Final Post

Looking back over the semester, I realize I have learned a lot about the different children's literature books that are available out there. Specifically from the research project, I found that it is hard to locate books with diverse characters. These books are so necessary in a classroom or school library if there's going to be any way for children to learn about diversity. It is easy for a teacher to shy away from topics such as GLBTQ or disabilities because they find it to be a "touchy" subject or they just don't have the knowledge themselves to feel like they can teach it properly. Classes like this at MSU help young teachers see the importance of embracing diversity and provide ways to introduce diversity through literature. One of the most important aspects of teaching diversity through literature is being able to dispell stereotypes. Students will be able to acknowledge the differences amongst themselves and their classmates and find that those differences are what makes each person unique.

Final Project - Reflection on the Process

Finding the picture books I wanted to use for this project was indeed a chore. I found a lengthy list of picture books on a website, so I used that list to try to find these books in bookstores in the area and the East Lansing Public Library. After going to a local bookstore, one of the books I wanted to use was sold out and only two other ones were available, Heather Has Two Mommies and Daddy's Roommate. Any other books that were listed on the store's website had to be special ordered. I wondered why exactly this process was so difficult. There seems to be an adequate amount of books out there in the world, but they aren't being mass produced to be a fixture on the shelves at each and every bookstore. Overall, I was happy with the books I found, but I definitely would have liked a larger selection to choose from. I'm left wondering when the time will be that these books are readily, and easily, available for their young audience.

The part of the process that had me doing the most thinking was after reading Leslea Newman's "Heather and her critics". She really made me very aware how important it is to include literature that may stray from the "mainstream" but it is meant to show its readers how to respect people from all areas of diversity. Children themselves need to see themselves in the literature they read in order to have self-acceptance. Instead of succumbing to the fear of people's differences, the world, beginning with its chilren, should learn to embrace all people. The literature that children read and are presented with can be a first step.

"Heather and her critics" by Leslea Newman

Newman, Leslea. "Heather and her critics." The Horn Book Magazine. Boston: Mar/Apr 1997. Vol. 73, Iss. 2; pg. 149, 5 pgs.

Leslea Newman writes an extensive, passionate article in The Horn Book Magazine questioning her critics, "What messages are you giving to all children, when you pretend there is only one type of family, and render the rest invisible?" (par. 17).

Heather Has Two Mommies along with Daddy's Roommate has experienced an extreme amount of backlash since 1992. First, in Portland, Oregon an anti-gay campaign was launched and those two books were passed around at an organizational meeting to show how there is a "militant sexual agenda" sweeping the nation (par. 10). Second, the two books including another Leslea Newman book Gloria Goes to Gay Pride, began disappearing from the shelves of libraries all across the United States. Soon after, Alyson Publications promised copies of the books to the first libraries that phoned in, and immediately those 500 phone calls came. The third controversy was in New York City surrounding a first grade curriculum called "Children of the Rainbow". This curriculum was a 443 page bibliography designed to teach first graders "respect for all racial and ethnic groups" (par. 13). After a long struggle, Heather Has Two Mommies and Daddy's Roommate were removed from the curriculum.

Leslea Newman began writing these books after her own experience as a Jewish child who thought her family must have something wrong with it since they were never represented in the children's books she read. She knew that children needed to see themselves in the books they read in order to feel like they relate to the story. Leslea Newman is a lesbian, so she has the insider perspective when writing the books that she does, which mostly include a child with lesbian or gay parents. I find Leslea's article to be compelling with the issue of GLBTQ literature on the shelves for children. She writes, "Fear is irrational" (par. 12) and reminds her critics that many of the children who grow up to be gay were raised by heterosexual parents reading them books about heterosexual characters. Therefore, parents who want to embrace the world's diversity by bringing GLBTQ literature into the home are not perpetuating homosexuality. Instead, they are trying to stop the hate by showing an awareness. This awareness is shown in Heather Has Two Mommies by explaining how each family is different, yet special and loving.

Final Project Book 3 - Oliver Button is a Sissy

dePaola, Tomie. Oliver Button is a Sissy. Orlando: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1979.

