Reflecting on Children's Literature

Before taking this class, children’s books were collecting dust on my bookshelf at home, a distant part of my life that were only called to my attention during moments of nostalgia. Now, I look at children’s books quite differently than I did before, and they are always on my radar as more than fond memories of my childhood, but rather as important representations of our society and crucial tools for educative liberation and reform. Throughout this class, we have investigated the many elements of children’s literature in which we need to be concerned, primarily, content, interpretation, and access. From our discussions and readings, I have taken notice of the severe lack of representation in the content of our children’s book. In addition to representation, something most concerning to me was the use of stereotypes to portray characters and lifestyles of people of different races and genders. One particularly useful aspect of the class came when we explored pedagogical options that could work to engage critically with books like these in a classroom setting. Learning how to use outside texts and sources as well as critical discussion topics helped me to see ways in which we can use these close-minded texts as learning tools.
Studying banned books led me to understand just how sensitive our society can be, and the ways in which subjects can quickly become taboo and controversial. This discussion proved to me even more than before the difficulty of introducing alternative texts into our children’s lives. Furthermore, through our community observation investigation, I was taken aback by the lack of availability of children’s stories presenting diverse subjects and characters. Our discussion and analysis of our observations only served to emphasize to me the difficulty of creating a population of liberating children’s books and the many structural obstacles we must confront in order to do so, especially overcoming corporate interests. One important lesson I learned was that one of the most important goals in making alternative children’s texts more accessible is to create a public demand for them. In conclusion, children’s literature has become, to me, a social issue, and teaching strategies for critical literacy is a key aspect of education reform, in my opinion. I hope to continue to keep the ideas and lessons I’ve learned in this class with me as I continue to study education and education policy in the future.

Differences in my Counter-Narrative

I found the counter narrative text writing to be surprisingly challenging, but also refreshingly liberating. One difference I made in my story was to change the racial makeup of the main characters. I wanted to make them more identifiable to children of different racial and ethnic backgrounds than the traditional, white Cinderella characters. Therefore, I chose an African-American male figure as well as a Latina female character. Also, I wanted to represent an inter-racial couple, as couples like this are not often seen in children’s stories like these. Another goal of mine was to challenge typical gendered norms, that is, for example, I wanted to have the girl character wear baggy, comfortable clothes rather than a form-fitting dress, and I wanted the “shoe” to be a sneaker rather than a glass slipper. This eliminated the feeling of daintiness one may get when reading the original Cinderella story and challenged what it means to be feminine. Finally, a difference that was important for me to make was in the nature of the conclusion and the idea that happiness comes with ascending social class. I attempted to reverse this idea by having the rich, wealthy character come to live with the character of the lower social class, so as to give the idea that happiness comes from loving someone else, not from becoming someone of high social status. Through these changes, I attempted to create a counter narrative that more children could relate to while opening their minds and definitions of gender, social class, and happiness.

Research in the Community Commentary

Bookstore and Library Observations

Throughout the past few weeks, I spent time in Borders in Friendship Heights as well as the DC Public Library in Cleveland Park. I spent quite a lengthy amount of time in the bookstore and in the children’s section especially, and became extremely frustrated by my inability to find what I was looking for. I was able to compile a weak list of about 7 books that addressed issues of gender, racism, alternative families, or other social issues after searching for a very long time. It was nearly impossible to find any books that even had non-white characters appear on the cover. There was a large section of Dr. Seuss books, which tend to address social issues including The Sneetches, which I thought was important, but also not unusual as these books have been widely circulated over many years. I was, however, able to find a copy of And Tango Makes Three in the science section. Furthermore, I noticed while I was there that there was a Spanish speaking family looking at the Spanish book section, which was a positive characteristic of the bookstore, however, I thought of the numerous different languages that might be spoken by people living in the area and how those languages were not represented.

I was pleased to find an extensive list of public libraries in DC, seeming to me that most people living in the district have access to a neighborhood library. In terms of where I went to do my observations, I was in Friendship Heights and Cleveland Park. These were places that were most accessible to me because I live in northwest DC, and these locations likely affected my findings as they are relatively rich, white, privileged areas of the district. My time in the library was less frustrating, though I found similar trends in terms of noticing an obvious lack of diversity in covers and themes. This library, like the bookstore had a copy of And Tango Makes Three, among other books addressing such themes. I also found a book by Lesléa Newman, author of Heather has Two Mommies, called Daddy, Papa, and Me telling the story of a family with two fathers and a child. Therefore, my library-going experience made me feel a little bit better about the accessibility and diversity of children’s literature available. The contrast between the library and the bookstore is interesting, especially because it makes us think about those in control of these entities and what their motives are.

