FINAL POST

After completing this class, my thoughts on the importance of diverse literature remain the same. At the same time, I have also learned a lot of new information about diverse literature that will help me to bring in a variety of different books into my classroom. In order for children to understand and accept the diversity of others, the books need to be authentic and accurate. There will be no success in the students’ learning if they continue to read the same stereotypes and misconceptions about other cultures. It is also embarrassing for children to read about their own culture when the content in books are not true or make them look like the “others” and no similarities are given. With this being said, books need to chosen wisely.
Before this class, I never really thought about the importance of how books are written or portrayed, I believed it was just important to have books that were for diverse groups of people. Now I realized that it is just as bad to have no diverse literature, as it is to have diverse literature that is portrayed negatively. Diverse literature to me now is therefore way more complex and significant. In this class, we were able to read books that dealt with controversial topics, and I thought more critically about certain issues. This includes sexuality, religion, violence, etc. However, sometimes these issues were difficult to discuss when so many different view points came into play.
I learned different critiques in order for books to become a piece of quality literature. I think it is important for the author to be an insider because they are the most knowledgeable about their culture, and are able to correct any misconceptions. I also learned that when insiders write about their own backgrounds, there are times when they can also bring in other issues that do not deal with their own experiences. I still think that books have more quality about them when they bring in multiple issues, and do not focus on just one. I feel that when books are portrayed positively about diverse issues, readers are not only learning about people other than themselves, but they can also see similarities as well.
After this class, I also learned that the controversial topics mentioned in different books need to be addressed to appropriate age groups. I still am concerned about books dealing with sexuality because this seems to be the one that is most rejected in the literature of diversity. However, I think that children need to learn about this issue because society today continues to become more open with different sexualities. I also think that it is difficult to judge if books are the "best" quality, because I feel like no matter what type of book it is, there is still something that could be changed- either for the negativity, stereotypes, storyline, how precise it is, and the list continues.
I hope that I continue to look at different pieces of literature by getting help from different resources and professionals. This will allow me to become more knowledgeable about all aspects of multicultural perspectives. I want to be very open minded when I become a teacher, and I want to teach about other cultures in a positive and accurate away. I would encourahe anyone to suggest any books for me to place in my classroom that are age appropriate for children in K-5. Thank you!

Reflection of Children's Literature dealing with disabilities

Overall, children can learn a lot about different disabilities from these five books- Ceana has CP, Hi, I’m Ben…And I’ve Got a Secret, Knockin’ On Wood, Private and Confidential, and Keeping Up With Roo. There is not only one type of disability, but also many others that can affect people certain ways. The literature I have shared includes mental disabilities, physical disabilities, visual disabilities, as well as disabilities that people are born with or are later affected by because of an accident they encountered. These books however do not cover the entire subject of disabilities- one being autism that has many different types of this disability as well.

Children will learn not to discriminate against people with disabilities based on their looks, reactions, behaviors, or emotions because the meaning of disability has been discussed in a positive way. The meaning of disability is also a very controversial issue, so it is important for children to use terms properly and efficiently. In order for them to see people with disabilities in a positive way, they need to understand that they are not at a disadvantage or have a deficiency. Instead, people with disabilities are still able to function and live in society, even if they have their disability. My books have proved this because they have family and friends who do the same everyday activities as other people do. Even though some of these books demonstrate hardship, positive results are also recognized because they show that people with different disabilities can overcome their obstacles as well. I also believe that the idea of being “normal” needs to be removed from children’s knowledge because this is where misconceptions and stereotypes come from.

I must say that being an insider myself, I have trouble agreeing with the article, “Claiming Disability- Knowledge and Identity” by Michael Berube. I have used some of the terms such as disabled, physically challenged, and handicap, that are supposedly inappropriate or wrong. I am not sure if I am being biased because I have grown up with these words because my mother used them to explain my sister’s disability. I think that I can see Berube’s argument as well because it does depend on the person who has the disability, the person labeling the type of disability, as well as the situation they are in. I do agree that “retarded” should never be used in any content or speech, however, these other words previously mentioned are still used in recent children’s books, such as the ones I used for these reviews, and I personally do not think that it hinders the teaching of disabilities through the books at all.

