I believe I was always cognizant of issues of diversity in literature before this class. However, having read all of the articles and books I have since August I feel much more confident that I will be able to decide which books are positive contributions to my future classroom library. I understand even better now that students, all students, need to be exposed to literature that acts as a mirror for them. Every child should have at least one book that they can read that shows characters like them. This helps them know that they are not alone; any struggles or hard times they may have are shared by other people in their cultural group. I also know that books are needed in classrooms that act as windows for students. Students of one culture may be uninformed about other cultures; books with accurate, positive multicultural storylines can teach them about people that are different from themselves. Also, they may see similarities between themselves and the characters and know that they are not all that different from everyone else after all.
I have also learned what things I should look for when evaluating a book for its appropriateness as a diverse piece of literature. One important factor to take into account that we spent a good deal of time discussing is the insider/outsider status of the author. As we debated at length, you can’t say a book written about a cultural group by a member of that group is automatically better than a book written by an outsider. It is important to look at the author’s background because, sometimes, an outsider can be more knowledgeable about a specific aspect of life that a story discusses.
Now that I know about some of the key things to focus on when evaluating multicultural children’s books I am on my way to building a diverse classroom library. The world is increasingly interconnected meaning the students of the future will come from extremely diverse backgrounds. Stories about middle class Caucasian children who come from traditional, two parent homes aren’t going to be enough anymore. So that is where I am going from here. I am taking my skills and knowledge I gained in this class and applying it to life (like we should do after every class). Hopefully, my students will benefit the way I have.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Final Project - Text Reflection
All of the picture books in my final project text set feature main characters who have some form of physical disability that requires them to use a wheelchair, whether it be cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, or an unnamed disability. I found several similarities across the books. First of all, they all had happy endings. No matter how much the character struggled throughout the story, it always ended on a hopeful note. I think it is important for readers to leave a book about something as difficult as disability with a feeling of optimism. I also saw that the people who surrounded the character with a disability, for the most part, treated them just like anyone else. While all the books included characters that used wheelchairs, they focused on different aspects of their lives. Mama Zooms features a parent in a wheelchair rather than a child. My Buddy documents a young boy’s relationship with his Service Dog. Howie Helps Himself follows a little boy as he struggles to become independent using his wheelchair. Rolling Along is the story of a little boy and his first experiences with a wheelchair. And, Arnie and the New Kid shows what might happen if a child in a wheelchair were to be made fun of in school.
I do wish I had been able to find more recent books. My library at home did not have anything more recent than the ones I found. I did end up with one book from 2000, but the other books ranged all the way back to 1975. I think the set I have can still be used with children today, but, either before or after the books are read, an adult should have a discussion with the student about the outdated phrases such as “handicapped”. Perhaps a parent or a teacher can explain why that term is no longer used and what is used today when talking about individuals in wheelchairs.
I also had a lot of difficulty finding biographical information on the authors. A couple the books had a small “about the author” paragraph, such as Rolling Along. For others, like My Buddy, the only clue I had as to who the author was was her dedication in the back cover. The author of Arnie and the New Kid actually has her own website; unfortunately, it provided very little biographical information that would allow me to be sure whether or not she was an insider or an outsider or if she had had any contact with insiders that would especially qualify her to write a book about someone with a physical disability. In the end, I believe I was able to find enough information on the authors to decide something about their credibility. I would have liked to find much more though.
Overall, all five of these texts would be, in my opinion, positive additions to a classroom library. Some, like Howie Helps Himself, may require scaffolding to deal with outdated terms, but it is worth it to allow students to see windows to other people and mirrors of themselves in their literature.
They all deal with a similar issue from different vantage points and for different purposes, so all five books in the set are important in their own right.
I do wish I had been able to find more recent books. My library at home did not have anything more recent than the ones I found. I did end up with one book from 2000, but the other books ranged all the way back to 1975. I think the set I have can still be used with children today, but, either before or after the books are read, an adult should have a discussion with the student about the outdated phrases such as “handicapped”. Perhaps a parent or a teacher can explain why that term is no longer used and what is used today when talking about individuals in wheelchairs.