In order to add contrast to my observations, I also explored Busboys & Poets’ book section. This store was located in a neighborhood that was quite different than the one in which Borders was located, as it was in the U street area on 14th street, which may have been why I found more variety there. While it does not have quite an extensive children’s section, I found that this bookstore had books on clear display that had children from all different backgrounds depicted on the cover. Busboys & Poets prides itself in encouraging a diverse clientele, which might explain why it has books that might cater better to children from all perspectives and walks of life than those found at Borders. It is interesting to me to find that book selections can differ based on the population the store or library will cater to.

Overall, my observations taught me a lot about the types of books that are available for kids in bookstores and libraries in the city. It led me to think about my own interaction with children’s literature, making me realize that within an isolated classroom environment, when we are searching for books with such topics, we may be able to find them. If a family is not specifically looking for a book on certain themes that they may identify with, however, they will not be likely to just pick it off the shelf, as their availability is few and far-between. We must make these types of books more common so they are more likely to make it into a child’s hands.

Websites in Children’s Literature

After an extensive search, I have listed five examples of websites I found focusing on children’s literature and contributing to the conversation about critical literacy.

http://www.carolhurst.com/- Carol Hurst and Rebecca Otis provide on their site a variety of ways in which to understand different aspects of children’s literature. They offer reviews of children’s books, lists of subjects and themes in the literature, as well as links to further resources.

http://www.plcmc.org/bookhive/- This resource provides an extensive comprehensive list of children’s books with corresponding reviews and uses colorful, kid-friendly graphics. The list of books includes an “African American” and “Multicultural” section.

http://comminfo.rutgers.edu/professional-development/childlit/- This site, sponsored by Rutgers University, contains numerous links and sections helping us to explore special areas in children’s literature. Two unique sections are “History of Children’s Literature” and “9/11 and Children.”

http://www.kidsreads.com/- This interactive website contains several resources to help kids and parents explore children’s literature, including lists of books, new releases, reviews, podcasts, and trivia.

http://mgfx.com/kidlit/- This KidLit website is child-friendly, giving children an opportunity to submit their own literary creations to be published on the internet. This site gives children an outlet to be creative and share ideas with each other, while adults may find it useful and interesting in understanding children’s literature. This is a different twist on children’s literature, but I think its originality is worth noting.


These websites are only a sampling of the many resources in the Internet for exploring children’s literature. Something that was striking to me was the number of websites that are meant to be “kid-friendly,” which is a reflection of an age in which kids are increasingly computer proficient. In some ways, websites like these suggest more agency for kids, who can search for and find the boys that they want to read without having to depend on parents to do it for them. Something positive I noticed was the number of multicultural books and issues addressed on these sites, something that was in contrast to my experience looking for such books in the community.


Representations in the Media
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XbFE6xy39g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_889542&v=8NZyhWbkZW8&feature=iv
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAmEiT5FBH4&feature=related

Something that struck me was the way in which children’s literature and fairytales are used to sell products that only adults would buy. Above are two examples, one to sell a Microsoft product, and one for a cell phone. I think we can infer from this the importance of these stories in our social psyche; even as adults, we can relate to the messages and images in these stories. Children’s literature, then, is relatable to everyone, no matter the age. The market recognizes this and is attempting to exploit it.

Children’s stories help to construct our values and understanding of the world as they have a special focus on a lesson or moral. Additionally, when we are children we are still undergoing the process of socialization, and the stories and social forces that touch us shape our identity and ideas. Therefore the stories we read, as we are children stay with us for our entire lives and shape our social interactions, thus proving the importance of observational activities such as these and our quest for critical literacy.

