl choices about which books will be read in class will be made by the teacher. Student input is important. both for read aloud. literature study and personal choice reading.
The seiection and use of the lltemture according to the researcher.
The last part of the study is based on my own persona1 observations. reflections and understandings, as well as looldng at books and newspaper reviews that recommend books for children. How the Study was Informed
Publishers. bookstore owners. authors and illustrators were contacted by letter and asked to participate in a hour long interview about multicultural children's literature. They were told in advance the focus of the interview. Questions were made out before the interview and while I attempted to ask al1 the questions. the interview was flexible.
1 also worked on an ongoing basis with four teachers through most of the
1997/98school year. 1 worked in four classrooms in the Metropolitan Toronto area. Obtaining permission to work in these classes was difficult. Concerns were raised about the time that could be taken away from the teachers and students. especially after the strike. The subject of multlcultural literature was referred to by one principal as a 'potential powderkeg'. While the teachers were willing to participate. some school boards extremely cautious.
It was important. however, to work in different schools and areas of the city. 1 wanted to see teachers in a variety of situations. To me, it was important to see students who had experiences and upbringings that contrasted with their counterparts in different schools. I wanted to see schools that were exemplary and schools that were struggling.
The teachers in the case studies were chosen to represent a range of grade levels. school populations, cultural groups and teaching experience. These teachers were al1 very enthuslastic about participating in the study, and made me very welcome in their classes. One teacher had specifically asked me to work in her class long before the study was conceived.
Students from the case study classes were asked to participate in om half hour long interview. This took place after 1 had visited the classes a number of times so the students would feel cornfortable with me. Only students whn had retumed permission slips were interviewed. In total. 49 students participated in the interviews. During the student interviews, students were asked to choose from 22 books which represented various cultures. The books were placed in a loose semi- 50 circle on the floor around the student and researcher. and were randomly arranged.
The arrangement of the books was changed before each interview. The participants
were allowed time to look over the books before making their choice. They were
asked to choose a book they thought they would Uke to talk about with me. After the
discussion based on the Tell Me model. students were then asked which book they would not choose.
Finally. 1 looked at 21 books which reviewed and recornrnended books.
magazines and videos for children. 1 counted the total number of books reviewed and
looked at which of these represented parallel cultures. After doing this. 1 realized
that it was not enough just to count the multicultural books. I dso had to look at
which cultures were being represented and which were not. in order to see if these
books reflected the cultures in Our society. 1 also looked at the children's book
reviews in two large daily newspapers, the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail throughout the year for the sarne purpose. My own observations, reflections and understandings cornplete the study. These are based on my readings, field notes. my own teaching experience. my work with and love of children's literature, and my discussions with teachers. students. professors. publishers. bookstore owners. librarians. daycare workers. parents. and caregivers . 1 examined my own experiences as a teacher, witer and reader of al1 types of literature. Through reflective Joumaling. 1 explored how 1 made my own choices about what to read. who 1 ahare books wlth. the gods I have for using Iiterature. the areas of strength and weakness in my own programming. and what changes should and could be made. My choices affected both the students 1 taught and the colleagues 1 worked with.
In addition, I looked at the outside influences that affected me in my choices. and looked at the various influences and resources that affect the choices of other consumers of literature. These include personal recornmendations. books that review 51 literature. newspaper articles that review literature. and previous experiences with a particular author, illustrator. genre, style or theme.
In addition. 75 teachers. librarians and administrators fllled out a questionnaire about the selection and use of multicultural children's literature (See Appendix L. p. 259). These informants came from various types of schools. Contacts were made by colleagues. friends and people 1 met at workshops. Informed consent was received for each questionnaire.
The Role of the Researcher
As a participant observer. 1 first attempted to gain a general ovewiew of the class environment. This included the physical setup of the classes, the literature available in the classes. the population and cultural representation. and the general interactions that took place. 1 explatned to each group who 1 was and what 1 was doing. In addition. 1 was also a supply teacher in one of the schools. While 1 only worked as a supply teacher in the case study classes occasionally. the students were used to seeing me around the school and were very cornfortable wlth me. In the other two classes. 1 took part in a number of different events. 1 went skating with one class and taught the students a number of 'tricks*. The kindergarten students pulled me into everything they did. which in ftself was a learning experience for this consurnmate junior teacher/researcher. Clearly, in al1 the classes. the students also saw me as a teacher. 1 was asked to spell words. tie shoelaces. repeat the teacher's instructions. cut out pictures. give ideas, edit writing. read aioud and give permission for trips to the washroom.
My role was also one of refiective practitioner. 1 am a teacher first and forernost. and ît was through my teaching experiences that the problem whlch inspired this study became apparent. Through questioning of my own teachlng practice. I began to wonder about my own use of multicultural literature and if 1 was able to adequately address the needs of my students. 52 Reflection
Reflection ia an important part of the research process. but what is 'reflection'?
John Locke. in 1690, described reflection as the "perception of the state of Our own rninds" or "the notice which the mtnd takes of its own operations" (Locke. quoted by Brown. 1987. p. 701. The Oxford Concise Dictlonary describes reflection as "an idea arising in the mind. a comment or apophthegm." The dictionary also describes reflection as "reconsiderat.ionn and "a thing bringing discredit". We can reflect on an event. reading. thought. idea or dream.. Like any reflection. the image rnay be clear. distorted, or backwards. and our perception of the reflection can be affected by the reactions of others and our interactions with them.
Connectedness. Whoever reflects recognizes that there are empty and lonely spaces between one's experiences. Perhaps these gaps are the products of reflection or at least its fruits. Indeed. the conditional tense in grammat conserves a special mode for expressing our sense of +hese unfilled possibilities for experience. "Mat would it be like if...?" (Bruner. 1962. p. 60).
The researcher will always retain a certain level of subjectiviw in her reflections. No matter how far one stands back from a situation, an observer is always affected by the paradox of havlng been the author of it or a participant in its creation or expression. Others may reflect on another person's work from a more objective point of view, but is it ever possible to be truly objectfve? Who has the . 'truer' image - the more objective or subjective observer? The objective observer has the ability to stand back from the reflection and see it as it 1s. without interference. but the subjective observer has a motivation and reason for seeing the image the way she does. Both observational viewpoints are equally valid.
What do we reflect on? We may reflect on an academic task that we are trying to make some sense of. that ta. the actual learning we are trying to achieve. We may reflect on ourselves as leamers, to gain a heightened sense of awareness of our unique learning styles and abilities. We may reflect on the growth that has corne out 53 of that learning, and look at how It has changed us. It is not necessarfly an act that
should only occur at the end of the learning. The most successful type of reflection 1s one that can be interspersed throughout the learning process.
Donald Schon makes a distinction between 'reflection on action*versus
'reflection in actlon' (Schon. 1982. p. 55). What is reflection In action? How can one
posslbly reflect while In the midst of an action? Russell and Muriby explain this phenornenon:
The sort of thinking characterized by reflection-on-action involves careful consideration of familiar data. In contrast. reflection-in-action presents the data quite differently, so that they appear in a novel frarne. What control we can exerclse cornes through reflection on reflection-in-action. when we thlnk systematically about the freshly framed data (Schon 1991. p. 165).
Why do we reflect? We reflect to clarify our knowledge. We seek to flnd a place or a schema for new knowledge to fit with previous knowledge.. When the new knowledge does not flt. we must use reflection to readjust our thoughts and ideas. At times, reflectlon is the only way we can understand an occurrence. We may not understand a situation while we are in the midst of it. but by reflecting. we may be able to make some sense of that situation. We reflect for awareness of and to build confidence in our knowledge.
comptent practitioners usually know more than they can Say. They exhibit a kind of knowing-in-practice, most of which is tacit. Nevertheless, starting with protocols of actual performance. it 1s possible to construct and test models of knowing. Indeed, practitioners themselves often reveal a capacity for reflection on their intuitive knowing in the midst of action and sornettmes use this capacity to cope with the unique. uncertain. and codicted situations of practice (Schon. 1982, pp. dii-k).
We can becorne more aware of Our acc~mplishmentswhen we reflect on the successes and approximations in our leaming. Reflection can help us find the words 54 to better articulate our knowledge. and it can help us vlew situations with greater clarity. John Dewey gives three main purposes for reflective thinking:
1) It emancipates us from merely impulsive and merely routine activlty: 2) It enables us to act in delîberate and intentional fashlon to attaln future objects or to corne into command of what is now distant and lacking: and 3) It enables us to know what we are about when we act (Dewey 1933. p. 17).
Refiection can provide us with a framework for creative and effective problem solvlng.
While not every reflection is based on a pre-eldsting problem. the use of reflection can enable us to step back from a situation and approach problem solving in a slower. more informed manner. Reflection can be the basis of a plan for action. and it may enable us to coalesce knowledge obtained from various sources.
We bring many elements to a reflection. Prior knowledge is important if we are to flnd a schema into which the newly gained knowledge will fit.
Without continuity. there is no such thing as experience. Every e~erienceis what it is in part because of what is brought to it. via prior experience. and in part because of its influence on the future. which is brought about by the alterations that occur in what Dewey calls the internai and environmental conditions of an experience (Clandinin and Connelly. 199 1. p. 26 1 1.
Our emotions may affect how we approach a reflection. and those emotions may in turn be affected themselves by that reflection. We brîng Our philosophies of teaching. learning. life. beliefs. values. and attitudes to reflecttons. In each case. the refiection rnay shape or reshape what we have brought to it. who we are and how we see ourselves. Dewey gives three attitudes which affect the success of inquiry. These are:
1) open-mindedness (as opposed to empty-rnindedness); 2)whole-heartedness (simllar to engagement): and 3)responsibility. which impacts on integrity and personal relevance (Dewey. 1933. p. 321.
Reflections cannot be linear in nature. They are cyclical. always changing and growing and the process must be constantly repeated and built upon.
At times. refiection can be very dfficult. As 1 grow in the role of teacher- researcher. 1 realize that there is a need for honesty in reflection if I am to learn from it. I also understand that it requires courage to listen to our what Our inner voice may be telling us:
the rhetoric of reflective practice has sometimes been used to dress up what we already do in new language. instead of inspiring us to do something different and better. Thinklng is nothing new. Deeper reflection that leads to new insights and irnprovements in practices is rarer (Fullan and Hargreaves. 1991, p. 67).
We may not like what Our reflections reveal about us, but it is by viewing them honestly that we can try to act upon what we learn frorn them. Reflectfon wlthout response and action 1s pofntless. It is by linklng reflection to action that we become reflective practitioners. and that Is when growth occurs.
What is metacognition? Weinert describes metacognition as "second order cognitions: thoughts about thoughts. knowledge about knowledge. or reflections about actions" (Weinert and Kluwe. 1987. p. 8). John Flavell originally coined the term 'metacognition* in the early 1970's. He states that:
Metacognition is usually defined as knowledge and cognition about cognitive objects. that is about anything cognitive. However. the concept could reasonably be broadened to include anything psychological. rather than Just anything cognitive. For instance. if one has knowledge or cognition about one's own or someone else's emotions or motives. it could be considered metacognitive (Flavell. 1987. p. 21). 56 This would enable Howard Gardner's theory of Multiple Intelligences to operate within the metacognitive realm. as Flavell's statement gives credence to Gardner's
'interpersonal' and 'intrapersonal' intelligences. Flavell subdivides metacognition into two areas - 1) metacognitive knowledge, which is "acqulred world knowledge that has to do with cognitive matters" (Flavell, 1987 qiioted in Manning. 199 1. p. 22); and 2)metacognitive experience. which 'are defined as conscious realization or awareness of one's own cognition, most frequently a current, ongoing one" (Manning. 199 1. p.
24). Flavell states that "metacognitive experiences are consclous experiences that are cognitive and affective" (in Weinert and Kluwe. 1987. p. 241.
How does reflection fit in with metacognition? 1s reflection a necessary precursor to metacognition or b It an actual part of metacognition? If metacognition is knowing what we know, it must be through reflection that we arrive at metacognition.
In order to be aware of and to be able to articulate what we know, we must first reflect on that knowledge. Once we have reflected. we become cognizant of Our own learning and knowledge. Metacognition is not a placid state of being. Metacognition is affected by every new learning experience. Just as Our knowledge is never static. our awareness of that knowledge must evolve and grow with it. Metacognition. therefore. cannot occur without reflection. Once we reach the point of metacognition, we can then return to the reflection which brought us to that point, and proceed in a cyclical. renewing pattern of growth. action and reaction.
Why is metacognition important In leaniing and research? Brown ( i 987) states that there are essentially two potential outcomes of metacognition: 1) "effective use or overt description of the knowledge in question" whfch stem from 2) an understanding of knowledge [p. 65). Therefore, according to Brown. metacognition is not only knowledge about knowledge. but an ability to use and control cognition.
If thb theory is correct. metacognition has the potential to affect both cognitive and ski11 development. by puttîng knowledge into use.
What factors affect metacognition? We must first be motîvated to want to become aware of what we know. We must have a reason for seeking that awareness, and must hope to be able to successfully react to that knowledge and follow through with what we know and learn.
Where does metacognition corne frorn? Does it just happa. or must it be actively sought out? Flavell (1987) states that &ere can be sudden occurrences of metacognition - such as a surprised awareness of Our knowledge as an event is unfolding. He terms these 'metacognitive experiences'. At the same tirne.
'metacognitive knowledge' is acquired. While the two types of metacognition are distinct. they are interrelated. and operate ln llght of each other.
Can we be wrong or mislead in Our attempts to articulate Our understanding of our own knowledge? I believe that it 1s possible to be mistaken in Our awareness.
Sometimes, we see what we want to see. Even if we have a correct awareness, our linguistic abilities may Hmtt its expression. I know 1 have experienced this phenomenon, especially when an affective component cornes into play:
It is true. certainly. that an inquirer's continuing conversation with his situation may lead. open-endedly. to renewal of reflection. When a practttioner keeps inquiry moving. however. he does not abstain from action in order to shk into endiess thought. Continuity of inquiry entails a continual interweaving of thinking and doing (Schon, 1982. p. 280). Chpter 3 The People who npvide the Idterature
Authors, Illustrators and Self Identification
Identification of oneself as a member of a cultural group or cornmunity is an important factor in how a person relates to the other members of the group or cornmuniQ and the values they hold in cornmon. Therefore. in intenriewing authors and illustrators of multicultural children's ilterature, 1 ratsed the question of self identification.
Of the authors 1 interviewed. most did not identif' themselves as authors of multicultural books or multicultural authors. One author stated that "because I'm
Jewish, that's what 1 wrote". Another Jewish author, Sarah (al1 names used in the interviews and case studies are pseudonyms). saw herself as vew multicultural because she felt that she had experiences in three different continents - her 'different worlds'. She felt that. both geographlcally and psychological~y,she was an author of multicultural works because she specifically tried to write works that portrayed her
Polish. lsraeli and Canadian experiences. She even felt that by writing a universal. modem fairy tale. she was writing outside her own culture. A Japanese-Canadian author said that she did not think of herself as a multicultural author at dl, and that she does not consider herself in that category.
Marko. an author of Japanese heritage said that she had dimculty at fhst findîng her identity. It did not occur to her that it was possible to write anything else 59 than what was already out there. Therefore. she was a White male. One of her adult
books about life for Japanese-Canadians during the war has become. in her words. "a classic". This book is now required reaàing in a variety of University rhetoric.
humanity. history. women's studles. ESL and religious studies courses.
Leah. a Jewlsh author and illustrator. thought that if she wrote a story wîth a
Jewlsh theme. it would be for a very small audlence and would only be of interest to
people In the Jewish community. She was surprised when this book was her rnost
successful. "Maybe. when you are very speciflc. you become universal." she explained.
When Leah wrote a story outside her culture. she was very upset by the
reaction of a member of that cornmunity. This man had written that he felt her book
was relnforcing negative stereotypes. Upset that she had offended him. the author
explained to me that she had meant the portrayal of the main character in the most
positive way possible. and that the moral of the story was that the very characteristics which offended the man. are positive characteristics of strength. detennbation and creativity. This ietter. explained the author. has sensitized her to the issue of cultural appropriation. She joked that her next story was about Pirates. and that she is sure she will not get any letters from Pirates.
Author Vhginia Hamilton. states that wNle she considers herself a Black author, she also considers herself an Arnerican writer and a woman (Quoted in Rochman. 19921. Harris (1996)wonders how often European Americans are asked if they consider themselves to be White authors. Hamilton also states that she feels limtted by being a Black author. in that she is expected to write within her Black experience. This. she explains. L a limitation that White authors do not experience.
Author/iliustrator Tom Feelings had to travel to Africa in order to awaken his art to a more positive view of Black people. In Africa. he saw Blacks in every type of position. and he soon reaked that his vfew of African-Americans was one of a sad people (Hopkins. 1969). His deciston to iilustrate books came from a concern "about the absence of positive hagery among Black children. a lack he had felt existed since 60 hls own childhood" (p. 70). Feelings ( 199 1) also stresses the importance of the
expression of his own personal polnt of view in his work. He states that he 1s more
than Just a reporter of the events that happen around him. This is similar to the
experiences of the late John Steptoe, who 1s described by Harris ( 1991) as having learned to cope with personal stmggles by "leaming to love and appreciate himself
and his culture" (p. 42).
Myers ( 1991) describes the role of authors of multicultural children's llterature:
'That is our Job. as multicultural writers and people interested in the rnulticultural
experience. to share the gift of each culture that we think we have forgotten" (p. 121).
Authentidty
The necessity for authenticity of authorship in general is questioned by L-ky (1996). Accordlng to Lasky. wrlting outside of one's culture 1s strongly defended lest there be a "literary version of ethnic cleansing" (p. 4). Others feel that only the insider - a rnember of the cultural group - cm present accurate perspectives (Bishop. 1992;
Harris, 1992). There is a difference between betng a participant of a culture and belng an observer (Chan.1984). It 1s this outside/inside difference that will determine what is presented and will influence the reader's perception (Yokota. 1993).
Some reasons for authorship outside of one's culture are stated in Books are bu
People (Hopkins 1969). This book. written soon after Larrick's (1965)seminal article on the lack of multicultural literature, introduces the reader to authors of chikiren's literature. Author/Ulustrator. Ann Grifalconi, explains why so much of her work is done outside her Italian/.American culture. "1 fhd Mexicans, Indians, and biacks (sic) beautiful people wlth strong features and very expressive faces" (p. 94). Claire
Huchet Bishop. author of the controversial book The Flue Chinese Brothers (1938). which has be criticized for the trfckery of the brothers in the story and Welse's illustrations of five identical brothers with the same. stereotypicd physical 61 features. explains that this book started as a story she would tell at the childrents
library In Paris. To practise telling it in Enghsh at the New York Public Library. she wrote the story down to ensure a correct translation. Ironically. when Scholastic decided to publish an updated versio~of this folktale in the late 1980's. they could
not flnd a Chinese writer who wanted or was wtlling to write ii. Scholastic âid not see this as an indicator that perhaps this tale should not be retold. so it was rewritten by another Western writer with Chinese illustrators (Yeh, 19911. In Liu's (1998)doctoral dissertation. books which portrayed the images of Chfnese people. Chinese-Arnertcans and the Chinese cultures were reviewed to
examine the images portrayed. Liu found that most of the inaccriracies and stereotypical portrayais were made by non-Chinese-American authors and illustrators. but even some books made by Chinese-Arnerican authors and illustrators contained
some inaccurate information.
On the other side of the authenticity debate. Julla and John Wilson. a couple of mlxed heritage, explain why they write books about Black children.
As an early childhood teacher. 1 knew feelings of inadequacy arnong minority boys and girls were reinforced by white toys and pictures. The world of books, with few exceptions, pretended that black people didn't exist. So we did something about it. We created Becky! (Hopkins. 1969, p. 3 17). This came as a response to the books that her own mixed-race children read growing
up. with their exclusively White characters and itlustrational representations. Tom
Feelings. a Black author/ illustrator "decided to illustrate books for young children because he was concerned about the absence of positive imagery arnong black (sic) children. a lack he had felt existed since hfs own childhood" (p. 70). He explains that
he hopes to fUl a vacuum for those who have lack a positive experience in their blackness.
An author/illustrator who has written outside her culture stated that an author always appropriates. She felt that when a female author writes the words of a male 62 character, that is appropriation and when any author writes outside of his time or place. that is appropriation. In order to prepare to write outside her experiences, the author/illustrator 1 interviewed does a great deal of research. both for the correct information. and for the accuracy of the illustrations. Perhaps, though. the danger of such appropriation is to omit important cultural aspects. emotions, understandlngs. and nuances that are a part of the experience of the characters. Appropriated writing can only approximate these intrinsic values.
But what about illustration? It 1s not possible for an illustrator to portray a person outside of his culture without worrying about appropriation? No. states
Richmond. a Black artist who has worked on a number of books about hls Nigerian background. He argues that "an artist does not just paint what is seen. An artist interprets and conceptuaiizes and is as much an author of the work as the writer."
Nuance in illustration is an issue and Richmond feels that arüsts who work outside their culture fat1 to see what is important and can show thelr negative views of people of colour through their art, even though they might not speak those views aloud.
Cai and Blshop (1994) point out that an author who has written outside his culture has a larger chance of making mistakes in detall in longer books than in shorter or picture books, because there are more details and nuances to be covered.
However, they state that writers should not necessarily be denied the opportunity to write outside their culture, but "to emphasize the need for outsiders to fil1 in the cultural gap themselves before they can close it for others" (p. 67).
Mariko stated that in her early days as a writer. the importance was on whether the reader would be able to identify with what was being said. for "if you present humanity, people can identify with humanity". She felt that her life as a
Japanese woman spoke for itself, and at that particular tirne. she had no need to restrict her writing by only writing about her Japanese experience.
Sarah states that the books and poems she writes with universal themes are modelled on a partlcular essence. such as goodness or adventure, and that her stories with a Jewish motif contain no sadness. just a statement of what happened in 63 the past wlthout trying to manipulate the emotlons of the readers. While she larnents
the beauty and potential that was lost. she does not feel the need to dwell on it or
portray the horrors of her own Holocaust mernories simply because it will evoke a
response or reaction from the readers. "There are joyful stories. tw."she stated emphatically . Hope. a Canadian bom poet of British heritage who has recently published a
number of poems in a collection with a world theme, found it very dimcult to write for an audience she did not know.
It was dimcult to send out these words and not know how they rrilght be received. How can any one person write something that is 'universal' - how arrogant! 1 was stating my wishes for these people of the world. but not knowing if what 1 wishrd for them would be benencial. empowering. oppressive, or even offensive.
In the end. she decided that she was speaking to the people, and not for them. and that by making the words her own, her voice was both her right and her responsibility with al1 the implications and consequences that accompanied it. She did not know how she would handle any negative feedback that might arise frorn her writing .
Feelings ( 199 1) and Lindgren ( 199 1) provide cornmentaries on books whlch have been wrltten by authors from both within and outside their cultures. The nuances that the commentators point out are ones that could certainly be overlooked and even misunderstood by someone who is not a member of that culture. Some of the cornmentaries are very specific. such as the lack of pride when braîding of the children's hair in Secret Vakntine (Stock,1991), while other criticisms are more vague, auch as the remark that the figures in Catherine Stock's iilustratlons in
Galimoto (Williams, 1990) 'do not look real" (Feelings. 199 1. p. 48). Howard ( 199 11 describes this phenornenon as knowing that something is true "because we feel it. deep down" (p. 92). Such nuances may seem trivial to some. but to the members of 64 the culture. they are important cultural symbols. Other appraisals of literature can also be found in the CIBC Bulletin. in Sims (1982)and in Slapin and Seale (1988).
Publishers
The attempt to include multiculturalism in publishlng has been described as having varying levels of success. Ford (1996)describes the slrnplici@ of translating
English titles as one attempt. the inclusion of one or two previously overlooked cultures as another. and putting parallel cultures into al1 books as a third. The latter is put dom by Larrick (1965). because there are many situations where people of colour do not belong, and putting them there to fulfil a quota is wrong (Yokota, 1993). However. Larrick also points out that stories about e.g. city life. must have this type of inclusion and representation in order for it to be realistic. The publishing industry has maintained that there is a lirnited market for multicultural books (Sims. 1983) and that they have few manuscripts to choose from (Harris.quoted ln Martinez and Nash.
1990: Yeh. 1991) which W. Hudson (1991) states Is an excuse for not actively finding more authors and Ulustrators of colour. Kathy Short and Yetta Goodman (quoted in
Martinez and Nash. 1990)state that publishers believe that such books are only read by children from parallel cultures and do not do well in the retail market. an aasumption Co which Homing and Kruse ( 199 1) challenge publishers and booksellers to examine carefully.
