Multicultural Children's Literature

About Multicultural Children's Literature

Identifying quality children's literature can be a time consuming task. Teachers who also want to be sure that the literature they use offers positive role models for all children can have a particularly difficult time. The MSU Libraries are continuously updating their collection of materials which offer suggestions for maintaining a welcoming classroom for all children and showcase best practices in presenting different cultures to children. This page both highlights the Libraries' Resources and provides links to some of the best sites on the Web.

Web Sites for Children's Literature

Children's and Young Adult Literature Resources
Children's author Cynthia Leitich Smith has collected a list of resources on various topics of interest, including diversity in books for young people.
Children's Literature Web Guide
This is one of the best online guides to Children's literature web sites. It includes listings of award winners, ideas for teachers and parents, and even opportunities for young readers to connect with one another.
A Cooperative Children's Book Center
The Cooperative is located at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It provides ongoing selection of outstanding children's literature and groups selected titles by theme. See the Books for Children and Young Adults section.
A Critical Bibliography on North American Indians, for K-12
This bibliography, compiled by the Anthropology Outreach Office of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, is a response to teachers' concerns about choosing culturally sensitive and historically accurate books for children about American Indians and Alaska Natives. It is dated 2001 and does not appear to be an ongoing project.
Database of Award-winning Children's Literature
Librarian Lisa Bartle utilizes listings of major childrens book award recipients to create a database of books that can be searched by reader age, setting, genre, period, keyword, award received and much more.
Diversity Calendar
Sponsored by the University of Kansas, this is not a literature bibliography, but a great jumping off place for information about Diverse Cultures.
Global SchoolNet
A virtual meeting place where educators, students, parents and community members can collaborate, interact, develop, publish and discover learning resources. Emphasis is on active participation in a variety of educational projects by students and teachers from around the world.
International Children's Digital Library
The ICDL is a joint effort by the University of Maryland's Human-Computer Interaction Lab and The Internet Archive, to create an extensive library of international children's literature and make it available worldwide. The site makes hundreds of children's books freely available on the Web,-- fully illustrated, and in their original languages.
Lookybook
A site to view and buy picture books. Publishers, authors, and illustrators can make their books available online as a tool to call attention to their books and generate sales. Parents, students and librarians can preview the books before purchase. It is also possible to register and participate in reviewing books. Look under Subject or Genre, for items relevant to a cultural diversity theme.
Native American Booklist
To mark the November 2007 13th anniversary of Native American Heritage Month, the National Education Association released a "recommended reading list that includes titles ranging from such pre-K classics as Mama, Do You Love Me to Tony Hillerman's Joe Leaphorn Series that has been thrilling young (and older) adults for more than a decade." The titles are listed by grade level and include fiction, non-fiction and poetry.
Notable Books for a Global Society
The Children'sLiterature and Teading Special Interest Group of the International Reading Association selects an annual list of books. Their journal The Dragon Lode (some issues available online) publishes the list of Notable Books for a Global Society. Included in the article are annotations for each winning book, teaching ideas for each title, and related books for each of the 25 selections. See also February issues of The Reading Teacher which also often features the list.

Notes from the Windowsill: An Independent, Electronic Journal of Book Reviews
Still offering independent reviews, but special sections on books about different cultures and lifestyles have been removed.
Social Justice Resources Center
Maintained by Virginia Tech, the Social Justice Resources Center aims to promote social equality by transforming educational practices and curricula. The site offers a searchable database to provide print, media, and web-based resources relevant to developing "diversity-inclusive" curricula and pedagogy for use by students, faculty, and educators. "Diversity-inclusive" is a commitment to developing anti-racist, anti-sexist, and anti-homophobic curricula and pedagogies appropriate to K-12 teaching, as well as for higher education.
Tolerance.org
Through its online resources and ideas, its collection of print materials, and its downloadable public service announcements, Tolerance.org promotes and supports anti-bias activism in every venue of life. Funded by the Southern Poverty Law Center and corporate sponsors.

Through The Looking Glass Children’s Book Review
A one woman effort by Marya Jansen-Gruber to help parents, friends, teachers, and librarians choose good and meaningful books for children. She also focuses on promoting books published by small and independent publishing houses or new and upcoming authors.

Vandergrift's Children's Literature Page
Kay Vandergrift does not limit herself to award winning books. She lists titles she considers exemplary. The listing are grouped by theme and provide only a citation to the book. There are no individual reviews.

Annotated Bibliography of Children's Literature focusing on Latino people, history, and culture
This bibliography was compiled by Amy Goldenberg, as a first year Graduate student at UCLA in the Department of Library and Information Science, in March 1995. It provides a sentence or two about each book and a suggested grade level.
Brave Girls and Strong Women: A special collection of books from small publishers for ages 2-17
This list was compiled by Jyotsna Sreenivasan for Amazon.com bookstore. It offers cover pictures, summaries and purchase links for the listed books. Books are arranged by reading level.
Oyate
Oyate is a Native organization working to see that Native American lives and histories are portrayed honestly, so that "all people will know our stories belong to us." This is a commercial site that also offers valuable information. See their "Books to Avoid" section for a list of books that misrepresent Native American cultures.