Thinking about Banned Books

Researching banned books was a fascinating exercise. I never went through the trouble of doing such an investigation, and the results surprised me. I could not believe just how many books were be banned, and how many of them I had read, learned about and enjoyed myself. One of my banned-book findings was The Witches by Roald Dahl, a book I mentioned in an earlier blog post as one of my childhood favorites. In reading about the reasons for which it was challenged or banned, I could not help but be confused and surprised at the thematic material people find to be offensive. The Witches is apparently sexist and scary for kids, something I never quite picked up on as a child reading it over and over. It is interesting that a story that is meant to be quite fantastical and imaginary can be taken so seriously.
In addition, I read Lesléa Newman’s Heather has Two Mommies, a much more overtly controversial book. The themes in this book dealing with homosexual parents go against the social norms in our society and challenge some of the taken-for-granted family structures that regularly appear in our literature. Newman’s goal was to give young children with such families a book to relate to, yet the book received a harsh, averse reaction when finally released. Furthermore, I was even more shocked to find, after sharing in class, that the edition I had used was a more revised and censored one, and that the content of the original book had been so “offensive” that it had to be re-released without some of the themes Newman had initially included. This exercise and discussion, then, led me to ask: how are we ever to effect meaningful change through thoughtful literature if it is not allowed on the shelves?
It seems as though, especially in terms of highly, regarded classic literature, banned books are simply those that tackle important, and usually controversial issues. As became increasingly apparent during our discussion, however, and can be found in the example of The Witches, it seems that books can be banned for anything, as long as somebody has an argument against it. The most important idea I took away from our class discussion was the idea of freedom of choice. Not all children should be forced to read all books with overly sensitive issues, but all children, and all people, should have the freedom to have the choice to read them. After all, books should challenge our thinking and take us to a place we haven’t considered before. For what does a completely agreeable book do for our critical minds anyway? In order to make all children feel comfortable and represented in the classroom, and to encourage them to open their minds, we must re-evaluate how and why we challenge our books.

Brainstorming for my Critical Analysis Podcast

For my podcast assignment, I’d like to focus on the ways in which white privilege manifests in children’s books, whether supported, challenged, or simply highlighted. I am taking a sociology class currently on the subject of White Privilege, and one of the things this class, and my passion for educational sociology, has gotten me thinking about is the ways in which we teach racism through certain racist pedagogies and curriculum. Peggy McIntosh’s article we read last week also provides us some insight on this subject. Investigating children’s literature, then, is a good place to start in terms of attempting to develop a picture of an anti-racist pedagogy that challenges the ideas of white privilege and gets kids to think about it. McIntosh states that our children are taught not to recognize white privilege. How can we teach them to do so? How do we open children’s mind to experiences they take for granted?

For now, I am going to start my investigation by examining Faith Ringgold’s book The Invisible Princess. This is a story set in the “Deep South” during a time of American slavery, describing the struggles of an African American slave family and their “invisible” child. Ringgold takes us on a fantastical journey, using imaginary figures, images, and names to illustrate all that is wrong with slavery and the ways in which we can achieve peace. While this book uses the issue of slavery to illustrate the rights of white people and the harsh treatment of African Americans, I think it is an important subject to cover in helping children understand the stark contrasts that exist between the American historical experience of white and black people. The language used in this book is an important aspect I will highlight, particularly the use of the word “visible.” I will hopefully be able to analyze Ringgold’s storytelling and the ways in which it does important things to teach children about the roots of white privilege and the African American experience.

This book is just a start, I hope to find other texts set in different periods of time and different situations (ideally including one non historically based but set in the present) in order to compete my critical analysis.

Quotable Quotes:The Emperor Was Divine

"For it was true, they all looked alike. Black hair. Slanted eyes. High cheekbones. Thick glasses. Thin lips. Bad teeth. Unknowable. Inscrutable.

That was him, over there.

The little yellow man."


This passage struck me as an important one to highlight, as it helps to convey Otsuka’s message in a blunt manner. The description of the physical traits of the prisoners in the camp leaves no details up to the imagination. All of these prisoners are Japanese, and this quote calls to mind the fact that the United States government put these people in camps according to a certain background and phenotype, that is, their imprisonment is not based on actual guilt or suspicious activity but solely on physical characteristics that place them within a certain ethnic heritage.
Also, Otsuka opens up a discussion here about talking openly about race. These descriptors are words that we might normally shy away from in classroom settings for fear of offending someone, but they are descriptions that we all hear and use. By having the narrator's voice detail these descriptions, the author gives the reader the ability to start conversations about the way people look and the meanings we put to these characteristics. Finally, this passage begins to open up the subject of lost individuality and identity, a part of the psychological damage done in these camps, places where they stamped identification numbers on people.