I also had a lot of difficulty finding biographical information on the authors. A couple the books had a small “about the author” paragraph, such as Rolling Along. For others, like My Buddy, the only clue I had as to who the author was was her dedication in the back cover. The author of Arnie and the New Kid actually has her own website; unfortunately, it provided very little biographical information that would allow me to be sure whether or not she was an insider or an outsider or if she had had any contact with insiders that would especially qualify her to write a book about someone with a physical disability. In the end, I believe I was able to find enough information on the authors to decide something about their credibility. I would have liked to find much more though.
Overall, all five of these texts would be, in my opinion, positive additions to a classroom library. Some, like Howie Helps Himself, may require scaffolding to deal with outdated terms, but it is worth it to allow students to see windows to other people and mirrors of themselves in their literature.
They all deal with a similar issue from different vantage points and for different purposes, so all five books in the set are important in their own right.
Review: Professional Resource
Hopkins, Carol J. “Developing Positive Attitudes towards the Handicapped through Children’s Books.” The Elementary School Journal Sept. 1980: 34-39.
"Developing Positive Attitudes" is a journal article about the kinds of things teachers and students can do in the classroom to help foster positive attitudes by and about people with disabilities. The most prominent recommendation made by the author of this article is to provide disabled and non-disabled students the opportunities to read stories with positive messages that feature people with disabilities. That way all students will either see themselves or someone in their community in the book, and will be able to learn about disability in a non-threatening way.
Because of the year in which this article was written, the term “handicapped” is used; however, it is meant in the most respectful of manners. That being said, this article helped me think about the benefits of having a well-rounded and multi-cultural classroom library. I feel very strongly that all children should have at least one story that they identify with, and, for students with physical disabilities, that may be a book where the main character uses a wheelchair. But, in the end, it is extremely important for those characters to be “real people”; the story should be about them as people as much as it is about them as people with disabilities. To that end, Hopkins writes that good books to include in a book set dealing with people with disabilities are books where, “The handicapped are realistically portrayed as productive members of society who contribute much to the lives of their families and friends” (38).
Is it possible to have a really well-written book that should be included in a multi-cultural library that does not portray characters with disabilities as “normal” members of society that do everything people without disabilities do? I am curious as to what people think about that notion.
"Developing Positive Attitudes" is a journal article about the kinds of things teachers and students can do in the classroom to help foster positive attitudes by and about people with disabilities. The most prominent recommendation made by the author of this article is to provide disabled and non-disabled students the opportunities to read stories with positive messages that feature people with disabilities. That way all students will either see themselves or someone in their community in the book, and will be able to learn about disability in a non-threatening way.
Because of the year in which this article was written, the term “handicapped” is used; however, it is meant in the most respectful of manners. That being said, this article helped me think about the benefits of having a well-rounded and multi-cultural classroom library. I feel very strongly that all children should have at least one story that they identify with, and, for students with physical disabilities, that may be a book where the main character uses a wheelchair. But, in the end, it is extremely important for those characters to be “real people”; the story should be about them as people as much as it is about them as people with disabilities. To that end, Hopkins writes that good books to include in a book set dealing with people with disabilities are books where, “The handicapped are realistically portrayed as productive members of society who contribute much to the lives of their families and friends” (38).
Is it possible to have a really well-written book that should be included in a multi-cultural library that does not portray characters with disabilities as “normal” members of society that do everything people without disabilities do? I am curious as to what people think about that notion.
Book Review: "My Buddy"
Osofsky, Audrey. My Buddy. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1992.
My Buddy is the story of a little boy and his service dog, Buddy. The boy has muscular dystrophy and Buddy is his “arms and legs”. With Buddy around, the main character can do things without his parents constantly around helping him. Whether he is at school or home, he can do things on his own, with Buddy by his side always.
This book gives yet another perspective for children with disabilities. It is important for students who may need or already have a Service Dog to understand that it is a good thing, not to be embarrassed about, and that they are not alone. On the other hand, students without disabilities need to understand that a Service Dog is a working animal like guide dogs for people that are blind. When they understand their purpose, students will be more likely to leave them be and resist petting. This story is accurate and authentic, as it was based on the experiences of Scott LeRoy and his buddy, Rex. Scott and Rex were the first pair helped by Canine Companions for Independence in Minnesota. While Osofsky is not an insider, she worked closely with Scott, who is an insider, when writing this book.
