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!