Children’s Book
Critique
Cayla Sandlin
Education 255
InTASC Standards Description and Rationale
Cover Page
Standard #2: Learner Differences
The teacher uses understanding of individual differences and diverse cultures and communities to ensure
inclusive learning environments that enable each learner to meet high standards.
Name of Artifact: Children’s Book Critique
Date: February 25, 2015
Course: EDUC 255 Multicultural Teaching—Professor Coleman
Brief Description:
For the Children’s Book Critique assignment, I will investigate three different fictional
children’s books that are multicultural. I will compare and contrast these texts to determine what qualifies
them as a multicultural children’s book.
Rationale:
InTASC Standard #2, Learner Differences, plays an important role in this assignment as it
requires me, as a future teacher, to have an understanding of each student and what makes them different.
Critiquing children’s books will help me to realize that they are many children’s books in our society that
reach out to diverse cultures. Teaching in a diverse classroom will require me to enforce different reading
materials so all students are involved.
I Love My Hair!
Author: Natasha Anastasia Tarpley
Illustrator: E.B. Lewis
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Copyright: 1998
Where the Wild Things Are
Author and illustrator: Maurice Sendak
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Copyright: 1963
The Name Jar
Author and illustrator: Yangsook Choi
Publisher: Random House Children’s Books
Copyright: 2003
I Love My Hair!
Summary
I Love My Hair is about a little African-American girl, Keyana,
who is learning to love her natural hair. The story starts with
Keyana’s mother brushing her hair and Keyana trying to deal
with the pain. Throughout the story, she describes all the ways
she can style her hair. However, when she decides to wear her
hair in an afro, she gets teased at school. Keyana’s mother and
her teacher remind her that her hair is beautiful and unique.
Reading this book will help girls of different cultures to
embrace their uniqueness.
Where the Wild Things Are
Summary
Dressed as a “wild thing” and acting ferocious, Max was sent to
bed one evening without his supper for telling his mother, “I will
eat you up.” Max then uses his imagination and creates a forestry
world of his own with Wild Things in existence. Max is the king in
his world of Wild Things as he sails the sea. The Wild Things obey
Max and his commands. They start a rumpus where they gnash
their terrible teeth. In his world, Max can be who he wants without
being sent to his room. He returns home from his voyage—
actually, comes back to reality, to find his supper waiting for him
on the nightstand.
The Name Jar
Summary
Unhei just moved to America from Korea with her family.
Not only is she nervous about starting a brand new school
in a brand new country, but she is afraid that the students
in her class will not be able to pronounce her name. In
efforts to make the situation easier, she tells her classmates
that she will have a name in a week. Astonished, her
classmates want to help Unhei pick out a new name. In a
jar, they fill to the brim names that Unhei can pick from.
Some friends find out Unhei’s name and the Korean
meaning behind it—they love it. Instead, Unhei decides to
help her classmates learn to pronounce her name.
I Love My Hair!
Positive Aspects
• The story portrays a positive side of African-American culture
and diversity;
• Keyana’s mother teaches her about the beauty of her natural
hair;
• The story shows a positive bond between mother and daughter;
• Keyana’s teacher and mother help her to remember that her
hair and her beauty is unique;
• Motivates African-American girls to embrace their natural
beauty and to accept their thick and curly, yet beautiful hair;
• The story promotes self-esteem in young girls;
• Encourages girls to try new things with their hairstyle and not
to be afraid to try new things
I Love My Hair!
Negative Aspects
• Students of all cultures laugh at Keyana’s centric-afro;
• Because of being ridiculed by peers, Keyana second-guesses
her beauty
I Love My Hair!
Main male characters: 1
Main female characters: 3
Throughout the story, Keyana is determined to find a hairstyle in which she
feels most beautiful in. Most of the story requires Keyana finding her own selfacceptance, however, her father reassures her that she and her hair is
beautiful. Keyana’s father does not lead a dominant role, more of a supporter in
Keyana’s life.
Stereotypically, the father character plays a supporting, loving role—just like
Keyana’s father did in the story. Also, Keyana’s mother is introduced in the
story as a caretaker as she tends to Keyana’s hair. As a stereotypical mother,
Keyana’s mother suites the role. Keyana’s teacher plays a stereotypical role as
she cares for Keyana’s feelings and provides as her backbone while other
students make fun of her hair.
As far as illustrations go, all the characters are detailed the same; however
Keyana’s hair has a little bit more attention since the focus is precisely on her
luxurious African-American hair. The message in the story is the same for both
male and female characters in the story as the support their daughter and
student.