Oliver didn't do things most boys did. He liked to jump rope, read, play with paper dolls, and play dress-up. His father would yell and tell him to play sports outside. Oliver's parents let him take up tap dancing "just for exercise". He got teased by the boys at school but he kept on practicing. When it was announced that there was going to be a talent show, Oliver's parents let him sign up. The day of the talent show, the auditorium was full and Oliver's performance got lots of applause. Oliver's parents were very proud. However, Oliver didn't win first prize so he was really sad and didn't even want to go to school the next day. His mom made him go to school and when he got there he saw that on the wall where the boys had written, "OLIVER BUTTON IS A SISSY!" it now said "OLIVER BUTTON IS A STAR!"

The story of Oliver is different from Heather Has Two Mommies and Daddy's Roommate because the actual child in the story is the one with the questionable gender identity instead of one of the parents. The story is meant to break down the stereotypical gender boundaries by addressing that a boy can be very talented at doing "sissy" things. I would probably choose this story last out of the three books to present to my classroom because I don't think it tackles the issues of diversity and acceptance as well as the other two. I think it first pokes fun at a boy for what he likes to do and then tries to get the reader to get over their own judgments about Oliver by showing he has a real talent. What if a boy likes to dance and sing but isn't very good at it, would it be alright for the kids at school to pick on him then and call him a sissy?

Final Project Book Two - Daddy's Roommate

Willhoite, Michael. Daddy's Roommate. Los Angeles: Alyson Publications, 1990.

Daddy's Roommate is the story of a young boy (unnamed) whose parents divorced last year and there's now somebody new at Daddy's house. Frank is Daddy's roommate. Frank and Daddy do a lot of things together, such as work around the house together, eat together, sleep together, and even fight together. Just like the young boy's dad, Frank reads to the young boy, chases away his nightmares, and tells him jokes. The three of them also do things together as a family on the weekends like going to the zoo and ballgames. The young boy's mother tells him that Frank and Daddy are "gay" but goes on to explain that "gay" just means its a different kind of love and "love is the best kind of happiness."

The story of Daddy's Roommate also offers a powerful message to go along with how families are different, but its the love and happiness within each family that makes them important. The illustrations themselves take up about 90% of the page and leave a small section for text. This aspect of the book places a lot of emphasis on the image of the family unit and how happy Daddy and Frank are together. As a sidebar: I enjoy that the young boy is a spitting image of his father. One thing that I dislike about this story as a chilren's novel is how it does address the issue of what it means to be gay, but does not say Frank is Daddy's boyfriend, just says its his roommate. I do wonder, as a reader, what the intentions of this are. Unlike Heather Has Two Mommies, this story does not address the other ways people can be members of a family. To bring in a similarity with Heather Has Two Mommies, Daddy's Roommate also has a homosexuality stereotype embedded in it with Frank wearing a theater tee shirt and the two men singing together at the piano.

Final Project - Heather Has Two Mommies

Newman, Leslea. Heather Has Two Mommies: Tenth Anniversary Edition. Los Angeles: Alyson Publications, 2000.

Heather Has Two Mommies is about a girl named Heather who is not quite school-age yet who's favorite number is two. She has two arms, two legs, two eyes, and two mommies. Her mommies names are Mama Jane and Mama Kate. Mama Jane is a carpenter. In Mama Jane's toolbox there are two hammers: one for Mama Jane and one for little Heather. Mama Kate is a doctor. Mama Kate gives Heather aspirin to feel better and puts bandages on her cuts. Mama Jane and Mama Kate tell Heather that she will be joining a play group with a bunch of other kids and a teacher, Molly. One day, while playing with the other kids, a few of the kids start talking about what jobs their daddies have. This makes Heather upset because she doesn't have a daddy and she begins to cry. Molly gives Heather a hug and explains how not everyone has a daddy. She explains how some kids don't have daddies just like Heather and how some kids have two daddies and how each family is special. Molly says, "The most important thing about a family is that all the people in it love each other."