Not al1 the authors 1 interviewed agreed that the publishers wanted good writing when it came to rnulticultural works. One author stated that some like to explore what they are not used to such as the anti-hero or povem. Unfortunately. the same author stated that some multicultural authors becorne mainstream authors because of their writing. 1 was unsure if she meant that she saw a hierarchy with rnulticultural writing at the bottom. or if those authors were not suited because of their writing styles to portray their culture adequately.
Sarah was very critical of the role of publishers said that they did a disservice to children. "Big press just wants big names. but small press has fewer Iimitations". 65 She felt that quality literature with challenging but creative language is what is
misshg from what is king published. and that publishers are word counters who are
afrald to take risks. especially if the topic is too serious. but that the children are
willing to accept literature if Lt is presented to them. The stress. according to her. is on colour. action and DisneyTN characters. Sarah feels that when she presents her writing to groups of children and aaults. it is well received, even though some publishers are not willing to take the chance on it.
Nick. an author of a fantasy/adventure book recently pubiished, had dlmculty
with what the publishers deemed to be unnecessq violence. Because this book was based on the Greek myths and legends that this author of Greek hedtage grew up wlth, he did not understand why this passage would be cut. when it was no worse
than the classical tales on which it was based. The Council on Interracial Books for Children (CIBC)was founded in 1967, and held as one of its founàing principles "that there were ways to encourage authors and artists of color to create good books for children and to spur publishers to produce and market these books" (Horning and Kruse. 199 1. p. 3). and as part of this, the
CIBC sponsored contests for writers of color who had been previously unpublished.
in 1969. the Coretta Scott King Award was established to acknowledge Black writers. An award for Black illustrators was also later established.
The impact of Nancy Larrick's 1965 article in the Saturday Review has had a profound impact on the publishing industry according to Horning and Kruse ( 199 1) who reported that more books with a sensitivity to the portrayals of racial diversity were published in the years following Larrfck's study.
Yeh (1991)describes the timing of how multicultural books are marketed and sold by Scholastic. a large school market publisher. Through book f&s and book clubs. rnany of Scholastic's books go directly to schools. Yeh. a Scholastic edttor, states that while it is not the intention of Scholastic to market books at speciflc times of the year. the reality is that books are demanded by the consumers at those times [e.g. the demand for books about Dr. Martin Luther King in January and Febmary). 66 and consumer demand drops off when the connection with the holiday has ended. Yeh claims that they actually reach more people by marketing books at certain times of the year to coincide with festivals when demand is high. than marketing multicultural books al1 year round.
The founder of Just Us Books, Wade Hudson (1991) stresses the fact that
there is a demand for multicultural literature and that this demand has been
overlooked by large publishers in Arnerica. Hudson states that the promotional
framework of larger publishers does not include multicultural literature. While Just
Us Books is a small. alternative press, Hudson shows that there is a market for multlcultural books. and that it can be economically successful.
To Hudson (1991) the power of publishers is great. To that end. she describes multicultural literature as being "grounded in the values of people of color ... but they are accessible and valuable to al1 children" (pp. 81-82). Smaller publishers can adhere to their personal and speciflc values more easily than larger publishers. In an interview wlth 2 managers from a large publisher of anthologies, Judy and Noreen told me that because their books go directiy to the school market. it is the market that determines what the cultural representations wlll be. Because their books are for the schools, al1 their books have to represent Canadian culture. which is therefore. multlcultural. Even in their Science books. for example, they strive to show illustrations of people from parallel cultures doing experiments. because the kids rnust be able to see themselves.
Judy and Noreen explained that the quality of the literature is the driving force in how they select what will be published, and that they try to use authors and illustrators from the culture. They are very concerned. they Say. with audience perception of their material. and that because their books are going out to children of ail cultures, they are careful to avoid stereotypes, not Just to keep from offending children from the culture in question. but prevent misinformation being passed on to chilchen who do not belong to that culture. They also said that there are subjects 67 that they avoid because they might be objectionable to Canadian cultural values, such as animal sacrifice.
Specificity is also an important factor in their publishing guidelines. The
names they use in their books are very specific to the culture in question. They use the term 'Black' and use specific band ~llatlonsrather than 'Native'whenever
possible. They try to use the individual cultural narne rather than a large group name in order to maintain distinction and subtitles.
Librarians
One school librarian 1 interviewed. Glenn. made a great effort to flnd books that were multicultural. due to the encouragement of a Black educational assistant who worked at the school. The librarian purchased a large number of books about
Black topics. He marked these books with 2 green stickers on the spine to make them identifiable within the collection. but there was no way to look them up in the catalogue as king part of the 'African Collection'. This impressive collection contained many excellent books by authors of colour and was the largest collection of multicultural books in the library. but there were very few Black students in the school itself. This discrepancy did not seem to be a concem to Glenn who insisted that it was the quality of the books that was important and that books about Black topics were the multicultural books that were easiest to Bnd due to the number of these books available. During the year. the librarian had received money to purchase a collection of approxirnately 150 dual language tradebooks which were placed on a separate shelf in the non-fiction section of the library. These books were selected by
Glenn and an English as a Second Language teacher. When 1 asked if they were used by the students. Glenn responded that they were. but he was not able to elaborate on how they were used or by whom.
AUce. a librarfan at a srnall. suburban school explained that when she took over the position. there were few multicultural books in the collection. Because of budget cutbacks. she has not ken able to obtain many multicultural books to make up for 68 the shortfall. At her school. with its mainly White population. this has not been a signiflcant problem for the staff, who do not corne to Alice looking speciflcally for multlcultural books. Alice explained that the staff are more interested in having access to multiple copies of books tiat they can use for guided reading. and books for read aloud. often based on themes. The multtculturai books in Nice's library are not coded or held separate from the rest of the collection. The library has a few books in French. but Alice does not see the need to purchase any books in other languages because there are so few ESL students in their school.
Jim. a school librarian who is gay. told me that he did not keep any books about gay issues or characters in the library, because he did not want to be seen as having his own personal agenda for the library. The few books about general sexuality that were avatlable were kept on a separate shelf for the teachers to sign out. He found there was pressure from the parent council to keep these books in a place where they could be accessed by teachers and parents, but not by children in unsupervised situations.
One library that made a special effort to obtafn dual language books was proflled in Feuerverger (1994). Special funding was obtained for the school to participate in a project wlth the University to bring dual language books to this large. muldcultural school with a student population that was largely ESL. and study the effect the collection would have on the students. The librarian found that through this project. the students*self-esteem increased when they were able to see thernselves in the literature. and their connection to the countries they had so recently left was maintained through the Merature. Feuerverger reported that the librarian also found that students from more than one culture were able to share in reading together, as the barrier of language was Iifted. This created a greater sense of apprecfation for parallel cultures and more intercultural friendships were fomed and strengthened.
The problem of programmes like the one descrfbed by Feuerverger (1994) is largely financial. DuaI language books are expensive to produce. because they 69 require translations and attention to detaii such as text replacement. and they are
printed in smaller nurnbers. These factors makes dual language books expensive to
purchase. In a time of cutbacks. there is little money for this type of material. especially when libraries are seen more as media resource centres with expensive computer and multf-media equipment.
Librarians have an important function in the selection and use of rnulticultural children's literature. Not only do they select what will become part of the collection. but they also are responsible for making recomrnendations and displaying books.
Children know the geography of the libréuy and are familiar with tts layout and where to flnd their favourite titles (Reutzel and Gali. 1997). For students who do not have books at home. the library may be their only source of reading material.
Therefore. the onus is on the librarian to provide materials that will show accurate and ernpowering representations of the people who will read the literature. both those who will see themselves. and those who are creating an understanding of who people from parallel cultures are and can be. Like teachers. the librarians* implicit and explicit values can be seen in their work. Which books are selected for display, how books are read aloud to children and which books are recomrnended to children. teachers and parents dl tell of a librarians values. both in the inclusion and omission of certain materials. themes. authors/illustrators and titles.
Booksellem It was not surprising that the bookstores who weïe interested in being interviewed were ones that had a strong core of multicultural books but also carried mainstream books. The bookstore owners were interested in the study and wanted to show their strength as multicultural bookstores. Ail of these bookstores were independent and had been in business for a number of years.
Sally. the owner of one of the stores indicated that thelr clientele for multicultural books was mainly people of colour who were happy to 8nd books that reflect the images they know and value. She said that more than 65% of their sales 70 was multicultural books. Accordlng to Sally. the store mlght be more profitable if they
carried mostly mainstream books. but the store was not started as a business
venture. but to reflect her values. which is more rewaràing. They also sell to many
schools and do book tables of anti-racist and antl-biased books. Sally indicated that
the majority of the walk-by clientele received the multicultural books well. but that
when she presented a recent display of lesbian books. she often found the books removed from the display and 'hidden*around the store.
Janice, the owner of a store that has a large section of children's books said
that their clientele cornes in specificaily because they know the store deals with
quality literature. and that multicultural books are 30-40 % of their stock. with a larger percentage of multicultural picture books. and far fewer non-fictlon
multicultural children's books. Their stock is as much Canadian literature as Janice can order. and she states that she has the freedom to carry whatever she wants.
Vanessa. an owner of a bookstore that specialized in African-Canadian and
African books stated that she was very choosy about what she stocked in her store. The books. she explained. are a reflection of herself and the people who shop at her store. While her clientele at the store is mainly Black, she is able to reach a larger clientele when she sets up book displays at conferences. festivals and in schools.
Sally indicated that her clientele is looking for bias free books that do not reflect stereotypes. because the kids get excited when they see themselves. Teachers, accordlng to Sally. also want a mix of rnainstream and multicultural books and books that deal with issues that corne up in the class. Sally tries to meet these demands by over-ordering books for school dtsplays that she knows will meet the needs of teachers. While Janice indlcated that her cllentele have no partlcular needs. she does sell more multicultural teacher resources that are practical (such as multicultural math and cooking) rather than theoretical books.
Sally indicated that she has difficulty finding multicultural books that are
Canadian with the exception of two small Canadian publishers. She states that the other publishers think there is no market for such books. She is able tu obtain some 71 good books from England. and good Black and Hlspanic books from the United
States. Janice feels that the publlc demand. especially from teachers. parents.
daycare providers and librarians has brought about change in the past few years. and
that it has become much easier to flnd books. Vanessa said that it is always a
challenge to find materials that wiil fit with her store's objectives and values. The
books are out there, but she says. bookstore owners must be challenged to seek
materials that are positive. beautiful and intelligent.
The qualities that owners look for in the text of multicultural books are as follows: -good supported text -bias free -contemporary - holldays -reflecta reality, especlaily the Toronto reality -lots of cultures -reflective of kids -morethan Just falry/foik tales
In illustration they stressed: -not black and white (kids are used to beautiful books) -1nteresting topic mot too sexist -colour - price -publisher -bias free -not-stereotyped (e.g. Africans without shoes. Natives with feathers) -cultures in everyday situations
Al1 the owners stated that they tried to avoid books with cultural appropriation. because of the possibllity of authors and illustrators who overlook the nuances of a culture. Janfce stated that it is often hard to tell an author's culture unless there is a jacket picture or a book which has a biography of the author. The owners stated that if they did accept a book from an author or illustrator from outside his culture. if:
1) you could not find anything else from this culture. because it is important to have materials that are reflective: 2) the topic was well done: 3) the look and price of the book were good: and 4) the illustrator 1s from a different culture, because it is easier to accept than if a write: from a different culture.
The rejection of literature was an interesting topic. Because bookstores can send back unsold or unwanted books, the owners stated that they had the opportunity to try things out and get opinions from employees and even people at the school boards before making flnal decisions about keeping a book. Sally stated that books needed to be in tune wlth things. and that they would not handle books with adult appropriated themes. Janice indicated that she would reject a book based on t sexîst or cultural bias. For Vanessa. avofding the need to return books was important. She stated that she chose her books very carefully to avoid the need to return books. She felt that her strength was in the choice of books in her store, so selection was made with great care.
Only Sally's store had speciflc sections according to culture. She stated that this made it easier for people to Bnd books. None of the people interviewed indicated that they rnarketed multicultural books differently from mainstream books. Cultures that the owners found were underrepresented in the literature are: Muslim. South
Asian. Farsi. Tamil and Ethiopian. Sally indicated that often such books sell off and they cannot be replaced easily. In addîtton, Sally stated that there is less acceptance of gay and lesbian children's Ilterature, and that the few books they cary are mostly sold to gay and lesbian parents. She feels this will develop, similar to the acceptance of multicultural literature. Sv What does the information from the providers of the literature tell us about the factors involved in presenting multicultural children's literature to the consumers?
1) There are providers of the literature who are looking out for the interests of the public. In the examples of Sally and Vanessa. the sales of multicultural literature was more of an expression of personal values than retall venture. Their choices are made carefully and they listen to the opinions and criticisms of thei customers.
2) It is not necessary for authors of multicultural children's literature to be intentionai in their goals to make their work to fit with the mulUcultural genre. The outcome of creatirig a multicultural work can be achieved without deliberate purpose.
3) Much of the criteria for choosing multicultural literature is the same as the criteria for mainstream llterature.
4) There are gaps in the cultures that are represented in children's literature.
5) The acceptance of gay and lesbian children's llterature is restricted mainly to the gay population.
6) There remains a conditionai acceptance of appropriated literature. Chapter 4
T'he Teachers and Students
The Role of the Teacher
The role of the teacher in the selection and use of multicultural children's literature is important. The teacher is the link to much of the Iiterature that students will hear and see around them. Through reading aloud, the teacher brings his personal values in the selection of Iiterature. The reading, including tone of voice. and questions and cornments which will extend the reading, give the students insight into the teacher's implicit and explicit values Students will see if the teacher makes a effort to include people Iike them in the books that are read in class.
The famlliarity wfth genre. author. illustrator or theme can have an effect on the connections that students will make will literature and how they will make their own choices. While not as important as peer suggestions. the introductions that teachers faciiitate can be important determlnants in students' future interactions wîth
Iiterature. It is especially important. therefore. that teachers be farnfliar with the literature and cornfortable with its use, because insincerity is worse than avoidance.
The following four case studies will give examples of the ways that teachers in different schools and teaching situations deal with multicultural literature, their feelings and philosophies about it and how they use the iiterature with their students.
The observations will give insight into the various ways that teachers approach the literature. and how their objectives are met.
Each teacher in the case studies is very different in personal and cultural background. They have in common the fact that they are committed educators who 75 strlve to provide the best programme possible for their students in spite of the limitations of tirne. budget restrictions. staff morale. and an unstable political climate in the year of the study, which included a 10 day province-wide teachers' strike. The teachers in the study particlpated Wllingly and gave me free access to their classes. 1 was able to visit at various times of the day to see each part of the programmes and was able to attend field trips with three of the classes. The students also accepted me without reservation, answered my questions (often before 1 had asked them). showed me where to find things and talked openly and honestly. 1 truly appreciated the open atrnosphere in al1 the case study classes. Case Study #1 Cryetal
Crystal is a teacher with nine years experience in two elementary schools. In her current position. she is also the Chairperson at her school. with time allotted through the week for administrative duties. She has taught Grades 2-4 and integrated Core French. and has addtional qualifications in English as a Second
Language and French as a Second Language. Cxystal has also acted as an Associate
Teacher for student teachers from three FacuIties of Education.
At the tirne of the study. Crystal was completing her Master of Education degree in Curriculum Studies. with a specialization in Language. Literacy and Literature Across the Curriculum. Crystal also attends numerous Professional Development workshops and conferences. Outside of school. Crystal teaches Aerobics classes Nce a week. She has been married for 10 years and does not have any children. Much of her free time is taken up by her studies and her work as school Chairperson. Crystal cornes from a white. Anglo-saxon background. She was raised as a Christian, but is not presently practlsing. Crystal has intereat in meditation and other spiritual expression.
nom my observations, it is clear that Crystal is well lL!ed and respected by her students. peers and principal. 1 did not hear her raise her voice with the students, and she spoke in a consistent and flrm manner. Her students were generally well behaved and listened well. The school is located in the suburbs of Toronto. The students corne frorn a variety of socio-economic backgrounds. Some have professional parents and live in cornfortable single family dwellings. while oîhers live in nearby low-rise apartments. The school is relatively small with fewer than 200 students. The principal cites the size as one of the reasons for their good performance on the government testing of students in Grade 3. There is a day care centre on the site &o. Two of the classes are primary special education. and there is a reading recovery teacher. The main pardel culture groups represented in the school are Serbian and Vietnamese. 77 The hst thing I noticed upon entering the school was the beautiful artwork in
the foyer. There were many artifacts from Asia and Africa. Some of the paintings
were collected by a former principal. and other had been done by staff members. A Chinese silk tapestry hung uncovered in the hallway. The principal explained that the
children respected the work and did not damage it. Crystal has a Grade 2 class with 28 students. They had been hatching
butterflies and had a number of books out on dlsplay with the butterfly nurseries.
Around the room on the chalkboard ledge were a number of books about multiculturalism. Crystal gets many books from the Teacher Centre at her board. She rotates the books on the chalkboard regularly. The students have the option of borrowing books that she has read aloud. There were also a number of multicultural
posters on the wall. This 1s a busy class wlth many books and manipulatives. Crystal's personal philosophy about the selection and use of multicultural
children's literature stems from the need for the children to see themselves reflected
positively. Therefore. she feels it is important to have a diverse and representative
selection of children's books and materfais. Even in a class without as much
diversity. she feels it is important to make those connections to people from different
cultures.
Her atternpts to provide these materials are supported by the ESL team at the
Board level. She ha3 to seek out multicultural books from the Teacher Centre because there are few in the school 1lbra-y. In addition. Crystal has found that her training in ESL additional qualincations courses at the Faculty of Educatlon has provided her with the ability to support herself in her attempts to work with multicultural materials.
The books that Crystal uses for read aloud are the ones the students gravitate to. She especially enjoys reading folktales from many cultures. The books Clystal uses for Read aloud corne from a varieV of sources - the public library, her own personal collection and the ESL Resource and Prirnary Resource Centres at the Teacher Centre. 78 In class. read aloud is supported and extended in many ways. Students rnay do story response. drama. visual arts. story sequencing. author or theme stuàies. borrowing books and mode1 writing. Crystal also attempts to extend the use of multicultural literature into other areas of the curriculum. She has used the 'Quest
2000' math programme which has a number of activities that fociis on parallel cultures. During her years of teaching, Crystal has taught novel studies on segregation. slavery and freedom. the Amedcan Civil War. Native Studies and the environment.
In her teaching. rnulticultural books are used al1 year, but some Urnes of the year take on special foci. Thanksgiving is dedicated to Native studies. Christmas is mainly euro-centric. In the wlnter. Inuit books are studied. Martin Luther King Day in January and Black Hfstory Month In February are another focus. as is Chinese
New Year in Februq. At Easter. the books of Patricia Polacco are used for a study of Ukrainian culture.
Books surrounded Crystai's classroom (See Figure 4.1. p. 8 1 ). There were books on the chalkboard ledge. on book shelves, on the front shelf, and on the theme table. The chalkboard was reserved for books borrowed from the Teachers' Centre.
There were 190 books in Crystal's classroom. 23 (12.1 %) were multicultural books.
There was one book in Poiiah. Crystal explained that the total number of books in the room did not include the many books she brings from home. but does not keep at school as part of the permanent class collection. The books on the chalkboard were usually kept for a rnonth and were rotated. Students respond to multlcultural literature that is used in Crystal's class as if it is any other books. Students will engage in critical questioning if it is guided. The responses of students frorn the mainstream and parallel cultures may ciiffer depending on their personal connection to the story. In their writing. the students do not tend to write spontaneously about their own culture or other cultures. but they may in response to a story or if they are invited to share a persond experience such as traditions that stem from the family culture. 79 TO support their responses to the literature. Crystal tries to provide art matedds that may be used to create realistic representations. Crystal reports that
the students like to colour their faces to match their skin tone. In particular. some of her fernale students were fastidious about exact representation.
Cvstal was able to articulate her many strengths as a teacher. She is able to
choose authentic literature, and is very selective because she would never want to
reinforce stereotypes or rnisrepresent a culture. As we evident in the classroom. she
is able to make good use of Board materiais and rnakes an effort to seek literature
that wlll support her programme and students' needs. Crystal sees her class as a safe place where students will feel able to take risks. This allows her to explore dimcult issues such as racism. slavery. abuse. death and dying. According to Crystal, these issues are moral issues that many
people do not want to tackle. Therefore. she sees herself as a risk taker when it
cornes to addressing difficult issues. She enjoys hearing a hush in the classroom as
students flt thoughts and ideas lnto their own experiences. She states that "If I've made them think for even 5 minutes, then I think I've achieved something."
Crystal tries to share her expertise and success with her presence on the staff
as the equity representative. She tries to share her resources with those staff
members who are receptive. Crystal tries to use the students' work to display on
bulletin boards rather than forcing her own agenda. Unfortunately, Crystal states
that she feel like an island at times, because there is not a lot of peer support and there is a lack of team planning and team teaching opportunlties.
Crystal would like to have more multicultural resources In her permanent collection. but realizes that this would have to corne from her own money. Much of the school literature budget goes to the reading recovery programme. She would like to be able to explore more global issues in detail and integrate multicultural literature more purposefully in her class.
It was clear from my observations and discussions with both Crystal and her students that this programme was exemplary in its use of multicultural chikiren's 80 literature. Crystai selected books that would serve her students by Btting in with the theme being studied and showing a variety of representations at the same time. The selection process was made dcher by the variety of sources that Crystal drew from.
She sought books from public libraries. teachers' centres and her own personal collection. The use of the books for read aloud was extended into other areas of the curriculum. especially through class discussions and response writing. In this example. Crystai did not simply use the literature as an addendum to her curriculum.
It was a central part of the curriculum itself, and often drove the thematic choices.
The response of the students to the ways in which multicultural literature was used in Crystal's class showed that the literature was an accepted. integral part of their school work. The students used the literature enthuslastically, which was, no doubt, due to the standard modelled by Crystal. Mainstrearn teachers can be effective role models for students from parallel cultures through the use of quality materials and by demonstrating attitudes of anti- bias and inclusion. bath in expliclt ways such as by dlscussing issues of bias and prejudice. and in lrnplicit ways such as personal interactions with students and a demonstration of inclusion through a variew of curricular choices which will benefit students of al1 cultures. Figure 4.1
Map of Crystal'a Classroom Case Study #2 Matthew
This is a mixed Junior and Senior Klndergarten class with more students at the
SK level. The teacher. Matthew. is an adjunct professor at York University and has student teachers three days a week. Matthew also lectures and gives workshops on
integratlng math and music. Matthew has taught for nine years.
The class area is shared with Pamela, another JK/SK teacher (See Figure 4.2.
p. 87). Both Matthew and Pamela have teaching assistants. Pamela's room is set up
mainly for language and art and the Matthew's room is rnainly for math and science.
The students move back and forth between the rooms at certain times. They may be
divided according to grade level. by interest or, depending on the planning set by the
teachers. the entire class rnay switch rooms in order to focus on a different area of
the curriculum and to share materials.
Matthew 1s a 33 year old gay male who lives with his partner. Paul. a Diaconal
Minister with the United Church of Canada. Matthew is also active in the church and
sings in the choir. Both are openly gay in the church. Matthew has adopted a boy.
Andrew, who is six. This was Bnalized in November 97. During the year, Matthew
and Paul were also in the process of bringing another three year old child into foster care. They hope to eventually adopt this boy.
The school is situated in the inner city of Toronto. It was built two years ago and houses more than 600 students. The school is very clean. modem and slightly
stark. The majority of the students are Black. The kindergarten area is in a wing
directly off the main foyer. It has its own entrance to a circular driveway and another
entrance from the schoolyard which is used for outdoor play. During my year of visits to the school, I did not meet many other teachers. I dtd not rneet any of the admlnistrators, but had their permission to work in the school. Because the kindergarten teachers do not have recess like the other teachers, there were fewer opportunities to interact with the staff. 83 The members of the staff at the school know that Matthew is gay. He reports that he has not had any negative feedback about this or about acceptance of his family structure. He is very cornfortable talking about his family with his peers and
with his students. During one visit. Matthew read One Dad. Two Dads. Brown Dad, Blue Dads (Valentîne. 1994) to his class. The students accepted this book and did
not question why there were two dads. The book is similar in structure to many Dr.
Seuss books. and was used for enjoyment. No lesson about varfous famlly
structures ensued. This book was from Matthew's personal collection. and was not kept in the classroom. There were no other books about gay issues or characters visible in the classroom.
Parnela's room was the room which was designated as the language room. In it. there was a display case of books which were pertinent to the theme or author being studied. These books rotated regularly. On one sample day. I counted 17 books on àîsplay. of which 6. or 32.5 % were multicultural (four Black. one East European and one Disability). Of the nine Big Books. there were no multicultural books. Other books belonging to the Klndergarten were kept on a separate shelf by the teachers' area and were out of bounds to the children. These books were brought out as needed.
