An It's Complicated! — Marketing & Sales guest post by the Assistant Editor of School Library Journal's Book Reviews, Shelley Diaz.
After gobbling up L. M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables series, I remember asking my sixth grade teacher, “What would life in 1908 have been like for a girl like me?” She paused, turned red and finally admitted that she just didn’t know. The very next day, she had hours’ worth of research to share with me about the Louisiana Purchase and the Spanish-American War, but my 11-year-old heart had already internalized the rub.
People of color are an indelible part of American history, and the books that are created and marketed in schools and libraries have to reflect that. They shouldn’t just be pigeonholed to their respective “Heritage” Month, and forgotten about for the rest of the year, but displayed and celebrated with every topic covered in the curriculum. Gary Soto’s Too Many Tamales can be served alongside Mother’s Day favorite, Are You My Mother? Nikki Giovanni’s poetry collections can accompany J. Patrick Lewis and Shel Silverstein’s during April’s National Poetry month. And though some may posit that these titles don’t exist, there are countless examples of award-winning and well-written books featuring diverse characters for children. There are publishers’ backlists full of important and relevant treasures that can be re-issued, re-packaged, and re-touted to that end. Organizations like CBC Diversity, REFORMA, and all of ALA’s other ethnic associations would serve as great partners to further this endeavor. This should be a continuous conversation, an open dialogue in which all who care about kids participate.
All children need to read these works, not just non-white kids. Introducing them to titles with main characters and themes not like their own experience or background will open their eyes and hearts to the fact that the world is a varied and multi-faceted place. These “window books” should be promoted just as much as “the next big thing,” building awareness and buzz with library, teacher, and blogger communities. And students like pre-teen Shelley should be able to see themselves in mirror books, novels, and informational texts that focus on “their” history and experience.
But, before we can market books with POC to our audiences, more of them need to be created. We need diverse “diverse” books--reflecting the many-storied and many-leveled experience of people of color not only in this country, but in our global community. We are bombarded enough with negative and many times erroneous images and interpretations of how a Latino, or Asian, or Arab teen lives. Let’s not be lazy thinkers, and let’s not teach our next generation to be the same. There are middle class African Americans. There are blonde, blue-eyed Hispanics. There are Southeast Asians living in the Midwest. And we all get visits from the tooth fairy, have a first day of school, and face cyber bullying from our peers. Where are the stories that reflect that? Where are the authors that write that? Where are the artists that illustrate that?
They’re out there, and we’re relying on you, dear publishers, to find them. We just hope that you’re looking.
After gobbling up L. M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables series, I remember asking my sixth grade teacher, “What would life in 1908 have been like for a girl like me?” She paused, turned red and finally admitted that she just didn’t know. The very next day, she had hours’ worth of research to share with me about the Louisiana Purchase and the Spanish-American War, but my 11-year-old heart had already internalized the rub. People of color are an indelible part of American history, and the books that are created and marketed in schools and libraries have to reflect that. They shouldn’t just be pigeonholed to their respective “Heritage” Month, and forgotten about for the rest of the year, but displayed and celebrated with every topic covered in the curriculum. Gary Soto’s Too Many Tamales can be served alongside Mother’s Day favorite, Are You My Mother? Nikki Giovanni’s poetry collections can accompany J. Patrick Lewis and Shel Silverstein’s during April’s National Poetry month. And though some may posit that these titles don’t exist, there are countless examples of award-winning and well-written books featuring diverse characters for children. There are publishers’ backlists full of important and relevant treasures that can be re-issued, re-packaged, and re-touted to that end. Organizations like CBC Diversity, REFORMA, and all of ALA’s other ethnic associations would serve as great partners to further this endeavor. This should be a continuous conversation, an open dialogue in which all who care about kids participate.
But, before we can market books with POC to our audiences, more of them need to be created. We need diverse “diverse” books--reflecting the many-storied and many-leveled experience of people of color not only in this country, but in our global community. We are bombarded enough with negative and many times erroneous images and interpretations of how a Latino, or Asian, or Arab teen lives. Let’s not be lazy thinkers, and let’s not teach our next generation to be the same. There are middle class African Americans. There are blonde, blue-eyed Hispanics. There are Southeast Asians living in the Midwest. And we all get visits from the tooth fairy, have a first day of school, and face cyber bullying from our peers. Where are the stories that reflect that? Where are the authors that write that? Where are the artists that illustrate that?
They’re out there, and we’re relying on you, dear publishers, to find them. We just hope that you’re looking.
Great post. I wonder if ARE YOU MY MOTHER is seen as a "white" book since it involves only animals. Maybe this is an argument for MORE anthropomorphic books (not less, as we are constantly told publishers don't want them). I've just thought of a great diverse writing exercise! Rewrite so called "neutral" picture books like ARE YOU MY MOTHER and VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR to make them more diverse. "ON Monday he ate through one jalapeno... On Tuesday he ate through two plantains etc". I think this would help writers see how "whiteness" permeates books, even when we don't mean it to, and also to explore ways of diversifying.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Gabrielle!
DeleteWhat an interesting idea. I meant that Gary Soto's book should be on our go-to Mother's Day books, just like Are You My Mother. But that kind of creative "out-of-the-box" thinking is what we all should be doing when thinking about diversity in children's books.
While anthropomorphic books allow for open interpretation, I feel like we're saturated with them. We've been updated our "recommended" list for preschoolers recently at my library, and we were dismayed to see how MANY "animal" picture books were on there in an effort to keep the list "diverse."
DeleteThanks, Shelley, for this post!
* Thank you for this wonderful post! Hope your strong words resonate throughout the publishing world and beyond.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Gerri!
DeleteI couldn't agree more. I love books that introduce glimpses of cultural heritage which are part of a character's everyday life, but I want to make books that transcend ethnicity as well. We do future generations a disservice when we do not write books about cultures other than their own. We do them an equal injustice by not having kids of color in non-culture-specific situations.
ReplyDeleteYes, Joanne. You're so right. It gives kids such a narrow view of what our world is really like. Thanks for your comment!
DeleteAs a librarian in a Title I school where 88% of our families are bilingual, this post reflects my thoughts exactly, Shelley. It's important that kids see themselves in the pages of books, and that they--we--see each other, as well. Will be bookmarking your post...
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I agree that our students are not being introduced to enough diverse reading, including non-white and white students. By not including study material inclusive of all types of people in our society, we are increasing the likelihood of our next generation of children growing up with the same types of stereotypes as their parents, as well as the lack of knowledge of cultures outside of their own.
ReplyDeleteExactly. The cycle of stereotyping has to stop with this new generation.
DeleteThank you, Natalie.
ReplyDeleteThank you for addressing this issue as it captures my exact sentiments. As a mother who is raising a multicultural boy, I have had to buy African, African American and Latino bedtime stories to introduce him to different culture : At school he is mostly exposed to white American books and culture . When we visited a country in Africa, he was surprised to see the children playing different games, eating different foods and having a very different upbringing.
ReplyDeleteI work as a teacher's aide at an elementary school; and as much as I understand that the children are innocent, I get frustrated when they ask me over and over again why I talk the way I do. I explained that I was African and they had no idea what that was. I had to give them a Geography lesson and wondered why they did not learn this at school or home.
My son has been exposed to different cultures and his knowledge of the world makes him stand out among his peers.
I would love to see books on different cultures in classrooms. I must admit that I have seen schools that make an effort on introducing various books from different cultures. unfortunately they may have only one African book and ten white American books. I have not seen much Latino books or Asian books either.
Fantastic post, Shelley! I wholeheartedly agree.
ReplyDelete