LITR 4332 American Minority Literature Model Assignments Research Project Submissions 2013 research journal

Lozano, Cynthia V.

19 April 2013

Multicultural Literature for Children

      In this paper we will discuss multicultural literature, its definition, history, images, benefits for introducing school-age children to this genre, and reasons authors choose to write it.  Multicultural literature has a great impact on its readers but unfortunately it is underrepresented. Of the literature that is available, many of the depictions are improperly represented, causing children to feel isolated and invaluable in society. Although black and Latino minority literature is the main focus of discussion, it is not intended to minimize the importance of multicultural literature in other immigrant and minority groups.

      Let us begin by defining some terms used throughout the paper to reduce any confusion and narrow the objectives for my thesis. Multicultural literature encompasses a wide variety of themes that include but is not limited to literature about various cultures of immigrants and minorities, race, ethnicity, religion, gender, and language.   Multicultural literature introduces its readers to the hardships of the journeys, fears, and challenges immigrants and minorities experience while assimilating into a culture that is not their own. The terms immigrant and minority are often used synonymously but in fact have two discrete meanings. Immigrants are individuals who voluntarily migrate to another country, while minorities are involuntarily taken and coerced to a country that is not their own.  Multiculturalism and multicultural literature will be used as inclusive terms for immigrants, minorities, and their experiences. Let us discuss how children’s and young adolescent literature will be defined. The definition of children’s literature has changed over the years and its age group varies from infancy to pre-teen. The boundary for teen literature is unclear because their interest is broad and interchanging from pre-teen to young adult topics making it difficult to determine where adolescent literature ends and adult literature begins.  I will use the term children’s literature to include school-age children from kindergarten to high school, unless otherwise specified for adolescents.  

      Children’s literature in the United States from the 15^th to 17^th century was primarily written for adults, not for the purpose to entertain children.  Some of the early texts identified for children were translated into the English language from their original Greek, Latin, or French language, for example the Arabic Book of the Thousand and One Nights (Rudd, 266). One of the earliest children’s books printed was Aesop’s Fables compiled in 1484 by William Caxton (Rudd, 260). Originally this book was written for adults but gained popularity with children through its illustrations. Mary Lystad (Young Adult Literature, Background and Criticism) stated children’s literature dating back from the American Revolution to about 1850 was written didactically to its young readers in “religious matters and desired social activities . . . imported from England.” Today, the stories do not focus on proper social and religious etiquette nor view children as young adults but portray them as characters with dreams, feelings, struggles, and insecurities of their identity. From about the late 1800s to the early 1900s, a large number of immigrants from other countries began to make their way to the United States.  “Despite the high number of immigrants, the dominant American culture retained its English, Protestant identity” (Cushner, McClelland, Safford, 36). Literature was void of any immigrants or minorities, although immigration was steadily increasing. The melting pot theory was for immigrants and minorities to assimilate into the American culture by abandoning their native language and customs.  During the mid-twentieth century, children in public schools were exposed to literature whose characters depicted European white children. Influenced by the Civil Rights Movement, multicultural literature began to surface within children’s literature during the 1960s. Up until this time, children’s books were dominated with Caucasian dominant figures and European values such as the Dick and Jane children’s books I recall using while learning to read. The melting pot theory was being scrutinized when “The Saturday Review of Books in 1965 sparked people’s attention to the extent of the lack of multicultural children’s literature” (Gopalakrishnan, 25).     

       As the Civil Rights Movement began to explode with racial tensions on every side, authors and illustrators began to examine the power of their literary creations in order to separate themselves from the melting pot theory by finding ways of connecting with their readers of multicultural backgrounds. “Sam Bishop (2007) called the advent of multiculturalism and the multicultural education movement ‘one of the most hopeful developments in children’s literature’” (Gopalakrishnan, 22). Descriptions and illustrations of characters became very important to the author to create an image that would activate the reader’s schema in search of a connection to or identification with the text. In addition, Roethler states, “Joseph Schwarcz proposed illustrations have a psychological effect which children encounter in literature to teach them how to deal with problems, how to model their lives, and how to become adults.” When books initially included images of other cultures, illustrations did not have any connection to the written descriptions of the author’s character or setting. Take The Flower Garden illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt, it shows a girl with brown skin but the author, Eve Bunting, did not give any clues of the child’s ethnicity or race. The book is considered “marginally multicultural” because it depicts a brown girl in the illustrations without any indication in the text of the girl’s ethnicity (Gopalakrishnan, 31).   Authors must be very descriptive in order for the reader to have a mental image of the characters and setting of a story since literary texts reflect and promote cultural values and practices. Authors and illustrators must be careful not to create stereotypes but have accurate depictions of neighborhoods, cultures, religions, families, attire, and ethnic backgrounds.  They must work together to provide high quality and accurate representations of the characters, cultural, and background at all times. Negative images of a child’s culture “causes these children to feel worthless, embarrassed, or alienated, and undervaluing their cultural heritage and identify” (Naidoo, 25).