Matthew's philosophy about the selectlon and use of multicultural chfldren's literature is that the better books are written by those people who are part of the culture rather than outside of It. He particularly dislikes books that have characters with darker skin but white features. He feels that muiticultural literature is literature written by, for and about different cultures. races, ethnic groups. religious groups and fady makeups, and that it is important to be aware of the language used in the books.
His attempts to use multicultural literature are supported by both the school library and the adjointng public bbrary. His school library has what Matthew described as a 'hem budget' and a few years ago. consultants bought a set of 25
'good' books for each classroom. such as Somethim Rom Nothiw [Ciiman. 1992). 84 The books are used by the librarian, hls teaching assistant. the students and himself. Parents will &O borrow books from tlme to time. The students seem to choose whatever appears to be a good book. Books are not grouped together or displayed in any partkular way. Matthew often reads books aloud based on a theme. such as the Anansi tales. He also tries to use music from parallel cultures.
Read aloud is supported and extended by drama and art. Matthew has a number of props at the drama and block centre such as dolls from various cultures and clothes which have been donated by parents frorn parallel cultures. There is a felt board for the students to use with cutouts frorn different storfes. In addition, the teaching assistant, who is very creative, designs things for the students to make and use. Time is also given for free choice of books. Muiticultural literature is extended into other areas of the curriculum. especially science. There is a baklng area in the classroom. and snacks are often based on recipes from books. A vislting adult student from China came and made snacks from parallel cultures. There is a wok in the classroom which is frequently used.
Multicultural literature is used throughout the year. The students have corne to expect it. as it is a naturai phenornenon. Matthew reports. As this is the students' first school experience, they do not have any precmceived ideas as to what to expect.
He does nct see that the few mainstrearn students in his classes respond differently than those from parallel cultures.
The students Ml write about their cultures when they tell about trips and things that happen at home. Their cultures show up in their pictures as they tell their stories. Care is taken to make brown plasticene. sometimes with brown glitter added. Flesh tone markers are available, but students will often colour their skin green or purple, as is the case in many kindergarten classes!
Matthew feels that he is good a listening to the students and parents. such as when they talk about Eid. Greek Christmas and Easter. He feels that he has a good abiiity to pick up books that the students WUreread and go back to. 05 His work as an adjunct professor at York University in Toronto has enabled him to share his expertise and successes. Matthew has also acted as a host teacher for Early Childhood Education students and Bachelor of Education students frorn several universities. He has also done workshops on cooklng for parents and teachers.
If he could do anything differently, Matthew states that he would like to be able to ignore the administration. He feels that too many things are thrown at teachers. and the students should be put Brst. He would also like more money for the classroorn and the opportunity to visit other classes to see how other classes work.
As for gay literature for children. Matthew does not feel there is a lot available, and that some of it is very contrived. He flnds that some of the sublect matter is very questionable, such as the stereotypes found in Uncle What-k-Lt Is Cotninq to Vfsit.
(Willhoite. 1993) Matthew wishes for an acceptance of dl types of hornosexuais. The only negauve feedback on the use of gay literature in the classroom has corne from other teachers. but most of his colleagues have been positive in his experience.
It was clear from rny observations that Matthew is a caring. warrn teacher. He works hard to provide a variety of experiences for his students. Matthew is much more cornfortable with math and science than wlth language. It was apparent from the classroorn setup that books were not a strong focus of the class. 1 did not see the students spend any time just sitting and reading, but trips to the nearby public libraiy were frequent.
Matthew did show a strength in using multkultural music with the students.
The students learned a song in sign language which was going to be performed for the parents. They also sang a number of songs in class from the Caribbean. The students clearly enjoyed the music and sang and danced with the music. Matthew also discussed with the children the meaning of the words in the songs. This music was also used for creative movement and dance.
WhUe language is not a focus of this class. it is clear that the students are receiving a multicultural and anti-bias education. Much care 1s taken to expose the 86 students to a variety of cultures and cultural values through colours in their art rnaterials. foods at snacktirne, dolls with dlfferent features in the cirama area and music for Song and dance. This is a class where students learn to feel good about who they are.
Case Study #3 Rachel
Rachel 1s a Junior special education teacher in a large JK-6 school in Toronto.
At the tirne of the study. she was in her second year of teaching. Rachel was a very
active teacher in the school with many extra responslbilities. She held a one half
Currioulum Resource Teacher position in ihe area of cornputers and was the liaison
for a special technology project taking place at the school. She was teacher-mentor
for a new teacher in the school. She dso assisted with a number of CO-curricular programmes. such as choir. craft club and computer club.
Rachel is 28 years old. She is of Jewish descent but was raised an atheist. She explained that her parents were very anti-racist and they passed these values on
to Rachel. Rachel said that as a child she would not play with children who were
using racist names and felt strongly that she needed to stand up for the beliefs with
which she was raised. Rachel expressed a strong dislike for people who try to overlook the ciifferences of race and culture. stating that these ciifferences are
extrernely important becausc they are part of the person's experience. history.
lifestyle. and to a large extent, they play a role in how others treat people.
Music 1s clearly a focus in Rachel's life. She plays the piano, and has studied both piano and voice at the Royal Conservatory of Music. On Saturdays. Rachel has a job singing at a Synagogue. She does not understand the service. and is not involved other than as a pald singer. Rachel la married to a Protestant. and they have a Bve year old son. They often attend their local United Church.
This 1s a Junior General Learning Roblerns class (GLP). There are 15 students, eight boys and seven girls. The students are evenly spread in Grades 4.
5, and 6. There are three Black girls, one East Indian boy. one Serbian boy and one boy of Polish descent who is both developmentally delayed and hearing impaired. The rest of the children are of European descent. Many adults are in and out of this busy roorn. The mother of two of the boys volunteers a few days a week and is particularly gifted at doing crafts with the 89 students. Rachel's rnom also volunteers. Another mother of a student in a different class volunteers in the mornings. This parent had been a teacher in Dubai and was hoping to obtatn a teachlng certidcate in Canada. A very capable and eqerienced educational assistant splits her time between this class and a Junior Comprehensive Special Education class.
In addition to their classroom teacher. the students also had a physical education teacher, a music teacher, a French teacher and a social studies teacher.
Where possible. the students were also integrated into regular classes. so students were coming and going al1 day long, which caused a great deal of disruption throughout the day. Because of this, lessons were mostly taught in srnall group and grade level formats.
The students in this class were very needy. The child who was developmentally delayed demanded a great deal of attention and required asslstance to do the smallest activities such as tying his shoes and getting dressed for recess.
Rachel's mother worked wlth this child almost exclusively. Two of the boys were twins who had repeated Grade 1 before being placed in Special Education classes.
Two of the giris had behavloural problems and the guidance counsellor was considering separating them into different classes. Al1 of the children had been identifled as have learning problems in more than one area.
The classrwm was physically attractive and tidy. even though there was a lot of activity going on (See Figure 4.3, p. 94). One bulletin board was resewed for the social studies teacher who put up displays relating to the countries they were studying, such as Scandînavia. One bulletin board had 'A Very Colourful Place' as a theme and was done in bright colours. Under It was a Venn diagram comparing cities and farms. A commercial 'World Drums' poster hung on I wall. as did a class chart of 'What we want to learn about Kenya' Other posters and charts were about insects. quadrilaterals. properties of solids. class agreements. consequences in the case of misbehaviour and listening. 90 A librq centre held most of the books and this is a frequently used part of the
room. This area was a safe place for the students, and they often went there to sit quietly on the loveseat or rocking chah. Many lessons were taught in this area, and it was the focus for starting the morning and aftemoon together.
The class books included an encyclopaedla set. phonies workbooks. atlases, dictionaries, spelling workbooks and a number of picture books and easy novels. On the dlsplay bookshelf. there were 16 books wth three multicultural books (two Black and one East Indian). A bookcase held most of the books (91 in totai]. Of these, five were multicultural (one Inuit, one Jewish/Arab, two Black, and one Intercultural). A rack above held 103 Sunshîne books and 1 Can Read books. Four of these showed
Black central characters, but none had a cultural theme. A display unit held 24 paperback novels with one about the disabled and one &ab/ Jewish book. Another shelf held 23 novels with flve multicultural (al1 Black) and 29 novels with one set of nine (Black) multicultural books. This gives a total of 289 books with 28 multicultural books or 9.6 %.
Rachel and 1 looked at a number of the 'easy readers' in her class collection.
Because of the simplicity of the illustrations in these books. she found that the ones which dld show people of colour were very uniform in the colours used (Le. one shade of brown for the skin tones of dl people in the book). and Rachel noted that the colour could be removed to create White people very easily, as there were no particularly identifiable features apparent. One of the books showed a Black girl wlth exaggerated hair. Rachel found this offensive. but the Black girls in her class laughed at its silliness. The low quality of the illustrations 'easy reader' books led
Rachel to wonder if it was worth including the few characters of colour at al1 and if the children would benefit more from leaving them out. 91 Rachel felt that the books in the class should reflect the class population. in
order for the students to see that they are a part of the world they live in. She also felt that even in a class without students from parallel cultures. these books should be avatlable anyway. Rachel disliked books that were ldeological in nature and overtly didactic.
The multicultural books that Rachel had in the class were left for the students
to choose or not to choose. but Rachel tried to use a good mix of books for read
aloud. One of the problems that she noted was the reading level of the books. She was only able to find a few books that were suitable to the readlng level of her
students. which was mostly at the early Primary level. Rachel said she often used multicultural books to focus on an issue or
particular point. She would use them for read aloud. to àiscuss holidays and festivals. and to focus cornprehension through oral and written retellings. The
students would select the books for sllent readlng. Rachel said she also used some
multicultural books for Drama. but not speciflcally because of their cultural themes.
Rachel did not use multicultural Uterature for other areas of the curriculum such as
science or history. but she made sure to provide crayons and paint in a variety of
skin colours which the students would use. Occasionally the students would write about thelr own or other cultures in their Journal, but only if a specific issue came up. Rachel found a number of problems with the multicultural books that were available to her through the school library and local bookstores. She found it àimcult to flnd good books about social class, which was an issue at this school where most of the students were from working class families or were living on welfare. She also said it was hard to flnd books that had successful Black characters. The few books that she had at the students*reading level had been read either in class or in previous years. 92 To dlsplay her books. Rachel used a bookcase and dlsplay unit. She explained that she tried to display one book from each culture standing prominently. Her three Black students would often choose books with Black characters and would reread these books. Rachel was aware of the preferences of these students. and put their favourites on display often.
The students did not respond to multicultural literature with any personal connections or remarks other than the girls who chose the books with Black characters. The students did not remark that they characters looked like them or were about people Hke them. Rachel stated that their responses to the literature did not show it was multicultural unless the book was speciflcally used to show a point. There were no specific negative reactions to the literature. Rachel felt that she was good at being frank and open with her students. which was evident in the many discussions 1 obsewed. She thought that she was able to provide the students with experiences that were interesting and stimulatlng while Wng to instill a sense of self-esteem. which she felt was important for stuoents with learning dimculties. Rachel was able to share her learning with the other teachers in her grade level tearn and with the other special education teachers.
If she could do anything dlfferently. Rachel would want to be able to keep the many small groups in her class running smoothly. She wishes the students had more life experiences before coming to her class, as she felt that many were working from a deficit. in addition to their learning problems. 93 It was clear from my observations that Rachel 1s a caring teacher who was dealing with a dimcult class. Her main focus was providing the students with the basic skills they would need to function in Iife. Literature was well received by the students. especially fn read aloud situations. The students also enjoyed shared reading where they could support each other's skills and discuss the pictures without wowng about the need to read dimcult text. In this class. multlcultural literature was added to the existing curriculum. but not a separate part of the curriculum. The literature was seen as necessary and useful. but to draw attention to it as a separate genre would have been to make it artincial and stilted. Map of Rachel's Classroom na wœa m 1 numtirmaa Case Study #4 Gheeta and Julie
Gheeta is a Grade 2 teacher at a larger inner city school in Toronto. She has spent al1 of her eight years of teaching at the same school. having taught Grades 2. 3 and 4. Nthough she would prefer to teach at the Grade 4 level. she is happy with
Grade 2 and enjoys her students.
Gheeta is 37 years old. is married and has a two year old daughter. Gheeta was born and grew up in Toronto. but is very proud of her Trinidadian background.
Her ancestors were among the flrst East Asians in Trinidad. At the Urne of the study,
Gheeta was pregnant with her second child. Her first pregnancy had ken very difflcult, so Gheeta did not want to tell her students that she was pregnant. Gheeta was very petite. so she was able to hide her first pregnancy with loose clothfng, but such was not the case this tirne. In March. at 28 weeks of pregnancy. Gheeta gave birth to a baby girl who weighed under two pounds. At the time of this writing. Maya weighed more than nine pounds. appeared quite healthy and was achieving most milestones.
Gheeta was replaced for two weeks by a supply teacher untll a replacement could be found. In April. Julie, a 24 year old wornan was hired to take Gheeta's place untîl the end of the school year. Julie had just completed her Bachelor of Education degree and had not taught before this assignrnent except for a few days of supply teaching. When 1 explained about rny research in the class. 1 was worried that Julie would feel uncornfortable. since this was her first teaching assignment. but she was pleased to let me continue to work with the class and observe. This class had 24 students - 12 girls and 12 boys. Tivo students received remedial help and three students attended English as a Second Language classes.
One girl had problems with her hfps and legs and walked wlth leg braces. The class was in a portable which was part of a 'Portapak' attached to the main school. These classrwms were much smaller than the classes in the mains school building. In
Gheeta's class. there was no specific area set up for books or reading. Books were 96 available on the front shelves and in boxes around the classroom (See Figure 4.4. p.
100). Later in the second term. Gheeta signed out a number of books from the library and grouped them in buckets according to author or subject. Major author/illustrator studies centred around the work of Patricia Polacco and Charlotte Zolotow.
Many of Gheeta's books had been handed down from a teacher who had retired the previous year. Gheeta had thrown out rnany of the books. but there were a number from the 60's and 70's. One of these books was called Normie's Moose Hunt,(1968). In this book. the Native characters looked like they were White. One of
Gheeta's basal readers contatned an updated version of this story. :'nthis case. the title had been changed to NVand the illustrations had been updated to give the characters more Native looking features. Gheeta planned to use these two versions in a cornparison study with her students. Gheeta's collection contained 90 Sunshine Books, of which 6 books had Black characters, but no cultural themes. There were 93 pkture books in various boxes around the room. of which one was about Japanese characters and one was Native
Canadian, for a total of 2.1 % of multicultural books. There were 17 different mes of basal readers from four series. In spite of the lack of multicultural literature in the permanent class coilection. Gheeta used many multicultural books for read aloud. most of which were borrowed from the school library. As the year progressed. however, more multicultural literature was brought into the classroom from the school library on a rotating basis.
Gheeta's classroom budget had been cut by 2/3's of what it previously had ken, so there was little money avallable for books. She explained that she used the school library to obtain the books that she needed, and that the library had a good selection of books. Few of her students had books at home. Gheeta used the multicultural books primarily for read aloud. Class discussions were a natural way for Gheeta to extend the students' understanding of the books' topics or themes. Gheeta uses multicultural literature at al1 times of the 97 year. but also during holidays such as Chanukah and Eid. In this way. she felt that the books would not been seen as something special or only for certain tlmes.
Gheeta strongly believes that literature should be provided to expose dl students to a variety of cultures and beliefs. She expiained that it was important for students to understand the beliefs of others in order to foster respect for al1 cultures. Gheeta had acted for a number of years as a Curriculum Resource Teacher in the area of conflict resolution.
Gheeta also shared her own enthusiasm for reading and writing with the class. One day she found a picture book in the libraq about a traditional tale from her native Mnidad. She was very excited. because she was familiar with a dlfferent telling of this story, and she was interested in wrftfng a children's book about her own culture. since she was not able to And many traditional Trinidadan stories. Gheeta was also an artist. having studied Fine Arts at University. so she hoped to combine her talents to create her frst children's book.
In class. Gheeta tried to read at least one picture book to the class every day. with at least two or three of those books from various cultures. She extended this with class discussions and creatlve writing experiences. which were either assigned with a specific topic or free choice. The students responded very posiiively to the books. and it was clear that many of them were familiar with a number of the books I brought in to use in the student interviews.
Quiet reading time was a schoolwide activity for part of the year. but this was something that Gheeta scheduled throughout the year. The students always kept books in their desks for readhg time and would also use class books. Rom my observations. the students often borrowed the rnulticultural books in the class, and were particularly fond of the Patricia Polacco books following the author / illustrator study. It did not appear that students speclfically chose books from their own culture for their personal reading time.
Gheeta found that the students in her class were able to engage in some critical questioning as the year progressed. She explained that she felt this was 98 because she had modelled thls with her students during their many class discussions. She also felt that the students were more cornfortable with this type of
questioning and thought because Gheeta is a person of colour and a role mode1 for her students. Outside of writing family stories, Gheeta found that the students did not choose to write about culture. At times. in their journals. the students would write about things like visits to the Mosque or Tamil dance classes. but their culture dld not enter their creative writing.
Within the classroom. there were no art materials that were specifically multicultural (e.g. a variety of paints for skin tones. or brown plasticenel. The availabie materials were those which were in the stockroom, but Gheeta said that she had shown the students how to mix paints, and they were free to do so if they wis hed.
Gheeta feels that her strengths are her ability to explain concepts and to show a deep value for culture. both by displaying pdde in her own culture and in herself as a person of colour. She feels that she is able to give her students a way to honour and respect others.
Gheeta 1s a bdght and aware teacher. She worked hard to meet her students' needs and to provide them with opportunities to learn about the cultures of others.
Gheeta strove to read a variety of books and to discuss these books in an atmosphere where students could ask questions and make personal connections.
When Julie took over the class in April. the students were very used to the class routines. Julie was far different than Gheeta in her approach to teaching. Julie had the students working constantly and the students often complahed that they àid not have any activity time anymore. Julie used non-fiction for read aloud on a regular basi S.
While Julie tried to complete the Patricia Polacco unit that Gheeta had started before her leave. it was apparent that Julie was not familiar with the texts and did not have the personal comection to the aubject of intercultural relationships that Gheeta 99 had. Nevertheless. Julie's interactions with the students were kind and very respecfful. As a teacher on her first assignment, Julie was concerned with many things such as taking over someone else's class. writing her first set of report cards. getting to know her students and Qing to understand what she had to cover in the
Grade 2 curriculum. From my obsexvations. she did a wonderful job, even though her prioritles were not the sarne as Gheeta's
Appearances can be deceiving. In spite of the lack of multicultural materials in the classroom, It was very evident from my interviews with Gheeta's/Juliels students that they were familiar with a number of multicultural books. and that these books had been read in class. The students were also able to name similar books that they were reminded of. and books by the same authors during their interviews. The students had the language to speak with respect about parallel cultures. Figure 4.4 Map of Gheeta's/ Julie's Classroom Student Interviewa
The most interesthg and enlightening part of the study was the student interviews. The students were funny, lnsfghtful and very honest in their Iikes. and especially Ln their dlslikes. In total. I intervlewed 49 students for about a half hour each. A few of the students who returned permission slips did not want to participate in the interviews. and they were not forced to do so. Most. however. were very eager and willing.
The interviews took place wherever we could flnd a quiet corner - usually in the hallway. The books were spread out around us on the floor and the students and
1 sat together. Sornetimes, the children wanted to read or look at the book on thelr own. but in other instances. they wanted me to read the book to them. which I did.
The students were then asked to retell the story to determine if they understood It.
Our discussion of the books followed the Tell Me (Chambers. 1993)format described in Chapter 2. The followlng Tables (4.5 - 4.8. pp. 102-105) indicate the students from each class who participated, and which books they chose to discuss with me. I also noted
whether their choice was a book from their culture, and if this was intentional. Gender Grade Agc Place of Family Book Cliosen Rcflect Intention Bfrth Background CulturaI in
1 Canada F 2 Serbla F 2 Canada
1 1 I F 12 1 1 Canada Native / Yes ( Yes Scottlsh I Serbla Serbian [ Free Fall
Cariada Newfoundland 1 Free Fa11 A Canada Crane Girl No Canada Crane Cf lrl No Canada Scottlsh Yo. Yes Yes Polaiid Yo. Yes Yes
Canada , Trinidadian A Little Tiger No Cariada 1 Chinese A Little Tlger Yes Yes Canada Yes 1 Canada No Gender Grade Age Place of Family Book Chosen Birth Background Cultural in Bac kground? chofce?
1 Canada ? I Crane------Girl- -- - 1 No 1 Canada Jamaican Howie tielps Himself No Switzerland East Asian? Marna's Bed No Canada 7 Disabled People No Canada Jarnakail A-Zen No
- - .. JK Canada Jamalcan 1 Yol Yesl 1 No I F JK 5 East Asia? Marna's Bed 1 No F SK 5 Canada Jamaican Mania's Bed 1 No M SK 6 Canada I I 1 1 F ISK 16 I? I? 1 Yol Yes 1 1 Grade Age Place of Birth Family Book Choaen Reflect Back.ground Cultural in choice? I Backaround?
Canada Scottlsh l>lsabled People No Canada ? Marna's Bed Yes Canada 3 Tm Many Tamales No Canada Jamalcan Yol Yesl Yes Trinldad Trinldadan Marna's Bed No Canada ? 13ig Brother/ Llttle Yes (He is a I3rother tdn) Canada ? The Crlmson Ribbon Yes Place of Family Book Chosen Reflect ' intention Birth Background Cultural in Background?
2 1 Ukralnlan Tm Many Tamales No 1 1 8 L1 Canada 1 F 2 7 Cariada Hong Kong/ Tm Many Tamales No
USA J F 2 8 Canada Jewlsh / Yo, Yes Yes No Scottlsh Canada Mexican Llgiits for Glta No Croatia Croatlan Crane Girl No Canada Spanlsli Marna's Bed No Pakistan Pakistani Marna's Bed No A Is for Afrlca Yes No Howie Helps Hlmself 1 No 1 1 Canada Chtnese Crane Girl No No Yol Yesl I Japan Chincse Yol Yesl No Canada Newfottndland A is fcir Afrlca No Too Manv Tamales No Student Book Choicee
Slx of the books in the sample were not chosen by students and 2 were not rejected. There were no books that were overlooked completely. Yof Yes? (Raschka,
1993) was the most popular book with 11 choices and 3 reJections. The same reason was given for many of the choices and rejections of this book - the simplicity of the language was both valued and frowned upon. This was followed by The Crane -Girl (Charles. 19921 with eight choices and no rejections. One student begged me to lend her the book. which 1 did. She came back the next day and told me every detail of the story.
The list of the frequency of book choices and rejections during the student interviews is found in Table 4.9 on page 107. The students' responses for why they chose the books that were selected during the student intenriews are listed in Table
4.10 on page 108. Table 4.9
Frequency of Student Book Choices and ReJections (listed alphabeticaily) 1 Number of Times I Number of Times
A To Zen 1 3 1 The Alwavs Praver Shaw1 1 1 4 1 1 At The Crossroads 1 1 2 L I Big Brother. Little Brother 1 1 Brother Eagle. Sister Sky 1 2 The Crane Girl 8 The Crimson Ribbon 1 1 P 1
Disabled People 2 9 Free Fa11 2 1 1 ho; Catcher Howie Helps Hirnself 4 2 Lights for Gita 1 1 I A Little Tiger In The Chinese Night 2 5 Mama's Bed 7 3 Mufaro's Beautlful Daughters 1 The Talking Eggs 2 L 4 2 Too Many Tamales 4 The Trees Stand Shlning 1 The Very Hot Samosas 1 7 Yo! Yes? Il 3
*Note: Some students insisted on rejecting more than one book. Table 4.10
Reasons Ctted by Students For Choosing Books
Reason for Choice # of Times
Heard it before 110 1 "It'sabout my culture" 4 Easy to read 3 Cover 2 Haven? heard it before 2 Book showed imagination 1 A book to leam frorn 1 Title 1 NO answer 12 I
Total 1 49 The importance of the content of the books was noted by 12 students. In many cases. the students had explmations as to why the content matter was
important to them (e.g. because they had been studying about birds in class or because it was "about cwking and 1 can make macaroni!"). The quality of the illustrations was another signiflcant selectton factor. Students used words such as beautiful. colourful and sparkly to descrtbe illustrations they liked. Familiarity with the book was also an Important point. Having heard the book before in class or at home was noted by 10 students. Culture was not an lssue for many students.
Only four students chose books specifically because the book was about their culture. This was a surprising result. because 1 had tried to choose books to represent as many of the cultures of the students participating in the study as possible. and I assumed that the students would naturally gravitate to books in which their culture was represented. While seven other students did choose books about their culture, only four mentioned that the reason they chose the book was because it was about their culture.
Rejection of the Idterature
The students in the sarnple gave the many reasons for rejecting certain books.