Where the Wild Things Are
Positive Aspects
• Max’s mother sets his supper on the nightstand for him to eat
after he comes back to reality;
• Max’s smile at the end of the story after he sees his supper his
mother left him reassures the reader that he is happy to be
home with his mother;
• Portrays parental love;
• Could teach children better ways to express their anger;
• Encourages children to use their imagination;
• Story could conclude with parent and child or teacher and
children discussing what is right and wrong
Where the Wild Things Are
Negative Aspects
• Max shouts at his mother;
• Portrays anger
• Max’s mother initially sends Max to bed without supper
(this could be a form of neglect);
• While Max is engaging with the Wild Things, he encourages
some violence, i.e. gnashing their terrible teeth during the
rumpus;
• The readers never see Max verbally apologize to his mother
Where the Wild Things Are
Male characters: 1
Female characters: 1
Wild Things: 5
Max is the only male character in Where the Wild Things Are. Max’s
mother plays the role as the only female character in the story. There are
a number of Wild Things, but their gender is not specified. Max plays the
role of a deceiving little boy, but once drifted off into his imagination, he
plays the dominant role of a king where the Wild Things are.
Max’s mother plays a stereotypical role of a mother. When Max speaks
rudely to her, she sends him off to his room without supper. As a good
mother should, she eventually brings supper up to Max’s room so he can
eat. The roles for each Max and his mother suite the stereotype for a
mother-son relationship—the mother is scolds the child when he acts up.
The reader does not see Max’s mother, but Max and the Wild Things are
detailed and illustrated equally throughout the story.
The Name Jar
Positive Aspects
Encourages children to be themselves;
Teaches children about different cultures;
Teaches acceptance;
This book could be helpful to students who are
moving to a new school—they can be reminded that
that are not the only one’s going through changes;
• Promotes students helping another out to build selfacceptance and self-confidence;
• Unhei realizes her name is special to her culture and
that is has a very special meaning;
• Shows examples of how students can be accepting to
the “new kid”
•
•
•
•
The Name Jar
Negative Aspects
• Students on Unhei’s bus make fun of her different
name;
• Promotes bullying;
• Although the students in Unhei’s class had good
intentions to team-up to help Unhei pick a name,
what kind of teacher would allow students to do
this? The teacher should have taught acceptance
when Unhei was nervous about her peers
pronouncing her name
The Name Jar
Male characters: 7
Female characters: 4
The Name Jar stars several male characters—more than female. Of the seven male
characters in the story, three were bullies. The other four male characters played a
kind, chivalrous role. Of the four females in the story, only one was a bully.
Most stories cast a female character as a kind, consoling person, but in this story, we
see three males playing a dominant role in Unhei’s new transition. Mr. Kim is the
kind clerk at the neighborhood store Unhei frequents. He reminds her what a
beautiful name Unhei is. Unhei’s school teacher also makes Unhei feel comfortable in
class and he encourages all of his students to make her feel welcome. Finally, Joey is a
classmate of Unhei’s. He discovers the meaning of her name and shares with the class
how special Unhei’s name is. In most stories and movies, the audience sees the male
characters as bullies. This story played against the stereotype in giving males a
kinder role. We see three males trying to give Unhei a boost of self-confidence. In the
scene when Unhei is on the bus, the reader does see two boys picking on Unhei, but
the author reversed the stereotype. It was refreshing to see a male teacher, also. A lot
of children are afraid to have male teachers—it is not as common anymore in our
society’s schools. Having a male teacher in the book sends young readers a positive
message about male teachers. Perhaps the author had intended on creating the male
characters as such a positive influence in Unhei’s transition.
As far as the illustrations go in the story, all of the characters are illustrated equally.
There is a scene where Unhei and her mother discuss Unhei’s first day of school in
America. We see Unhei’s mother fixing Korean food. As I look at the details in
Unhei’s house, it is accented in things from the Korean culture—Korean dishes, dim
lighting, exotic plants, and chopsticks.
What Makes These Books Multicultural?
I Love My Hair: I absolutely love the positive message that this story sends to
young girls who are struggling with self-acceptance. Working in a primarily
African-American school, I have learned a lot about hair care and treatments that
black women endure. I have talked to African-American mothers who spend
hundreds of dollars on just one hair style. This book promotes a healthy image for
black girls who are not confident with their naturally curly and puffy hair. This
book has a lot to teach those of other races as well. We learn that every culture
struggles with beauty and self-confidence. Knowing what black women struggle
with can help cultures to appreciate each other’s natural beauty.
Where the Wild Things Are: This book doesn’t cross me as a multicultural book in
my society—to me, it is just a classic. However, if I were to travel overseas, I am
sure that other cultures would find this story is a good source of diversity. Simply
the way Max talks to his mother in a cruel way would be something that other
cultures would not tolerate. Although the American culture does teach it, the
American culture doesn’t teach respect to elders like other cultures do. Also, the
way the Max’s mother places his food on the nightstand. Other cultures might find
this disrespectful as they value family time and eating together.
The Name Jar: While reading this book, Unhei’s mother tells Unhei that she and her
grandmother went to the Master to select a special name for her. I learned a lot
about the Korean culture and their naming process simply by reading this literature.
Unhei’s uneasiness coming to America with a foreign name is a hurdle that I am
sure many diverse people have to cope with when moving to another culture.
References
Google.com (2015) Google image search. Retrieved on February 25, 2015 from
www.google.com