Multicultural Literature Seeing and understanding other cultures through stories

Two kinds of multicultural lit different cultures within the U.S. cultures outside the U.S Both can be enormously important and therefore useful. Both can be very appealing. Which you choose to emphasize will depend largely on what you are attempting to achieve in your class.

Children’s Literature in Other Countries: Africa In Africa, where there is incredible poverty in most of the countries, most of what publishing that takes place is of textbooks. Picture books are rare because of the expense of printing them. Children’s books certainly do exist, but they are not plentiful, also for economic reasons.

Children’s Literature in Latin America and the Caribbean Rich local folklores have helped produced some excellent children’s writers and children’s books. Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, and Cuba have the most developed children’s book publishing activities.

Children’s Literature in Asia Children’s books are seen as far less important that textbooks. We do, however, get some books from India (often written in English), some from China, and a great many from Japan, where children’s publishing is a big business.

Children’s Literature in the Arab World The Arab world has a very rich tradition of folklore, but virtually no tradition of literature for children.

Children’s Literature in Europe During the Soviet era, there was plenty of children’s publishing in Russia and eastern Europe; that has declined somewhat since then. In the rest of Europe and the English speaking parts of the world, there is, of course, a great deal of children’s literature.

Benefits of International Children’s Literature same benefits that any books confer: develop reading skills, use of imagination, awareness of things beyond their own experience develops cultural awareness and understanding of differences supports development of visual literacy by presenting new and unfamiliar styles of illustration; develops aesthetic sensibility

Benefits of International Children’s Literature supports the development of language skills, often, by exposing them to different language patterns and by giving them words for unfamiliar things, such as tatami mats and pagodas and rice paddies helps students recognize what is universal in people, especially children helps students appreciate and accept differences

Benefits of International Children’s Literature presents problems that we are insulated from develops critical thinking skills can be linked to many other subjects in the curriculum.

Experiences children are generally insulated from in the U.S. struggles to survive war, violence prejudice death cultural taboos Of course, books from other cultures can present common—and similar—everyday life as well.

Evaluating merit: look at quality of the story author’s background, qualifications, point-of-view portrayal of characters (human beings, or just markers?) language patterns (is there something identifiable that comes from the country?) illustrations (appropriate style for that culture?) accuracy of details

Pay attention to: authenticity quality of translation availability insider / outsider debate quality of translation are any instances of verbal humor successfully translated? are there words that might cause offense? has the translator “purified” the text to make the values more acceptable to American readers? availability

Not just novels! picture books biographies poetry non-fiction

How should students react? They may well react with disapproval to cultural elements that are especially different or unfamiliar. But you mustn’t.

Do you have to approve of everything? No The whole point of reading such a book is to help students know and understand elements of culture that differs from their own in some important ways. Understanding the differences doesn’t require approval—but it does require respect where respect is due. The greater the difference, the greater the need for understanding—and your guidance.

Using Multicultural Elements In the class, you and your students should identify cultural differences understand what’s involved (e.g.: if there’s mention of a holiday that matters in the story, make sure everyone knows what it is) try to understand why the culture does things this way—discuss benefits as well as costs compare this element with more familiar ones keep in mind that not everyone in the class will have an identical cultural background

Using Multicultural Elements In the class, you and your students should above all else, discuss how the cultural differences affect what is happening in the story