Keeping Up With Roo

Glen, Sharlee. Keeping Up With Roo: G.P Putnam’s Sons, 2004.

Keeping Up With Roo is a children’s book about a young girl, Gracie, and her best friend and developmentally disabled aunt “Roo.” The two always have fun together, especially when they play school on the farm and teach one another different things. Even though Roo is a grown-up, she has the mind and heart of a child. However, things between them change once Gracie starts school. Now it is difficult for Gracie to find time for Roo because she made new friends and takes piano lessons. She also does not want to play with Roo anymore because she has grown older and recognizes Roo as someone who is “different.” Therefore, she is embarrassed of her. Later on in the story, Gracie accepts her aunt after realizing all Roo has added to her life.

Even though this story never mentions specifically that Roo has a mental disability, I believe that this book still has a very positive portrayal of people with disabilities. First of all, the author of this book, Sharlee Glen, is an insider who based her story on her own experiences. She also grew up on a farm, but had twin aunts, Martha and Mildred, who were both mentally challenged. Just like the story, Sharlee was taught how to read by Martha and still remembers playing school with her. Since Sharlee has a lot of experience with family members who are disabled, she better understands their emotions, actions, and physical appearances.

With this, the illustrations were also very accurate. The illustrations show how Roo’s face may look a little different from the other characters, but Roo is also able to accomplish many other everyday activities, just like anyone else. The illustrations clearly show how much fun Gracie and Roo have together, as well as learning from each other even when things get hard. There is a picture of them on the ground laughing then playing school where Roo is the teacher and Gracie is sitting down on a bucket like a listening student would. Since I have also been lucky enough to have people with disabilities be a part of my life (my sister who is mentally and physically handicap, and children I have worked with who have a variety of disabilities), I do not see any misconceptions of Roo through the illustrations. I think that because the disability was never mentioned in the book, it allows more freedom for teachers or parents to educate their students or children about different disabilities without focusing on one specific one, since that could cause controversy in the future.

The text in this book also displays different aspects about people with disabilities in a positive way. For instance the story says, “When Gracie was a baby, Roo was the only one who could calm her when she got into a crying fit” (2). Another positive description of someone with disabilities is how Roo taught Gracie how to count to eight as well as the ABC’s (10). In both of these examples, the author shows how Roo can be an adult role model to a child, even with her disabilities. Even when Gracie no longer wants to play with Roo because of the way she looks and acts in front of her friend, the author never states this specifically. The reader can tell by the illustrations and text. This allows the reader to make his or her own realizations that Gracie is embarrassed by the disability that Roo has. Even though this was an upsetting part in the story, readers can learn that no matter who your friends are, there can be times of distance or hardship. In the end, friendships continue to grow because of the mistakes that are learned.

This book also received the Dolly Gray Award for Children’s Literature in Developmental Disabilities. This award recognizes authors, illustrators, and publishers of high quality fictional children’s book that appropriately portray individuals with disabilities (Special Needs Project). This accomplishment is recognized in an article I found at Desert News.

Review from the Desert News

Hancock, Laura. “Disabled aunts were author’s inspiration.” Published 3/17/2007.