For more information on Scott LeRoy (the inspiration for My Buddy) and the Canine Companions for Independence check out this link: http://www.ccimn.org/scott_leroy.htm
My Buddy is the story of a little boy and his service dog, Buddy. The boy has muscular dystrophy and Buddy is his “arms and legs”. With Buddy around, the main character can do things without his parents constantly around helping him. Whether he is at school or home, he can do things on his own, with Buddy by his side always.
This book gives yet another perspective for children with disabilities. It is important for students who may need or already have a Service Dog to understand that it is a good thing, not to be embarrassed about, and that they are not alone. On the other hand, students without disabilities need to understand that a Service Dog is a working animal like guide dogs for people that are blind. When they understand their purpose, students will be more likely to leave them be and resist petting. This story is accurate and authentic, as it was based on the experiences of Scott LeRoy and his buddy, Rex. Scott and Rex were the first pair helped by Canine Companions for Independence in Minnesota. While Osofsky is not an insider, she worked closely with Scott, who is an insider, when writing this book.
For more information on Scott LeRoy (the inspiration for My Buddy) and the Canine Companions for Independence check out this link: http://www.ccimn.org/scott_leroy.htm
Book Review: "Arnie and the New Kid"
Carlson, Nancy. Arnie and the New Kid. New York: Puffin Books, 1990.
Arnie and the New Kid is about Philip, who is the new boy in school. But, because he is in a wheelchair, Arnie makes fun of him. One day, while Arnie is teasing Philip, he falls and breaks his leg. For the first time in his life, Arnie feels what it is like to be made fun of for not being able to get around as fast or do things without help.
This picture book’s message is a good one, albeit somewhat forced. Students without disabilities get a small taste of what it would be like if suddenly they needed other people to open the door for them occasionally or if they weren’t able to walk up stairs anymore. When students learn about empathy and they learn to put themselves in other people’s shoes, they will be less likely to make fun of people they see as “different” from them. The characters in this book are dogs, cats, and rabbits. I wonder if the fact that humans are not featured in this story will make the story seem less realistic, or less likely to happen I real life, to the readers.
Nancy Carlson said on her website that her mission is to teach “kids about themselves with fun drawings and a few good words.” This is certainly what she does with the story of Arnie and Philip and their new friendship.
Here is the link to the author's personal website http://www.nancycarlson.com/
Arnie and the New Kid is about Philip, who is the new boy in school. But, because he is in a wheelchair, Arnie makes fun of him. One day, while Arnie is teasing Philip, he falls and breaks his leg. For the first time in his life, Arnie feels what it is like to be made fun of for not being able to get around as fast or do things without help.
This picture book’s message is a good one, albeit somewhat forced. Students without disabilities get a small taste of what it would be like if suddenly they needed other people to open the door for them occasionally or if they weren’t able to walk up stairs anymore. When students learn about empathy and they learn to put themselves in other people’s shoes, they will be less likely to make fun of people they see as “different” from them. The characters in this book are dogs, cats, and rabbits. I wonder if the fact that humans are not featured in this story will make the story seem less realistic, or less likely to happen I real life, to the readers.
Nancy Carlson said on her website that her mission is to teach “kids about themselves with fun drawings and a few good words.” This is certainly what she does with the story of Arnie and Philip and their new friendship.
Here is the link to the author's personal website http://www.nancycarlson.com/
Book Review: "Howie Helps Himself"
Fassler, Joan. Howie Helps Himself. Illinois: Albert Whiteman & Company, 1975.
Howie Helps Himself is the story of Howie, a regular little boy. He loves chocolate ice cream, he plays with his dad and his sister, Linda, and he goes to school every morning. But, Howie also has cerebral palsy and he is struggling with being able to “zoom around in his wheelchair without any help at all.” He continues to practice and practice, getting help from his teachers and parents, as he watches his friends zooming around the classroom, until one day Howie gets strong enough to finally help himself.
Carol J. Hopkins writes in an article for The Elementary School Journal that Howie Helps Himself is “about a boy whose emotions can be recognized by many children, no matter what their experience with handicaps has been” (35). This is a very positive aspect of this book. Howie’s frustration and sadness are not emotions only children with cerebral palsy will feel and so this makes Howie identifiable to all students. Subsequently, students without disabilities see Howie as a kid just like them, but a little different.
