Multicultural Literature in the Elementary Classroom
Greetings. The following materials are intended to provide an introduction to Multicultural Literature. They were assembled from the World Wide Web, ERIC Database, and a variety of other bibliographic resources. Instructions for acquiring the full text of the ERIC records are presented at the end of this file.
Fang Fang
Reference Specialist
Alphabetically arranged listing of bibliographies
Categorically arranged listing of bibliographies
Internet Sites
The Multicultural Pavilion at the University of Virginia
Multicultural Sites and Resources
Multicultural Resources for Children
Crossing Borders: Multicultural Literature in Classroom
Using Multicultural Literature to Teaching Reading Processes
Powerful AFRICAN-AMERICAN Images Revealed in Picture Books
Powerful ASIAN-AMERICAN Images Revealed in Picture Books
Powerful HISPANIC-AMERICAN Images Revealed in Picture Books
Powerful NATIVE-AMERICAN Images Revealed in Picture Books
Citations from the ERIC Database
AN: ED455207
AU: Singer,-Judith; Smith,-Sally
TI: Text and Context: Using Multicultural Literature To Help Teacher Education Students Develop Understanding of Self and World.
PY: 2001
NT: Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (Seattle, WA, April 10-14, 2001).
PR: EDRS Price MF01/PC01 Plus Postage.
DL: http://www.edrs.com/members/sp.cfm?AN=ED455207
DEM: *Childrens-Literature; *Diversity-Student; *Multicultural-Education
DER: Black-Students; Consciousness-Raising; Cultural-Relevance; Elementary-Secondary-Education; Group-Discussion; Higher-Education; Homosexuality-; One-Parent-Family; Preservice-Teacher-Education; Racial-Attitudes; Student-Teacher-Attitudes; Student-Teachers
AB: This study compares the responses of black and white preservice teachers as they engaged about a young adult novel which addressed racial and sexual diversity. Student teachers used young adult literature with protagonists from diverse backgrounds as one means of coming to understand and value children of all backgrounds. Small groups met to discuss one book which was written by a black author, depicting the close relationship between a strong, self-assured black woman and her teenaged son. The book also addresses issues of homosexuality and interracial relationships. Data collection involved student reading journals and researcher observations of group discussions. Two themes emerged: finding oneself in a text (moving from margins to center) and becoming the other (moving from center to margins). Within these two themes, there were several categories: recognition of the author's purpose or values, response to being black in a white world, and response to being gay in a heterosexual world. The black teacher education students found themselves in their reading of the book, finding space to reflect on who they were and to release their own stories. The white teacher education students reflected that in their reading of the book they felt they needed to find a way in, but they generally remained looking in from outside. (Contains 26 references.) (SM)
AN: ED456432
AU: Helbig,-Alethea-K.; Perkins,-Agnes-Regan
TI: Many Peoples, One Land: A Guide to New Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults.
PY: 2001
AV: Greenwood Publishing Group, 88 Post Road West, Westport CT 06881 ($59.95). Tel: 203-226-3571; Web site: http://www.greenwood.com.
NT: Successor to "This Land Is Our Land" (1994).
PR: Document Not Available from EDRS.
DEM: *Adolescent-Literature; *Childrens-Literature; *Ethnic-Groups; *Reading-Material-Selection; *Recreational-Reading
DER: American-Indians; Annotated-Bibliographies; Asian-Americans; Blacks-; Elementary-Secondary-Education; Fiction-; Hispanic-Americans; Multicultural-Education; Oral-Tradition; Poetry-
AB: This book covers works of fiction, oral tradition, and poetry published from 1994 through 1999, and is deemed suitable for young people from preschool through high school. The book deals with four major ethnic groups within the United States: African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native-American Indians. It contains 561 entries on 541 books (a few are considered in more than one category). Also included in these entries is information about 130 other books by these writers or related books that help in identifying the writer or that amplify the description of a particular book. In addition, the entries are also expanded by references to more than 260 books that appear in the earlier volume. Noting that the 1994 volume involves 570 entries on 590 books published from 1995 through 1993, along with other related books, the new book points out that, taken together, the two volumes offer 1,131 entries and information on more than 1,100 featured books and cover a span of 15 years of multicultural literature for young people. While the book is intended primarily for the use of librarians, teachers, and parents, scholars and researchers could find it a springboard for insights into the development of multicultural literature during this period. (NKA)
AN: EJ636825
AU: Carico,-Kathleen-M..