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In this article, Laura Hancock suggests how Keeping Up With Roo is a positive portrayal of people with disabilities based on the award winning author, the author’s background, and reviews from professionals. Hancock begins by explaining how the author was inspired to write this book based on her happy childhood with her two aunts who were mentally disabled. Because of her real experiences with people with disabilities, she received an award by the Council for Exceptional Children's Division on Developmental Disabilities. The Dolly Award that I previously mentioned was given to the author because of its positive yet realistic portrayals of individuals with disabilities. Hancock then goes on with her review by summarizing the story about Gracie and Roo’s friendship, and the acceptance of Roo’s disability at the end. Furthermore, the message of the story is critiqued by Tina Dyches, a Brigham Young University education professor and chairman of the Dolly Gray Children’s Literature Award committee. (Note: she said this upcoming statement without knowing the Dolly Gray Award was already given to the author). Dyches states, "I would say the message is everyone has something to contribute. People with disabilities don't always have to be the recipients of care, but they have something to offer as well." Therefore, when other people can see similarities between themselves and disabled people, they are no longer seen as “different,” but as someone they can relate to. One of my questions that I previously mentioned in my argument was also answered in this article- why did the author never mention the disability in the story? The article states that, “Glenn chose not to use words in the story such as ‘developmentally disabled’ to describe Roo, hoping that the illustrations would explain it” (Hancock). The author also explained that when she was a child, her aunts’ disability was not clear. She did become aware of the differences as she continued to grow, and was then embarrassed as Gracie was. I would then say again, that the illustration of Roo was an excellent interpretation of someone with a disability by being realistic and authentic. On a last note, “We do a disservice to children if we condescend, patronize and spell everything out,” Sharlee Glenn, author of Keeping Up With Roo.

Ceana Has CP

Card, Fran C. Ceana Has CP. Royal Blue Books, 2006.
Ceana Has CP is about a young girl Ceana who has Cerebral Palsy known as CP. However, the reader realizes that what defines her is a little girl with a big smile who loves to chase her grandma’s hairless cats. In the beginning of the story, Ceana and her big brother Cullen play a game called, “Who can see the bus first?” before Cullen goes to school. Since Ceana has CP she does not walk the same as her mom, dad and brother. The story explains CP in a simple, yet meaningful way in order for readers to understand the basics of this disability. The story goes on by saying that Ceana can still take part in her favorite activities (chasing after her grandma’s cats and making cookies with her mom and brother) as long as she still does her daily exercises on her legs because she has CP.

I highly recommend this children’s book for being a positive portrayal of children with Cerebral Palsy or CP. The author, C. Fran Card based this on a true story about her granddaughter, Ceana, who was born with Cerebral Palsy. Since she was unable to find any children’s books to help Ceana learn about her disorder so she could prepare to discuss and deal with it once she started school, she decided to write a book just for her (Royal Blue Books). This makes Fran a perfect candidate for being an insider because she continued to watch Ceana grow with her disability while writing her book at the same time. The illustrations look just like Ceana, as well as how she acts in her daily life. The drawings look very realistic for all characters in the story as well. The illustrator did a phenomenal job of representing Ceana in the book. Even by the picture above, it is difficult to visualize her disability, which can confuse children at first until they read the story. The illustration is portrayed positively by showing how CP does not let the muscles in Ceana’s left leg do what she wants to do. Because of this characteristic, the illustration shows that when she walks, she swings her left leg out, and then it plops down. This book can teach children that even though she may have differences from others in some ways, she is still a child who laughs, plays, and loves her friends, family and pets just like they do.

This book can also help eliminate any prejudices that often begin out of misunderstandings during childhood. I think it was very appropriate that the author wanted to explain Ceana’s disability to her through books as early as age two. If children are educated at an early level, stereotypes will be less likely to occur. This is why this book is perfect for ages 3 to 7, in order to introduce the disability of Cerebral Palsy in a positive way. The author states in the text, “They do the exercises every day because Ceana has CP.” First of all, the author explains in the text that when people have CP they cannot move some of their muscles the way other people do. Some people with CP need assistance because of this so they may have crutches, a walker, or ride in a wheelchair. Secondly, the exercises are then able to loosen the muscles, even though CP never goes away. Since the author wrote, “has CP” this describes the disability through characteristics of importance to the situation, without imposing irrelevant meaning. Now Ceana’s character is not seen as a victim in this story, so certain stereotypes do not apply; therefore, this gives a positive description of her as well as her disability.

