Multicultural Children's Literature in the Elementary Classroom.

Multicultural Children's Literature in the Elementary Classroom. Yes, that diversity angle is important. Yo can see that every day in my school in Texas.



From the site:



"When I was a child, the teacher read, 'Once upon a time, there were five Chinese brothers and they all looked exactly alike'...Cautiously the pairs of eyes stole a quick glance back. I, the child, looked down to the floor... The teacher turned the book our way: bilious yellow skin, slanted slit eyes. Not only were the brothers look-alikes, but so were all the other characters!...Quickly again all eyes flashed back at me...I sank into my seat." (Aoki, 1981, p.382)



The vignette above reveals how a minority child felt growing up in the mid 1900s--a time when cultural and linguistic diversity was neither valued in American society nor adequately portrayed in children's literature, an important channel for transmitting societal values and beliefs. The situation, however, has undergone changes in the past twenty years. With the increasing number of linguistic and cultural minorities in the United States, the American society today looks very different than that of Aoki's childhood. These changes in demographic trends impact the education system. Not only do schools need to prepare all children to become competent citizens, but also to create an environment that fosters mutual understanding.