Preparing to Analyze Multicultural Children's Picture Books

To prepare for this assignment you will need to choose a Children's Picture Book [ a book that deals with "differences"--because of race, class, gender, ability and/or any combination of these differences] from the Multicultural Children's Picture Book List. Once you choose your book, visit your local Library or order the book from Amazon.com or Half.com. Please consider the following questions as you read your Children's Picture Book:

1. Why should we (or shouldn't we) include the perspectives of the children's books you read for this week's session?

2. Why have we excluded these perspectives in the past?

3. How does the perspective of your children's book deal with stereotypes and assumptions based on difference?

4. How does the perspective of your children's books reflect conditions and afflictions that are common to all of us?

5. How does the perspective of your children's books help lead readers to mutual understanding?

6. How does the perspective of your children's books suggest remedies for the difficulties and misunderstandings that come from being perceived as "different?"

7. How does the perspective help change negative attitudes toward those who are different and marginalized by our society?

8. Why are children's books so important for educating children and parents?

9. How do children's books teach acceptance of self and cultural difference?

10. How do children's books teach love, respect for others?

11. Do children's books teach tolerance, admiration, or celebration, of individuals who are different?

Using the elements to analyze outline below critique your children's picture book. Begin thinking about, for instance, whether or not your book represents cultural perspectives in an authentic way. Does your book acknowledge that there are differences between people who share a common heritage?

Elements to Analyze

• Authentic cultural perspectives. There is a difference between being talked to and talked about. Members of a particular group should see themselves mirrored in the literature with as many facets of their heritage as possible (not just costumes, cuisine, and holidays).

• How people of common heritage differ in lifestyle, economic conditions, personality, interests, abilities, etc. For instance, a source of criticism of the Cosby Show was that it only showed the experience of "yuppie" African Americans.

• Status and Authority The characters should occupy positions of authority & status apart from their heritage. For instance, a character who is Mexican might be a political figure rather than a gardener or housekeeper. Or an African American might be a police officer or a teacher rather than a crack addict or a single mother.

• Power Those in power should be there because of ability, not color, religion, class, sex or a lack of a physical disability. The victims should not always be members of a particular group.

• Stereotypes Standards, aspirations, relationships & view-points result from the story line and the characters' development rather than from preconceptions about specific groups. For example, Native Americans are not portrayed as wild savages, African Americans as sports figures or Asian Americans as just good at math and science.

•Once you have read and critiqued your Children's Picture Book, please write your paper according to the rubric found as the Multicultural Children's Picture Analysis Form and submit it to Assignments. The last section of the form asks you to research "expert" reviews of your Children's Picture Book. Expert reviews do notinclude any comments from Amazon.com. Click here for examples of expert reviews of Children's Picture Books, both positive and negative.

Session 3-Multicultural Children's Picture Book Analysis

Did you and your partner:

1. discuss how your children's picture book illus-trates the importance of having children read literature about a variety of cultures, ethnicities, classes, genders, sexual orientations

2. present brief but specific notations of at least five ways that difference was presented in your children's picture book]

3. discuss whether or not (and why) your children's picture book should be included in a child's early education; as a parent would you use it?

4. discuss why the perspective(s) presented by your book were not available in previous generations

5. discuss how the perspective of your book deals w/ stereotypes/assumptions about differences based on race, class, gender, [dis]ability, etc.

6. discuss how your book assists readers in under-standing what others have to face in life

7. discuss specific ways your book presented me-thods for dealing with the difficulties that result from being perceived as different or strange

8. discuss whether your book teaches tolerance and celebration of cultural, social, economic, and/or gender differences or focuses on eliminating the problems: racism, sexism, classism, etc.

9. briefly compare/contrast at least two expert reviews and/or evaluations of your children's picture book; please include the website addresses for your expert reviews.