Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
This collection highlights important historical events, current debates, and new questions and critiques in the controversial issue of cultural authenticity in children's literature.
Contributors include authors, illustrators, editors, publishers, educators, librarians, and scholars, including Rudine Sims Bishop, Jacqueline Woodson, Susan Guevara, Kathryn Lasky, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Joel Taxel, and Mingshui Cai. Essays address the social responsibility of authors, the role of imagination and experience in writing for young people, cultural sensitivity and values, authenticity of content and images, authorial freedom, and the role of literature in an education that is multicultural.
A notable feature of the book is the interaction between contributors: writers refer to the texts, ideas, and stances of others in the volume, making it a valuable resource for practicing teachers, prospective teachers, librarians, teacher educators, or anyone who uses literature with young people.
Table of Contents
I. Thesociological contexts of cultural authenticity.1. Thecomplexity of cultural authenticity in children's literature : why the debates really matter /Kathy G. ShortandDana L. Fox --2.Reframing the debate about cultural authenticity /Rudine Sims Bishop --II. Theperspectives of authors, illustrators, and editors on cultural authenticity.3.Who can tell my story? /Jacqueline Woodson --4."Around my table" is not always enough /W. Nikola-Lisa --5.Authentic enough : am I? are you? : interpreting culture for children's literature /Susan Guevara --6. Thecandle and the mirror : one author's journey as an outsider /Judi Moreillon --7. Amess of stories /Marc Aronson --8.To Stingo with love : an author's perspective on writing outside one's culture /Kathryn Lasky --9.Multiculturalism is not Halloween /Thelma Seto --III.Political correctness and cultural authenticity.10.Beyond political correctness /Hazel Rochman --11. Thecomplexity of debates about multicultural literature and cultural authenticity /Violet J. Harris --12."Authenticity," or the lesson of Little Tree /Henry Louis Gates Jr. --13.Multicultural literature and the politics of reaction /Joel Taxel --IV. Theperspectives of educators on cultural authenticity.14.Can we fly across cultural gaps on the wings of imagination? : ethnicity, experience, and cultural authenticity /Mingshui Cai --15.Accuracy and authenticity in American Indian children's literature : the social responsibility of authors and illustrators /Elizabeth Noll --16.Accuracy is not enough : the role of cultural values in the authenticity of picture books /Weimin MoandWenju Shen --17.Artistic triumph or multicultural failure? : multiple perspectives on a "multicultural" award-winning book /Laura B. SmolkinandJoseph H. Suina --18.Images of West Africa in children's books : replacing old stereotypes with new ones? /Vivian Yenika-Agbaw --19. Theuse of Spanish in Latino children's literature in English : what makes for cultural authenticity? /Rosalinda B. BarreraandRuth E. Quiroa --V.Connecting cultural authenticity to the classroom.20.Multiple definitions of multicultural literature : is the debate really just "ivory tower" bickering? /Mingshui Cai --Thetrivialization and misuse of multicultural literature : issues of representation and communication /Zhihui Fang,Danling Fu,andLinda Leonard Lamme --22."I'm not from Pakistan" : multicultural literature and the problem of representation /Curt Dudley-Marling.