These reasons are listed in Table 4.1 1 on page 1 10. Table 4.1 1 Reasons Clted by Students For Rejectlng Books
l I Reaaon For Rejection
l 1 Subject matter 15 2 Pictures dont look nice 9 3 Picturea not colourful 7 4 Too long/hard to read 6 5 There's a lot of Chinese people /words 4 6 fictures disturbing 4 7 Too easy 3 8 About Black people 2 9 Don't like non-fiction 2 1 10 1 Don't understand it 12 1 11 My faxnily doesn't make Sarnosas 2 1 12 Read it before 2 1 13 1 Can't read it 1 l 1 14 Don't lîke the font 1 16 Just about food 1
17 It opens the wrong way 1 , 18 Not interestine 1
20 Pictures too realistlc 1
1 Totd 1 111 Not only did students reject more than one book. they often had more than one reason to reject a single book. There was no lack of opinion in what students disliked and why! There were no children who were unable to select a book for rejection. and
1 did not have to spend much time soliciting reasons for the rejectlon.
Disabled Peo~le(White. 1988)was the most rejected book with nine rejections. followed by The Venr Hot Samosas (Mathieson. 19891 with seven rejections. Both of these books have photographs. as does A k for Africa (Onyefulu. 1993). which was the fourth most rejected book. In my discussions with the students. there was clearly a sense of disturbance at the photographs of the people shown in Disabled
People. While there was some fascination at the difference. it was clear that a nurnber of the students dtd not want to discuss this book openly or talk about their reasons for rejecting the book. Words such as 'disgusting', 'deformed' 'about screwed up people'. and 'weird' were used to describe the book. Even in a class where one of the students walked with leg braces, four students reJected this book. Of the two students who selected this book, one thought it was about harness raclng because of the picture of wheelchair races on the front cover, and the other chose it because his grandrnother is in a wheelchair. The number of students who rejected this book and the feelings expressed by the students in their rejection of it shows that there is a lack of understanding and acceptance of people with disabilfties in society.
A number of the students were quite open in thelr racial dislikes (Le. the comments about Black and Chinese people, some of whfch were very frank). Twenty- three of the comments were about various aspects of the illustrations such as lack of colour. The subJectmatter was of less importance than the illustration when it came to rejecting a book. It seems that this physical characteristic is strong when it cornes to expressing our dislikes. This points to the need for high quality illustrations in multicultural chüdren's literature. Even though it rnay not be the most important selection factor. it was the most important rejectlon factor. which means that children will not get past their dislike of the physical look of a book to judge the content of the tm. 112 The lack of farniliarity wîth the content was a rejection factor for a number of students. This included not understanding the Chinese and Japanese writing
(although al1 the students referred to books from both cultures as 'Chinese'). and the unfamtliarity with people who were in wheelchairs or had physical differences and disabilities.
Only two students rejected a book because they knew the book and did not enjoy it the first tirne they read it. This compares with 10 students who chose books on the basis of having heard it before or being familiar with it. None of the students rnentioned that they had heard negatlve things about the books they rejected.
Questionnaire Responses
Over 500 questionnaires (See Appendix L p. 259) were sent out to teachers, administrators and librarians to seek Information about how they selected and used multicultural children's literature. In total. 75 questionnaires were returned. Many of the teachers stated that they were 'just too buay*, but. aithough this was not overtly stated. 1 dso think that the subject of the questionnaire may have been an avoidance factor.
There was a wide varieV of ways used by the teachers to define multicuItura1 children's literature (See Table 4.12. p. 114). 10 of the responses stated that it was important that It be literature about cultures outaide the mainstream (Le. non-White).
14 responded that it should be literature about 'different' cultures, 10 mentioned inclusivity. eight mentioned race and three noted skin colour. While four stated that it should include religion. only one noted that his deflnition would include books about gays and lesbians. The importance of avoidance of bias or stereotype was only mentioned by three respondents.
Use of Multicultural Chilcirente Idterature
The time when multicultural literature is used is an important factor in detennining how it will be used. Both frequency and the thne of year help detennine 113 whether the use will be integrated fully into an inclusive curriculum or relegated to speciflc times and purposes.
Of the 75 questionnaires returned. 25 people responded that they used rnulticultural children's literature on a daily basis, five said they used it on a weekly basis. and 11 said that their use was spread out through the year. 19 indicated that the time of year (e.g. Heritage Month. Easter) detedned their usage. Three people responded that they rarely used the literature and three indicated that they occasionally used the literature. Nine people mentioned that they used the literature to coincide with festivals. The theme or unit being studied was mentioned by 16 teachers as a factor in thelr usage.
The following purposes for using multkultural children's literature were given by the people who responded to the questionnaire (See Table 4.12. p. 1 14). In all. there were 35 different purposes for the use of multicultural children's literature mentioned. Note than in many cases. more than one response was given. The uses are listed in order of frequency and are followed by the number of responses for each use. Table 4.12 Purposes for the Use of Multlcultural Children's Literature as stated by Questionnaire Respondents
p"v- # of Times Mentionaï
I 1 I Units 114 I
1 4 Read Aloud 11 5 Enjoyment 10 8 Festivities 10 1 7 Part of Class Library 7 8 To Generate Discussion 7 9 6 L Research 10 To Explaln Beliefs. behaviours and customs 6 11 To Explain and promote Diversity 6 12 Al1 subJect areas 5 13 To Include 5 14 Unit on Multiculturalfsm 5 16 Social studies 4 16 To Extend to Wrfting Programme 4 I 17 Curricular Needs 3 I 18 i General Knowledee I 3 I 19 Novel Study 3 U) To enable students to share their backgrounds 3 21 To Teach About Other Places or cultures 3 22 Anti-racist education 2
24 Music 2 1 26 StorytelUng 2 26 To Leam about other places 2 27 To Reflect Classroom 2 28 Borrow-a-Book programme 1 29 Current events 1 30 For ESL Students 1 31 1 don't use them 1 32 Incidental Use 1 Quality Ddy Physical Education Games 1 34 To Leam About Immigration 1 36 Values and social sMs 1
I 1 Total 1 150 I 115 summary There are many factors whlch determine how multicultural children's literature will be selected and used by teachers and students. Some of the factors. such as money, lack of quality library collections. time to go to public Ubraries and resource centres are beyond the control of teachers. Other factors can be controlled. These tactors include knowledge about what is avallable, culling of inappropriate material from classroom libraries and choice In read aloud, novel study or thematic units.
How teachers use multicultural chlldren's iîterature is to some degree detedned by how they define the terrn and the extent to which they are wllling to Integrate the materiais hto thelr programmes.
Children. too are influenced by a number of factors. Their reasons for choosing and rejecting books are different. Perhaps teachers need to educate students on ways to select and reJect reading material so they can be better prepared to make informed choices. Chapter 6 The Researcher - Obeervatione and Reflections
Pemonal Obrrenrations
In my experiences as a classroom teacher. 1 aaw how useful multicultural children's literature could be. It could relate stories 1 have never encountered in my own childhood e~rienceswith Merature. It could explain things that 1 was not personally familiar with. It could tell stories from people's histories and imaginations.
It could point to values and truths that could only be told through word and picture.
And yet. 1 wondered about how sheltered my own upbringing had been. Had 1 ever heard a story about a culture other than my own Celtic background as a child? As a teacher with a great love for literature 1 began to redize that literature could take me places 1 had never been and show me experiences 1 would never know. Yet the usefulness of this llterature is only realized when it is used. For that. we need places to turn to expand Our base of familiarity.
We look to many people and places to 8nd recornrnendations for which books to read and use in Our classrooms. We look to many sources to Bnd the books we need and want: friends. family. CO-workers.students. previous experience with an author or illustrator, reviews, relatedness to theme, title or cover illustration.
This chapter deals with the ways we are influenced to use multicultural chiidren's literature. I draw on my own observations and reflections as a classroom teacher, my experiences as a pa.rticipant/observer in classrooms, and will look at the many books and newspaper reviews that may lead us to the materials we seek. 117 The students 1 taught in a large. inner-city school were largely from Eastern
European backgrounds. Many were from the former Yugoslavia. Some had Left Just before the civil war. but many had escaped through Belgrade. 'Rie Serbians in rny class expressed anger at the way they were portrayed in the media. They felt they had be unfairly classifled as brutal and unlawful. These same students has no means to find a balance of portrayal. 1 was unable to find any books about life in the former
Yugoslavia or Serbian people. The only book that came close was Zlata's Diuw
(Fllipovlc, 199 11. which is not an accurate portrayal of life during the war. Zlata's family was befriended by members of the International media and was allowed pdvileges and goods that would normally have been unavailable to everyday citizens.
My students could not see themselves. Moreover, they had not ken able to bring books with them from their homeland. These students were left with images that àid not flt them. They were not able to flnd positive images to balance the many negative references they found in the media and in soclety.
In my frustration to find books that would serve to encourage and challenge my students. 1 began to wonder if other teachers had the same difficulties finding books for the students in their classes. The previous influes of students to Our school had also been from countries experiencing civil war. famlne or other hardship. such as
Ethiopia and Sumalla. These students were marginaiized in the worst ways. Was it because of this that there was no interest In providing materials that would allow them to see positive and healing images of their cultures? Or do we as educators not demand that these materials be available to us? What other cultures are being overlooked? Surely it was not Just the Eastern European culture that was lacking in the materials 1 sought.
As I began to look at books that recommended books for children. 1 noticed the same cultures represented over and over. One must wonder about the reasons for the emphasis on these cultures. The publishers 1 spoke to insisted that the quality of the story was of the highest importance, so perhaps these cultures do not have good 118 stories. That was unlikely. Perhaps few stories were presented for publication. That was possible. Perhaps it was felt that the market waa too srnail. That is probable.
And yet. as is shown on Table 5.29 on pages 2 12-213. there were 1 76 dlfferent cultures represented ln the recomrnendations of 21 364 books. vldeos and magazines. of which 2 912 were multicultural. These reccmmendations were Ïound in 23 books and newspaper articles which reviewed and recommended literature for children. This makes a total of 13.6 % (See Table 5.25. p. 208). These cultures represent al1 areas of the globe. and it stands to reason that every culture has stories to tell their history. to explain the world. to educate their people. to entertain their children.
Certain cultures. however. were far more prevalent in the recornrnendations than others. Seven cultures accounted for 1 355 of the 2 912 multicultural books in the recommendations. or 46.5 %. These cultures were: Black (392 recommendations), Native American and Canadian (250 recommendations, not including literature which was speciflcally about bands named individually). Jewish
12 17 recomrnendations). Chinese ( 159 recommendations). Japanese ( 123 recommendations). Ability ( 107 recornrnendations) and African ( 107 recommendations).
How the books were claaaifïed
Each chart contains four types of information: the type of book (magazine or video) as classîfled by the reviewer, the number of books in each section. the number of multicultural books in each section and the percentage of multtcultural books. The total numbers and percentages are llsted at the bottom of each chart. There are a number of categories that would seem to preclude multicultural books. Books on electronics or seashelis, for example would not normally be multicultural in nature. I have. however Lncluded these categories in the count. as they are an indication of what is available within each of the review literature books. and whether the books reviewed have more emphasis on non-fiction or fictional 119 material. This causes a lîmitation for the percentages. but it is indicative of which
books are being streased in the recornmendations.
Each book had different ways to classify the literature which was reviewed.
Some books simply listed the book alphabetically by author wlthout breaking them dom Lnto any subgroups. Other books looked at books only by age level. while others used age level and genre. This varience made it dimcult to compare the review literature and look at groupfngs of the llterature because there were so many possible categorles.
Following each number and frequency table. there is a synopsis table of al1 the cultures found in the recornmended literature. These charts Iist the cultures in order of frequency. #en two or more pieces of literature have the same frequency. they have been listed in alphabetical order. The cultures are also listed within the number and frequency tables except where the category makes it clear which culture Is represented within the category, for example. if the category is Jewish Holy Days. 1 have not noted that the books are frorn the Jewish culture within the count. The synopsis charts show not only the frequency. but al30 the number of different cultures which have been profiled in each review literature book.
Elve of the books whlch contain recommendations are Canadian, and both newspapers which contained reviews are also Canadian.- These books are identified by a Canadian flag at the beginning of the chart. k3# The rernaining 16 books are American. These books are identified by an American flag at the beginning of the chart. Upon looking at the data. it does nat appear that there is any signiflcant difference between the American and Canadian review literature.
When identiwg the culture represented in the books. 1 used both my own knowledge of the books and. when 1 was unfamiiiar with the books. the descriptions in the annotation. 1 have tried to honour the annotation and the manner of self- identification as much as possible. It L important to note that some descriptions are 120 somewhat vague when describing the culture in question. The experience. for
example, of a Japanese Canadian is vastly different from that of a person born and
living in Japan. In these cases. where a book or story is identifled as king about
Japanese culture or the story of a Japanese person. for example. 1 have identified it as 'Japanese*. This holds true for other cultures aho. Whle some books speciw which Native band certain stories corne from. others
do not. I have therefore not differentiated between Native bands unless the book is specifically about a parücular band. or a story from that band, even though similar stories are found throughout rnany Native populations.
When referring to African Americans/Canadians. I have used the term 'Black'.
This differentlates from 'African'. which refers to people living in Continental Africa.
Again, 1 have specified which nation a book refers to where this is possible. The term 'World' refers to books that have a multi-ethnic focus, or books that contain collections of stories or illustrations from different countries, traditions or culturei, while 'Various' refers to books that contain stories from more than one culture. 'Interracial*books are ones that deal specifically with the interactions between people of various cultures. 'Ability' is a category that inciudes mental and physical ability and disabillty. In the case of Spanish, Hispanic and Latino. 1 maintdned the description given in the annotation.
Commentary
In her doctoral dissertation, Stan (1997)Iooked at the ci mil content of international picture books published in 1994. She found that there is little information in books flrst published outside of the Unlted States to indicate the country of origin (only 15 of the 251 books examined had such information), whlch undercuts what Stan says is the primary reason for such literature - to foster cross cultural understanding. In a doctoral dissertation that examines Black children's literature, Tolson
(1998).uses Kalamu ya Salaam's concepts of the 'blues aesthetic' to examine the 12 1 Hterature. She found that this aesthetic can provide a lens to see the value of the literature, and to make connections to the roots of Black llterature and culture.
Of the 23 books and newspaper articles that 1 have examlned. the two with the
Nghest number of multicultural recornmendations were both books that were about gender Issues [Gender Positive! (Roberts et al. 1993). with 32.1 % rnultlcu!tural recornrnendations and Great Books for Glrls (Odean, 1997) with 19.9 % mulUcultural recommendations). It is interesting that the books that had as thelr goal the empowerment of women also had the highest percentage of books about parallel cultures. Perhaps. too. this says that there are women of colour portrayed In multicultural literature who are strong images and positive role models. Interestingly. neither of these ùooks had sections devoted to muiticultural books, but both had biography sections which contained a number of books about women from paraIlel cultures.
At the other end of the scale, the book wlth the fewest number of muiticultural recomendations was a book which reviewed videos, (Check tt Out! The Essentid,
Indfspensuble- Gulde to Children's Vldeos (Zippan and Atkinson. 19931, which had
2.2 % multicultural recommendations). This is a disturbingly low number. especially when we consider the arnount of time that our children spend in front of the television screen. The visual images that the children see have a strong influence on thefr perceptions. and if those images are not a reflection of society, children are being sent a strong message about what and who is valued. The percentage in this example does not. however. take in to consideration the number of characters within the videos who are from parallel cultures. It is possible. that while the theme of the video may not be one of culture. there may still be strong. positive characters in the rnainstream videos. Unfortunately, this ca~otbe determined from the annotations.
Another book that had a very low percentage of multicultural recommendations was The Literahrre of Dekht (Fakih. 1993). which had 4.3 %. This 1s not surprising. however. if we consider how deiicate the subject of humour and culture can be. So much of the so-cded 'humour*that has been associated with culture has ken 122 stereotypical putdowns. And yet, humour is a way that chlldren relate to the world.
It can diffuse tense situations and connect people in a deep way. Children delight in
plays on word, riddles, and endless knock-knock Jokesl It seems that so many of the
themes of multicultural literature are about overcoming hardship and moving beyond
problems. Humour mfght be seen as a way to diminish the iniportant and historfcal
stniggles of people from many cultures who pride themselves in survivd in spite of the oppression they have faced. So the challenge is to flnd ways to present humourous material about parallel cultures in ways that do not denigrate the culture. misinterpret the history, or disempower the people. This is no small challenge. and it is one that rnust be taken up only by those people who are members of the culture in question.
The lack of humourous multicultural Uterature vras also found in Best Books for
Chlldren (Gillespie and Gilbert, 19851, which had one Scottish humourous story out of 121, and no multicultural humourous poetry books out of 50 books reviewed. In
Aduenhufna with Books {Jensen and Roser, 19931, there were no multicultural books ln the humourous stories and humourous fantasy categories out of a total of 61 books in these categories. The humour category in Choosirm Chlldren's Books (Booth. et al.
1987) did not have any multicultural books in the 10 books reviewed. The rest of the review literature dfd not use humour as a separate category. Two other books with low percentages of multicultural literature were Books for the Gifted Child (Hauser and Nelson, 1988)with 7.2 % and HiqhlLow Handbook
(LiBretto, 19901 with 5.8 %, both of which are meant for children with exceptionalities. This is unfortunate. because gifted students are ones who could engage in critical questioning and could examine rnulticultural issues at higher levels in the Bank's model. in the case of the Hhh/ Low Handboolc (LiBretto, 1990) , students with reading dtfflculties need positive role models and need to see people succeeàing. Those people need to be mirrors of themselves. The lack of multicultural llterature at lower reading levels is one that was stated by a number of people in the suweys and by Rachel. the special education teacher in the case studies.
Gem
A number of genres lacked multicultural representation. One of these genres was fantasy. In Gender Positlvel (Roberts et al. 19931, both the categories of Fanciful
Ffction for Grades K-3 and Grades 4-8 had no multicultural books out of 18 reviewed.
In Great Books for Girls. there was one African book In the 22 Fantasy and Science
Fiction books. In Best Books for Children (Gillespie and Gilbert, 19851, there were three multicultural fantasy picture books (out of 188). and 2 multlcultural fantasy fiction books (out of 377). In Adventurina with Books (Jensen and Roser, 19931, there were no multicultural humourous fantasy book (out of 30). and 1 multicultural
Ume fantasy book (out of 8). The Best of the Best for Children (Donavin. 1992) had two rnulticultural fantasy fiction books (out of 8). Choosino Chlldren's Books (Booth. et al. 1987) had one multicultural fantasy book for the mlddle years (out of 9). and no
Science Fiction/Fantasy books for the young adolescent years (out of 14). One anomaiy in this genre was Picturc Books for Children (Cianciolo. 1990).which had 35 multicultural books in a category entiüed 'The Imaginative World" (out of 143).
However. this same book had only four multicultural books (out of 104) in the category entiüed 'The World 1 Live In'.
In total. the genre of fantasy had a 8 17 book recomrnendations. Of this. 45 were multicultural, and 35 of these were frorn one book. Picture Books for Chtldren
(Cianciolo. 1990). In all. 5.5 % of fantasy books In the review literature were multicultural.
A similsu category had even worse results. There were no rnulUcultural Science Fiction books in the three review literature books that looked at a total of 96 books within this genre.
The lack of multicultural respresentation in the two genres of Fantasy and
Science Fiction show that there has not been an integration of multicultural 124 characters and themes into these genres. Even if there were characters from parallel cultures within these books regardless of theme. there would be an opening of the imaginations of readers from al1 cultures and an opening of possibiltiy and challenge to readers from parallel cultures.
Another genre with little multicultural representation was poetry. Great Books for Girls (Odean. 1997) had no (out of three) multicuitural poetry books. Too Cood to
Miss 11 [The Canadian Chlldren's Book Centre. 1996). had no multicultural poetry books (out of 10) in the category of Poetry Music & Plays. while Best Books for
Chlldren (Gillespie and Gilbert. 1985). had one Welsh poetry book (out of nine) under
Holidays and Holy Days, and in the larger category of Poetry (with eight subcategories). there were 20 (out of 284). Our Choice I996/97(Green. 1996). had no multicultural books in the Poetry. Music and Plays section (out of one) . AdvenhuZw wfthBooks (Jensen and Roser, 1993). had four poetry categories with a total of 1 10 books of which eight were multicultural. In ChoosfnoBooks for Children
(Heame. 198 1). there was one rnultlcultural poetry book (out of 29). and two out of 42 in Collected Perspectives (Moir et al.. 1990). In Books Klds Will Sit Still For (Freeman.
1990). six of the 246 poetry books were rnulticultural. The Best of the Best for
Children (Donavin, 1992) had no multicultural poetry picture books (out of five). In Chooslw Chtldren's Books (Booth. et al. 1987) . there were no multicultural poetry and Song books for the primary years (out of 18). none (out of 15) in poetry for the rniddle years. and none (out of flve) in poetry for the young adolescent years. The
Read Aloud Handbook (Trelease. 1985) also had no multicultural poetry (out of 20).
The total number of poetry books in the review literature was 797. Of this. 38 poetry books were multiculturai for a total of 4.8 %. The la& of rnulticultural poetry is unforturiate. Many cultures have rich oral traditions. and song is a way of expressing the poetry of a culture. By not using poetry to express the feelings. thoughts and ideas of cultures. we are missing a central part of that culture's soul. By not recognizing song as poetry (none of the review literature listed Song as a category), we are denying the language of Song itself. 125 The genre of family. friendship and relationships was only looked at by 4 of the
review literature books as a separate genre. Of the 101 3 books reviewed in this
genre. only 76 (7.5 %) were multicultural. This is a disappointing figure. as it means
that the Uterature is not showing chlldren in their family and cornmuni@ situations.
and is not gîving them a rnirror in which to view their families or a window to see other famlly units and ways of lnteracting with people from vartous cultures.
In the mystery genre. there were two multicultural books out of 14 in Great
Books for Girls (Odean, 1997). 14 out of 333 in Best Books for Chlldren (Gillespie and
Gilbert. 19851. Adventurina with Books (Jensen and Roser, 1993). had no
multicultural mystery books (out of 11). and Choosing Chtldren's Books (Booth. et al.
1987) had one (also out of 11). This makes a total of 17 multicultural mystery
recornmendations out of 369 reviewed which is 4.6 %.
None of the books in the revtew literature used language as one of the
categories. but there were a number of magazines in different languages in Maclazines for Klds and Teens (Stoll. 1994). Only one book. Gender Posltiue (Roberts et al. 1993). had a dual language Spanish/Engltsh book Iisted. Within the last five years. a number of well known trade books have been published as dual language books, which has meant that the quality of these books has improved trernendously.
One of the strongest genre categories for the inclusion of multicultural literature is Biography. Gender Positive (Roberts et al. 1993). had the highest percentage of multicultural biographies with 45.7 % (16 multicultural biographies out of 35),Great Books for Gtrfs (Odean, 1997) had 45 (out of 198), Too Good to Mtss II
LThe Canadian Children's Book Centre. 1996) had three out of 11. The largest number of rnulticultural biographies was found in Best Books for Chlldren (Gillespie and Gilbert, 1985).which had 83 out of 374. Our Chofce (Green. 1996)had 6 out of 15,
Aduenturlm with Books (Jensen and Roser. 1993)had 16 out of 73. and Choosiy
Chkiren's Books (Booth, et al. 1987) had 8 out of 20. Books Klds Will Sit Still For
Freeman. 1990) had 5 out of 133. which at 3.8 % was the lowest percentage. 126 In total. there were 182 multicultural biography books in the revîew literature of 859 recommended biographies. This was a total of 21.1 %. There were no reviews of autobiographical books.
Th? strength of the representation of multicultural literature in the biography genre is encouraging. It shows that there are real-life role models for children. and that these people are being given a voice in the Hterature because their lives have something to Say about who they are and what they believe. It also shows that people are being valued and brought to light as examples for children. It is important. however. to remember that unless biography is well written. it can become dry. du11 and a mere chronological listing of accompiishments.
In Mapazines for Kids and Teens (Stoil, 19941, there was a high percentage
(18.8 36) of multlcultural magazines Iisted. 21 of the 47 magazines (8.4% of the total number of magazines reviewed. and 44.7 % of the multicultural magazines). however. were Christian publications, and sorne of these were Sunday School handouts.
Christian toplcs cüd not corne up in any other of the review literature to the extent that they did in the magazines. There were many books listed that were retellings of
Bible stories, but 1 did not include these books in the count of multicultural books unless a speciflc issue about belonging to the Christian falth was a theme of the book or if the book was about identifiable Christian groups such as the Amish or Mennonites.