      Today, children and adolescences are reading a wide variety of genres including multicultural literature. Unfortunately, multicultural works are still underrepresented. The Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) reports only two percent of all the books reviewed in 2008 has “significant Latino content” although Latinos made 20 percent of the students in America (Perkins).  Despite the rise in multicultural literature, the descriptions are not always accurate for the children to see themselves in the story. Ruldofo Anaya’s Bless Me, Ultima depicts a young Mexican boy that struggles between two paths of life, the life his mother wants him to live as a priest and the life of being his father’s son. He is faced with putting his faith in mystical powers or leaning on church alone. The book is filled with various symbols and figures of the Mexican culture that children of Mexican background can identify. Because the book will soon become a feature film, Anaya worked closely with the director to choose characters for the film to best resemble the characters in the book (Bridges). The movie is filmed in New Mexico, the location where the story takes place in the book and where Anaya grew up as a young boy, his reason for placing his character, Antonio, to live. Anaya desires to reach Mexican children’s schema of cultural and religious background as well as informing other children of the rich heritage and customs Mexican children experience (Bridges).

      An obvious characteristic of multicultural children’s literature in the United States is that color is more significant than ethnicity (Rudd, 212). Images of Hispanics vary according to the country they represent. Many Latinos from Puerto Rico, Cuba, Dominican Republic, and other countries have African features but speak Spanish and have been raised in a different culture from their African ancestry.  Some Hispanics look Asian and Indian while others look white.  Not all Latinos dance the salsa or listen to Tejano music, so the descriptions of characters have to be accurate of the country and culture in order for accurate connections to be made by the reader. Many images of Latino children and families are more commonly portrayed in low socioeconomic conditions as the “minority cultures are defined and valued according to a frame of reference in which white, middle-class culture is normative” (Rudd, 49). Illustrations must also be accurately represented for the country described. There are some books tell of a Latin country using Spanish terms from Mexico which can have an entirely different meaning, or an insult causing a misrepresentation of the country, while also taking away its true voice.

      Some of the positive images in children’s Latino literature is the feedback of misrepresentations are causing authors to become more cautious of the images portrayed in their books. Many of these books are celebrating diversity in a positive way embracing linguistic differences, accurate portrayals and illustrations, and enveloping Latino customs, celebrations, and family relationships.     

      According to Kira Isak Pirofski of San Jose State University in Race, Gender, and Disability in Today’s Children’s Literature, books on the Newbery and Caldecott award-winning books have incorrect portrayals of African-American characters. Pirofski also states, “Of the 5,206 children’s trade books launched by sixty-three publishers in the three year period, only 349 include one or more Negroes—an average of 6.7 percent.” Blacks are often times misrepresented as living their experience in Africa instead of their challenges in America. “They are living in America, and need to be taught how to deal with the American dilemma of growing up as a minority in a mostly non-receptive world” (Roethler, 7).

      Literature helps children make connections to their diversity, culture, religions and family.  They feel a sense of value and importance when connections to literature are made.  “Multicultural literature has the potential of increasing students’ knowledge of other cultures and of diversity issues, such as race, gender, and ethnicity” (Honigsfeld, Giouroukakis, Garfinkel, 29). Some children are encouraged by their parents to abstain from speaking Spanish to increase their ability of assimilating into the American culture by learning the English language.  They believe the ability for their children to learn English at an early age increases their chances of attaining the American Dream of applying for residency, attending schools and universities, and obtaining ownership of homes. There are programs in place to support families through literacy. Bilingual story time and parenting bilingual programs increase parent and children’s confidence, strengthens the bond between Spanish-speaking families, and preparing their children to succeed academically according to Maria Arroyo of Celebrating Cuentos without giving up their cultural values and native language.

      Literature about immigrants and minorities also touches the life of children from the dominant culture. These children are introduced to a variety of cultures and customs of their peers. These books allow children to visit the homelands of their peers through prose, poetry, novels, and other forms of literature they may never be able to visit physically.  “Inclusion, multicultural, and non-sexist childrens literature also gives students in the "majority" an understanding of their "minority" peers struggles, triumphs, and contribution to our culture and society” (Pirofski).   It helps them to comprehend why their lifestyle differs from their friends and many times from other members of their families of interracial marriages. “Multicultural literature has the potential of increasing students’ knowledge of other cultures and of diversity issues, such as race, gender, and ethnicity” (Honingsfeld, Giouroukakis, Garfinkel, 29).  Children recognize they are not alone when they read multicultural literature with the same experiences of their own. “By reading stories about their own culture, children have the opportunity to ‘see how others go through experiences similar to theirs, develop strategfies to cope with issues in their life, and identify themselves with their inherited culture (Lu, 1998, p.2)’” (Campbell, 34).