Catalogs for Curriculum/Library Materials
Sponsored by Washburn University's Curriculum Resource Center this site offers links to many different types of resources in children's literature.

Books in the MSU Libraries

Across Cultures : A Guide to Multicultural Literature for Children / Kathy East and Rebecca L. Thomas.
Call number: Z1037 .E19 2007
Location: Main Library, Basement
An Annotated Bibliography of Multi-Cultural Literature for Children Three to Ten Years / Guda Gayle-Evans.
Call number: E184.A1 G39 2004
Location: Main Library, 2 East
Everyone's Kid's Books: A Guide to Multicultural, Socially Conscious Books for Children / Nancy Braus, Molly Geidel.
Call number: Z1037.A1 B69 2000
Location: Main Library, Basement
Exploring Culturally Diverse Literature for Children and Adolescents: Learning to Listen in New Ways / Darwin L. Henderson, Jill P. May.
Call number: Z1037.A1 H46 2005
Location: Main Library, Basement
Global Perspectives in Children's Literature / Evelyn B. Freeman and Barbara A. Lehman.
Call number: PN1009.A1 F69 2001
Location: Main Library, 4 East

Brief but well done overviews of suggested literature from a variety of viewpoints, including content themes, genre, and award books. This presentation would be especially valuable to the beginner, offering an historic perspective, and a discussion of issues such as translation, availability, and evaluation.
Hearing all the voices : multicultural books for adolescents / Mary Ann Darby, Miki Pryne
Call number: Z1037.A1 D18 2002
Location: Main Library, Basement East

This listing uses "culture" in the broad sense to include more than just ethnic diversity. The book includes suggestions for how to use recommended titles in the classroom. The authors define adolescent as roughly the ages between 11-15.
Many Peoples One Land: a Guide to New Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults/ Alethea K. Helbig & Agnes Regan Perkins.
Call number: PS173.E8 H42 2001
Location: Main Library, 4 East
Multicultural American History Through Children's Literature / Deborah A. Ellermeyer, Kay A. Chick.
Call number: E184.A1 E396 2003
Location: Main Library, 2 East
Multicultural Children's Literature: Through the Eyes of Many Children / Donna E. Norton.
Call number: PS153.M56 N675 2005
Location: Main Library, 4 East
Our Family, Our Friends, Our World: An Annotated Guide to Significant Multicultural Books for Children and Teenagers / Lyn Miller-Lachmann.
Call number: PN1009.A1 M654 1992
Location: Main Library Reference, 1 East
Problem-Posing with Multicultural Children's Literature: Developing Critical Early Childhood Curricula / Elizabeth P. Quintero.
Call number: LC196 .Q87 2004
Location: Main Library, 4 East
Promoting a Global Community Through Multicultural Children's Literature / Stanley F. Steiner; illustrations by Peggy Hokom; foreword by Alma Flor Ada.
Call number: LC1090 .S75 2001
Location: Main Library, 4 East
Teaching American Ethnic Literatures: Nineteen Essays / edited by John R. Maitino and David R. Peck.
Call number: PS153.M56 T43 1996
Location: Main Library, 4 East and Online
Using multiethnic literature in the K-8 classroom / Violet J. Harris [editor].
Call number: LC1099 .U75 1997
Location: Main Library, 4 East
A collection of essays including: Selecting literature for a multicultural curriculum / Rudine Sims Bishop -- Children's literature depicting Blacks / Violet J. Harris -- We have stories to tell: Puerto Ricans in children's books / Sonia Nieto -- Asian Pacific American children's literature: expanding perceptions about who Americans are / Sandra S. Yamate -- Mexican American children's literature in the 1990's: toward authenticity / Rosalinda B. Barrera and Oralia Garza de Cortes -- Native Americans in children's literature / Debbie Reese and Naomi Caldwell-Wood -- The Baby-sitters club and cultural diversity: or, Book X : Jessi and Claudia get lost / Christine A. Jenkins -- Creating good books for children: a Black publisher's perspective / Cheryl Willis Hudson -- Reading multiculturally / Daniel D. Hade -- Toward developing a multicultural perspective / Dierdre Glenn-Paul.
Venture Into Cultures: A Resource Book of Multicultural Materials and Programs, Second edition/ Olga R. Kuharets, editor.
Call number: Z688.M84 V46 2001
Location: Main Library, Basement

Journal Articles (article hotlinks work for MSU users only)

"Children's Aesthetic and Ethnic Involvement in Response to Multicultural Picture Books." /by: Rebecca P. Harlin & Lisbeth Dixon-Krauss.
Book information: Yearbook of the College Reading Association (2001) p. 80-91
Call number: LB2395 .C62
Location: Main Library, 4 East.

