Diverse Perspectives in Children's Literature

Cultural, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity has never been more present than it is in our classrooms today. I truly believe that it is my duty as a future educator to get to know each and every one of my students and their ethnic backgrounds if I want them to be successful in our American classrooms. Each individual student has their own cultural background, be it European Americans, Hispanics, Native American, or African Americans, to just name a few. What better way to show these diverse students that I appreciate them and what their diverse cultures have to offer than through the readings of multicultural books.

While reading the chapter on diversity in children's literature, I came across a section that talked about teachers being hesitant when reading "risky" books about different cultures other than their own. I want to make sure that going into this profession I never allow myself to be afraid to share books that will allow students to develop insight into another students cultural world. 

This past semester I read a children's book called Fly Away Home, written by Eve Bunting. The book is about a boy who lives in an airport with his father because they are poor and can not afford a house. His father spends his days looking for a job while the boy tries to not get noticed in the airport. One day the boy sees a bird that is trapped in the airport and feels that he too is trapped, then the bird gets free and the boy begins to feel a sense of hope. There may be children in my classroom who come from low socioeconomic homes who feel that they are trapped, and by reading books such as Fly Away Home it gives the student hope that he too one day will be free or that they are not alone. Another wonderful multicultural book that I love is called The Snowy Day, written by Ezra Jack Keats. It was given to my daughter as a present and we read it together quite a bit. The books tells of a young African American boy who realizes that it snowed over night, the boy is so excited and decides to spend the day exploring outside in snowy neighborhood. I think it is so important that we include multicultural books in our EVERY DAY teachings with our students. Cultures should not only be talked about on special holidays, but should be explored and celebrated on a regular basis.