TI: Examining Difference: Multicultural Literature Discussions Online.
PY: 2001
SO: Journal-of-Children's-Literature; v27 n1 p23-31 Spr 2001.
AV: Published by the Children's Literature Assembly of the National Council of Teachers of English, Evelyn Freeman, co-editor, School of Teaching and Learning, The Ohio State University, 333 Arps Hall, 1945 N. High St, Columbus, OH 43210.
NT: Theme: A Multicultural Perspective on Children and Their Literature.
DEM: *Computer-Mediated-Communication; *Cultural-Differences; *Cultural-Pluralism; *Multicultural-Education; *Preservice-Teachers; *Reading-Instruction
DER: Grade-8; Higher-Education; Literature-Appreciation; Secondary-Education
AB: Describes part of a project of correspondence between a group of eighth graders and pre-service teachers in an attempt to prepare all students to work with diverse people and ideas. Hopes to enlarge the worlds of the students by putting them in contact with literature from diverse groups and joining them with diverse people from whom they could learn. (SG)
AN: EJ594391
AU: Weinbaum,-Batya
TI: The Practice of Performance in Teaching Multicultural Literature.
PY: 1999
SO: Multicultural-Education; v7 n1 p16-24 Fall 1999.
DEM: *Literature-; *Multicultural-Education; *Performance-; *Teaching-Methods
DER: College-Students; Higher-Education
AB: Describes the use of a strategy of performance in teaching a general-education course on the "American experience." Each student was asked to select a segment of an assigned text and perform it. Discusses advantages of this type of student-centered experiential teaching. (SLD)
AN: EJ594693
AU: Brown,-Malore-I..
TI: Issues in Selection and Evaluation of Multicultural Literature for Young People.
PY: 1999
SO: Journal-of-Children's-Literature; v25 n1 p60-69 Spr 1999.
AV: Children's Literature Assembly of the National Council of Teachers of English, The Ohio State University, School of Teaching and Learning, 333 Arps Hall, 1945 North High Street, Columbus, OH 43210-1172.
NT: Theme: A Global Perspective--Children's Literature in an International Context.
DEM: *Adolescent-Literature; *Childrens-Literature; *Ethnic-Bias; *Library-Material-Selection; *Multicultural-Education; *Public-Libraries
DER: Elementary-Secondary-Education
AB: Outlines and assesses the collection development and selection procedures for multicultural literature by children's librarians in public libraries. Examines selection patterns of public librarians determining what selection procedures are appropriate for multicultural materials for children. Finds that the ethnic constituency of a community in which the public library is located has great effect on what librarians select for their collections. (SC)
AN: EJ602501
AU: Mathis,-Janelle-B..
TI: Multicultural Literature: Mirror and Window on Experience.
PY: 1999
SO: Social-Studies-and-the-Young-Learner; v11 n3 p27-30 Jan-Feb 1999.
DEM: *Childrens-Literature; *Cultural-Awareness; *Identification-Psychology; *Multicultural-Education; *Social-Studies
DER: Art-; Books-; Cultural-Pluralism; Elementary-Education; Need-Gratification; Social-Experience; Social-Structure; Social-Values; Student-Interests
AB: Believes that multicultural literature should focus on the diverse groups within society while also stressing the common similarities between human experiences in order to encourage students to connect with the characters, situations, and contexts presented in the books. Offers five areas of exploration and accompanying literature that identify common experiences. (CMK)
AN: EJ488334
AU: Crafts,-George
TI: Building Bridges with Stories.