The story of Heather and her two mommies has a very important message. The book allows each child to see that not any one family is the "right" family; that each family is special. Through children's drawings we are able to see what they do with their family members and how being a part of their family makes them happy. The illustrations are in black and white and I wonder what the purpose of this decision was. One strength of these illustrations is the chilren's drawings depicting their family. I feel like it adds a sense of relatability and realness to the book. However, one fear of mine when reading this book is how the stereotype of one lesbian being portrayed in a "manly" way is perpetuated by Mama Jane having short hair and being a carpenter. I do really like the moral of the story, as Molly put it, "The most important thing about a family is that all people in it love each other." I would use this book in my classroom, even as an introductory text to a unit on family, because it does incorporate blended families, nuclear families, single parent families, and adopted families.

My Project Topic

Yes, realizing that its a week before the final project is due, I finally was struck with a topic that I think would be interesting for me. After our professor showed us some GLBTQ picture books, specifically one about penguins and another about two kings, I would like to do some more research on GLBTQ childrens books. What I'm hoping to discover is how GLBTQ is represented without the use of animals or fairy tale characters. How are humans represented in the picture books? Is there a large selection to chose from? Are there stereotypes running rampant through them, or are these books careful to address and dispell stereotypes? Those are a few of the questions I'd like to focus on during my search for books and book reviews.

Thoughts about Boy Meets Boy

Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan certainly raised many questions for me while I was reading. After the discussion in class it seemed like the book did a good job of raising questions for everyone else as well. First and foremost I wonder if Boy Meets Boy is written as a "feed good" novel for young adults, specifically GLBTQ readers. The main character, Paul, does not experience any discrimination based on his sexual orientation at all. This aspect of the novel could be have two different ramifications. Readers who are GLBTQ could respond openly to this Paul character and feel as if he gives them confidence to accept their identity and live it as happily as Paul does. The second result could be students feeling as if Paul's character isn't easy to relate to. From this standpoint, perhaps a reader would be able to relate to Tony's character easier because he deals with the hardship of having disapproving parents. Paul's parents welcome his sexual orientation openly, whereas Tony's parents feel as if they need to "save" him from hell and they eventually ban him from seeing Paul. I like the insertion of Tony's character and the struggles he faces because they feel real. However, I wondered what would the story be like from Tony's point of view? I feel like, after having thought about it further, that the story from Tony's point of view may be too heavy. The issues should be brought up and discussed, but the book would certainly lose its light-hearted comedic aspect.

While I have already briefly touched on the subject of "relatability", I will say that at first I felt like this novel would not be relatable to any young adult readers. However, after further thought and re-reading passages, I realize that many of topics/issues present in the book can be seen as universal. The friendship conflict between Paul and Joni, Paul's feelings when he first meets Noah, fighting with a loved one, sibling relationships (specifically the dynamic between Noah and his younger sister), and love between two friends (Tony and Paul) are some of the universals I discovered. Also, on the behalf of GLBTQ readers, this novel does touch on some of the topics that may be running through their minds, such as when Noah asks Paul "Have you always known?" and when Kyle doesn't want the label of being bisexual and says "Can't it just be what it is?"

One other point I'd like to make after our class discussion is that I like the genre David Levithan chose to "label" this novel as. It really fits in the space between contemporary realistic fiction and fantasy after showing how its a reality that so many people would really like to be true. Its a way to escape into a world with less of a struggle with sexual identity and more focus on friendship and love.

Diary of a Worm

I've recently been introduced to this book and immediately went out and bought it. Entertaining for all ages!

Coretta Scott King Award

Purpose –
The Coretta Scott King Award “promotes understanding and appreciation of the culture of all peoples and their contribution to the realization of the American dream.” This award “encourages the artistic expression of the African American experience” through the arts. This award was first designed to commemorate both the lives of and also work of both Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mrs. Coretta Scott King.

Selection Criteria –
Must portray some aspect of the African American experience, past, present, or future.

Must be written/illustrated by a African American.

Must be published in the U.S. in the year preceding presentation of the Award.