This book shows the struggles that the main character had with his wheelchair; this allows readers who perhaps are having a hard time in physical therapy know they are not alone. Plus, it can give students without disabilities a glimpse into the difficulties their peers with disabilities might have, causing them to think twice before they make fun of them. The author’s note at the beginning of the book can be helpful for readers to understand the book’s purpose. It explains what Fassler hopes insiders and outsiders will receive from reading this text. Joan Fassler is a Ph. D who, at the time this book was published, worked at the Child Study Center of Yale University studying children with cerebral palsy. Therefore, while not being an insider herself, she has been trained to understand that kinds of things Howie would have to go through, making this book accurate.
Because of the date this book was written it uses the word “handicap” to describe Howies’s situation. This is not done as a gesture of disrespect, since that was the term widely used at the time. However, this is not the term used today. Rather, Howie would be referred to as a “person with a disability”. Another interesting thing that may also be a product of the times is the stereotypical nature of some of the illustrations. When Howie is shown at school, all the students seem to be in costume and one particular child is dressed like a Native American. But, the costume only consists of a single feather on his head. Also, the African American characters all are drawn with afros. These visual stereotypes could be offensive to insiders of those groups. These two issues can and should be addressed when children read the book so that certain stereotypes are not enforced in their minds.
Hopkins, Carol J. “Developing Positive Attitudes towards the Handicapped through Children’s Books.” The Elementary School Journal Sept. 1980: 34-39.
Howie Helps Himself is the story of Howie, a regular little boy. He loves chocolate ice cream, he plays with his dad and his sister, Linda, and he goes to school every morning. But, Howie also has cerebral palsy and he is struggling with being able to “zoom around in his wheelchair without any help at all.” He continues to practice and practice, getting help from his teachers and parents, as he watches his friends zooming around the classroom, until one day Howie gets strong enough to finally help himself.
Carol J. Hopkins writes in an article for The Elementary School Journal that Howie Helps Himself is “about a boy whose emotions can be recognized by many children, no matter what their experience with handicaps has been” (35). This is a very positive aspect of this book. Howie’s frustration and sadness are not emotions only children with cerebral palsy will feel and so this makes Howie identifiable to all students. Subsequently, students without disabilities see Howie as a kid just like them, but a little different.
This book shows the struggles that the main character had with his wheelchair; this allows readers who perhaps are having a hard time in physical therapy know they are not alone. Plus, it can give students without disabilities a glimpse into the difficulties their peers with disabilities might have, causing them to think twice before they make fun of them. The author’s note at the beginning of the book can be helpful for readers to understand the book’s purpose. It explains what Fassler hopes insiders and outsiders will receive from reading this text. Joan Fassler is a Ph. D who, at the time this book was published, worked at the Child Study Center of Yale University studying children with cerebral palsy. Therefore, while not being an insider herself, she has been trained to understand that kinds of things Howie would have to go through, making this book accurate.
Because of the date this book was written it uses the word “handicap” to describe Howies’s situation. This is not done as a gesture of disrespect, since that was the term widely used at the time. However, this is not the term used today. Rather, Howie would be referred to as a “person with a disability”. Another interesting thing that may also be a product of the times is the stereotypical nature of some of the illustrations. When Howie is shown at school, all the students seem to be in costume and one particular child is dressed like a Native American. But, the costume only consists of a single feather on his head. Also, the African American characters all are drawn with afros. These visual stereotypes could be offensive to insiders of those groups. These two issues can and should be addressed when children read the book so that certain stereotypes are not enforced in their minds.
Hopkins, Carol J. “Developing Positive Attitudes towards the Handicapped through Children’s Books.” The Elementary School Journal Sept. 1980: 34-39.
Book Review: "Mama Zooms"
Cowen-Fletcher, Jane. Mama Zooms. New York: Scholastic, Inc, 1993.
Mama Zooms is a simple picture book about a little boy whose mother is a wheelchair user. It tells of all of his adventures while riding on his mama’s lap. He imagines her as everything from his racehorse, to a buckboard carriage, to a train, and even as a spaceship. But, at bedtime, “Mama is just my mama, and that’s how I like her best.”