PY: 1994
JN: Journal-of-Youth-Services-in-Libraries; v7 n4 p414-17 Sum 1994
AV: UMI
DE: American-Indians; Children-; Cultural-Awareness; Elementary-Education; Elementary-School-Students; Intercultural-Programs; Personal-Narratives; Volunteers-
DE: *Childrens-Literature; *Cultural-Activities; *Cultural-Pluralism; *Multicultural-Education; *Story-Telling
AB: Describes the author's experience in telling children's stories from a wide variety of cultures and to diverse audiences. The pitfalls of telling stories outside one's own culture and how to avoid them are covered. Anecdotes of the author's success in helping children build bridges to other cultures are included. (KRN)
AN: EJ487177
AU: Fry,-Pamela-G.; And-Others
TI: Expanding Multicultural Curriculum: Helping Children Discover Cultural Similarities.
PY: 1994
JN: Social-Studies-and-the-Young-Learner; v6 n3 p12-15 Jan-Feb 1994
AV: UMI
DE: Childhood-Attitudes; Class-Activities; Content-Area-Reading; Cultural-Activities; Cultural-Differences; Cultural-Traits; Elementary-Education; Ethnic-Groups; Grade-2; Interdisciplinary-Approach; Stereotypes-
DE: *Childrens-Literature; *Cultural-Pluralism; *Curriculum-Development; *Educational-Strategies; *Multicultural-Education; *Social-Studies
AB: Reviews research on the development of social attitudes by elementary children. Reports on a study of the impact of children's literature and response activities on attitudinal shifts among 18 second-grade students. Recommends further research and provides a 12-item annotated bibliography reflecting cultural similarities.
AN: EJ484836
AU: Taxel,-Joel
TI: Political Correctness, Cultural Politics, and Writing for Young People.
PY: 1994
JN: New-Advocate; v7 n2 p93-108 Spr 1994
DE: Censorship-; Cultural-Differences; Elementary-Education
DE: *Childrens-Literature; *Multicultural-Education; *Politics-of-Education
AB: Discusses some of the complex and complicated issues surrounding the controversies about political correctness (PC) and multiculturalism in literature for young people. Provides some historical context for the debates about PC and children's literature. Suggests that debates about PC and multiculturalism are part of a larger struggle over questions of how Americans understand their past, present, and future. (RS)
AN: EJ484319
AU: Lewis,-Valerie
TI: With Many Voices: Talking about Multicultural Children's Literature.
PY: 1994
JN: Instructor; v103 n6 p38-41 Feb 1994
AV: UMI
DE: American-Indians; Asian-Americans; Blacks-; Cultural-Differences; Elementary-Education; Hispanic-Americans; Minority-Groups; Reading-Materials; Resource-Materials; Teaching-Methods
DE: *Childrens-Literature; *Consciousness-Raising; *Ethnic-Groups; *Multicultural-Education
AB: The article presents advice from children's book authors and illustrators about choosing and using multicultural literature, discussing what to look for in multicultural literature and why multiculturalism matters. The article includes lists of multicultural resources for the classroom and of authors who write specifically about their cultures. (SM)
AN: EJ479182
AU: Yokota,-Junko
TI: Books That Represent More than One Culture (Bookalogues).
PY: 1994
JN: Language-Arts; v71 n3 p212-19 Mar 1994
AV: UMI
NT: Themed Issue: Children's and Adolescent Literature: Writing, Illustrating, Publishing, Reading, Responding, Teaching.
DE: Annotated-Bibliographies; Cultural-Context; Elementary-Education
DE: *Childrens-Literature; *Cultural-Differences; *Cultural-Exchange; *Multicultural-Education
AB: Presents annotations of 23 books that deal with more than 1 culture, organized into the following categories: (1) multiple cultures, presented separately; (2) multiple cultures, comparisons/contrasts presented; and (3) multiple cultures, interactions between/among cultures. (RS)
AN: EJ466210
AU: Angell,-Pat; And-Others
TI: Activity Book. Celebrating Diversity.
