What was the purpose of my research?

The purpose of my research was to compose a list of children's books for elementary grades that feature children of various ethnic backgrounds as the main characters and stories in which the plots promote ethnic diversity. I wanted these selections to have a diverse group of authors and illustrators as well.

What did I research?

The topic that I choose to study was multicultural literature. This topic encompasses a wide array of information. The multicultural aspect includes not only ethnic origin, but also gender, social, and religious status, to name a few. The term, literature, encompasses all seven categories of genre' and could also include publications such as magazines and newspapers.

How did I narrow the topic of multicultural literature?

Since this is a broad term, I quickly realized that I needed to narrow the topic to a very specific selection of literature. I choose to focus mainly on books that were written with grades K-6 in mind. A focus was placed more on books that could be read in one episode, rather than chapter books. The selections cover most of the seven genres, with the exceptions of science fiction and nonfiction. One could argue as to whether some of the selections are nonfiction. However, many of the books would best be classified as realistic fiction. These stories are accurate in portrayals of children and adults from different backgrounds.

Since I am a special education teacher, I know that I will have a wide array of abilities within my students, both academically and intellectually. While some students may not understand complicated issues such as prejudice, they can be given the opportunity to explore stories that have non- white American children within them. While looking at the four ways to view multiculturalism, I wanted to go beyond the contributions approach and look toward literature that would encompass the additive approach and the transformation approach. The purpose of the additive approach is to incorporate literature by and about people from diverse backgrounds. The goal of the transformation approach is to change assumptions of our curriculum and include various perspectives when studying various issues (ex. use books from multiple perspecitives to explain the Civil War).

One of the advantages of special education is that I have flexibility with the curriculum. I still follow the North carolina standard course of study yet I must also account for each child's individual and diverse needs. Most of the children are are least two grade levels behind in reading, writing, and/ or mathematics. The means to which I assist them is often whatever best suits their needs. The vehicle to this assistance can come in a variety of forms. Hence, the use of multicultural literature as our vehicle is quite possible.
 

Why is multicultural literature important to me?

I once had a conversation with a woman who explained that her child was questioning the skin color of people around him or her.   This child is questioning something many adults may never have questioned.

I feel I need make a contribution to help promote tolerance, acceptance, and diversity within the students I serve.  I felt the best manner in which I could do this is through children's literature. I grew up in a diverse area and feel obligated to contribute to their understanding of the equality of all people and the beauty of differences.

I also wanted to choose a topic in which I could use my final product to write a Grassroots grant in my county. The Grassroots grant is partially funded by the Ashe County Arts Council. If you receive a grant for your arts- oriented project, the costs will be split evenly by your school and the council. As of this year, all teachers that have applied for the grant have received financial support. This grant is a win- win situation for my students and the school.

Why is multicultural literature important to the educational community?

Much of the answer to this question lies in the one above. All teachers in all parts of the world have an obligation to promote character in their students: tolerance, perseverance, respect, responsibility, and self- worth. Children need to understand that differences amongst one another is what makes life interesting and challenging in the best ways possible. While my students may not be able to understand this completely right now, I want to know that I have contributed to their understanding of differences.

What resources did I use to compose my information? How did I do it?

I read reviews and summaries of children's literature from the following:

1. Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults Volume Two: 1991-1996. University of Wisconsin- Madison, 1997.
2. What Do I Read Next? Multicultural Literature. Castro, Fisher, Hong, & Williams, 1997.
3. Many Faces, Many Stories Multicultural Books for Children. Pamphlet produced by the American Library Association, 1993.
4. Kaleidoscope: A Multicultural Book List For Grades K-6 Second Edition. Barrera, Thompson, & Dressman, 1997.

I cross- referenced the titles in one book with those in another. Nearly all of the books featured on my selected works were listed as recommendations in at least two of the resource books. I wanted to see the selection being recommended by more than one source.

After gathering a selection of titles from the above, I preceded to gather copies of the books and read the stories. I reviewed them on the criteria I listed above- K-6 but adaptable varied- ability students, diverse authors/ illustrators, diverse characters and cultures.

The list I compiled is still very much based on personal preference since it is next to impossible to completely eliminate this element. Click here to view the list.