Must be original work

Must be written for a youth audience in one of the three categories:
Preschool–grade 4
Grades 5–8
Grades 9–12

Must meet established standards of quality writing for youth which include:
Clear plot
Well-drawn characters which portray growth and development during the course of the story
Writing style which is consistent with and suitable to the age intended
Accuracy

Particular attention will be paid to titles that seek to motivate readers to develop their own attitudes and behaviors as well as comprehend their personal duty and responsibility as citizens in a pluralistic society.

Illustrations should reflect established qualitative standards and
“heighten and extend the reader's awareness of the world around him. They should lead him to an appreciation of beauty. The style and content of the illustrations should be ... neither coy nor condescending ... Storytelling qualities should enlarge upon the story elements that were hinted at in the text and should include details that will awaken and strengthen the imagination of the reader and permit him to interpret the works and pictures in a manner unique to him.”—Cianciolo, Illustrations in Children's Books (p. 24.25)


Sponsor –
The Coretta Scott King Award was first established in 1969 and later in 1979 expanded to not only includes African American authors but also African American illustrators. The American Library Association (ALA) recognized this award in 1982. The other sponsors of this award include the Johnson Publications in Chicago, IL, the World Book, Encyclopedia Britannica and also Book Wholesalers (BWI).

Selection Committee Qualifications –
Members of the ALA may become a member of EMIERT (Ethnic Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table). Members generally include librarians, library employees or library organizations, and any individuals who are interested in supporting the work of EMIERT.

Present/Past Award Winners:
2007 Winner: Copper Sun by Sharon Draper
2007 Winner for Illustration: Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom Illustrated by Kadir Nelson written by Carole Boston Weatherford
1999 Winner for Illustration: i see the rhythm by Toyomi Igus, illustrated by Michele Wood
1998 Winner: Forged by Fire by Sharon Draper
1997 Winner: Slam! by Walter Dean Myers

Citing:
http://www.ala.org/ala/emiert/corettascottkingbookaward/corettascott.htm
http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/coretta.html

Insider/Outside Debate

After reading over the Patrick Shannon article I Am The Canon: Finding Ourselves in Multiculturalism and the articles written in response to Shannon's article, I find that I lean more towards supporting insider writers versus outsider writers. Insider writers are able to draw upon their personal experiences, as Rudine Sims Bishop states, "it is the way they have been acculturated" (6). A writer who has not experienced the struggles of being of a minority culture wouldn't be able to convey the emotions as accurately as one who has endured them. I'm not saying there aren't noteworthy authors out there who have done the research and possess the "cultural consciousness" necessary to write a powerful book (for example, Donnarae McCann, according to Violet Harris), I would just find an author more credible if he/she is a member of the culture they are trying to portray.

Despite my tendency to lean towards insider authors, I found many parts of Shannon's article to be interesting and worth noting. Shannon discusses how many people tend to classify culture as "us versus 'the other'" instead of realizing that we are all part of culture. He states,

"Culture, then, is not limited to race because it includes region, gender, language, ethnicity, economic class, and other social markers which can demarcate a social group from others. In this broader conceptualization, neither teachers nor anyone else can stand apart from culture, and each is a member of many sub-cultures within her or his social contexts" (2).

The idea that a white, middle-class, Protestant male is not part of a culture is a mistake. Every human is part of the culture as well as every human is a contribution to the diversity of the world we live in. I used to be under the impression that I hadn't experienced diversity until coming to college (I even wrote that in my first post!), but I had yet to realize that diversity is something that is not limited to ethnicity. Diversity can include a variety of abilities or preferences, henceforth making every human being unique and an addition to the world's diversity.

Introduction

Hi, my name is Elizabeth Allen and I am a senior in Elementary Education with a teaching minor in Language Arts. I currently work at an elementary school in Lansing and have a great time learning about how young minds think (and hearing the funny things they say)! My interest in diversity stems from the fact that I've seen what non-diverse classrooms look like, such as my elementary classrooms growing up, and I know how that can hinder a person's world-view later in life. A diverse classroom allows students to learn about other cultures and, as a result, have a better understanding for other students' differences. I didn't get a real dose of diversity until my freshman year of college and it was quite shocking to me to see what I had been missing in terms of knowledge about other cultures. I look forward to the diverse literature we will be reading and learning how to incorporate diversity through literature in our classrooms!