PY: 1993
JN: Learning; v21 n6 p61-68 Feb 1993
AV: UMI
DE: Consciousness-Raising; Cultural-Awareness; Elementary-Education; Self-Esteem; Teaching-Methods
DE: *Childrens-Literature; *Class-Activities; *Critical-Reading; *Multicultural-Education; *Reading-Instruction; *Reading-Materials
AB: This activity book presents elementary level multicultural books designed to foster self-esteem, understanding, and critical reading skills. It includes a resource list and general discussion boosters for analyzing characters and setting, class activities related to the books, and a student page on character study. (SM)
AN: EJ459202
AU: Pai,-Nani; And-Others
TI: Multicultural Perspectives on Literature, Instruction, and Research (Reviews and Reflections).
PY: 1993
JN: Language-Arts; v70 n3 p225-29 Mar 1993
AV: UMI
NT: Themed Issue: Multiculturalism and the Language Arts.
DE: Book-Reviews; Elementary-Education; Second-Language-Learning; Whole-Language-Approach
DE: *Childrens-Literature; *Instructional-Materials; *Multicultural-Education
AB: Presents reviews of eight professional resources for those interested in multicultural children's literature or in instruction and research in classrooms with students of diverse backgrounds. (RS)
AN: EJ459196
AU: Madigan,-Dan
TI: The Politics of Multicultural Literature for Children and Adolescents: Combining Perspectives and Conversations.
PY: 1993
JN: Language-Arts; v70 n3 p168-76 Mar 1993
AV: UMI
NT: Themed Issue: Multiculturalism and the Language Arts.
DE: Elementary-Education; Interviews-; Politics-of-Education; Publishing-Industry; Writing-for-Publication
DE: *Multicultural-Education; *Reading-Material-Selection
AB: Presents interviews with people deeply involved in multicultural literature for children and adolescents to give more perspectives on key issues related to publishing, selection, and classroom use of such literature. (RS)
AN: EJ459195
AU: Yokota,-Junko
TI: Issues in Selecting Multicultural Children's Literature.
PY: 1993
JN: Language-Arts; v70 n3 p156-67 Mar 1993
AV: UMI
NT: Themed Issue: Multiculturalism and the Language Arts.
DE: Annotated-Bibliographies; Elementary-Education; Junior-High-Schools
DE: *Adolescent-Literature; *Childrens-Literature; *Multicultural-Education; *Reading-Material-Selection
AB: Focuses on the selection of quality multicultural books for children and young adults. Suggests criteria for such literature, presents a compendium of professional resources that can aid teachers in using it, and offers an annotated bibliography of 75 specific titles that meet the criteria for exemplary pieces of multicultural literature. (RS)
AN: EJ459176
AU: Galda,-Lee; And-Others
TI: One World, One Family (Children's Books).
PY: 1993
JN: Reading-Teacher; v46 n5 p410-19 Feb 1993
AV: UMI
DE: Annotated-Bibliographies; Bilingual-Education; Elementary-Education
DE: *Childrens-Literature; *Multicultural-Education; *Reading-Materials
AB: Discusses 60 recently published works of multicultural children's literature. Attaches a list of books cited and a list of books for bilingual classrooms (written in a language other than English or written in English and another language). (RS)
AN: ED370570
AU: Creany,-Anne-Drolett; And-Others
TI: Representation of Culture in Children's Picture Books.
PY: 1993
NT: 9 p.; In: Visual Literacy in the Digital Age: Selected Readings from the Annual Conference of the International Visual Literacy Association (25th, Rochester, New York, October 13-17, 1993); see IR 055 055.
PR: EDRS Price - MF01/PC01 Plus Postage.
DE: Cultural-Enrichment; Cultural-Literacy; Elementary-Education; Ethnicity-; Evaluation-Criteria; Multicultural-Education; Young-Children
DE: *Childrens-Literature; *Cultural-Images; *Cultural-Pluralism; *Illustrations-; *Minority-Groups; *Picture-Books
AB: This paper examines the portrayal of minority cultures in children's picture books. In picture books, the illustrations are as important as the text with respect to the meaning of the story. As a result, picture books have the potential to influence a child's view of other cultures. Currently, only three percent of picture books represent minority cultures. This results in two negative consequences: minority children may not see their own image reflected in books, and majority children may receive a distorted view of the real world. Also, the books that do represent minority cultures may represent them inaccurately or show stereotypical images. Multicultural literature introduces children to the values of other cultures. The reflection of these images should be evaluated for accuracy and presence of stereotypes. With multicultural literature, children gain a validation of their own background and values as well as an introduction to other cultures. Criteria for evaluating multicultural literature are also included. (Contains 28 references.) (JLB)
AN: ED365317
AU: Saykanic,-Donna-M.