      Many authors of minority literature remember the isolation they felt as immigrant children in the United States because they did not identify with their peers, family, or the characters in books. As adults, they recall the absence or misrepresentation of their culture and heritage in books so they began to write multicultural literature to help children feel a sense of validation in society. Many began to explore with styles and words that reflect on the diversity in neighborhoods, schools, and the world around them so their readers feel connections to their writings. When children identify themselves with characters, they begin to feel validated and valued. They no longer feel as an outsider but accepted as a welcome member into society and the world of literacy.

      Yuyi Morales of Celebrating Cuentos recalled entering a library for the first time as an adult with her infant child in her arms. It opened her eyes to an unknown world of literacy. She was amazed at the number of books she found written for children especially those celebrating her culture:

“It was here, inside the pages of these remarkable children’s books that people like me and my son, Latinos, were finally just as smart, beautiful, complex, powerful, and human as any other person in the world—and this was not a favor handed down to us; it was an undeniable truth, and our right. The irony of having to come to a foreign land to be exposed to this truth for the first time does not escape me.”

Children of all backgrounds should experience these powerful feelings when they enter the libraries in their schools, communities, and the nearest bookstore in their neighborhood.  When children feel they cannot identify with other children around them, loneliness and isolation begins to sets in.

      School-age children are being exposed to more and more literature written by and about minorities and immigrants. There are many minority and immigrant authors that had a difficulty identifying with the characters in many children’s books when they were children because their culture was not represented at all or misrepresented in literature in the United States. They want the voice of their cultures to be heard and understood by their readers of all ethnic backgrounds. Rudolfo Anaya immigrated to Santa Rosa, New Mexico with his family when he was a very young child. His mother always encouraged him and his siblings to go to school and get an education. His mother-tongue was Spanish until he began public school where he was introduced to the English language. His incorrect English speech patterns led to a life of isolation and alienation because he felt different from his peers and classmates. “Anaya continued to lament the absence of any authors who could serve as mentors for his unique Mexican-American experience” (“Hispanic Heritage: Rudolfo Anaya”).  He told Publisher’s Weekly, “What I’ve wanted to do is compose the Chicano worldview-the synthesis that shows our true mestizo identity-and clarify it for my community and myself.”  This led him to write literature others could identify with the experiences of his characters. His first novel, Bless Me, Ultima, took seven years to get published because publishing companies rejected his work as “too Latino in style and language.” He faced prejudices from publishers because the book was filled with Spanish words, sayings, and Mexican rituals and beliefs. Then he went with a non-mainstream publisher, the novel was accepted and published. His book is used in high schools and universities for all the accurate depictions with in the text of the Mexican culture.

      The House on Mango Street is a fictional book written by Sandra Cisneros, an immigrant from Mexico. The author was inspired to write the book because her culture was inaccurately described in books. She felt the need to address some of her own experiences along with accurate depictions of her male dominant culture so children with the same experiences and culture could identify with the text. Cisneros, a child of an immigrant family, experienced shame and loneliness when she could not identify with children in her classes and neighborhood. She experienced a cultural divide that brought her to seclude herself from others. As an adult, she saw the need to read and write extensively to accurately depict her culture so her readers could make connections to the characters in her books. She wrote on her own experiences where no one could tell her she was wrong. No one could tell her the Mexican customs and the colors of Mexican homes (Knopfgroup).

      In 2008, “the Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that among the 3,000 or so titles they received, only six percent had significant African or African-American content. Toni Morrison writes her stories so that her “stories become a way of knowing and cultural survival for African Americans” (Milleksen, 96). She was motivated to write the Bluest Eye because she states black women were portrayed as maids and cooks in books in the 1960s. When children were mentioned in books written by either white or black men, they were mentioned as a joke or as a bit of color with no significance especially when it came to young, black, female children. This inspired her to have the main character of the Bluest Eye be a young, black, female child, Pecola, whose life was filled with struggles so that blacks would identify her and the lifestyle of the other blacks in the story. She wanted others to understand what it meant to be treated cruelly because of her black skin color and ugly features.  According to Toni Morrison during the 1960s when black characters were portrayed in books by either black or white authors black characters were described as being beautiful. During this time, she didn’t feel that America viewed blacks as being beautiful. She also felt that people needed to know how blacks were treated and how they felt so they wouldn’t forget their mistreatment and challenges they were facing in the world.  Morrison also wrote with a “deliberate sound” to her texts because she wanted her readers to know how black people talk to one another. “What makes her books ‘black,’ she says, is a ‘deliberate sound’ that she is trying to catch, an oral quality that reveals the way black people talk and the uses to which stories are put in the black community” (Mikkelsen, 96).

