Identity, Cultural Accuracy and Authenticity of Children's Literature
- Emily Abramowitz
- Aug 31, 2023
- 5 min read
Updated: Sep 5, 2023
Authors: Katie Kelly, Lester Laminack, and Vivian Vasquez
Exploring identity and culture is important for all students regardless of age. Whether your class has a diverse population or not, introducing different cultures and people's way of life broadens students understand of themselves and the world we live in.
Written by: Jacqueline Woodson
Illustrated by: Rafael Lopez
Award: New York Times New York Times #1 Children’s Picture Books Bestseller, Jane Addams Children’s Book Award, and National Cartoonist Society Book Illustration Award.
Jacqueline Woodson is an American author of adult, adolescent, and children's literature. She is most known for her book Brown Girl Dreaming which is a memoir. She has been awarded a handful of honors including the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature by the Library of Congress in 2018-2019, the Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 2020, and during the same year was named a MacArthur Fellow. Some of Jacqueline's favorite places to write are in Brooklyn (where she resides), on Cape Code, and in her office on her yellow chair. You can read more about Jacqueline on her website linked below. Also check out this video on Jacqueline when she became a 2020 MacArthur Fellow.
Rafael Lopez was born and raised in Mexico City. He has illustrated for many award-winning books including: Just Ask! Be different, Be Brave, Be You by: Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, The Year We Learned to Fly written by Jacqueline Woodson, Dancing Hands, How Teresa Carreño played the piano for President Lincoln written by Margarita Engle and many more. Rafael also does work with murals and is the founder of the Urban Art Trail movement in San Diego's East Village which creates large-scale murals to bring the community together. See below more about Rafael and his work.
Frida and Peacock Ring | Book Cover
The overarching theme of The Day You Begin is to have bravery to share your story and yourself because that is when you truly begin to live and experience.
Connection to Identity, Cultural Accuracy, Authenticity of Children’s Books: The way this book is written, it doesn't seem to follow one singular person and instead the characters who consider themselves as "different" from the rest of their class seem to be experiencing similar situations (certain foods they bring for lunch, being left out of a game, not wanting to share their summer plans). The characters feel like outsiders because of their identity when in reality they find that it is important to be brave and move on to share what makes them different. When incorporating this piece of literature in your classroom use this time to help students reflect on what it means to have a voice (Kelly, et al., 2023). Using the characters in this book to teach kids to speak up and share their feels is truly an amazing lesson to teach kids especially during the first week of school. This book explains to students the importance of not judging peers who are different from them as well as not being afraid to show the world who you truly are on the inside and outside.
Question Related to Joy
To include others, what actions or words would you do or say to accept or make the characters feel welcome and bring them joy?
Written by: Derrick Barnes and Gordon C. James
Awards: Kirkus Prize, Charlotte Huck Award (NCTE), and a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor
Derrick Barnes is originally from Kansas City, MO but currently lives in Charolette, NC with his wife and four sons. He was a former Hallmark Card writer before he became an author. He said in an interview with The Kansas City Star that "there aren't enough books about kids of color by people of color." His many books reflect this wish. For Derrick's instagram click his picture.
Gordon James's work is in the style of Impressionism. He too also worked for Hallmark Cards and has collaborated with Derrick Barners on a couple of books including: I am Every Good Thing and Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut. You can find more of his work below. For Gordon instagram click his picture.
This book is filled with affirmations and is the primary message of this book. It follows a young black boy and his self confidence that he can do whatever he sets his mind to and be who ever he wants to be.
Connection to Identity, Cultural Accuracy, Authenticity of Children’s Books: It is crucial to include this mirror book on the shelves of classroom and school libraries. There are far too many books that talk about the opposition of black people and by including these books will allow for students of that culture to feel accepted and empowered. When using this book in class you can engage students by creating an anchor chart to make connections of how they may feel if similar problems arose and how they would combat the issue (Kelly, et al., 2023). Asking students questions about feelings and thoughts allows them to create a relationship with the text and the characters. Anyone can be whoever or whatever they want to be if they set their mind to it. Teaching kids what they see in themselves and the potential they have is such a beautiful message for creating a positive learning environment for kids.
Question Related to Joy
What has brought you joy so far in class?
Written by: Andrea Wang
Illustrated by: Jason Chin
Awards: Caldecott Medal, John Newberry Medal
Andrea Wang was born and raised in Cambridge, MA and believes that her love and curiosity for mythical creatures comes from playing on the Chinese Lion statue outside of the Yenching Library at Harvard University where her father was a professor. She wasn't always a writer and in fact an environmental consultant for some time before she went back and attended courses and received her Master's in Creative Writing for Young People and ultimately pursed her dream to be an author.
Jason Chin currently lives in Vermont. Jason attended Syracuse University to study illustration after school he worked in a book store in Brooklyn, NY where he discovered his passion for children literature illustrations. Jason enjoys exploring the outdoors. You can check out more of Jason's work and awards/honors on his website below.
The theme presented in the book Watercress is the power of a memory or shared story that can add to the knowledge of one's own culture or family history.
Connection to Identity, Cultural Accuracy, Authenticity of Children’s Books: Identity plays a key role in this piece of literature. The book centers around watercress which is aquatic flowery plant and the connection to Chinese culture. The primary character is reluctant to eat the fresh watercress that her family picked from the side of the road because she relates it to hand-me-down clothes and unwanted furniture. It isn't until her mother provides background about her family when the character wants to celebrate her culture and accepts her identity. Books like Watercress are crucial to incorporate in a classroom library and not just on the shelves but as a read aloud. When teaching about background and family history this would be a great addition to talking about people's cultural background from all over the world.
Question Related to Joy
Why does America bring people so much joy?
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