"There were rules about language, too: Here we say Dining Hall and not Mess Hall; Safety Council, not Internal Police; Residents, not Evacuees; and last but not least, Mental Climate, not Morale.

There were rules about food: No second helpings except for milk and bread.

And books: No books in Japanese.

There were rules about religion: No Emperor-worshipping Shintos allowed. "

These sentences give us a vivid illustration of the conditions under which these Japanese Americans were living. The descriptions are important because they demonstrate the harsh psychological conditions that accompanied the difficult physical conditions of the camps. While prisoners were there specifically because of their shared heritage and culture, the policies and rules of the internment camps attempted to rid the camp community of any signs of Japanese culture. This was a form of attempted cultural “cleansing” that may have been just as bad of a punishment as the physical lifestyle restraints being put on the imprisoned. Also, note in the first paragraph the way the people were made to refer to certain things in a more politically correct and pleasant sounding version of the different aspects of the camp. Through the prisoners eyes, therefore, Otasuka helps us to see the control mechanisms employed by these camps so that even the freedoms of language and beliefs were symbolically removed from the prisoners’ lives.

On Positioning and Being Positioned

Hello My Names Are:

Taryn, Tar, Tah, Tareen

Taryn – This is my full given name. Its English nature hints at my mother’s northern European heritage. This is the name I am known by to most, and the name I use in the classroom and within professional settings. Though the name Taran can be a boy’s name, my name and the way it is spelled is female gendered. In addition, because my name is fairly unique, I am able to go by my first name without people having to say my last name, a comforting thing for me because I find most people have a difficult time pronouncing my last name. My first name and its easily pronounceable nature generally allows me access to most things and identifies a privileged side of myself. I can use my name, probably, to achieve any ends I would like.


Tar (pronounced Tare)- This is a nickname used by many of my friends, especially my teammates on my dance team. It is probably my most common name that I am called besides my full name. I really like Tar; I like nicknames and, since I was always sad growing up that my name was too short to really be shortened to a nickname, I have really enjoyed acquiring this nickname in college. This name gives me access to be casually addressed within friendships and also signals a special team relationship. While I enjoy this name in these settings, I would probably never use it at a job or in the classroom. Using Tar instead of my full proper name indicates that I have let my teammates into a more personal side of me, representing a close, trusting and fun relationship.

Tah – This name, derived from my initials T.A.H. is reserved for my grandmother’s use only. We used to spend a lot of time together when I was younger, and she was like a second mother to me. Tah is a name that symbolizes our close and loving relationship, though it also reminds me of being a child a little bit when she addressed me so. I still sign my emails to her with this name, it is one that I would never use otherwise but reminds me of the special connection we have.

Tareen- Tareen was a name I used when I went abroad to Madrid last fall. I used this pronunciation of my name because it is almost impossible to pronounce “Taryn” in Spanish because of the ways that the vowels and consonants come together in this language. My host mother and professors addressed me by this name, and eventually most of my American peers studying abroad with me used this name for me too, even though they could pronounce the English version just fine. I am quite fond of this name because it reminds me of this special semester and an incredible adventure in my life. In addition, using this name gave me some insight into what it is like to have a name of a different language and cultural origin from the dominant language in which you are living. Many people who move to the United States, for example, choose to change their names to an English version so that it is easier for people around them to pronounce it. Though I was able to appreciate this more after my experience as Tareen, I remember that I am lucky because I was able to choose to take on this name without minding, and I only had to use it for one semester. In that way I am privileged because my given name is easily pronounced and said by most people in the society in which I live.

Hello My Names Are Not:

Karen, Erin, Sharon…etc- Sometimes, people have a hard time hearing me when I say my name because it sounds like these other more common names. I also have a difficult time distinguishing between these names and my own when I hear them being called allowed because they sound so similar. I know it is an honest mistake, but sometimes it can be frustrating for me when people have a difficult time understanding my name at first because instances like this make me feel as if my name is a bit strange to others, compared to these other more common names.