Why, then. are there so many Christian magazines? 1 would suggest that the evangelistic nature of many Christian groups would lend itself to periodical publications. which can go out to a large number of people. and can be passed dong to others when they are finished. Christian magainzes may be seen as an alternative to secular publications whfch may be viewed as potentially harmful or against Christian values. Christian magazines might also be seen as a way for people to maintain their faith on an ongoing basis. and to co~ectwith other community members. who are not a visibly identifiable group. In addition to the books which reviewed Merature. 1 also followed the children's book reviews In the Toronto Star and the Globe and Ma& two large. daily newspapers from September 1997 to August. 1998. The start date coincided with the beginning of the school year in which the study took place. 1 checked the newspaper reviews for a full year. The reviews are published in the newspapers every two weeks. with the exception of Christmas. when a special edition of the Books sections of the newspapers is publfshed with many advertisements. There was also a break from
December 27th to March 7th when the Toronto Star was looking for a new person to take over the column from Kathy Muldwn. On May 2nd. Dierdre Baker took over the column. Rom March until May, there were guest colurnnists.
There was a large difference in the percentages of rnulticultural literature in the two newspaper columns. mer the course of the year. the Globe and Mail had more than twice the percentage of multicultural books at 16.8 % from 13 different cultures. compared to 7.2 % from eight different cultures for the Toronto Star. There were no books about Black Canaàians reviewed by the Toronto Star.
It is impossible to say from the short sample period if these numbers are truly indicative of the reviews in these two columns. but it does seem to show a large merence in the weight given to multicultural books in these newspapers.
Many more people will have the opportunity to read a review in a newspaper than in a book of revlew literature, due to the sheer size of a newspaper's circulation.
Even If a reader is not looking for the column. the picture of a book cover might catch the reader's eye and prompt him to flnd out more. It is important, therefore, that care be taken in these colurnns to present a balanced selection of recommendations. because omission can equai implicit rejection.
Proffles of Authoni and Illourtrators
1 examined four books whkh presented biographical information and profiles of authors and fflustrators (See tables 5.25-5.28.pp. 209-212). These books are 128 interesting because they give hsight into the authors and illustrators. and let them tell about their histories. education and what inspires their work. These books allow children to see authors and illustrators as people like themselves. to put a face with a
name. because some authors and illustrators like Chris van Allsburg never put
photographs of themselves on their book Jackets. and to leam about their struggles and successes.
1 looked at the back cover of one of these books. which had the pictures of the authors profiled in the book. Here were over a hundred small photos of mostly Whlte people. This was disappointing and I wondered if it was indicative of the authors who were writing and having their work published, or if the authors of colour were not looked at as having a wide enough audience to be of interest to the reader.
In the 4 books of profiles which 1 looked at, there were 660 authors and illustrators profiled. Of the 660, a total of 36 (5.5 56) were members of parallel cultures.
The book with the second hlghest percentage of authors and illustrators of colour was Books are bu People (Hopkins. 1969). In this book. two authors talk speciflcally about themselves as writers of niultlcultural works. and cliscuss how their experiences as people of colour have afFected their work. The proflles are frank and open. and they corne only 4 years &ter Nancy Larrick's 1965 artlcle about the pauclty of Black characters in books.
It is possible that many authors and illustrators of colour have been overlooked in these proflles. because the nurnber of multicultural books being published is far more than the 5.5 % of authors of colour presented in these proflles. Unfortunately. the omission of these authors of colour may send a message to the readers that these people are not as important. interesting or worthy of reporting as the other authors.
Perhaps a book which looks specifically at multicultural authors and illustrators is due. Limitations
The numbers do not tell us what is available in the wider market that has not yet been reviewed or has not been included in the recommendations. It would be
interesting to see what was left out of the review literature and why these materids were excluded. We are also Iinilted by the fact that these books are reviewed by one or at the most, several people. and we often know little about these people and their experiences with children's literature. No children were involved in the selection of
the books to be reviewed or in the reviews. This would have given a different insight into the selection.
Although some of the review literature identifled the age group for which the
materials reviewed were suitable, this was not always the case. It would have been interesting to compare the multicultural literature for different age levels. and to look
at any differences between picture books and novels.
It is also possible that there are strong. positive characters from parailel
cultures withfn the literature, both in story and fllustratlon. but because the
annotation does not note this, we cannot know what other influences and sub-themes
there may be within mainstream books. We are limited by the length of the
annotations and are not able to see some important themes within the books because
of this limitation.
Siunmarv Why, then, are the numbers in this chapter important (especially in a
qualitative study)? Ffrst. they tell us where the emphasis lies in books that are reviewed by others. It tells us what is omitted and where there is strength. By looking at *e cultures and the frequency of cultures, we can see which cultures are represented and which have been overlooked or underrepreaented in the literature
(but note that these books are not ail the books that are available. but only those that have been recommended by reviewers). The numbers can also show which reviewers have a greater multicultural or ana-bias emphasis in their reviews. which can ald in 130 the selection process. This part of the study also shows that there are categories within categories of literature. Cross-referencing in review literature to other slmflar books within the genre. to books by the same author/illustrator or to books that could prove useful for coniparison would also be helpful in the selection process when someone is looking for books to use for specific units or themes. Table 5.1
Number and Percentage of Multicultd Books in Gender Positive! by Patricia Roberts. Nancy Cecil and Sharon Alexander
lype of Book Perccntagc of Each Section Muiticult~ Books
Contemporary 8 Reaifstic Fiction (2 Abiiity, Black, Dual Language Spanish/English. Hispanir. Amish. Zulu, Japanesel Folk Litcraturt 12 (2 Bengak Comanche, Native Arne ricaa , Ojibway, Bohemian. Russian Inuit, man,Black, Japanese, ükrainian. Chinesel Fancifi11 Fiction Hls torfcal Fiction 2 (Jcwish ,
Biographies (3Black, Indlan, Native American,
Litexatm for Grades 4-8 Contempomy Re* tic Fiction (PoUsh, 2 Inuit, Black, Jewish, 2 Native American)
FancFful Fiction Historical Fiction Armen) 10 (3 Black, 2 Jewish,
(Japanesc, 2 Black,
Wcan, Jcwish, Black) Table Continues
Table 5.1.1
Synopsis of the Frequency of Multicultural Books in Gendcr Positive! by Patricia Roberts, Nancy Cecil and Sharon Alexander
cuit^^^ u on BOOIU Remrementecl
- I 1 Chinese 1 3 1 Japanese 3 Afiican 2 Banelades hi 2 I Inuit I 2 I
Armenian 1 Bohcxnian 1 Cheyenne 1 Cornanche 1 Dual Language - 1 Spanish / Englls h East Indian 1 1
1 Irish 1 1 1
Russian Russian Inuit Table 5.2
Number and Percentage of Multiculhval Books in Great Books for Girls by Kathlten Odean
of Book Total # of Bookn in # of Multicultural Each Section Books
Pictwe Story Wks 223 30 (Australla, Bedouin, 13 Bkk, Scanàhavian, 2 Argentinean, Itaïian, Spanish, Japancsc, 2 AMcan, Various, Chinese, 3 Inuit, AlaskaIl, South Afrîcan)
20 (Mexican, 2 SwahLIl, 2 Indian, Hmong, Ekst European, 4 Chinese, Cherokee, North Afkican, Navajo, Italian, 3 Japanese,
(Native American. 1
( Chinest, Black, Puerto Rican, Hopi) Short Novels 35 3 8.6 % (Jewish, 2 Bhckl B Qgraphies 15 34.0 % flsraeU, 12 Black, sGalapagos Islands , 1
Middle Eastern, Seminole, Swedkh, 2 Native Americanl
I Sports Stories 1 8
Table Continues Historical Fiction 18 5 Native American, Russian, Jewfsh. Black, Mexican) Fantasy and 24 O Science Fiction 1 Bioera~hiesof 10 3 1 &d&s and 1 1 (2Black. Mayan) ActMsts Biographies of 6 2 Y - 1 Professionals and 1 1 (Native Amcrican. Educators Black) Bfoera~hiesof 13 1 1 ~ci&Ûstsand 1 1 (Borneo) Invcntors Bioaraphies of 9 3 womgn the Arts (2 Black, Mexican) Sports Biographies 9 O I
B-- ioera~--a hies of 8 2 Women History (2 Black) More Dynamic Girls 7 4 and Women (NativeAmerican, Jewish, Apache, Navajol Poetry and 3 O
Sumival Stories (Inuit, Blackl Contemporary 13 5 (3 Black, South dSports Stories
6 (4 Black, Egyptfan,
t Fantasy and 1 18 science Fiction (Mcan) Biographies of 28 4 Leaders and (4 Blackl ActMsts Biographies of 7 2 Professionals and (2 Black) Educators Biographies of 6 O Scicntists and
womgn il the ~rts (3 Black) Sports Biographies 7 1 miackl 1 Womcn in History 14 4 (2 Jewish, Abu@, Jaoancsel
Table ContLnues
Table 5.2.1 Synopsis of the Frequency of Multicultural Books in Great Books for GLrls by Kathleen Odean
+ Culture # of Book.
Japanese 5 Jewish 5
Austraiian 1 Bedouin 1 h 1 Cherokee 1 East European 1 Galapagos 1 Islands
- - Ho~i 1 1 1 Hmong 1 a Israeii 1 Mayan 1 I 4 Mkidle Eastern 1 , 4 1 " North Afiican , Pakistani 1 Puerto Rican 1 L I Russian 1 ' Scandinavian 1 Seminole 1 Swedish 1 1 Tïineit 1 Various 1 World 1 Table 5.3
Number and Percentage of Multlcultural Books in Picture Booh for Children by PaMcla J. Cîanciolo
Typt of Book Toûü # of Bookr in Percentage of I Each Section Multicultunl
32 (2 Caribbean. 4 Jewish, Inuit, 8 Black, Russian, Plains Indian, North Afkican, Afiican, Bahamiiin, Hopi, 2 Vietnamese, 2 Chinese, Korean, Abiiity, Jamaican, 2 Native Amerkan, Japanese, Oriental) Other People 18 (3 Inuit, Swahili, 3 Jewish, 2 Yukon, Appalac hian, Ethbpian, 2 Black, 2 Japanese, Ebt AMcan, Shaker, Zulu) t---- t---- The World 1 Live In
The Imaginative World [Lenaape, Nome, 3 Japanese, Moroccan. 3 Indian, 6 Chinese, West Indian, Caribbean, Slavtc, Scottish, Ukrainian , Polis h , African, Cherokee, Vie tnamese, Pawnee, Ojibway, Tibe tan, Native American, Cheyenne, 3 Jewish, Russian, Hopi, Table 5.3.1
Synopsis of the Frequency of Multicultural Books in Picture Books for Childrcn by Patricia J. Cianciolo
l Culture I # of Books I
Jewtsh 11 Chinese 8
Inuit 4 Caribbean 3 1 East Indian 3 Native American 3 Vietnarnese 3 Mcan 2
Russian 2 Yukon 2
Cheyenne 1 East African . 1 Ethio~ian 1 Jamaic an Korean
Mavan 1 Moroccan I 1 1 I Pawnee I 1 I .------Norse 1 North Mcan 1 Ojibway 1 Oriental 1
Swahili 1 Tibetan 1 U krainian 1 West indian 1 Zulu 1
I Total 1 89 1 Table 5.4
Number and Percentage of Multicultural Books in The Canadian CMdren's Book Centre's Too Good to Miss II
Typc of Book Tom # of Boaka in Each Section
12 (4 Native Canadlan, 2 Inuit, Newfoundland, Japanese, African, Jewis h, Mennonite, Chinese) Fiction 6 (2 Chinese, Asian IAbility, MeAcan, kbanese,
-7-Follctaks & Legends (3 Chinese, 2 Native Canadkm, Black, Irish, Jewish, kJapanese, 1gbo, African) Poetry, Music & 10 O O %
3 27.3 % (2 Native Canadian, Inuit) 1 Things to Do 6 O O % Environme ntai 15 O O % Studies Professional 3 Table 5.4.1 Synopsis of the Frequency of MdticuItural Books in The Canadian Childrcn's Book Centre's T- GOO~to ~issn
I Culture I #oi~ool~1
I Native Canadian I 8 1
- - I t Inuit 1 3 I
1 Blac k 1 1 1
lrish 1 Lebanese 1 1 Mennonite 1 Table 5.5
Number and Percentage of Muiticuitural Books in Beat Books for Chiltiren by John T. Gillespie and ChrisUne B. Gllkrt
Type of Book Total # of Books in # of Muiticuitural 1 Percentage of Each Section Books Multicultud Bookn hAlphabet Books 3 5.1 % Counting Books 52 (Bhck,Swahili, 2 I
Perception 27
Size and Sha- 22
Bedtime Books 44 Stories Without 67 Words 1
Fantasles 188
Real and Almost 1 110 (Black, 2 Japanese) Farxdly S tories 10 6.0 % (Interracial, Japanesc, Abillty, s4 Bhck, Appalac hian. Nattvc Amcrican,
Friendship Stories 48
School Storfcs 24
Table Continues 32 (7 Ability, 5 Black. 3 Chinese, Maysian, Swedish, Grtek*Itahm* 2 Mudcan, fawaifian, 2 Dutch, Gretniand, Cheyenne, 2 Japancst, Xussian, Moravian, Aiaskan, Kenvan)
Machines
Books for Beginning Readem r-T Puebla, Danish)
(Various) Animal Stories 4 (Black, Lapp, Spa-h, Australian) r--TFamUy Stories 17 (Swedlsh, 3 Jewish, Lapp, Quaker, 5 Black, Wclsb, Adoption, Korean, s Puerto Rican, (Vanlous, 2 Black, 2 Jewish, IntelTacial) School Stories
Adventurc and 333 (Carfbbcan, AbFUty, AMca, Native Canadian, 2 Scottish, Seminole, Yukon, 2 Inuit, Mudcan, Native Amcrfcan, Sioux, Jewish) 1
Table Continues Science Fiction r 1. Ethnic Groups (Mexican, Russian- Jewishl Latino, 12 Biack, 6 Native American, 5 Jewish, Navajo, 2 Inuit, 2 Chinese, Chicano, 2 Puerto man, Interracial, bIexican, Ja~anesel
(Bedouin, 2 Black, Sierra Leone, Jewish, Russian- Jewishl Personal Probiems 190 17 (2 Sexual Orientation, Jewish-Catholic, 4 Biack, Vie tnaniese , 3 Jewlsh, Inuit, Newfoundland, Navajo, Amhh, 2 Scottish) Phvsical and 117 47
Africa 6 b Asia 13 13 Europe 46 46 I Great Britain and 128 128
Amcrica Colonid Perlod 12 O The Revolutbn 53 O I CM War 9 1
(Navafol.- -- - a . Reconstruction to 39 7 WWlI (2 Jewisb, Amfsh, Navajo, Itallan, . Biack, Chinesel World War Ii 29 12 [9 Jcwish, ükdnhn, Chinese, Japancse 1 Mysteries, 62 O Monstem and
Table Continues MisccUantous
Table Conmues - -hg 37 5 13.5 % (Itaiian, 2 Various, Native American,
F- 1 Photography and 12 O 0%
Stamp and Coin 5 O 0% Coilectine
-MisceWeous (Various, Mcao) American Historicd 2 O 0% Crafts Clay and Other 2 O 0% Modellng Crafts Costume Making 6 O 0% Drawing and 19 O 0%
Painting 1 Masks and Mask 4 O 0% Makhg
1 Baskctball 1 9 O 0% Bicyclts 8 O 0% Bowling 2 O 0% Camping and 6 O 0% Backpacktng 1 Chess 5 O 0% Fishg 5 O 0% r Football 13 O 0% L GymnasUcs 5 O 0% l Horsemanship 9 O 0% Ice Hockey 7 O 0% 0% Ice Skating 7 O r Indaor Games 1 10 1 10 % (S panish) - Kite Maklng and 3 O 0%
nuing 1 Motorcycles and - 10 O 0% Motor Bkcs 0% . Oiympic Gamcs 4 A O 0% Running- and 4 1 O Jogging Saiiinp and Boatlng 5 O 0% Self-Defense 7 O 0% ------Table Continues u Socccr 10 O 0% Surflng and Water 3 O 0% Skiing Swimmlng and 10 O 0% DMng Tcnxlls 3 O 0% Track and Field 5 O 0%
General and 10 1 Miscellaneous (Various] Tbc Ancient World 4 O 0% Middle Ages and 4 O 0% - Renaissance Mca 1 1 IO0 % Indian Arts and 9 9 100 % Crafts United States 1 4 1 25 %
Misccllaneous Signs and Symbols 5 2 40 % (AbUty, Native Amcrican) Codes and Cyphers 10 O - - 0% 4 Fhgs 3 O 0% Language and 8 5 62.5 % Laneuaees (French, 3 Various) woms ZY U Books and Printing 9 O 0% Writhg and 10 O 0%
(3 NamAmtrfsan) Fok Songs and 20 1 5% Bailads (Bhck) Musical 11 1 9.0 % Instruments WC=) National Anthcms 4 O 0%
Dance O 0% Motion Picturcs and 15 O 0% Televlsion Play Production 3 O 0% Puppets and 7 1 14.3 %
Table Continues ir 1 1 Haiku 8 8 100 % Humorous Poetry 50 O 0% , Indians of North 2 2 100 % herica Nature and the 19 O 0% Seasons 5 O Spo- 0% 1 62 O 1 0%
(various) Africa 28 28 100 % As ia 4 4 100 % China 13 13 100 % Japan 12 12 100 % India 15 15 100 % Southeast Asia 2 2 100 % Austraiia and the 5 5 100 % 1 Paci;fic Islands 1 I I
Ireiand Smin 2 100 % LL and PortugalC1 2 -ce 18 18 1 100 % Germany 40 40 100 %
Scandhavia 12 12 100% I Grcece and IWy 17 17 100 % L Centrai and Eastern 9 9 100 % Europe Russia 36 36 100 % 1 Jewish Folklore 15 100 % - -- 15
1 pMid&~EasË%i - 1- 7 1 7 1 100 % 1
Table Continues Paleontology 46 O 0% 1 Anthropology 7 O 0% Arc hacology 10 O 0% Ancient History Gcnerai 3 O 0% Egypt and 12 12 100 % Mcsopotamia Grecce 8 8 100 % Rome 8 8 100 % Midàie Agea 9 O 0%
(Japanesc,Jewis h) Polar Regions 9 5 55.6 %
I 1
7 100 - 1 West Africa I1 7 1 1 % 1 1 South AfÎica 1 2 1 2 I 100 %
1 Japan 8 8 100 % 1
5 5 100-- - .- India 1 % Other Asian 9 9 100 % Countries Austrdia and the 13 13 100 % Pacific Islands
hJand Low Countries 4 4 100 %
Spain and Portugal 4 4 100 % I France 6 6 100 % &-Y 6 6 100 %
Scanciinavla 13 13 100 % fl Grcece and Italy 9 9 100 % Centrai and Eastern 9 9 9
------Eum~e 1 1 1 I Russia I 7 I 7 I 100 % 1
Ccntxai Amerka 5 I 5 1oO % Puerto Rico and 8 8 100 % Othcr Caribbtan Islands South America 14 14 100 %
Table Continues Midwcst 6 6 100 % Mountain States 5 5 100 % Pacifie States 15 15 100 % History - General 1 O 0% Indi+ins of North 40 40 100 % America Discovcry and 7 O 0% Exploration Colonial Period 1 27 O 0% Revolutionaxy I 12 O 0% Period TheYoungNation 16 O 0% Westward 16 O 0% Expansion and Pioneer Lifc The CMWar 4 O 0% Reconstruction to 13 O 0% the Korean War The 1950s to the 9 O 0% Prcscnt
(3 Black) i1 Historical Tables 21 2 9.5 % (Scottish, Abiiity) I Residents 16 O 0% B hck Amcricans 24 24 100 %
1 Women I l I I
(Chinese,3 Jewish, 1 1 1 Ja-ese) 1 1
(Bbck) 1 Artists 17 O 0% Writers 12 2 16.7 % (2 Black) Camposers 2 O 0% < Table Continues b Entertainers 25
(2 Black)
Tennis Vc Ti ack and Field 2
(4 Black) 3 100 % (3 Biackl 1 Automobile Racing 4 Other Sports 17 Biackl 1
1 Poiiu tion 1 6
(Native American) 1
Rctall S torts 1 Moncv-rnaMne Idcas 1 9
I Courts and the Law I 5
I Constitution I 4
Poiitical Parties Municipal 1
1 12.5 % (Bhck) 14 100 % (Armenian, 6 Bkk, Fînnîsh, Various, Grttk, Chinese,
1 1 Youth Grou~s 6
Table Continues I Business 1 O 0% Engineering and 4 O 0% Tec hnolom 9 O 0% Fine fkts 1 Medicine and 7 O 0% Health Police and 11 O 0% Firemtcrs u 1 . Trans portation 9 O 0% Veterfnarfans 4 O 0%
9 I O 0% Digestive and 9 O 0%
-- - 4 d I Nervous System 13 O 0% Respiratory System 5 O 0% S keletal-Musc* 7 O 0% System
------0% Scnses 22 1 O Teth 5 O 0% Sleep and Dreams 2 O 0% Genc tics 3 1 33.3 % (Skin Colour) Bionics and 2 O 0% Transplants Hygiene and 14 O 0% Physical Fitness Diseases and mer 22 O 0% iïinesses Drugs- , Alco ho1 and 13 O 0% Smoking 1 Safety and 5 O 0% Accidents Doctors and 10 O 0% MediChe Wospitals 4 O 0% Aging and Dcath 5 O 0% Physicai and Mental 19 19 100 %
Table Continues Numbers and 14 O 0% Number Sense Memc System 6 O 0% Weights and 4 O 0% Measures Geometry 7 O 0% Statistlcs 4 O 0% Mathematical 6 O 0% PllzzIcs Theand Clocks 5 O 0% f Physics 1 General 8 O 0% Energy and Motion 6 O 0% Heat 4 O 0% Magnetism and 10 O 0% Electricity 1 Ught and &lor 9 O 0% O~ticalIllusions 4 O 0%
1 Stars 1 13 1 O 1 O%
1 SokSystem 1 8 - 1 O 1 0% 1 Sun 9 l O 0% Planets 14 O 0% Earth 9 O 0% Moon 9 O 0% Earth and Geobgy 16 O 0% ' Space Exploration 33 O 0% Physicai Geography 46 O 0% . 1 Rocks, Minerah and 10 O 0% Soi1 Earthquakcs and 22 O 0% Volcanoes Icebergs and 3 O 0% Glaciers
1 Water I 6 1 O 1 0% 1
1
-.. - . - I Plants- - - I 30 I1 O 1 0% 1 Trces and kaves 15 O 0% Flowtrs 12 O 0% 4 O 0% > Fun@ Table Continues Fds O 0% Vegetables 6 1 16.7 % (Native Amcrican) Farms and Ranches 20 O 0% Nutrition 13 O 0% Commcrcial Fis hing 2 O 0% Textiles and 5 O 0% Clothing Bioloa 28 O 0% Micro biology 5 O 0% Land Inverte brates 9 O 0% hsects General 20 O 0% Ants 5 O 0% Becs and Wasps 5 O 0% Beetles 3 O 0% Butterfiies and 12 O 0% Moths Spiders 1 17 O 0% Other Insects 10 O 0%
Crocodiles and 1 3 1 O 1 0% 1 Alligators Toads 9 O 0% FmésQ and 1 L 1 Lizards 4 O 0% 1 Snakes 15 O 0% Turties and 4 O O Tortofses
t Eagles and Hawks 3 O 0% Guh 1 O 0% 7 O 0%
Table Continues - .. Marsupiais 5 O 0% Pandas 4 O 0% I Rodents 20 O O % Land6 Wobes, Foxes and 9 O 0% coyotes Other Anhais 24 O 0%
Currents I Sea M;immsk 11 O O % Dolphins 3 O 0% Whaies 14 O 0% Fish 20 O O %
J Crustaceans 1 O O % Oystcrs, S ponges. 3 O O % , Stamsh Octopus 2 O O % Corals and Jewh 7 O O 96 Sheh 3 O O % C I I Seashores 4 O O % Zoos and Marine 7 O 0%
I I Wh 8 O O % Othcr Pets 18 O O %
I 1 Televfsion, Radio 1 14 O 0% and Recording v I Metals 4 O 0%
Table Continues Weapons and the 9 O 0% Armed Forces Table 5.5.1
Synopsis of the Frcquency of Mdticultural Books in Bcat Bookn for Chiïdren by John T. Gillespie and Christine B. Giibert
1 Culture I # of Book8
and Irish
Native American- - 129 Black 117 United States 10 1 Jewish 93 I AbUty 65 L Chinese 50 , European 46 German 46 African 45 Russian 44