Hi, I’m Ben…And I’ve Got A Secret!

Bouwkamp, Julie A. Hi, I’m Ben…And I’ve Got A Secret! Band of Angels, 1995.

Hi, I’m Ben…And I’ve Got A Secret is a simple, short, and sweet children’s book. This book is told in the eyes of a young boy named Ben who reveals his secret at the end of his story. Before he tells his secret, the story is filled about his life including his likes and dislikes, as well as what he enjoys most. He begins by saying how much love and attention he needed as a baby boy, but when he grew a little older he had birthday parties, and would laugh and play outside on the playground or at the beach, and just spend time with his family. He also mentions things that he does not enjoy, such as being afraid of thunder or getting sick. The secret is finally revealed once he says that he is special because he has Down syndrome. Ben continues by explaining what Down syndrome is to him, and the things he sometimes can or cannot do because of his disability. In the end, he wants to be a friend no matter what his differences may be.

What makes this book positive is the fact that all readers will be able to find something in common with Ben from the beginning to the end of the story. Since his disability is never mentioned at first, children do not even realize any differences by what the text says, so they will only recognize similarities. Every page says, “have you guessed my secret yet?” which allows the readers to anticipate what Ben wants to express to them. Ben even asks questions throughout the story such as, “Have you ever been to the beach?” or “Does your family sing to you on your birthday?” These are both very common everyday activities that all types of children experience. Even if they say no to the questions, they will still be familiar with them because it is “the norm.” Once he explains what Down syndrome is and the affects it has on him, the similarities that children made previously will not just fade away. For instance, he says, “Having Down syndrome means sometimes I fall when I run. Sometimes I need help putting my shirt on.” Even though this happens to Ben because of the disability he has, this can also happen to any other child who trips while walking, or when they get their head or arm caught under their shirt. Even though I think Down syndrome could be explained in more depth to get a better idea about what it is, it still gives the right amount of information based on the grade level that this book is recommended for.

This book also gives an accurate image of what a child could look like with Down syndrome. With the illustrations being all photographs of a real child with this disability in different situations of every day activities, the ideal “norms” of people with disabilities are broken. Instead of devaluing children with disabilities by saying the differences of “us and them”, these illustrations bring in positive similarities by showing “we.” However, since readers are unaware of the disability at the beginning of the book since it is never stated in the text, some children may notice through the images that Ben looks “different” from them. However, this is a positive attribute about the book because even though children may see the differences of Ben visually, they will still relate themselves to the story. Yet, children will still need some type of explanation when they ask if all children with Down syndrome look the same. This generalization will need to be improved by stating although some children with Down syndrome do share many similar features, they also look very different from one another as well, just like everyone else. This then teaches them that children, who have Down syndrome like Ben, live ordinary lives by eating, sleeping and playing just like they do.

The author of this book, Julia A. Bouwamp, is a parent of a child with special needs- Down syndrome; therefore, she is an insider to people with disabilities. With her experiences, she understands that children with disabilities can adjust to life by having great attitudes and responses from the people they interact with on a daily basis. Her book encourages children to look into the everyday life of a boy with Down syndrome, to realize that there are more similarities than differences between them. With all of this being said, I believe that this book is a perfect tool that can build bridges to the meaning of Down syndrome, and also tear down any misconceptions that say you have to have a perfect mind and body to live a happy and fun life.

Knockin’ On Wood

Barasch, Lynne. Knockin’ On Wood. Lee & Loo Books, 2004.

This children’s book, Knockin’ On Wood, is a biography about a legendary tap dancer of the twentieth century known as Clayton “Peg Leg” Bates. When Clayton was a young boy, he loved dancing. Unfortunately, he lost his left leg in a factory accident when he was 12 years old, so no one thought he would ever be able to walk again, let alone dance again. However, Clayton would not let this physical disability keep him down because he knew he still had his musical spirit inside him. He first starting dancing using crutches, and then he used a peg leg. Soon enough, his peg leg was able to match the same dancing abilities of his right leg. The misfortune that he felt before turned into triumph, and set out an example by being an inspiration to everyone he met.

