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Books Without Borders: Discovering Multicultural Children's Books
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Books are one of the portals to the rest of humanity, a window to the world. And a love for reading is one of the things cultivated among children, even at a young age.
They say that a persons consciousness and awareness of the world is formed during his early formation years, which thus underscores the need to expose children to materials that open him to a lot of views and paints a picture of what the bigger world looks like. And a book that breaks barriers of culture is one of these.
Why? It is not enough that our books teach our kids the basic things they need to learn. In school, they meet and deal with children from different races and nationalities. Exposure of our children to multicultural books and literature that attempt to break down barriers of race and culture are good instruments in teaching them about prejudice and discrimination. Varied cultures and stories are presented, opening not only the childrens consciousness of the outside world, but instilling in their minds a respect and appreciation of these cultures and traditions. In the same manner, it shows children the similarities in experiences of people from different cultures, strengthening their idea of acceptance and appreciation of other peoples experiences. It makes them think global, widens their concept of the world. The story of the Holocaust and Anne Franks Diary opened a lot of minds on the tragedy and the racial injustice committed against the Jews. Children who have read little Anne Franks diary have greater empathy towards the Jews and to children who may have gone through what Anne Frank did.
Multicultural childrens books range from folktale to historic novels to picture books and even multicultural poetry books. These books present a wide collection of stories about the Latin-Hispanic Americans, the Jews, the Asians, the Native Americans and the African-Americans.
When choosing childrens multicultural literature, pick those whose characters are portrayed as realistic to avoid any stereotypes of any race. A good illustration might also help as it sustains interest of the child. These illustrations should not also promote a stereotype of any racial group or culture. It should also be historically accurate and should revolve around themes that depict the true nature and culture of the group. These books should not also contain any negative expressions or should not build up one race as superior over another. A classic example is the misplaced notion that Native American Indians are good and all the white men are bad.
It is also encouraged to look for books that use actual language of the group. Not only does it provide a sense of realism, it also doubles as a language book for your kids. Of course, these books should have a good plot and character development.
Some of the more popular and recommended multicultural childrens books are:
In My Mommas Kitchen by Jerdine Nolen. An African-American tale which shows the life of an African American family. The heroine portrayed by a little girl narrates the special events in their lives which happened in her mommas kitchen.
Journey Home by Lawrence McKay Jr. This Vietnamese American story of a girl who was orphaned during the Vietnam War and was brought to the United States. The story recounts the girls search for her identity and her home.
The Heart of a Chief bu Joseph Bruchac. This Native American story is about a boy who lived with his grandfather, aunt and sister in an Indian reservation. In school, he learns to stand up for his rights, his people, his beliefs and become the leader he is.
Amelias Road by Linda Jacobs Altman. This is a story of a Mexican American family who are migrant farmer workers, moving from place to place. Amelia, the child, describes her need to belong and the sadness that she feels every time they transfer to another place.
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