Examining Multicultural Picture Books for the Early Childhood Classroom:
Possibilities and Pitfalls

Jean Mendoza & Debbie Reese
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Note: Jean Mendoza and Debbie Reese raise potentially controversial issues in their discussion of multicultural picture books. The authors and the journal editors invite readers to be part of an ongoing electronic discussion of issues raised in this paper. By clicking on this "dialog box," readers may comment on the article. Selected substantive contributions will be posted on this Web site for further discussion. Please join us in this important discussion.

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Comments

Name: Margaret Riehl
Position: Education Coordinator
Affiliation: Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago
Comments:

Excellent article! The issues you raise are important and complex. You give excellent examples of "good intentions" that just don't work for the good of children. Much to think about.

Our Culturally Relevant Anti-Bias Commission of Chicago Metro AEYC is constantly asked for "a list of good multicultural books"-your article points out why responding to these requests is so difficult.

Thanks!

Name: Rinda M. Byers
Position: Writer
Affiliation: Former Preschool Teacher, Two's and Three's
Comments:

Your article is fascinating and so insightful: I am of multicultural heritage: American, Thai, and Native American. Two issues perhaps could use more study and discussion:

What about criteria for authentic books about children with truly multicultural heritages such as I have? Isn't it a kind of bias in itself to say a book is Mexican when it is about a Mexican-American child and culture? Etc.

Also, do you have any ideas about how we, as multiculural writers for children, may be able to convince more publishers, especially larger, mainstream ones, to buy manuscripts that are more culturally authentic? Good writing and authentic background are simply not enough to easily sell manuscripts dealing with multicultural issues and families.

For example, take a story about say just a poor family, a family struggling with homelessness, about to be put on the streets. A very common misperception is that children in poor families are automatically abused children. In fact, they may be very loved children, although suffering the effects of economic deprivation and social prejudice. Economic status also may be "multicultural" in this sense.

Again, I do state emphatically again that it's tough as a writer to, in a sense, "hold true" to what is authentic and to not just sell out your values to what a public wants to buy. Perhaps it is the writers and buyers of books as well who need the kind of information and support in your scholarly article if better multicultural books are to be published. How can you help to better inform/communicate with them as well instead of just discussing these issues among the reviewers and librarians? How could you, for example, communicate effectively to writers at a writers' conference?

Again, a VERY well-written, thoughtful, sensitive discussion. Thank you so much.