How to Pick Out Good Children's Multicultural Books
By Nadine Smith, eHow Contributor, updated April 27, 2011
Nadine Smith has been writing since 2010. She teaches college writing and ESL courses and has several years experience tutoring all ages in English and ESL. She also translates and edits business and technical documents from German part-time. Nadine holds a Master of Arts degree in English language and literature from McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, where she led seminars as a Teaching Assistant.
Multicultural books foster tolerance and acceptance in a classroom.
 Minority authors wrote less than 5 percent of children's books only fifty years ago. Fortunately, teachers and parents today have a broader selection to choose from if they wish to introduce children to multicultural books. When browsing the bookshelves for children's literature about other cultures, keep authenticity and accuracy in mind.
Instructions
- Look for books with rounded characters that do not play roles stereotypical of a particular culture. Characters that achieve success through effort and responsible behavior present appropriate role models to children.
- Ensure the book's content is historically accurate. Read the story and make sure the author has correctly presented dates, descriptions and other facts. The more specific a book is the better. For example, listing a character's hometown and country reads more authentically than simply saying she is from "Africa" or "Asia."
- Check the author's biography; some literary scholars believe a culture is best represented by someone who belongs to it.
- Choose books with characters that don't speak in clichéd dialogue, such as a Native American referring to a grandparent as "old one."
- Look for books that represent cultures as they are today to help contemporize them for children.
- Pick books that narrate in an objective tone of voice rather than in a patronizing or victimizing tone when referring to minority groups.
- Select books that include real words and sayings from another language. Teaching children how to pronounce them correctly helps the story seem more authentic.
- Flip through the illustrations in the book. Look for images that portray persons of an ethnic group in a variety of ways that demonstrate their individuality apart from their race or background.
Read more: How to Pick Out Good Children's Multicultural Books | eHow.com
Section 1: How to Choose:
How To Choose The Best Multicultural Books
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3757
Ten Tips for Selecting Multicultural Books for Reading Instruction
http://www.k12reader.com/ten-tips-for-selecting-multicultural-books-for-reading-instruction
Beyond Good Intentions: Selecting Multicultural Literature http://www.4children.org/issues/1997/september_october/beyond_
good_intentions_selecting_multicultural_literature/
Section 2: How to Infuse into Instruction
An Introduction to Culturally Relevant Reading Instruction
http://www.k12reader.com/an-introduction-to-culturally-relevant-reading-instruction/
8 Ways to Foster Reading Growth in Multilingual Learners
http://www.k12reader.com/8-ways-to-foster-reading-growth-in-multilingual-learners /
Kids books
http://www.kidsbooks.ca/department.aspx?DeptID=3976
Section 3. Book Lists
Multicultural book reviews at http://www.isomedia.com/homes/jmele/joe.html
Cooperative Children’s Book Center- University of MN http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/books/detaillistbooks.asp?idbooklists=42
“Having our child among cultural diversity and making great friends has been wonderful. I love the way he is learning about differences. Our son talks about other kids in class by name rather than skin color. He describes their personality traits and who they are as a person, which is what matters.
– Canton Parent |
|
Visit us on Facebook