TI: Improving Library Resources in an Elementary Media Center by Assuring Greater Ethnic and Gender Diversity.
PY: 1993
NT: 54 p.; Ed.D. Practicum Report, Nova University.
PR: EDRS Price - MF01/PC03 Plus Postage.
DE: Cultural-Background; Cultural-Literacy; Elementary-Education; Ethnic-Groups; Media-Specialists; Minority-Groups; Multicultural-Education; Questionnaires-; Reading-Materials; School-Libraries; Sex-Bias; Sex-Differences; Sex-Role; Sex-Stereotypes; Textbook-Bias
DE: *Childrens-Literature; *Cultural-Differences; *Learning-Resources-Centers; *Library-Collection-Development; *Library-Material-Selection
AB: This practicum was designed to improve an elementary school library's resources by making them more balanced in terms of portraying the diversity that exists in society: specifically the need to portray characters of different gender and diverse ethnic backgrounds in positive roles. The topics covered in this report are: (1) introduction, which includes a description of the community and the work setting and role of the researcher; (2) study of the problem which includes the problem description, problem documentation, causative analysis, and relationship of the problem to the literature; (3) anticipated outcomes and evaluation instruments; (4) solution strategy, which includes discussion and evaluation of solutions, description of selected solution, and report of action taken; and (5) results, discussion, and recommendations. Included in the appendices are: a Florida Department of Education, Office of Educational Opportunity Checklist for evaluating textbooks; a teacher reading interest questionnaire; and a student book report questionnaire. (Contains 13 references.) (JLB)
AN: ED364615
AU: Roberts,-Patricia-L.; Cecil,-Nancy-Lee
TI: Developing Multicultural Awareness through Children's Literature: A Guide for Teachers and Librarians, Grades K-8.
PY: 1993
AV: McFarland and Company, Inc., Box 611, Jefferson, NC 28640 ($24.95; $26.95 postpaid).
NT: 223 p.
PR: Document Not Available from EDRS.
DE: American-Indian-Culture; Annotated-Bibliographies; Asian-Americans; Attitude-Change; Black-Culture; Books-; Cultural-Pluralism; Elementary-Education; Hispanic-American-Culture; Racial-Attitudes; Student-Attitudes; Teaching-Guides
DE: *Childrens-Literature; *Cultural-Awareness; *Ethnic-Stereotypes; *Heritage-Education; *Instructional-Materials; *Multicultural-Education
AB: This book provides some helpful tools that will allow teachers to use children's literature as a vehicle for modifying cultural stereotypes. The sections contain short summaries of 239 carefully selected children's books, each of which features main characters who contribute to an understanding of one's cultural heritage and ways to modify a cultural stereotype. The characters in the books present a point of view to combat stereotyping. Summaries identify characters from different cultural backgrounds, their problems, and the resolutions. The summaries also indicate the grade level(s) (kindergarten through grade 3, and grade 4 through grade 8) for which each book would be most appropriate and are divided into the following subsections: (1) African American Heritage; (2) Asian American Heritage; (3) European American Heritage; (4) Latino American Heritage; and (5) Native American Heritage. The sections of the bibliography contain entries with examples of realistic/contemporary fiction, folk literature, historical fiction, and biography. Each book is followed by a target activity that can be used to help children internalize ways to modify cultural stereotypes. A final section in the book provides extended activities (mini-units) for a selected few of the children's literature titles summarized in the previous sections. (Contains an index.) (GLR)
AN: ED361106
AU: Thompson,-Debra-S.
TI: The Integration of Young Children's Literature with Multicultural, Nonsexist, and Global Education Goals and Themes.
PY: 1993
NT: 39 p.
PR: EDRS Price - MF01/PC02 Plus Postage.