By not giving the little boy in the story a name, this tale becomes universal. Any child with a parent that has a disability can put themselves into the story and find comfort knowing they are not alone. This book also stands out because the character in the story that uses the wheelchair is not the child, as is usually the case in children’s books. Cowen-Fletcher, I do not believe is a wheelchair user herself, which may account for the one-sided portrayal. The family experiences no hardships or struggles because mom has a disability. On the one hand, this is positive because it is a really a story of familial love and less a story of being disabled. However, to show life as it really is for families in this situation everything would not be wonderful all the time. At the same time, the overall happy tone of the book provides readers who live in families like this one a piece of hope that one day their lives will be happy and “normal” again. And, it tells children with a parent or a loved one who has a disability that the “zooming machine” they have to use now does not mean the person is any different.
Mama Zooms is a simple picture book about a little boy whose mother is a wheelchair user. It tells of all of his adventures while riding on his mama’s lap. He imagines her as everything from his racehorse, to a buckboard carriage, to a train, and even as a spaceship. But, at bedtime, “Mama is just my mama, and that’s how I like her best.”
By not giving the little boy in the story a name, this tale becomes universal. Any child with a parent that has a disability can put themselves into the story and find comfort knowing they are not alone. This book also stands out because the character in the story that uses the wheelchair is not the child, as is usually the case in children’s books. Cowen-Fletcher, I do not believe is a wheelchair user herself, which may account for the one-sided portrayal. The family experiences no hardships or struggles because mom has a disability. On the one hand, this is positive because it is a really a story of familial love and less a story of being disabled. However, to show life as it really is for families in this situation everything would not be wonderful all the time. At the same time, the overall happy tone of the book provides readers who live in families like this one a piece of hope that one day their lives will be happy and “normal” again. And, it tells children with a parent or a loved one who has a disability that the “zooming machine” they have to use now does not mean the person is any different.
Book Review: "Rolling Along: The Story of Taylor and His Wheelchair"
Riggio Heelan, Jamee. Rolling Along: The Story of Taylor and His Wheelchair. Atlanta: Peachtree Publishers, 2000.
Rolling Along: The Story of Taylor and His Wheelchair is a picture book put out by the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. It is the story of Taylor and his twin brother, Tyler. Taylor has cerebral palsy, and when he gets a wheelchair to replace his walker, he is allowed to experience physical freedom for the first time in his life. After some practice and hard work, Taylor is able to do things the rest of us take for granted, like going to the drinking fountain and playing sports with his brother.
Riggio Heelan paints Taylor as a “normal” little boy who does the same things his brother does. They “both like to eat chocolate ice cream, wrestle with each other, and watch the Chicago Bulls play basketball.” I think it is important that literature portray people with disabilities and people from various diverse groups as just another human being and not ‘different’ from everyone else. Riggio Heelan graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in occupational therapy and works with children with disabilities through the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. While she is not an insider per se, her background gives her the knowledge to write this story to be realistic and factual. Also adding to the realism of the story is the fact that the illustrations are, for the most part, chalk drawings, but the hands and faces of the human characters are actual photographs. The fact that real people are being depicted will enforce for young readers that this is not just a made-up story. This sweet story teaches readers, in a non-forceful way, about the effects wheelchairs can have on people’s lives and what personal freedom and mobility can mean to a child with cerebral palsy, or any other physical disability.
Rolling Along: The Story of Taylor and His Wheelchair is a picture book put out by the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. It is the story of Taylor and his twin brother, Tyler. Taylor has cerebral palsy, and when he gets a wheelchair to replace his walker, he is allowed to experience physical freedom for the first time in his life. After some practice and hard work, Taylor is able to do things the rest of us take for granted, like going to the drinking fountain and playing sports with his brother.
Riggio Heelan paints Taylor as a “normal” little boy who does the same things his brother does. They “both like to eat chocolate ice cream, wrestle with each other, and watch the Chicago Bulls play basketball.” I think it is important that literature portray people with disabilities and people from various diverse groups as just another human being and not ‘different’ from everyone else. Riggio Heelan graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in occupational therapy and works with children with disabilities through the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. While she is not an insider per se, her background gives her the knowledge to write this story to be realistic and factual. Also adding to the realism of the story is the fact that the illustrations are, for the most part, chalk drawings, but the hands and faces of the human characters are actual photographs. The fact that real people are being depicted will enforce for young readers that this is not just a made-up story. This sweet story teaches readers, in a non-forceful way, about the effects wheelchairs can have on people’s lives and what personal freedom and mobility can mean to a child with cerebral palsy, or any other physical disability.
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