French 25 Various 25 I I East Inàian 22 Mcxican 2 1 Middk Eastern 20 Australian 19 ' Physical and 19 Mental Disabiiities Puerto Rican 18 South Amcrican 17
Canadian 9 Central and 9 . East Afkican East and 9
East Europcan 1 9 1 Roman 8 West Afdcan 7
I Scottish 6 Central 5
Table Continues Mexicanand 4 Central American Navajo 4 Pobh 4 Spanîsh 4 Spanish and 4
Amis h 3 Interracial 3 North Mcan 3 Swedish i 3 Weish 3 Appalachian 2 B uddhis t 2 Danish 2 I Eastern 2
bpanic 2 ~PP 2 Pueblo indian 2 Russian/ Jewfsh 2 l Sexual 2 Orientation Shaker 2 South mcan 2 Swahili 2 T hai 2 Skin Colour 1 1 Quaker , ' Sahration hy 1 Seminole 1 Sierra Leone 1 sioux 1 U krainian I Vietnamese 1 Yukon 1
I Total 1465 1 Table 5.6
Number and Percentage of Multicultd Books Ln The Canadian Chfldrcn's Book Centre's Our Choice 1996/97
TypeofBook Total # of Book8 in Percentage of Each Section Multicultd
8 (2 AMcan, Newfoundland, East Indian, Japanese, Gypsy, Bangladeshi,
[Métis) 6 (2 Jewish, Black, Chlnese, Native Canadian, Croatlan, Hungarianl I Poetxy, Music & 1 1 O Plays Magazines 2 Folktales, Legends & 11 10 (4 Native, 2 Greek, Polish , East European, Japanese 1 Hlstov & Biography 15 6 (2 Black, 2 Chinese,
- a- - I Professiond 3 Things to Do 13 ' Environmental 26
5 (2 Native Canadian, Québecois, DanfSh, Table 5.6.1 Synopsis of the Frequency of Multicultural Books in The Canadian Chfldren's Book Centre's Our Choice 1998 /97
Culture # of Books Repreaenttd
I Native Canadian I 7 1 I I Black 3 Chinese 3
Japanese 2 Jewish 2
Ban ladeshi
Danis h East European 1 a East Indian 1 GWY 1 Hungarian 1 Icelandic 1 Métis 1 Wewfoundland 1 Polish 1 I Vie tnamese 1 I World 1
1 Tota 1 30 1 Table 5. 7
Number and Pcrcentage of Multicultural Books in ~vcntudkéwith Books by Jdie Jensen and Nancy Roser
1 TYP~of Book 1 ~otril# of ~oohin 1 # of ~u~ticu~tud1 Pcrcuitage of Books I """="" Books
(1 1 Black, 2 Nam Amerfcan, Jewis h, 1 I Irish, Hawai'fan) Alphabet Books 29 3 10.3 % (Caribbean, World, Hebrewl Color Books 6 O 0% Concept Books 56 1 1.8 % World) Counting Books 29 2 6.9 % [Caribbean, Native American) Nursery Rhymes 16 O 0% LLft the Flap 11 2 18.2 % (Mcan/ South American,
I Aus~~) Pop Ups 7 O 0% Puil Tabs 1 O 0% Songs and Music 10 O 0% Wordlcss Books 1 I O 0% Bisthdava 7 1 14.3 %
(Austr=ilfan, Latin American, S paish) Easter 5 1 20 % ( Ukrainian) Wallowe'en 12 O 0% Jewish Holidavs 8 8 100 % (8 Jewish) 1 1 100 % (1 Biack) Multiple HoUdays 4 1 25 % (Jcwish/CMstianl I St Patrick's Day 1 1 100 % (Irish1 0% ' Thanksgivfng 3 O Valendne's Day 2 O 0% Classks 16 I 6.3 % (Russian) Adventure Stories 9 O O % Animal Stbrits 27 O 0% Ethnfc, Raclal and 6 6 100 % Religious Groups (2 Bhck, Camboàian, World, 2 (Itaiîan, Black) 9 (6 Black, Czech, Chinese. Africanl 4 (2 Black. Nonvcglan. Jamaican] 2 (Black.Russianl School Lik and
Humorous Stories
1 (Black) 5 (3 Biack, Korean, Russ ian 1 Storles about Other 16 Lands and People (3 South Afiican, 4 flfrican, Meldcan / Haitian / Guatemaian, South America, Gypy, Egyptian. Native, Chinese, Jamaican, Syrian, Paklstani)
1 Adventure and t--Animal Fantasy
IlHumorous Fantas Drcams Other Worlds
4 [irfsh. Pollsh, Afzican. Biackl
6 (4 Russian, Black, Egyptian 1
Table Continues Visual Arts 11 2 1 18.2 % IHlspanic. Celtfc) . Prehistoric Times 1 O O % Medieval Times 1 O O % 15th & 16th 8 O O Centuries 17th & 18th 8 2 25 % Centuries United (2 Spanish) States 17th & 18th 2 1 50 % Centuries World {Native American) 19th Century 26 2 7.7 % United States (Black, Native American) 19th Century World 6 4 66.7 % (Japanese, Jewish, 1 1 1 Native American, 1 Iris b 1 20th Century 15 3 20 % United S Utes: (Poiish,Lebanese, Early in the Century Chinese) United States: 3 O 0% Decades 1 United States: 17 6 35.3 % WWU and Later (3Jewish, kbanese, Vietuamese, Biac k) 100 % ' World: WW 1 & Next 1 1 2 Decades (Jewishl World: WWII Br 7 5 71.4 % Latcr (3 JeWh, Pobh, LaMan1 Easy-Reading Books 21 O 0% Jokes. Riddles and 13 1 7.7 % Puns (Native Arne rican 1 Language Play 21 1 4.8 % (Scottbhl , Poe- Anthologies 42 3 7.1 % (Na% American, Japanese. Worldl ' CoUections by a 38 2 5.3 % Single Poet (Black, Japanese) Individual Poems 29 2 6.9 % (Irish, Aiaskan) Pcmy Writing 1 O 0% Aeronautics & 15 O 0%
Anmals I 0% Instcts and Spiders 5 O I L Oc~nLifè 13 O 0% Pets 2 O 0% Reptiles % 5 O 0% Amphibm WUd bimals 11 O 0% I Archeoh@ 2 O 0% 4
Table Continues Ecology (2 Native Arnerican) F,arth Science, 14 O 0% 1 Meteorolow and 1 ~ Oceanography 1 Energy 3 General Science 6 Concepts Gtopphy 1 Iiulflan Body, 11
Machines Mathematics
Carters Y Communication 5 Community Life 8
1 Craits & Hobbies 11
Religlous Groups (7Native Amcrican, 2 Amish, 2 Jewfsh, Arab, Shaker, Baltic States, Arctic, Egyptlan. Mexican] Food, Clothing & 3 O 0% . Shelter G-graphy 4
1 Govemment 1 5 -- A U.S. History 20 I (2 Black, Spanish,
Japanesel l World Hstory 21 1 4.8 %
Relationships Religion 6
Social Issues & 5 Fe ~elatlonshipa ' Sports & Gamcs 9 2 22.2 % (World, Black) 1 9.1 %
(World) O Folk Songs & 18 2 11.1 % Baihds
Table Continues Folktales & FaLry 125 35 Tales (8 Russian, 5 Chinese, 4 African, 4 Japanese, 3 Itakn, 2 Jewish, 2 Black, Ukrainian, Native American, Gerrnan, Peruvlan, Danish, Guatemakm, Iris hl Myths & Legends 34 20 (7 Native Amerlcan, 3 Afkican, 3 World, Peruvian, Mayan, Japanese, Inuit, New Zeaiand, Irish, New Guinean) Table 5. 7.1
Synopsis of the Frequency of Multiculturai Bwks in Mventuring with Books Julte Jensen and Nancy Roser
t Culture # of Booka Reprucnted
Black 41 Native Amcrican 29
1 Japanese 1 12
- -- I , Pokh 3 South Mcan 3
huit 2 1 Jamaican 2
. - Arctic 1 Baltic States
Korcan 1 Latin Arnerican
LaMan- - .. - - - - 1
MeAcan/ Haitia n / Guatemaian New Guinean
Table Continues 1 Shaker 1 ' South American t
1 1 Vie tnamese 1 Table 5.8
Number and Percent- of Multicultural Books in Choostnn Books for ChiIdren by Betsy Hearne
Type of Book - Total # of Book6 in # of Multicultd Percentrge of Rach Section Book8 Multicultd Books
Holiday Books 28
L Speiibinders 40 (3 Blac k, Inuit,
Sure Hits
(2 Bhck, 2 Jewish, 2 Native, Inuit, 1 Austraiîan) Poe- 29 1 3.4 % (Black) Folk & Fairy Tales 24 13 54.2 % (2 Native, 2 World, 2 English, 2 American, Irish, Afiican, Norse, Bbck, Chinese) 1 Nonfiction 41 5 12.2 % [Migrant Worke rs , Chinese, man,
Controversial Books 17 (Jewish,Japanese] i 1 Young Adult 34 6 17.6 % (3 Bhck, 2 Jewish, Table 5.8.1
Synopsis of the Frtquency of Multiculturai Books in Chooaï~~Book. for Chiïdren by Betsy Heame
Jewish 11 Native American 4 African 3 Arne ric an 2 L 2 Chinese I 1 T Engkh 2 Inuit 2 Japanese 2 World 2 Table 5.9
Number and Percentage of Multicultural Books in Guide to Children's Book6 by Michele Landsberg
Type of Book Total # of Books in # of Muiticultural Percentage of Each Section Books MuMcu~~~~ Books
Beginning Readers - Ages 4-8 (3Chinese, Itaikm, European, French, Liberianl
Readers - Ages 5 -8 [Greek, Japanese, Frcnch,
I Native Canadian) Middle Readers - 1 94 10 10.6 % Ages 8-12 (3 Jewis h, Native Canadian, S lkh, Swiss, Japanese, Spanish, Greek,
(5Jewis h , 4 Native Canadian, 2 Inuit, 2 Biack, Hispanie, Scottish, Chinese, Spanish) 9 18.4 % (2Irish, 2 Jewish, Celtic, Gypsy/Irfsh, Austraiian Abriginal. Black, IsraeU/Arabl Books about 9 Children's Reading Table 5.9. I
Synopsis of the Frequency of Multicultural Books in Guide to Childrai'r Books by Michele Landsberg
Culture # of Boab Rz~racnted
Inuit French Greek
Japanese 2 Spanish 2 Tabk 5.10
Number and Percent- of Multicultural Books in ~o~ected-~erupectAvc#: Chooaim? and Usim Bookr for the ClPsaroom by Hughes Moir, MeUssa Cain and Leslie Prosak-Beres
Type of Book Tom # of Booka in IEach Section 16 (2 Biack, 2 man, 2 Japanese, Caribbean, Finnlsh, Ojibway, Chinese, 2 Native American, Plains Indian, Aztec, Vie tnamese ,
Readers (3 Black, 2 Japanese, 2 Worlà, 2 Chinese, Jewish,
Fiction for Okier Eieaders [British, Pokh, 2 huit, Caribbean, 3 Biack, 2 Jewish, 3 Native Amerlcan, Japanese, Ethiopian Jewis h, man,Chhese) Pwtry for ail Ages 2 (Chinese,
Non-fiction for ail (5 Jewbh, 2 Black, 'P Japanese, Southeast Asian, 2 Chinese, Naüue American, Table 5.10.1
Synopsis of the Frequency of Multicultural Books in Collectai Perspectives: Chooa~and Us- Books for the Clnssroom by Hughes Moir, Mebsa Ca.and tesiie Prosak-Beres
Culture # of Wb Rcpracnted
Jewish 1 8 Chinese 7 Native American 6 Japanese 6 African 3 Caribbean 2 1 Inuit 2
Aztec 1
Bahamian I 1 British 1 Chippewa 1 Eth iopian 1 Jewis h 1 Finnish 1 hh 1 Oj ibway 1 Plains Indu 1 Polish 1
1 Total 1 62 1 Table 5.1 1
Number and Percentage of Multiculm Books in Books ~ids-WUISft SUIFor by Judy Fmeman
Type of Book Total # of Books in IEach Section Fiction for Preschool - Klndcrgartcn [South Mcan, Jamese l 1 Fiction for Armenian, 4 Black)
Grades 1-2 (Chinese, Brazilian, 3 Bbck, 2 Austraiîan, 2 Japanesc, Mudcan, 2 Jamaican l Fiction for 28 Grades 2-3 (Inuit, 3 Japanese, Akican, 6 Black, 12 1taiia.n. 2 Jewfsh, Russian/Jewfsh,
Grades 3-4 7 Grades 4-5 (2 Native Amerlcan, 5 Black) 11 Grades 5-6 (2 Bhck, 3 Natk American, Inuit, 2 Jewish, Norweglan. Ability,
Table Continues Foik & Fahy Tales, Myths and Legends: (13 Afkican, Single Stories Mexican, Pemvian, 5 Greek, Filipino, 12 Norwegian, 7 Native American, 13 Chinese, 2 Bfack, 5 Itabn, Spanbh. Puerto Rican, Turklsh, Laotian, 13 Japanese, 3 Ukrainian, 2 Jewtsh, LaMan, Cherokee, Czech, 3 French, 4 Arab, 3 Em-9 18 Russian, Welsh, Liberian, 2 Irish, 2 Slavic , Haitian , 2 Poiish, 2 Indian, Scottish, Swedish, Hungarian , Canadian, Korean, Cheyenne, 3 German, 2 Vietnamese, MongoUan, South
Folk & Fahy Tdes, Myths and Legends: (4 Russlan, Coilections 4 Afiican, 2 West Afiican, Hungarian, Iroquois, Ojibway , 2 Haithn, 4 Greek, 5 Chinese, South American, 2 Northwest Coasta Native American , 2 World, Various, 4 Bhck, Native American , 2 Jewish, Annenlan Japanese , Vietnarnes e, Turkish, Japanesel Meldcan / Laotian) Poetry, Nonsense 6 and Language- (2 Chinese, Swahili Oriented Nonfictior 2 Black, Bah- Nonfiction and Bbgraphy -(2 Jewish, Japanese, Chinese Table 5.11.1
Synopsis of the Frequency of Multicu1tura.l Books in Books Kid8 Will Sit Stiu For by Judy Fhcm
Culture # of Book8 Renresented
b Afiican 19 Italian 17 Native American 13 Norwtgian 13 Jewish 10 Grcek 9 Arab 4 L , Egvptian 3 French 3
I 1 World 2 1
I BrazLlian 1 Canadian 1 Cheroket 1 r Cheyenne 1 Czech 1 L Fiiipino 1 I # hquois 1 1 I Korean 1
Table Continues LaMan 1 Libe rian 1
American l O1 ibwav 1 Peruvian 1 tPuerto------Rican- 1 Russian/ Jewish Scottish South American South American Tabk 5.12
Number and Percentage of Mdttcultural Books in Bcst of the kcst for Chilhn by Dcnise Perry Donavin
Type of Book Totaï # of Book8 in Each Section r-7 Books
Toddlers Books Books for 8 Preschwlers (3 Black, Russlan, Chfnese, Jamaican, t-- t-- ükrainian, Books for Early Grade rs (5 Biack, 4 Native Amcrican, 2 Chinese, Hbpantc, Japanese, Arab, Afkican, Jewish, Vietuamese 1 9 Graders - Fiction (3 Jewkh, Chinese, 3 Black, 2 Japanese) 7 Graders - Nonfiction plains Indian, Chcse, Nattve Amcrican, World, Hawai'ian, Jewish, Amishl Books for Teenagers 15 - Fiction (6 Bbck, 2 Jewish, 2 NamAmerlcan, Hispanic , PoUs h , Amish, Inuit* Chinesel Bmks for Teenagers 9 n (2 Biack, 2 JeWh, Mayan, Japancse, African, Austrian, Vieînamcse)
Taidlitrs and
Middlë~radersand
(2 Black, Man) 2 (Russian. Ja~a.nese1 Table Continues Videos for Teenagers 32 5 15.6 % (2 Black, West Indian, East Indian. Madagascar) 1 ABC Books 8 1 12.5 %
1 t Pœms Iri Picture 1 5
(Costa Rican, Afiican, Egyptian, Arab, World, Hawai'l, Argentinean, Pakistani, Norwegian,
Sex Education 7 Books ' Father and Son 4 Books Write it Yourself 6 2 33.3 % (Native American, Table 5.12.1
Synopsis of the Frequency of Multicultural Books in Batof the Bcst for Chiïdrcn by Denlse Perxy Donavin
J Culture # of Book.
1 Native American f 10 1
World
Vietnamese
Austraîian
Argentinean 1 1
Costa Rican I 1 1 East Indian 1 1 I
I Inuit 1 1 I
Madagascar 1 1 Mavan 1 1
Plains Indian 1 1 Polish 1
U krainian I 1 West Indian i 1 Table 5.13
Number and Perccntage of Multicultural Books in Choosim Ch~fdren's Books by David Booth, Larry Swartz and Meguido Zola
Type of Book Total # of Boob in # of MuIticuitural Percentage of Each Section Boohs Multicultural Boob
Board Books 14 O 0% Toy Books 10 O 0% Mother Goose 13 O 0% Rhyme. Verse. Jingle 12 O 0% and Song
Concept Books 16 1 (World 1 Alphabet Books 6 O 0% Counting Books 6 O 0% Hmray for Me 12 2 16.7 % [Merences, Black) The Daiiy Round 10 O 0% Frlendship 6 O 0% Fe 6 O 0% Reassuring Bwks 4 O 0% Sohlng Problems 10 O 0% 5 O 0% First Adventures 1 Scazy Books 5 O 0% Animal Books 10 O 0% Bedtime Books 7 2 28.6 % (Biack, World l Read -Aloud 7 O 0% Traditional Tales 11 O 0%
Sharing (Chinese,Worîd, Black, Itaîianl Wordless Books 5 O 0% Concept Books 13 O 0% Fricnds and Fami& 9 2 22.2 % - (Appahchian. 4s) Humour 10 O 0% Advcnturt 11 O 0% Aaimals and Nature 11 2 18.2 % [Japanese, Black) Dinusaurs 10 O 0% Read Aloud /Teil 13 2 15.4 % Aloud [Russian,Afiicanl Traditional Tales 10 2 20 %
L I Collections 1 6 1 O 1 0% Table Continues Poetry and Song - 18 O 0% Information Books 13 O 0% Classica 8 O 0% 1 1 1 1 Participation ~ooks1 18 1 1 1 5.6 % . (Native Canadian) Beginning Books for 19 1 5.3 % Reading L , I IBbck) First Readers 1 9 O 0% Ready in Read 9 1 11.1 % Books (Itdian) MtNovels 13 2 15.4 % (Native Canadian, Jewishl
Fiction for 12 4 33.3 % Developing Readers (Gpy. EmWl East Indian, Jewish) 1 Fiction for 9 2 22.2 % Inde pendent (Black, Readers Fundamcnkbt chriSm1 r Reiations hips 10 O 0% Mystery and 11 1 9.1 % Advcn ture (Native Canadian) Issues 10 4 40 % (2 Chinest, Native Canadian. Jewis hl 1 1 sports 10 O 0% I BW~P~Y 10 4 40 % (2 Black, Ability, Indlan j Fantasy 9 1 11.1 % (Scottish) Historical Fiction 8 2 25 %
(Native Canadian) Humour 10 O 0% Popuiar Books 6 O 0% . O 0% Information Books 9 (Chfnese) Read Aloud /Tell 14 I 3 21.4 % 1 Aloud 1 1 (2 Japanese. 1 ~ppakchian) Picture Books for 13 4 30.8 % s-g (Native Canadian, Chinese, Arcîic,
(Jtwlsh) Traditional Tales 10 7 (2 Chinese, Native Canadian, Ccltic, Haitian. Canaian, Irish) PwW 15 O 0%
Table Continues Reluc tant and
2 18.2 % Developing Readers (Egyptian. Native Canadian) Ficdon for Mature 9 4 21.1 % Readers (2 Austrakn, Celtic, Blac k) Relations hips IO 1 10 %
Science 14 Fiction / Fantasy Mystery and 10 1 (Inuit) 10 % Adven ture Historicd Fiction 11 (Mennonite, Scottish, Russian,
Issues 1 16 (2 Developmental Delay, 2 JeWh, Inuit, Black)
(2 Black, Chinese, Jewish) ClassiCs 7 Information Books 6
Read Noud /Tell 7 Aloud (Black) Picture Books for 9 1 11.1 % Sharing Myth, Legend and 3 FolMale (Jewish, Engiish, Greek) Table 5.13.1
Synopsis of the Frequency of Multicultural Books in Chooain~Children'i Books by David Booth, Lany Swartz and Meguido Zola
Culture # of Book8 Repruented
15 , Black Chinese 9 Jewish 9 Native Canadian 8 1 Jamese 5
Appalachian 2 , Celtic 2 East Indian 2 Egyptian 2 Inuit 2
Russian 2 1 Scottish 2
Ageisrn I
Arc- - tic-- 1 Canadian 1 East Euroman 1
Greek 1 GPY 1 Haitian 1 Irish 1 Mennonite 1 Table 5.14
Number and Percentage of Multicultural Books in The R.ead Aloud Huidbook by Jim Treiease
Type of Book Total # of Book Ln # of Muiticulturiil Percentage of Each Section Book8 Mufticultural
Picture Books (3 Biack, 2 Japanese, Pexsian, Russian, Jewish, Dutch, Native, Scottish, Spanish,
Short Novels (Native, Germa, Jewlsh] Noveis 100 11 11.0% ( 5 Black, 3 Native, Chinese, Hfspanic, East European) Poetxy 20 O 0% Anthologies 17 2 11.8% Table 5.14.1
Synopsis of the Frequency of Multicultural Books in The Fbd Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease
Culture # of Books
Native American
Jamnese
L I Dutch 1 1 East Euroman 1 1
Ti be tan 1 World 1 I Table 5.15
Number and Percentage of Multicultural Books in Hamer Collinrr Children'm Baoka FU1997
Type of Book Total # of Bookm in Each Section
(Chinese, Japanese, Wor Id, Native
World of Narnia 1 Can Read Chapter Books (Chinese, Vietnamese, Inuit) Little House on the
O 0% Harper Trophy 46 4 8.7 % (2 Blac k, Native American, Inuit) Simultaneous 9 O 0% Ri biic aUons Other Pubbhers 18 Table 5.15.1
Synopsis of the Frequency of Multfcultural Books in Hamer ColUn# Chiîdrcn'a Books FaU 1997
Culture # of Boob Re~rtscnted
Native Amerfcan 2 Inuit 2
L Vie tnamese 1 1 World 1 Table 5.16
Number and Percentage of Multicultural Books In The Bat of Bookfinder by Sharon Spredernann Dreyer
Typof Book Total # of Booke in Each Section
(20Ability, 13 Black, 2 Appalachian, 2 Jewish, 2 Puerto Rican, 2 Vietnamese, Afkican, Chinese, German, In terracial, Japanese, Native American, West Inciian)
AU books are listed alphabetically by author. Table 5.16.1
Synopsis of the Frequency of Muiticultural Books in The Bat of Bookfinder by Sharon Spredemann Dreyer
Culture # of Books Renruented
I t Appalachian 2 Jewish 2 L 1 Puerto Rican 2
Vietnamese-- -- 2 1 1 Afirfcan 1 Chinese 1 German 1 1 Interracial 1 1 1
1 Total 1 48 1 Table 5.17
Number and Percentage of Multicultud Books in Bookr for the Gîftd Child by Paula Hauser and Gall A. Nelson
Type of Book Total # of Booka in # of Mufticulturai ' Perccntage of Rach Section Books 1 lulticulturai Bookn
14 (3 Native Amertcan, 2 Worid, Ceitic, Hebrew, huit, It=ilian. Japanese, Russian, Sikh, Southwest Native
- - Ali books are Usted dphabet6dly by author. Table 5.17.1 Synopsis of the Frequency of Multiculturai Books in Book8 for the Gifteâ Child by Paula Hauser and Gall A. Nelson
Culture # of Books Table 5.18
Number and Percentage of Muiticultural Books in
Type of Book Total # of Books in Bach Section
Disabled Reader (5 Black, 3 Ability, 3 Hispanie, 2 African, Rerigbns. Native Amerlcan , Chinese, Vietnamese, Irish, Mexican, Italian, Germanl Books for the 100 Reluc tant Reader Table 5.18.1 Synopsis of the Frequency of Multicultural Books in Hieh/Low Handbook by Ekn V. LiBretto
Culture # of Book Repreaented 1
1 Native American 1 1 1 , # Chinese 1 I J Vie tnamese 1 Table 5.19
Number and Percentage of Multlcdtural Books in The Literaturc of Ddat by Kimkrly Oison Faldh
a Tjj~of Book Total # of Book. in # of Muiticultural Percmtage of Each Section Wkn Multiculturol moka aughers: ~aughing Together Cautionary Tales: 16 1 6.3 % CorrecW Humor (Blackl Blunting the 62 3 4.8 % World's Rough (2 Abiiity, Various) Edges: Heahg
Humor I Bonk! Physical 38 O 0% Humor - Anthropomorphic 27 1 3.7 % Fun: Mechanical (Jewishl Lik " Language That 53 4 7.5 % Tickies: Jokes, (Bangladeshi, Riddles, Puns, Jamaican, Black, Pocms Apechian 1 - ïnstructlve Humor: 87 2 2.3 % "Didactic,Yet (Aklcan, EntertaLnLngn African / Jewis hl - Text and Subtext: 119 3 2.5 % Parody, Wit, ïrony, (Australian, Black, Spoofs, and Send- Nomgtanl
ups 3 "s Not Fair!" Humor 30 O O %
as Rebcllion I Fool's Play: 21 4 19 % Impostors, Rascals, (SWahU, BuEoons, and Plains Indan,
Tric ks tcrs Danfsh, Chinese) m Nothhg is Sacrcd: 11 2 18.2 % Irrtvcrtnt Humor (Plains Iadkm, Mayanl - Goose Bumps and 47 O 0% ChiUs: Gothic
Humor I Cnide Humor: 33 1 3.0 % Mockexy, Crutity, (Chinese)
VuigaritY 1 Satumalfa.. A 62 2 3.2 % Madcap World (Ukrâinian, Austrnlian
Aboriginal) I Hodgepafge: Just 54 O 0%
Plain SiiIy L
Table Continues Whirlwind Fun: 51 6 11.8 % Gfddy Upmar and (West Indian, Joyous Energy Hispanie, Peruvian, Swedish, 2 Black) Cornedy Without 45 5 11.1 % Laughter: Soft and (2 Itaihn, Tibetan, Gentle Humor Australian. Biack) Synopsis of the Frequency of Multicultural Books in The Litemture of Deiight by KLmberiy Olson Fakh
Culture # of Books
mcan 1 Africad Jewish 1 A~mkachian 1 Aus traiian 1 1 Aborleinal... I Bangladeshi 1 Dankh 1
Jewish 1 A Mayan 1 Norwegian 1 Peruvian 1 SwahU 1 Swedish 1 Tibetan 1 Ukrainian 1 Various 1 . West Indian 1 Table 5.20
Number and Percentage of Multicultural Books in the Globe and bb.il Newspaper Chikiren's Book Reviews Revkwed by Susan Perren
(Asian, Chinese) 97-09-27 3 1 33 % (Native Canadian] 97-10-11 3 O 0%
(Arab) 97-1 1 -29 11 3 27 % (Canadian, Chinese, Jewis h 1
vu-V A -Y I 7 Y Y tw 98-02-14 5 1 20 % (Biack) 98-02-28 4 O 0% 98-03-14 4 1 25 % (South or Central America) QSL~Q-~R A du-VU-&V 7 nU nurV N 98-04- 18 5 2 40 % (Newfoundland, East Indian) Table 5.20.1 Synopsis of the Frequency of Muiticultural Books in the Globe and Mail Newspaper Chlldren's Book Reviews Reviewed by Susan Perren
1 Culture 1 # of Book8 1 Cl Native Canadian
1 Asian 1 1 1 1 Canada 1 1 1 East Indiiin 1 Jewish I Meldcan I Newfou ndla nd 1
South or 1 Centrai Table 5.21
Numkr and Percentage of Multicultural Books in the The Toronto Star Newspaper Children's Book Reviews
Note: This column was edited by Kathy Muldwn until the end of December 1997. DeMre Baker took over the column in March, 1998. No columns were printed between Oecember 27,1997 and Marc h 7, 1998
1 Date 1 Total # of Books 1 # of Multtcultural 1 Percentage
(Chinese) 97-09-20 3 O 0% 97-10-04 4 1 25 % 1 (Native Canadian) 1 I -- .- .A ! - - - -.
