Multicultural Children’s Books
Part One: Choosing a multicultural children’s text
Multicultural children’s literature offers readers the opportunity to go beyond the
surface-level learning of facts, foods and festivals about different cultures and to gain
real insight as to how people around the world actually live and the relationships and
experiences they have. This links to the Curriculum for Excellence capacity
Responsible Citizen - to not only understand and respect other cultures and beliefs
but to also gain a greater knowledge of the world and Scotland’s role in it.
In the increasingly diverse classroom, educators have a responsibility to provide
reading experiences that are reflective of learners’ backgrounds and culture (Yokota,
1993). Yet choosing a text can be a stressful task, with many teachers concerned
they will choose a book that reinforces stereotypes and is in some way offensive.
The following criteria are not intended as rules to be adhered to, but a framework of
areas to consider when selecting and discussing a text:
Authenticity and Accuracy
There is ongoing debate as to author/illustrator authenticity in multicultural children’s
literature, and learners could join in on this debate. While choosing an ‘authentic’
author/illustrator may be preferred, that is one who is writing from inside the culture
being portrayed, this isn’t always possible. Ensuring the text is culturally accurate
and rich in cultural detail however, is important. Through literature being culturally
conscious and accurate, readers should gain a real insight into life in the culture they
are reading about.
Perspective
The book should be told from an inside perspective – that is from the point of view
from someone who is a member of the cultural group being portrayed. A text where
the British protagonist is visiting a different culture would be unlikely to offer the
same insight and empathy as one where the protagonist is inside the culture being
described.
Characters, setting and plot
The characters should be well-rounded, and their actions agreed with and
recognised by the culture being portrayed. The setting should be realistic and not
stereotypical, showing the richness and depth of the culture. The plot should be
realistic and believable.
Language and illustration
The language used should be an authentic portrayal of how the characters would
speak and not a stereotype of how an outsider thinks they would speak. Look out for
‘loaded’ words - that is words that have insulting connotations, for example
‘primitive’. The richness of the culture should be evident in the illustrations, with
characters illustrated in a non-stereotypical manner and not as caricatures.
Levels of multiculturalism
Multicultural children’s literature provides a space for readers to consider global
socio-political issues, and it is useful to place your chosen literature on Banks’ (2001)
Levels of Multicultural Model:
 Level 1: A Contributions Approach – Where festivals, food and clothing are
explored, but stereotypes aren’t necessarily challenged, and learners are
looking from an outside, rather than an inside perspective.
 Level 2: The Additive Approach –While there may be folktales from different
cultures and authors from different ethnicities, these aren’t embedded into the
curriculum, but rather added on as afterthought.
 Level 3: The transformative Approach – Where readers’ opinions are
challenged, and literature from a variety of different perspectives are read and
discussed.
 Level 4: The Social Action Approach – Where teachers empower students
and support them to reflect on socio-political issues and take action for
themselves.
Literature at levels three and four of the model encourages learners to take control of
the curriculum and their own learning, and organisations like Amnesty International,
British Red Cross and Oxfam provide a plethora of resources to help learners to
bridge the gap between literature and action.
It is at these higher levels we see the transformative power of children’s literature - to
challenge discrimination, build bridges and to instigate social change.
Bibliography:
Banks, J. A. and Banks C. M. (2001) (Eds) Handbook of research into multicultural
education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Botelho, M.J. and Rudman, M.K. (2009) Critical Multicultural Analysis of Children’s
Literature. Abingdon: Routledge.
Education
Scotland
(online)
‘The
Purpose
of
the
Curriculum’
at
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/thecurriculum/whatiscurriculumforexcellence/th
epurposeofthecurriculum/index.asp (last accessed 09 May 2013)
Gopalakrishnan, A. (2011) Multicultural Children’s Literature: A Critical Issues
Approach. London: Sage.
Mendoza, J. and Reese, D. (2001) Examining Multicultural Picture Books for the
Early Childhood Classroom: Possibilities and Pitfalls. Early Childhood Research and
Practice, Vol 3 (2) at http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v3n2/mendoza.html (last accessed 09
May 2013)
Short, K.G. (2011) ‘Building Bridges of Understanding through International
Literature’ in Bedford A. W. and Albright, L.K (Eds) (2011) A Master Class in
Children’s Literature: Trends and Issues in an evolving field. National Council of
Teachers.
Yokota, J. (1993) ‘Issues in Selecting Multicultural Children’s Literature’ in Language
Arts, 70 (3), pp. 156-167.