At first this book did not occur to me as being one to deal with disabilities. However, as I continued on with the story, I realized that this book could explain to children how someone can become disabled once they are faced with certain circumstances, such as Clayton’s accident. Children need to understand that not every child with a disability is born that way, even though at most times this is the case. I thought that this story had a very positive message because Clayton never gave up on what he loved to do most, dance. No matter what, he did not let his disability get in the way because that was not as important to him as dancing was. This story shows children that even people with disabilities can become successful once they have enough motivation and will power to do it. Once the misconceptions that people who are physically disabled are “unable” to be active, then everyone can look up to them for being role models.

I also think that this book has a lot of potential for being a positive portrayal for people with disabilities because the character is also African American (even more diversity). Both of these topics are underrepresented in children’s literature, so I think that this book is a plus that it represents both. This story is also a biography, so children also get history out of this book as well. A final photograph of Bates in action is complemented by his words: "Don’t look at me in sympathy,/I’m glad that I’m this way./I feel good, knockin’ on wood."

Private and Confidential

Ripley, Marion. Private and Confidential. Dial Books For Young Readers, 2003.

Private and Confidential is a children’s book about a girl Laura and her pen pal Malcom from Australia. Laura is so thrilled when she receives her first letter from Malcom. When she writes him a long letter back about herself, she gets very worried when she does not receive a reply back. When she finally receives one, it is not who she expected- Malcom’s sister. She tells Laura in the letter that he has gone to the hospital for an operation. Laura is quickly surprised to find out that Malcom is nearly completely blind. At first Laura was very hurt by Malcom for not telling her he was blind, but after her father’s comfort she decides to take a challenge by learning Braille so that she can send him a get-well-soon card. Shortly after her card, Laura and Malcom are both corresponding to one another in Braille, making their letters private and confidential.

This book is a positive portrayal about children with disabilities for its realistic pictures and text, the message it teaches, as well as the information it brings about visual impairment. All of the characters in this story look like real people by the illustrations used, however, there is only a couple of small illustrations of Malcom because he is only shown as a picture placed in Laura’s hand. By the illustration it is difficult to see that Malcom is in fact blind, which could cause some difficulty to show children an exact portrayal of someone who is blind. Yet at the same time, not noticing the visual impairment of Malcom is part of the story, so it would take out the learning experience that Laura later faces. It can also teach stereotypes about people who have visual impairment always have their eyes completely closed; they may also have them open or half way closed. This story also portrays visual impairment in a positive way by not focusing just on the disability itself- but by defining someone such as Malcom on their characteristics or interests. For example, when Laura asked her father why Malcom did not tell her his disability, he responded by saying, “Perhaps he didn’t think it was the most important thing about him” (16). This then identifies Malcom as being a person in everyday life, just like Laura, and not defining him or labeling him as simply “disabled.”

A lot of children probably assume that if someone is blind, they are incapable of reading. However, this story proves that this misconception is wrong. Not only does this book have an information spread about Braille, but it also has a Braille sample as a way to show children what it really feels like to be blind and read. When children encounter this hands-on activity, they are able to learn and appreciate the disability of blindness by using an alphabet key to show how Braille works. This book shows even if a child has a disability, it should not be a barrier to friendship. There are different ways to communicate that can be just as rewarding and fun, and the power of Braille in this story proves this capability. As a result, I think that this unique book can offer a meaningful way to introduce children to the subject of visual impairment.

Maron Ripley who is the author of this book, can be seen as an insider to people with the disability of blindness because she runs the Clear Vision Project. This project is a UK postal lending library of typical children's books, but Braille is added to each one. All of these books have Braille for the print and pictures, in order for books to suit the visually impaired, as well as the sighted children and adults to share (Clear Vision).