[East Indian) 98-05-30 5 O 0%
Including 2 Paperbck Picks reviewed by Dan Smith Table 5.21.1
Synopsis of the Frequency of MulUcultural Bmks in the The Toronto Star Newspaper Chfldren's Book Reviews
Culture 1 1~ of l~ooka I
African 1 Chinese 1 < East Indian 1 Native Canadtan 1 Peruvian 1 1 Various 1 1
1 Total 1 10 Table 5.22
Number and Percentage of Multicultural Magazines Ln lbgdnm-for Md6 and Ttcm - by Donald R. Stol1
'r~peof~lbieidne Tom # of # of Et¶ulticulturrl Percentage of Magazines Multicultd
(21 Christian, Baha'i, 4 Jewish, Mormon, 3 Geman, Chhese, Native American, World, 4 Bhck, Multicuituraiism, EquaLIty, 5 French. Ghanaian, Spanish, Kenvan)
Magazines were kted dphabeticaüy by til Table 5.22.1 Synopsis of the Frequency of Multicultural Magazines in Magazintai for Kîds uid TCCM by Donald R. StoU
I Culture 1 # of ~guinea1
BIack 4 1 Jewish 4 Gennan 3 4 1 Baha'i 1 C hinese 1 EquaJm 1 1 French 1
--
Kenyah - 1 Multiculturallsm 1 1 Native American I L R Spanish 1 World 1
-- 1 Total 1 47 1 Table 5.23
Numkr and Percentage of Mulflcultural Videos in Check it out!: The Emsentiaï, Indispcnmrble Guide to Children's Videa by Fiona Zippan and Bug Atkinson - Typc of Book Tom # of Vidan in # of Multicultutrl Percentage of Each Section Videos Multiculturai Videos
1 (2 Black. Caribbean. Japanese, Chinese) 5 1 2.8 % (Mexican, Native Arne rican , Black, Nepalese, Scottish) 3 2.2 % (Black, Hispanie, Table 5.23.1
Synopsis of the Frequency of Multicultural Books in Check it out!: The E~sentid,Indispensable Guide ta Chilàren's Video by Fiona Zippan and Doug Atkinson
r Culture I iv orvide~ri 1
1 Black 1 4 1
Japanese 1 Mexican 1 I Native American 1 1 1 NeDalese 1
r Total 1 13 Table 5.24
Synopsis of the Numkr and Percentage of Mdticultural Books. Magazines and Videos in Review Literature
Book/ Newirpapu Totai numbu of # of Muiticultural Percentage of Recommcndatio~ Recommendationa Multicultud Recommendationa
Girls " Rcture Books for 444 89 20 % Childrcn Too Good to Miss II 196 32 16.3 % Best Books for 9385 1465 15.6 % Children Our Choice 1996/97 266 39 14.7 % Adventurlng with 1760 243 13.8 % Books Choosing Books for 336 46 13.7 % ~udrcn Guide to ChUdrcn's 367 47
Books l Coiiected 488 62 12.7 % Perspectives Books Kids Wffl Sit 2117 260 12.3 % Stiii For Best of the Best for 754 92 12.2 % Children Choosing Children's 745 85 11.4% Books The Read Aloud 307 30 9.8 % Handbook Harper Collins 138 13 9.4 %
Chiidren's Books I The Best of 676 48 7.1 % Bookfinder Books for the Gifked 195 14 7.2 % Child High / Low 412 24 5.8 % Handbook , The Littxature of 794 34 4.3 %
Essential, Indispensable Guide to Childrcn's Videos Table Continues
Table 5.25
Number and Percentage of People hmParallel Cultures and/or Authors/IUustrators born Outside North America or Western Europe in Meet the Authors and Iiiu~trators by Deborah Kovacs and James Preiler - Numkt of Authorl Percentages Illustrators Proflld in Each
Western Europe 1 Mtmber8 of 1 Pardiel Cultures 1.6 % born outside America Mcmbas of 15 % Parrllel Cultures 9 born in America Totd number of 10 16.6 % Memberm of Parme1 Cultures Table 5.26
Number and Percentage of People hmParailel Cultures and/or Authors/Illust.ators bom Outsfde North America or Western Europe in Bo~ksAre Bv People by Lee Bennett Hopkins
WUXI- of Autî-ml Percentages 1lliutratora Roffled in Each CItegory Tom number of 104 Authors andlor
Western Europe Membus of 2 1.9 % ParaIlel Culture8 born outaiide 1 America Memm of 6 5.8 % Pupllltl Culture8 boni in Americr Total number of 8 7.7 % Table 5.27 Number and Percentage of People hmParalicl Cultures and/or Author/Iliustrators born Outside North America or Western Europe in Writim Storics, Making Hctures by The Canadian Children's Book Centre
Category Total number of 150 Authom and/or Illustrators
Those bom outoide 10 6.6 % North Americri or Western Europe 1 McmbeI8 of 2 1.3 % Par8iiel Cultures born outiidc Canada Membens of 5 3.3 % Paralie1 Cultuma born in Canada Tomnumh of 7 4.6 % Mtmhof ParaIlcl Cultuma Table 5.28
Number and Percentage of People hmParalie1 Cultures andlor Members born Outside North America or Western Europe in The Ca~caipCorndon by Barbara Greenwood
Number of Percentages Membtrs in Each
Tom number of Authora and/or t- t- 1uUBtntorlJ North Amerka or Wcatern Europe Membeis of Par&llclCurturea born outaide Canada Munbem of Paraïid Cultures born in Cutada 1 Total number of Mcmbcra of Pslaltel Culturcw Table 5.29
Llst of Al1 Cultures Represented ln the Review Llteraturc (Tables 5.1 - 5.281 1 Ablllty 61 Engilsh 2 Aboriglnal 62 European 3 Adoption 53 Filipino 4 African 64 FImlsh 6 Agelsm 65 French 6 Aiaskan 6ô Fundamentahm 7 American 67 Calapagos lslands 8 Amish 6û Cerman 9 Apache 69 Chanaian IO Appalachian 60 Great Britlsh and lrfsh 11 Arctic 81 Greenland 12 Arab 62 Greek 13 Argentlnean 63 Greek/Itallan 14 Armenlan 64 GYPSY 15 Asian 66 Guaternalan 16 Australlan 66 HafUan 17 Baitîc States 67 Hawal'lan 18 Bahamlan 88 Hebrew 19 Bangladeshl 69 Hlnduisrn 20 Bedouln 70 Hlspanlc 21 Black 71 Hmong 22 Bohernlan 72 Hopi 23 Borneo 73 Hungarfan 24 Brazllian 74 Igbo 25 Buddhlst 76 Icelandlc 26 Carnbodian 78 Interraclal 27 Canadian 77 Inult 28 Carlbbean 78 Irish 29 Celtic 79 Iroquols 30 Central hnerican 80 Israell 31 Central and East Afrlcan 81 Israellf Arab 32 Cherokec 82 Itdian 33 Cheyenne 83 Jamalcan 34 Chlcano û4 Japanese 36 Chinese 86 Jewlsh 38 Chippewa 86 Jewlsh /Cathollc 37 Christian 87 Kenyan 38 Cornanche 88 Korean 39 Costa Rlcan 89 LaoUan 40 Croatian 90 L~PP 41 Czech 91 Latin Arncirican 42 Danlsh 92 Latfno 43 Dutch 83 LaMan 44 East African 94 Lebanese 46 East and Central European 96 Lenaape 46 East European 06 Llberian 47 East Indian 97 Madagascar 48 Eastern Reiigtons 88 Malayslan 49 Egyptlan Q9 Mayan 6û Ethlopian 100 Mennoni te
Table Continues ------101 ~étls ~SI~la& 102 Merdcan 162 South Mrlcan 103 Mexlcan and Central Amerlcan 163 .South Arnerican 104 MeAcan /Haltlan/Guatemalan 164 Spanish 105 Middle Eastern 166 Spanlsh and Portuguese 108 Mlgrant Workers 158 Swahill 107 Mongolian 167 Swedish 108 Moravian 168 Swiss 108 Moroccan 160 S-ylan 110 Musllm 160 Tanzanian 111 NavaJo 161 Ihai 112 Natlve American 162 11beta.n 113 Native Canadian 163 lllnglt 114 Newfoundland 164 Trlnldadan 116 Nepalese 166 I'urMsh 116 New Culnean 166 Ukralnlan 117 New Zeaiand 167 United States 118 Norse 168 Various 119 North Afrlcan 169 \.'letnamese 120 North West Coastai Indian lm Welsh 121 Norweglan 171 West Afrlcan 122 Ojibway 172 West lndlan 123 Oriental 173 World 124 Paklstanl 174 Yugoslavlan 125 Pawnee 175 Yukon 128 Pucblo Indlan 176 Zulu 127 Persian 128 Peruvian 129 Physlcd and Mental Disabllltles 130 Plains Indian 131 Polar Regions 132 Polish 133 Prejudice 134 Puerto Rlcan 135 Quaker 136 Qu6becols 137 Roman 13û Russlan 139 Russian/ Jewlsh LW Russlan Inuit 141 Saivatlon Amy 142 Scandlnavian 143 Scottish 144 SemlnoIe 146 Sexuai Orlentatlon 146 Shaker L47 Sierra Leone L48 Slkh L49 Sioux LM) Skin Colour 1. People connect with literature for a variety of reaclons and in a variet y of ways. While culture played a small role for some of the students in the selection of literature. it was by not one of the most important factors noted by the students when selecung literature. As in the book If vou Cive a Mouse a Cookie (Numeroff,
1985). connections are made and one thing often leads to another. What is relevant to an indlvldual is extremely personal. It may depend on past experiences with certain books or topics, personal experiences wlth similar themes. aesthetic appreciation for the visual content. or readability. This conclusion is supported by the flndings of Gwinn (19881 and Hemin (1997).
The connections made by the students in the study were not always readily apparent. Often. questions were necessary to dig deeper in order to understand their reasoning. TNs haa implications for the classroom teacher, librarian, parents and all people who help children access literature. It is important to know the child. his experiences. his Ukes and dislikes and to challenge and help him move through the zone of proximal development (Vygotsky, 1934/ 1986) to enter into areas that have not been explored. and to provide hirn with the experiences that will enable hirn to make connections with a wider variety of literature. There are clear implications from this conclusion. If we as educators want students to read more multicultural literature and become more aware of a variety of cultures through literature. we must present those students with learning 216 opportunities which will enable them to make connections to the Ilterature. These connections can be made through readfng related texts, class discussions. visits by
people from a variety of cultures. field trips and explorations. drama. art, storytelling.
bookmaking. rnovles. and workshops. to name a few. It is impsrtant to provide a
variety of experlences. because Our students learn in many different ways. so not
evev student will be able to make connections through each experience.
2. DMerent factors affect the election and rejection of multhultural children's literature. For students, the selection of multicultural children's Merature
was based on content. illustrations and faniliiarity or previous experience wlth the
book, author or illustrator. Teachers selected materials that flt in with the curriculum
or with the time of year, for example. Chinese New Year. Rejection. on the other hand. was based on how the book looked more than any other factor.
3. Most teachers in the study use rnuiticultural chiidren'e literature as an addition to the udsting curriculum. The additive approach - the second level in Bank's mode1 - is used to enhance and extend the existing curriculum. The literature is not necessarily dealt with as a separate entlw or genre, but is used as a
supplement to the regular programme. In this way, the literature is secn as an extra
rather than an integral part of the cu~culurn(Banks. 1997). The danger of this view
is that it does not provide a complete picture of cultural reality. but only centres on
the enjoyable aspects of culture that are non-controversial and safe.
4. The use of multicultural litemtute in a claaaroom is not the same ae anti-raciat or anti-biaa education. Indeed, its use does not necessarily mean that a teacher 1s presenting a multicultural programme or a programme which emphasizes critical thinklng or questioning. Multtcultural literature may be used overtly, as a tool in anti-bias education. or covertly, as in a programme which presents the Uterature without deep examination or query. in a covert programme. multicultural literature 217 may be a strong part of the overall literature programme. but it 1s more of an adJunct rather ehan integral to an antt-bias approach to education.
Green ( 1994) points out the need for
pedagogies that enable persons to become as persons. developing in networks or relationships. seeklng their freedorn. finding thelr voices. looking through the perspectives opened by subject matters upon a 'reality' that is never quite the same. (p. 14) Multicultural children's lfterature can be used as a tool to help achieve this end. but in and of itself, it cannot be relied on to fulfill that function without the context of a balanced pedagogical programme. It is the teacher who drives the programme and who determines the level to which anti-bias education will be part of the curriculum
(Banks,1997)
S. The avaiiabiiity of muiticultural Uterature has a etrong influence on what is relected and used. If a variety of literature is readily avdlable. teachers and students are more likely to choose it. In programmes that are already strong in the area of multicultural education. those teachers are more willing to make the effort to seek out a variety of Ilterature. For multicultural books to be a positive. integral part of the curriculum. they must be a part of Our libraries and classes. and should be frequently represented in Our read-aloud selections. A variety of texts should be available to enable students with different learning styles to access books that suit them. If multicultural books are more readily available. this integration will have a greater chance of developing. There are a number of print resources which support people in their search for multicultural children's literature. for example. the CIBC Bulletin and Miller-Lachmann, 1992.
6. There are limitations in the genres of Ilterature within multicultural childrrn'e Uterature. While there are plenty of books which deal with relationships. 218 personal problems. folktales and historical fiction. there is a lack of materials in areas such as poetry. adventure. humour. science fiction and fantasy. Videos and magazines which present multicultural themes are also underrepresented, with the exception of Christian magazines. TNs sends a strong message that multicultural literature has Iiniited functioris, which resuits h a view that t!ere is a certain time and place for multicultural llterature. a view whlch is echoeci by Howard ( 1991 ) who states that the goal should be an authentic body of literature. She also points out the need "for more poetry. for more biography. for more fantasyw(p. 9 1).
The problem remains that some genres are difficult to approach within multlcultural literature. Humour. for example, is a vexy delicate toplc when it cornes to human diversity. How can this be approached in a manner whlch 1s non- deprecating and non-stereotypical? The problem of omission is also a limftlng factor.
Why is there no science Bction within multicultural literature? By seeking universal appeal do we actually create the opposite effect - sending a covert message of exclusion by the omission of a diversity of characters from the genre?
Howard echoes this unfulfilled need when she states that:
There is a need for more poetry, for more biography, for more fantasy. We must also dm for that authentic body of Literature for children which can lead us toward Our goals: self-esteem for those previously not reflected in the mirror, and important enlightenment for those who , for too long. have seen only themselves in that mirror; al1 leading toward the celebration of living in our multicultural society (Howard. 199 1. pp. 9 1- 92).
7. The srnorint of multicultrPal children's literature for the early yean, and at eaeier reading leveim ir Limited. The avallability of counting books. alphabet books and other simple books that reflect a variety of cultures is lacking. What is avallable often groups cultures homogeneously or plays to known and familiar 219 Because of the didactlc nature of many multicultural books, they tend to be
geared towards more mature readers. Bibliotherapeutic books wlth a strong message
seem to restrict themselves to picture books with long and complicated text or novels for older students. If books are always trying to teach a lesson or moral. readers wlll
become wary of them and may resent their sententious nature.
8. Quaiity of etory and illustration are of utmost importance when it
cornes to selection of multicultural (and all) children's literature. Books that are vlsually appeallng attract and maintain the reader's attention. Textual interest and
accuracy. colour. detail, texture, line. page design. and space are al1 factors which should be considered. This conclusion has implications for authors. Illustrators. publishers. bookstore owners, teachers and librarians. whose are responsible for ensuring that readers are provided with materials of the highest quality.
9. Teachem should not be criticized for only ushg books to emphaslze heroea and holidaye. It must be recognized and appreciated that for some teachers this 1s an important first step. It begins with what is famfllar, comfortable and non- threatening. Teacher development is crucial. and we must appreciate the various stages of this development. To criticize their good intentions 1s to deflate thelr confidence and negate the opportunlty for growth. With nurturing support and guidance. introduction to various ways to use muiffcultural literature. obse~ationof other classes wîth strong programmes, increased availability and access to the literature. teachers can learn and grow in their programmes.
Teachers are wflllng to do more. but need support to enable them to feel comfortable and confident. If we criticize teachers and tell them they are trivializing cultural importance they rnay become discouraged and avoid any contact with multicultural literature. However. Lf teachers are exposed to other optlons for using the literature and are properly supported. they may be more wiung to extend and expand their programmes. 220 Recommendatiom for Fbrther Study
1. Multicultural children'e literatun muet be examhed mon dtically and honestly.
Most of the studles 1 have looked at have had a positive and even Pollyanna view of multlcultural children's literature. Few criticisms are rnentioned. It is certainly dimcult to take a negative stand about an issue which is so ptentially explosive. To do so sets one up to be lablelled as narrow. negative. biased or racist.
However, studles such as Dudly-Marling (1997)and Allen [ 1996). open us up to the reaiittes and limitations of the use of multicultural children's literature and the often unpredictable responses of children.
Are there times when it is not appropriate to use multicultural children's literature? How much is tw much? To what extent is the llterature used to draw attention to the use itself. rather than for any educational purpose? 1s using multicultural literature in a trivial way doing more harm than not usîng at dl? These are difllcult questions. but ones that teachers face as thelr Job descriptions continue to widen. To address them honestly will requîre researchers with strength to face the answers that might be dlmcult. Not to address them would be a disservice to children.
2. Multicultural children's literature iteef ahould be reviewed to look for bias in portrayal. rtenotypea and representation.
Are ail continental Africans portrayed as rural and poor? Are interracial friendships portrayed as outside the nom? Are cultures portrayed as homogenous. withou t subgroups. variance or individuality? Do illustrations portray realistic examples of cultures and the variances that can occur within any given culture? Why does such bias persist - is there a reason why people have not rejected text with bias and stereotypes? If so. how cmsuch reasoning be challenged? 22 1 3. Multicult~children'a Iiteraturt ahouid algo be rcvfewed to eee whkh groupa are being left out of the Ilterature and why.
Many books are written about Native Peoples. but few are written by them.
Some children are unable to flnd books from their own cultures. Are some groups seen as uninteresting? Are some authors and tllustrators not king given the opportunity to represent thelr own groups? 1s the work of authors and illustrators from parallel cultures not king @ven the opportunity for publication. or do people from parallel cultures not have the opportunities to develop their potential and even enter these Belds? Are the financial considerations outweighing the opportunity for children to see themselves represented in the Ilterature? Do books about certain cultures sel1 better than others?
4. Studiee should be conducted on the use of muiticultural Uterature in domhant cultural ~ettings(i.e. where the majority of'students are fmm the dominant culture).
This should be examined to determine the role that multicultural literature can play in conveying information. and what attitudinal changes are possible through its use. We need to determine if llterature is an adequate twl for presenting parallel cultures.
How 1s multicultural literature used when there are few students from parallel cultures in the class? What can students the dominant culture gain from studying multicultural literature? How can students learn to appreciate this Ilterature? Do teachers in these classes approach the literature dlfferently? 1s the use of multicultural literature an effective tool in developing critical thinking and questioning skills when students have limited exposure to people from pardel cultures?
S. Studies should k conducted to detumlne the levele of authenticity and appropriatenema ofauthors end illustratom who produce work that io outdde their own culture. 222 A mode1 should be developed describing levels of authentlcity. Criteria should be formulated to give authors and Uustrators a better understanding of what should be required of thern when they are trying to portray a culture that is not their own. It is also important for the consumer to have bforrnation about what research and veriflcation measures have gone into such a book and more detailed information about the author and illustrator. What makes a book 'authentic' - indeed. who is qualified to define what 'authentic' is? How much research is enough? How can consumers be guaranteed that the information in the book is accurate? What motivates an author to write outside his culture? 1s it necessary for an tllustrator to corne from withln the culture in order to accurately represent the members of the culture, or cman artlst from outside the culture adequately portray those peoples?
6. The use of literature at various levela of education should be exarnfned to determine the level to which the canon remains entmched in the curriculum and where the literature has become more dvereffied.
Why does the canon remain where It does? Can the canon be taught in a more inclusive fashion? How are teachers educated about the use of multicultural literature. especially in the higher grades? How would students benefit from the use of a wider variety of texts? Who is qualified to teach this Ilterature? How can multicultural texts make their way into the canon? What are the qualities of canonical
Uterature that prevent multicultural literature from being seen as canonical?
7. The connection between home and achool is vital. Stuâies ehould be conducttd to examine how the use of mufticultural c?)iirdrentsliterature can be supported in the home.
What impact would a supportive home environment have on the way multicultural children's literature is received and understood? How can we best 223 educate and support parents and caregivers and invite them to make use of the resources that are avallable in a way that is safe and non-threatening? How can schools and libraries improve their access to materials? How can schools bring parents and caregivers into partnership where there are language barriers and unfarniliarity with the Canadian schwl system?
8. The use or potentid use of multiculturai children's iiterature in Heritage hnguage pro-es ehould be studied.
What are the needs of Heritage Language teachers with regards to obtaining literature? 1s literature used at dl? Many Heritage Language teachers have been trained in systems that stress rote learning. What opportunitles do they have to interact with the literature and learn about the possibilities for its use? 1s the literature used to teach language skills or to teach about cultural practices? How could core programmes beneflt by learning how the literature is used within a homogeneous cultural setting? How is the literature received in a setting where both peers and teachers corne from the culture represented in the literature?