Part two: A Critical Reading of Multicultural Children’s Literature
Although multicultural children’s literature can offer an insight into different cultures,
they don’t do all of the work by themselves – they act as a springboard to discuss the
social issues present in the text. A critical reflection provides the opportunity to
discuss the ideologies in the text and in society, why and where certain books have
been published, and the intricate relationship between culture and power.
Critical literacy is a relatively new concept with no precise definition and with its roots
found with Paulo Freire and his renowned phrase ‘reading the word, reading the
world’. Freire argued that if ‘people perceive critically the way they exist in the world
with which and in which they find themselves; they come to see the world not as a
static reality, but as a reality in progress, in transformation’ (1970, p. 64). This
concept can be readily applied to multicultural texts: teachers, as facilitators, should
encourage students to problematize texts and to challenge accepted ideologies, and
empower them to call for change.
Taking a critical approach is not just for older learners; even children in the early
years should be encouraged. Children start school with their own ideas of social
status reflected in the literature they read, the television they watch and the games
they play: who is good/bad and who has power, knowledge and authority (Comber,
2001, 2003). The role of the teacher then is to build on this existing knowledge.
Luke and Freebody (1999) point out that texts are never neutral, they inevitably
represent specific view points while silencing others. To prompt a critical reading of
a text, the following questions are a good starting point:



‘Who has the power in this story? What is the nature of their power, and how
do they use it? Who has wisdom? What is the nature of their wisdom, and
how do they use it?
Whose voices are heard? Whose are missing?
What do this narrative and these pictures say about race? Class? Culture?
Gender? Age? Resistance to the status quo?’
(Reese and Mendoza, 2001, online)
Similarly, reading multiple texts alongside each other while also consulting nonfiction sources helps readers gain a more accurate perspective, and to see how they
are being positioned. Multiple readings encourage learners to consider multiple
perspectives and refrain from judgement.
A critical reading doesn’t necessarily have to be serious and without fun, and humour
and creativity provides a memorable learning experience for both the teacher and
learner. There are numerous activities to engage children in a critical reading of
texts: McGonigal and Arizpe (2007) used a detective theme, where children were
encouraged to ‘look for clues’ and complete speech bubble activities. From
annotating copies of texts, the juxtaposition of multiple texts and multimodalities such
as drama, dance and digital technologies to children re-writing the stories
themselves – the possibilities are endless.
To read more, my reflective blog for ‘Texts for Diversity: language across learning for
children with EAL’, an optional course in Glasgow University’s MEd in Children’s
Literature and Literacies is online at www.ealreflections.wordpress.com.
Bibliography:
Botelho, M.J. and Rudman, M.K. (2009) Critical Multicultural Analysis of Children’s
Literature. Abingdon: Routledge.
Comber, B. (2001) Critical Literacy: What Is It, and What Does It Look Like in
Elementary Classrooms? School Talk: Between the Real and the Ideal World of
Teaching at http://resources.curriculum.org/secretariat/files/Nov29CriticalLiteracy.pdf
(last accessed 09 May 2013).
Comber, B. (2003) ‘Critical literacy: What does it look like in the early years?’ in Hall,
N., Larson, J. and Marsh J. (eds) Handbook of Early Childhood Literacy. London:
Sage.
Farrell, M., Arizpe, E. and McAdam, J. (2010) Journeys across visual borders:
Annotated spreads of 'The Arrival' by Shaun Tan as a method of understanding
pupils' creation of meaning through visual images. Australian Journal of Language
and Literacy, 33 (3) pp. 198-210.
Gopalakrishnan, A. (2011) Multicultural Children’s Literature: A Critical Issues
Approach. London: Sage.
Mendoza, J. and Reese, D. (2001) Examining Multicultural Picture Books for the
Early Childhood Classroom: Possibilities and Pitfalls. Early Childhood Research and
Practice, Vol 3 (2) at http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v3n2/mendoza.html (last accessed 15
April 2013).
McGonigal, J. and Arizpe, E. (2007) Learning to Read a New Culture: How
Immigrant and Asylum Seeking Children Experience Scottish Identity through
Classroom Books at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/10/31125406/0
(last accessed 07 May 2013)
Short, K.G. (2011) ‘Building Bridges of Understanding through International
Literature’ in Bedford A. W. and Albright, L.K (Eds) (2011) A Master Class in
Children’s Literature: Trends and Issues in an evolving field. National Council of
Teachers.
Souto-Manning, M. (2009) Negotiating culturally responsive pedagogy through
multicultural children’s literature: Towards critical democratic literacy practices in a
first grade classroom. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy. Vol 9 (1) pp. 50-74.
Yokota, J. (1993) Issues in Selecting Multicultural Children’s Literature. Language
Arts, 70 (3), pp. 156-167.