DE: Cultural-Pluralism; Curriculum-Enrichment; Definitions-; Early-Childhood-Education; Educational-Change; Elementary-Education; Learning-Activities; State-Programs
DE: *Curriculum-Development; *Educational-Objectives; *Educational-Resources; *Global-Approach; *Multicultural-Education; *Sex-Fairness
AB: Designed to help early childhood and elementary educators in Iowa integrate multicultural, nonsexist, and global (MNG) perspectives into the existing curriculum, this paper discusses issues surrounding their integration and provides two extensive bibliographies of curriculum resources. First, the paper reviews the definition and purposes of MNG education according to the Iowa Department of Education and describes the Department's MNG goals and themes as follows: that students understand themselves and others as cultural beings in a cultural context; that students recognize diversity in the country and the world; that students understand the effect of group membership on values, attitudes, and behaviors; that students understand the dynamics of discrimination, bias, prejudice, and stereotype; and that students demonstrate skills for effective social action. The themes include global interdependence; human resources, values, and culture; the global environment and natural resources; global peace and conflict management; and change and alternative futures. For each goal and theme, the paper provides a summary of a relevant book and a list of creative activities for integrating the book into the curriculum. Finally, the paper includes two bibliographies of MNG resources: a 48-item bibliography organized by the 10 goals and themes, and a 358-item bibliography of works on other cultures organized by country or culture of origin. (BCY)
AN: ED360433
AU: Jackson,-Gloria-D., Ed.
TI: The Mirror: A Newsletter of Multicultural Children's Literature, 1991-1993.
PY: 1993
JN: Mirror:-A-Newsletter-for-K-8-Educators; n1-7 Dec 1991-Spr 1993
NT: 42 p.
PR: EDRS Price - MF01/PC02 Plus Postage.
DE: American-Indians; Cultural-Awareness; Elementary-Education; Elementary-School-Students; Newsletters-; Nonfiction-
DE: *Childrens-Literature; *Cultural-Differences; *Ethnic-Groups; *Fiction-; *Minority-Groups; *Multicultural-Education
AB: This document consists of all seven issues that were published of a newsletter devoted to multicultural children's literature that reflects the many cultures in our pluralistic society. The newsletter presents book reviews of fiction and non-fiction with multicultural themes for children in kindergarten through grade 8 schools. Some issues provide brief bibliographies on selected issues, and most issues give a summary list of works reviewed for ready reference. Some of the issues contain feature articles on the following themes: (1) holiday stories; (2) respect for nature in the Native American heritage; (3) ignorance of others brings fear; (4) reflections of a pluralistic society; and (5) multicultural books in the mainstream of children's literature. (SLD)
 People Around Us |
Other Resources (available either for sale or via interlibrary loan)
Title: Multicultural connections : creative writing, literature, and assessment in the elementary school
Author: Norma Sadler
Year: 2002,
ISBN: 0810841800 (pbk. : alk. paper)
Publisher: Lanham, Md. : Scarecrow Education,
Title: Multicultural voices in contemporary literature : a resource for teachers
Author: Frances Ann Day
Year: 1999 Updated and rev. ed.
ISBN: 0325001308 (alk. paper
Publisher: Portsmouth, NH : Heinemann,
Title: Teaching multicultural literature in grades 9-12 : moving beyond the canon
Author: Arlette Ingram Willis
Year: 1998
ISBN: 0926842730
Publisher: Norwood, MA : Christopher-Gordon Publishers
Title: Multicultural literature for children and young adults. A selected listing of books by and about people of color / Vol. 2, 1991-1996
Author: Ginny Moore Kruse; Kathleen T Horning; Megan Schliesman; Tana Elias
Year: 1997 1st ed.
ISBN: 0931641071
Publisher: Madison, Wis. : Cooperative Children's Book Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison with The Friends of the CCBC, Inc. and Wisconsin Dept. of Public Instruction,
Title: Connecting cultures : a guide to multicultural literature for children
Author: Rebecca L Thomas
Year: 1996
ISBN: 0835237605
Publisher: New Providence, N.J. : R.R. Bowker,
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