       Multicultural literature has many accurate accounts of the challenges and experiences of nonfictional characters. The examination of immigrant literature is important to inform school-age children of the abuse and experience of forced immigration to the United States. Frederick Douglass’s narrative is an example of early minority literature introduced to adolescents on the journey of a young, black slave. When blacks were forced to leave their native country and sold as slaves, most did not know how to read or write. Frederick Douglas recounts in his narrative of the time his master’s wife taught him how to read. He learns to write while working at a shipyard and also by bribing young children with bread to teach him. Many years later, this knowledge led him to write his famous Narrative of The Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave. The narrative describes the journey of blacks as they traveled across the Atlantic, the fear he encountered as a black boy growing up in the South, the abuse slaves of all ages encountered from their slave owners and other individuals, and the challenges he faced in search of freedom. The narrative is studied in high school and colleges to inform students of attitudes towards blacks during the 1800s. Without his account, an important part of history from the point of view of a black slave would be lost.

      Minority and immigrant literature is one way for children to explore and examine various themes in cultures they may not have any prior knowledge. There are more immigrant and minority authors writing multicultural literature for children because they know the value of introducing children to this genre from their own experiences. Although immigration is on the rise, the number of books available for children to read and examine of multicultural literature is still low.  It is important that authors create characters children can make connections and illustrators must portray accurate depictions in order for children to identify with the illustrations. Accurate depictions increase the knowledge and cultural awareness of the immigrant and minority to the dominant culture.  Multicultural literature opens windows for students to study and understand the lives of people during specific time periods and evaluate various cultures they would not be able to visit. When children and adolescents are allowed to examine and critically evaluate multicultural literature, they gain an understanding of other cultures, identify challenges and fears, accept differences among peers and family members, respect other cultures, gain a sense of validation, increase positive self-esteem, and acquire pride of their own heritage.

Work Cited

Bridges, Larry. “A Conversation with Rudolfo Anaya by Directed by Lawrence Bridges.” National Endowment for the Arts. YouTube, 10 Jul. 2009. Web. 5 Mar. 2013.

Campbell, Shelley. “Windows and Mirrors: A Case for More Multicultural Children’s Books on Illinois Children’s Choice Award Lists.” Illinois Reading Council Journal 38.4 (2010): 33-38. Ebsco Host Connection. Web. 7 Mar. 2013.

Cushner, Kenneth, McClelland, Averil, and Safford, Philip. Human Diversity in Education: An Integrative Approach. New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2006. Print.

Gopalakrishnan, Ambika.  Multicultural Children’s Literature: A Critical Issues Approach. California: SAGE Publications, Inc. 2011. Print.

Honigsfeld, Andrea, Giouroukakis, Vicky, and Garfinkel, Joshua L. “Immigrant Literature in the Secondary English Classroom: Rationale and Recommendations.” The California Reader 44.3 (2011): 25-31. Ebsco Host Connection. Web. 7 Mar. 2013.

Knopfgroup. “The House on Mango Street-Inspiration.” YouTube. 1 Apr. 2009. Web. 20 Mar. 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXO8a6HYttw>

Lenz, Millicent, and Mahood, Ramona M. Young Adult Literature: Background and Criticism. Chicago: American Library Association, 1980. Print.

Mikkelsen, Nina. “Diamonds Within Diamonds Within Diamonds: Ethnic Literature and the Fractal Aesthetic.” Melus. 27.2 (2002): 95-116. Ebsco Host Connection. Web. 7 Mar. 2013.

Naidoo, Jamie Campbell, ed. Celebrating Cuentos: Promoting Latino Children’s Literature and Literacy in Classrooms and Libraries. California: ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2011. Print.

Perkins, Mitali. “Straight Talk on Race: Challenging the Stereotypes in Kids’ Books.” 1 Apr. 2009. School Library Journal. Web. 7 Mar. 2013.

Pirofski, Kira Isak. “Race, Gender, and Disability Race, Gender, and Disability in Today’s Children’s Literature.” Critical Multicultural Pavilion Research Room an EdChange Project. San Jose University, 1995-2012. Web. 30 Mar. 2013.   

Roethler, Jacque.  “Reading in Color: Children’s Book Illustrations and Identity Formation for Black Children in the United States.” African American Review 32.1 (1998): 95-105. Humanities Full Text (H. W. Wilson). Web. 7 Mar. 2013.

Rudd, David. ed. The Routledge Companion to Children’s Literature. New York: Routledge, 2010. Print.

“Rudolfo Anaya.” Contemporary Hispanic Biography. 2. (2002). Biography Resource Center.  Cengage Learning. Web. 6 Apr. 2013.

“Toni Morrison Talks about Her Motivation for Writing.” Visionary Project. YouTube, 4 Dec. 2008. Web 3, Apr. 2013.