9. Effective methodir of encouraging, training and aupporting teachers to move from one level of use of multicultural Utexature to higher levela on the Banke model, for euimple, ahouid be etudied. It is not enough to tell teachers that they should be aiming to use literature for contexts other than what feels safe and cornfortable for them. Criticism is not effective. so other ways of helping teachers advance through the levels so that they feel empowered to use the literature in creative ways which can move their students towards critical thinking and questioning. With changes to the schwl year and budgets. teacher development time and money has declined. Voluntary programmes tend to 'preach to the choir'. supporting those teachers who already have an interest in the subJect area and are willing to put in the time and effort to further that interest. What is needed 1s acceptance and a 224 non-threatening environment where teachers can explore a potentially dimcult topic such as criücal thinking and multicultural Ilterature.
10. The effecti, of labelling a text as 'multicultural'should be studied to determine whether such labelling is buicficiai or detrimental.
1s such labelling necessary. and If so, what purpose does it serve? Does calling a text 'multicultural' continue to perpetuate the segregation of literature and thus reinforce the 'otherness' of parallel cultures? 1s multicultural literature seen as didactic and only educationai without any entertainment value? WilI a text deemed to be multicultural draw people to it for reasons such as curiosiQ, the seeking of knowledge. or other positive connections to multicultural literature?
11. The role of culturd identification and self-eateem ehould be etudied to determine theh Muence on lit- pMerences. Why do students not choose books that represent their own particular culture?
Does the multicultural nature of Toronto have an Influence on the acceptance of books from parallel cultures? Are students so used to seeing people of other cultures that they are more willing to read and choose books from those cultures, or do they not see culture as an important factor In the selection process? Abt-Perkins. D. and Gornez. M. (1993). A good place to begin - examining our personai perspectives. Language Arts. vol 70. March
Ada, A. (1988). Creative reaàing - A relevant methodology for language minority children. NABE '87 Theoy . Reseorch and Application: Selected Papers. New York: State University of New York
Allen. A. (1996). "1 don't want to read this": Students' responses to illustrations of Black characters. in Educatlng Aman Ca~dians(K. Brathwaite and C. James. Eds.). Toronto: James Lorimer & Company
Atwater. M., Radzik-Marsh, K., and Strutchens, M. (1994). Mufticultural Educatlon: Inclusion of All. Athens. GA: The University of Georgia
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Zhang. S. ( 1993). A Little Tlger In The Chinese Nlght. Montreal: Tundra Books AppenUC Question@to Guide Classroom Obaerrrations
Displays of books - what is emphasized? - what is included. excluded? Do books represent the class/school cultural population? How are the books used - Dy whom,when ... ?
What is used for read aloud?
How is read aloud supported and extended in the class? How are books displayed. categorfzed. grouped?
Are mulUcultural books being used to extend into other curricular areas cg. science. history. etc.?
At what time of the year are multicultural books being used (e.g. is it only for special occasions. or integrated throughout the year)? How do students respond to multicultural literature? 10. Do students engage in critical questloning?
1 1. Do mainstream students respond differently than parallel culture students?
12. Do students write about their or other cultures in their own writing?
13. Do art materials support a multicultural classroom (e.g. are there a variety
of colours of paints. crayons. pencil crayons, as well as different coloured papers to chwse from)?
14. Do students choose to use the above materials when maklng
representations of themselves and others? AZQendix D Sample Queatiom for Students
1. What books have you chosen (are your currently reading)?
2. Tell me why you choose this book?
3. Have you read any books by this author before?
4. What is a multicultural book? 5. Do you ever read stories about people in other cultures?
6. What do you think of stories about other cultures? What was your
favou rite?
7. Do you read books about your own culture? Why or why not?
8. Do you read books in other languages?
9. How are they dlfferent frorn books in English? 10. What books would you like to see in the library that aren't there now?
1 1. What could publishers do to make books better?
12. What types of books do you like to read e.g. fantasy. historical fiction.
adventure. science fiction. relationship. poetry, science.. . ? (If time permits. 1 would like to do a reading interest inventory.) 13. What books do you enJoy hearing your teacher read aloud? 14. If you become an author. what will you write about? 15. What kind of illustrations do you like best - realistic. cartoon, line drawings? Case Study Inte~ew
Date
1. What is you own phiiosophy about the selection and use of multlcultural chfldren's Ifterature?
2. How fs this supported? Administration ... Resources...Materials .. . Money ...
3. How are multicultural books used - by whom, when ... ?
4. What is used for read aloud? 5. How L read abud supported and extended In the class?
6. How are books displayed. categorized. groupeci?
7. Do you use multicultural books to extend into other curricular areas cg. science, history, etc.? How?
8. At what time of the year do you use multicultural books king used (eg. is it on& for special occasions, or integrated throughout the year)?
9. How do students respond to muiticultural iiterature? 10. Do you hdthat students engage In critical questio~hg?
1 1. Do mainstream students respond dinerently than paralle1 culture students?
12. Do students write about their or other cultures in their own writing?
13. Are you able to provide art materials support a mu1tic~turalclassrmm (eg. are.there a variety of colours of paints, crayons, pencfl crayons, as weU as difFerent coloured papers to choose fioml? 14. Do students choose to use the above materiais when maktng representations of themsehres and others?
15. What do you do very weU and would never change?
16. How could you share expertise and successes with others? Do you have sharing opportunities?
17. What would you do differently îf you could?
1 8. How could you be supporteci in attempts to improve/ change? Grade
Teacher
Book Chosen
1. Tell me how you decided to choose that book.
2. Tell me what you like about that book.
3. Tell me what things do you not lïke about it.
4. 1s there anything that puzzles you about the book? 5. Were there any patterns or connections that you noticed?
6. Does it remind you of any other books you know?
7. Telî me about the pictures.
8. What is happening in the stov
9. Which book here would you not choose?
10. Tell me about that book. What do you disiike about it? PubUsher
Partic ipan t(s)
Date of Inteiview
Publîsher Interview Questions
Do you have any information about the multlcultural books you publish? Yes No
How many multlcultural books did you pubUsh ktyear?
What percentage of the books you pubkh is multicultural? %
What do you look for in the text of a multicultural book?
What do you look for in the îiiustrations of a multlcultural book?
What types of multiculhiral literature do you pubkh the most? (e.g. folktaes. legends. reahtic fiction. plcture books. f-es, non fiction...) Do puinsist that your authors/Uustrators corne fiom the cultures they reprrsent?
On what basls would you accept an author/Uustrator who wrltes on a culture other than his / her own?
Do you have dilliculty finding authors / illustrators who create multkultural iiterature?
On what basis would you reject a multicultural book? How do you market rnulticultural books dinerentiy than mainstream books?
What would you Wce to see more of with regards b rnuiticultural Uterature?
What are your best selhg multfcultural books?
What are your best seliing mainstream books? Are multiculhiral books profitable?
Have you noticed any trends in multicultural ilterature?
Have you done any demographic studies on who purchases your multicultural bks? What did these studies show?
Do you encourage your authors andlor fflustrators of mainstream books to include people fkorn Merent cultures in their work? If so, how is this recebed?
Do you have language use guidelines or poiicies for rnulticuiturai books? (e.g..Native Canadian instead of Indian, AîÏican Canadian instead of Black. ..) Date of Interview
Bookseller Interview Questions
Do you have any information about the mdticultural books you seli? Yes
What percentage of multicultural books did you sell last year? %
What percentage of the books you stock is multicultural? %
How do you determine how many multicultural books you stock?
What do you look for in the text of a multicultural book?
What do you look for in the Uustrations of a multicultural book? Do you insist that your authon/fflustrators corne fkom the cultures they represent?
On what basis would you accept a book fkom an author/iiiustrator who wrttes on a culture other than his/ her own?
Do you have diBiculSr fhding high quaiity multicultural Uterature?
On what basis would you reject a multicultural book?
Do you market multicultural books differently than mainstream books? Which are your best selling multicultural books?
Which are your best selling rnalnstream books?
Are multiculturaI books profitabIe?
Have you done any demographic studies on who purchases multicultural books? What did these studies show'?
What quaiities make a multicultural book attractive and more easy to sell? Are there some cultures that are underrepresented in the Ilterature?
What are your customers dernanding when they are looking for multicultural books?
Are you able to meet their demands? Questions for Authors
Narne Date
1. Do you consider yourself an author of multicultural books?
2. Have you ever written outside your culture?
2a. Have you ever written universal books?
3. How have your books been received?
4. Have you ever had difaculties getting your work published? 13. Who would you Ue to see reading your books?
14. What messages about your culture do you want to communlcate In your writing?
15. What are you working on now?
16. What is your direction for the future?
17. What else do I need to know about you as a writer? 9. How wide is the market for your multicultural materials?
10. What do you see that stiil needs to be done in multicultural publishing?
11. What aspects of your culture do you try to bring out in your writinfl
12. Are there any aspects of your culture that have had too much emphasis by other authors? 5. What are publishers looking for in multicultural works?
6. Have they ever placed any restrictions on your work with regards to culture?
7. Do pubbhers try to match authors/illustrators with regards to cultural background when the book is ahut a given culture?
8. Who buys your books? 4V-h J Student Permission Slip Dear Parent / Guardjan,
1 am a Ph.D. shident in ianguage, Literacy and Literature at the Ontario hstitute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. I am conducting a study about how people select and use multicultural children's Uterature. 1 would iike to include your c hild in the study .
1 wxii be visiting your chiid's cïass once or tv.tice a montn between now and the end of the year. 1 wLU talk to the children about multicultural books and WUask them about what they value in such literature. 1 am not testing chiidren. but am studyfng attitudes towards multicultural children's iiterature and how children make choices about what they read. Your childes responses will not be identified by name and 1 will not use any information from the school's records,
The study has been approved by an ethical review cornmittee at OISE/UT and is supervised by Professor David Booth. This research will help us gain an understanding of the factors that influence the selection and use of multicultural children's literature.
To indicate whether you will aiiow your chfld to be included in the study, please complete the form at the bottom of this letter and return it to your child's teacher. If your child is shy or unwllllng. he/she WUnot be made to participate. Should your chiid wish to wfthdraw fiom this study at any tirne, he/she is fkee to do so.
1 sincerely appreciate your co-operation. If you would Uke to receive more information about the study, please contact me at 422-2444. Thank you,
Louise Granahan Ph.D. Candidate, OISE/UT
Child's name
CHECK HERE
1 give permission for my chUd to participate in the Ph.D.study conducted by Louise Granahan.
1 do NOT give permission for my chilà to particlpate in the Ph.D.study conducted by Louise Granahan.
Signature of Parent /Guard.ian
Date Num ber
Questionnaire Infonned Consent
1 agree to participate In this research project on the selection and use of mu1ticultura.i chfldren's ilterature developed and conducted by Louise Granahan. The information gathered in this project will be used for a Ph.D. study.
1 have been lnformed that the information that 1 provide is privy only to the researcher invohred in the study. The raw data WUnot be made available to such partles as a school board or the Ministry of Education. 1 understand that my privacy wiil be respected in that my personal ldentity WUbe kept confidentiai; ail data will be recorded with assigned cdes and pseudonyms will be used as necessary.
Name (please print)
Signature
Date AppenUL Teacher Questionnaire
Please return your completed questionnaire to Louise Granahan at Secord School in East York. Please omit any questions you do not feel cornfortable answering. You do not need to identify yourself or your SC hool.
If you need more space to answer any questions. please feel fkee to elabonte on a separate sheet.
1. Grade Ievel(s1
2. If you are not a classroom teacher. what do you teach (eg. Special Education. ESL ...)
3. Gender M F
4. Age
5. Years of teachtng experience
6. Number of students in your class
7. Number of students bom in Canada
8. Number of students who receive ESL instruction
9. How would you deme 'multicultural chlldren's Uteraturem?
10. Of the books in your classroom, what pemntage would you estimate are multicultud books? %
1 1. Do you have any books in other languages? Yes No ifso, which languages?
12. Do you have any duai language books? (BooksWTjtten in both English and another language) Yes No If so, which knguages?
13. Have you had difiiculty hdlng books about certain cultures? Yes No If so, which cultures? 1 4. Are you able to find books that represent the cultures in your ciass? Yes No
15. For what purposes do you use multiculturai books? Please describe how you use multicultural books as part of your programme.
16. Are there reasons for not using multicultural books?
17. When do you use multicultural books? [eg. Daily, rare&, at certain tirnes of the ye!ar...l
18. Does your Board mandate the use of multicultural books? Yes No If so. what are your feelings about thh? 19. What do you look for when selecttng multicultural books?
20 Where do you go to get multicultural books?
2 1. Which multicultural books are your favourites?
22. What criticisms do you have regarding multiculturai iiterature?
23. Which students read the multicultural books in your class? A. majority students (ie. white) B. members of the culture represented in the individual books C. ail students D. few students are interested at aU
Thank you for particfpating in this survey. Table Continues R. e Teaclier tlbradan F
Ycars of tcaclilng
15-20 % of MCL 111 class -- Ycs No Ycs Ycs Yes
If so, wlilcli Lmgiingcs? Japniicsc French blkll Ccrnmii Frcricli Freiich Ilnllnn rDual hngiiagt books? Ycs IIl so, wlilc li kngiingcs? about certain culturcs7
1f so. wlilch culliircs7
-Frtnch in rnre 1 1 I IMiJiistrcniti 1 Mnliistrcniir 1 )Mnliislrcani 7Who reads MCL? 1 All Grade 1s)
Years of tenctilrig
# of sludcnts 111 cL,iss
# of studcnts brri in Canada # of studcnts wlio are FSL
% of MCL bi class
L I Bmks ln ottier hrigiiagcs'? Ycs No No No
If so. wiiich brigiiagcs?
Il so. whlch langriagcs?
mrnc~~ltynndlng books Iiavcii't about certain ciiltures? lookcd If so, which ciiltirrcs?
Who reads MCL? AI1 stiidciits Grade (SI 4/5/G 21 314 4/5 1 Lllirarlnn A Spcclal Speclnl Catnpcitcrs - Ediicatlon Edricntlon Gcndcr F F M M
+ Ycars of teaching 20
1 # of stirdcrits In ckss 28
# of stiidents born In 121 Canada # of studcrits who are ESL 3
% of MCL in class 30
Books In othcr bnguagcs? Ycs 1 - t 1 If so. whlcli krigungcs'? Frciiclr 1:reiicli Dnlllc French French Svanlsh I 1 I 1 Dual iangiiagc books7 Yes No Ycs Ycs Y CS No
L If so. wlilch L?ngiirigcs? Soiiic Frencli
folkInles 1 Who rcads MCL? All Alctiiltrrm (11 Mnliislrcani Al1 6t~denh students stiidcrits , stiidents 1 Grade Isl Adiilt ESL 1 4
1Ycars of rcaclilrig II of studcnts In chss
All O
% of MCL in class
Ycs Ycs Ycs
lf so, whlcli hnguagcs? French 1 Pollsli Dual langiiagc books?
If so, wlilcli hnguagcs? Tatnll. Urdu, Fnrsl Bengall Clilncsc IArablc , Dlîliculty ilndlng books Yes Ycs about ccrtaln ciilturcs? Ilso, whlch ciiltiires? 7j-r stiiclerits 1 stiidcnts stiidctits stiidcnts 4 7 48 49
1 Grade (s) 2 Stippty KON
1Years of tcachliig 1 W ofstudents in ckss
% of MCL in cL~ss
Books ln othcr lnngitagcs?
L If so, whlcti Lqnguagcs? Frciic ti
Dual language boks?
Urdu (frorn Iibrary) 1Dimculty tinding books about certain ciilturcs? Flllplno Pnklstan I
Who rcads MCL? studcnts Questlonnalrc nurnbcr 55 Spccld Boostcr Ediicat loti F-+M-and FSL F
4 1
Years of tcacliirig 12 Y
# of students Iii cLîss 5 12 Doii't
% of MCL In class 75
Books ln other iariguagcs7 No Ycs Yes Na
IC so, whlch Ling1iagcs7 Wcs t *.**a. Jiist Can toriese )nial Firitrlc French SpiinInIr Iridles French**** Matidarlri Jnmnlmn Itallm Dialcc t s .*C*******.. ploln Dual hngiinge books? No No No Y- No L If so. wlilch bngiiagcs?
I F)Lmculty flr~dlrlgbooks 1 No No about ccrtaln culttircs? If so. whlclr ciiltiircs? Gay Iiidla Aslan tlicnics, Plillllpliics. Guyana Pakls tan Turkey Who rcads MCL7 1\11 All All Al1 sttidcri ts slii(fcri ts s t udctits s tiidcrits studcnts Table Continues Qucstlonnaire riiirnber 73
Grade (SI I'rliiiary
1 1 Years of tcaciiirig 25,
# of studcnts ln cL7ss 23
# of studcnts born Iri Canada
% of MCL In clnss 43 %
L Books ln other languagcs? Ycs Ycs
I If so, wlilch ianguagcs7 Frcricli
Dual language books? No
C If so. whlch languages? r
Eas tcni Ettropcm Who rcads MCL? Ali Ali Studc11ts St~itlrrits 1 That whlch reflects the image and lifestyle of the non traditional white student. 2 Stories. poems, legends and audlovîsual material (lncludlng cornputer software e.g. CD- ROMs) that reflect the ethnlc mlnoritles of otir country - thelr hlstory. culture. celebrations and beliefs, 3 Llterature whlch presents a wide variety of cultural values, beliefs and ldeas through storles, legends, myths elther verbal or orally. 4 Storles from dlfferent countries with varied backgrouiida. 5 Books/material that woiild be acceptable/appllcable to more than one culture's way of life / beliefs.
Literature that reflects ~ZtrylnRcultures, countrles, social strata and lndigenous groups. Llterature that is not only vlsually multîcultural but contalns multlcultural content. Books with representations of dlfferent cultures (images. storv. lnformatlon, etc.) Books refiectlng al1 different cuhres and religions. With dlmcultvl - malnlv books that have kldsladiilts that are non white ando saxon? Llterature th& 1s repr&entatlve of a varlety of cultural groups elther ln content or idea. Llterature reflectiiig the ethnoculturai diverslty of children around the world. Work tliat Is lncluslve. respccting, addressing exposure to ail concerns/lssues of religion, race, orientation, creed, age, size through plctures and/or Ilterature. Books wlth stories about chlldren/lnvolvlng children ln actlvlties that are lntegrai in thelr , culture but showing them as children first and foremost (this ts what 1 would Ilke to sec, anyway .) 16 Folk tales. stories, legends, flctlon, non-flction [rom many cultures (Include every culture ,-- ,-- represented In the class). 17 Stories that appeal to cliildren and have central cliaracteïs, thernes and problems and traditions of otIier cultures (not North Amerlcan). 1 18 Where the author is from another country and 1s not a Canadlan. Where the author 1s a Canadlan of Natlve descent. Where the plot or cliaractera strongly rely on a culture other than "mainstream" "whttebread" North Amerlca. 19 Books with maln characters who are not white. 20 Storles. poems. rlddles, folk sayinga, songs frotn any other culture but suburban Canada. That deplctliig cliaracters ln maJor roles of nori-North Arnericari (Westerri European) backgroii nds. Llterattirc tliat encompasses dlfrcrent ciiltures etlirilc backgroiinds, etc.
customs, etc. custoni, skin coloiir. coiintry of origin. etc.
27 Books tliat represciit otlier cullures. Coiild be Bctlon or rion nction antliologles. 28 Literature tliat lnforms, glves true facts aiid portrays 'real* plctiire of a culture. 29 It 1s clilldren's literatrtre from and about rnany cultures and maliistrearn books whlcli make an effort to dcplct clilldren of niany ciiltiires ln tliem. Books wItli accu rate representritlori of dlff'ereri t etlirilc groiips wltlioii t stereotyplcal porttayak siicli as - blnck = basketball players. - Deallng wltli everyday everits not Just speclal celebratlons arid food. That which shows a varlety of clothlng, akln colour, customs, food. 32 Storles wlth cliaracters and events In other coiintries or celebratlng a ciiltrire wtthln 1 Canada. Llteratiire w1iicIi iriclirdes a varletv of ethnlcitv. 1 33 Llterature ttiat lricludes varlety of races, settlnga and content rcpresentatlve to dlfferent cultures. 34 Books ln a dlffererit larigirage. Stiowlng aspects of dllfcretit culture. Dfsplaying other cultures and races. 35 Books or storles from or about outslde Engllsh North Ariierlcan or Western Ilterature Le. falrvtales from.. .
Storles about clilldrcn In other cotintrles. Plctures that look llke oiir ctilldren. Storles that relate lo tklr ex erlences, festivals, culture, tradltloris, etc. Books wliicli valldate a varle of cultures, ethriic perspectlves. laiiguages. Ilfestyles. 39 Books. storles, and otlier literary materlal tliat posltlvely portray pcople from dlffereiit cultures. races. rellelons aiid ethrilc backerottnds hi a wav tliat lnstllls ~rlde. Literature tliat 1s incli~slve,representatlve of our global comrniirilty. Books tliat deal with 40 1 Issues suc11 as stereotvpcs. raclsm and exclusim. 1 Table Continues 161 1 Books ~lilclirepreserit people from dlversc ciiltiires as protagoiilsts. supportlng 1 1 1 cliaracters, etc. 1 ? 62 Varlety of material wltli representatlon from differerit cultures. 63 64 Llterature wlilch 1s Mas-free Ilri Lerms of race. sex. religion): iricltisive of a11 peoples: portrays roles of Indlvldiiala wlilcii reflect oiir soclety Le. iiori-traditlonal famllles, culturally mixed famllles. sarne sex parents, etc. 65 As Incluslve Ilteratiire - storlcs/fales from otfier couritrlcs or storks in wfilch cliaracters are represetitatlve of tiiose In the school popiilatlon and popiilatloti at large. Servlng varloiis cultures wltliln the communlty. Storles whose themes and values transcend al1 culttircs btit whlcii take place wltiiln spedflc cultural or racla1 settlngs. Diversity of cultures... tradltlons...reflected In storyllne arid lllustralloris. Llterature wrltten/lllustrated by or aboiit people from an area otiier tlian the one you are In. Storles that expose clilldren to another culture's langiiage, tradltlons and customs. Books that deal with customs of varlous nationalltles. Llterature appeallng to and stemmlng from a speclnc culture witliin soclety (e-g. Jarnaican Folklore Books that provide lncluslon of bellefs aiid valriea of otiier cultures besldes the tradltlonal ones (1-e. ~uro-cetitrlc)- Books whlcli wlll sumort slmllarltles sliared bv various cultures, .. rr Literature by or aboiit people outslde the malnstream. Reading materlal wlilch reflects Individtials wltli respect to race. class. gender. langciage. etc. AppenU 0 Review Literature Tally Sheet
r B C O E 1 Abllity Japanesc 2 Aboriginal Jewlsh 3 Afrlcan Kenyan 4 Alnskan L~PP 5 Arnerlcan La Mo 6 Anilsh La tv tan 7 Appaiachlan Lc bancsc 8 Arctlc Llbcrian 9 Armenian Madagascar 1 O Australlan Ma~n 1 1 Baltlc States Mcnnonlte - 1 2 Bangladeshl Met 1s 13 Black Mcxlcan 14 Bornco Mlgrant Workers 1 5 Brazalian Morav tan 1 6 Carntmdlan Natfve American 1 7 Ccltlc Nattvc Canadlan 1 8 Chcrokce Ncwfound land 19 Cheyenne Ncpalcse 20 Chfcano New Guinean 2 1 Chincsc New Zcaland 2 2 Chippewa FIorse 2 3 CroatIan Norweglan 2 4 Czech PakIs tant 2 5 Danlsh Pcrslan 2 6 Dtitch Peruv~an 2 7 East Eumpean Polis h 2 8 East lndlan Puerto FUcan 2 9 Egyptlan Quebecols 3 0 Finnish Rusdan 3 1 Gaiapagos Islands Scottlsh 3 2 Gcrman Semlnole 3 3 Grceniand Scxual Orienbtlon 3 4 Grcck Shaker 3 5 GYP~Y Slkh 3 6 Cuatcmdan sioux 3 7 Hatlan Sou th American 3 8 iiawai'ian Spanlsh - 3 9 Hispanie Swlss 40 Hopi Syrian 4 1 Hungarlan Tlbctan , 4 2 lgbo Tlingit 4 3 Ictlandic Trlnldadlan 44 Inuit Ukralnlan 4 5 Irish Vletnamese 4 6 Israefi West fndlan 4 7 IsraeWArab World 4 8 itallan Yugodavlan 4 9 Jamaican Yukon 50