Circles and celebrations: Learning about other cultures through literature./ by Nancy Livingston, & Catherine Kurkjian.
Journal information: The Reading Teacher v. 58 no7 (April 2005) p. 696-703
Summary: An annotated bibliography of culturally rich literature for children. The books discussed in this bibliography provide powerful stories, feature rich illustrations and photographs, and encompass a variety of genres and themes.

A Dozen Great Books. / by Barbara Ward and Deanna Day.
Journal information: Journal of Children's Literature v. 33 no1 (Spring 2007) p. 52-4
Summary: Recommendations of titles for young adult readers.

Fifty more award-worthy authors./ by Sherry York.
Journal information: Library Media Connection v.24, no 7, (April/May 2006) p. 50.

Guiding principles for teaching multicultural literature./ by Belinda Y. Louie.
Journal information: The Reading Teacher v. 59 no5 (February 2006) p. 438-48
Call number: LB1573 .R28
Summary: Research-based guidelines for expanding cultural understanding by teaching multicultural literature are presented.

Heightening Awarness about the importance of Using Multicultural Literature. / by Susan A Colby &Anna F. Lyon
Journal information: Multicultural Education. v. 11 no 3 (Spring 2004) p. 24
MSU does not own printed version of this journal
Summary: Urges teachers to use multicultural literature in the classroom as a way of making all students feel valued and celebrated.

Literacy, Literature, and Diversity. /by: KaaVonia Hinton & Theodorea Berry.
Journal information: Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy v. 48 no4 (December 2004/January 2005) p. 284-8
Summary: Two teachers look reflectively at their personal experiences to see what made it important for them to teach literature from a multicultural standpoint.

Multicultural Books for Early Childhood Educators. / by Jane M. Gangi.
Journal Information: Montessori Life v. 19 no 1 (2007)
Summary: An annotated list of multicultural books in a range of genres for early childhood educators.

Multicultural Children's Literature as an Instrument of Power./ by Stuart H. D. Ching, Stuart H. D.
Journal information: Language Arts v. 83 no2 (November 2005) p. 128-36
Call number: LB1576.A1 E6
Location: Main Library, 4 East
Summary: Challenges educators to reconsider the criteria they use to select and evaluate multicultural children's literature, asserting that equity in children's literature must go beyond affirming the common humanity to calling attention to issues of power.

Multicultural Literature: A Source of Meaningful Content for Kindergartners./ by Elizabeth P. Quintero, Elizabeth P.
Journal information: YC Young Children v. 60 no6 (November 2005) p. 28-32
Call Number: LB1140.A1 J6
Location: Main Library, 4 East

The Pearl in the Shell: Author's Notes in Multicultural Children's Literature / by Rebecca L.Perini.
Journal information: The Reading Teacher v. 55 no 5 (Feb. 2002) p. 428
Call number: LB1573 .R28
Location: Main Library, 4 East
Excerpt: Author's, illustrator's, and publisher's notes provide a starting point for educators to explore culturally diverse issues and perspectives, which is something educators must do to be prepared to meet the needs of all children in schools. Attending to such notes can help teachers determine which themes or elements of a book warrant greater attention in order to extend the learning that takes place during and beyond a shared read-aloud. Furthermore, the author's note may help guide teachers to select related resources and better prepare themselves to address unfamiliar themes and topics.

Planning and Teaching with Multiple Perspectives. /by Joyce H. Burstein & Lisa Hutton.
Journal information: Social Studies and the Young Learner v. 18 no1 (September/October 2005) p. 15-16, 17
Call number: LB1530 .S635

Recognizing and Appreciating Differences. /by JoAnn Vergona Krapp.
Journal information: School Library Media Activities Monthly v. 21 no4 (December 2004) p. 43-4
Summary: Krapp presents several children's book that depicts the importance of recognition and appreciation of differences.

Using International Literature to Enhance the Curriculum./ by Ruth E. Cox Clark, Maureen White & Nancy Bluemel.
Journal Information: Teacher Librarian v. 31 no5 (June 2004) p. 12-15
Summary: Emphasis has been placed on integrating multicultural literature into the preK-12 curriculum. Due to the importance placed on the availability of literature about different ethnic groups within the US, many quality multicultural picture books, novels, and information books have been published in the US for the preK-12 audience.

World of Ideas./ by Coop Renner
Journal Information: School Library Journal v. 53 no 11 (November 2007) p.57-61
Summary: An annotated bibliography of books on world cultures and religions for young readers.

Your Place or Mine? Reading Art, Place, and Culture in Multicultural Picture Books./ by Mira Reisberg, Birgitte Brander & David A. Gruenewald.
Journal information: Teacher Education Quarterly (Teach Educ Q) v. 33 no1 (Winter 2006) p. 117-33
Location: Online from Expanded Academic ASAP
Summary: The writers describe a course that tries to build connections between the specialty courses in a teacher education program through the use of multicultural children's picture books, place-based education, and social reconstructionist arts education.

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