Multicultural Children's Literature

Finding Multicultural Children’s Literature in the Education Library

Searching for multicultural picture books and novels when you know the book title.

Check out award winners and book lists. When you find titles that interest you, do a “Title” search in the UBC Library Catalogue.

Searching for multicultural picture books and novels when you do not have a book title

Try Pika : database of Canadian children's books / National Library of Canada. (Includes English and French books) http:// www.nlc-bnc.ca/pika/

Think specifically about what you are looking for: books from a particular culture? Books from a particular country? Books on tolerance and anti-racism?

1. Formulate search terms. For instance, if you are looking for books on the Asian immigrant experience, useful search times might include:

Asian Asian-American/Asian-Canadian Chinese Japanese Immigrant Refugee

2. Search these terms using the “Keyword (use AND, OR, NOT, or a “phrase”) option in the UBC Catalogue. Pair the terms with either “PZ4.9” (the call number for picture books in the Education Library) or “PZ7” (the call number for novels in the Education Library).

For example:

Asian and “pz7” [for novels dealing with Asian characters or themes]

Chinese and “pz4.9” [for picture books dealing with Chinese characters or themes]

You can also search for information on children’s literature from a certain country using the “Subject Heading starts with” option in the UBC Catalogue.

For example:

Children’s literature, Chinese – History and criticism Children’s literature, French-Canadian – History and criticism Children’s literature, Latin American – History and criticism

Guides for Selection

These books contain selection guidelines, recommended readings lists, and strategies for using multicultural children’s books with young people. Unless otherwise noted, are all available at the Education library.

Multicultural children’s literature: through the eyes of many children PS 153.M56 N675 2009

Understanding diversity through novels and picture booksPR K56 U53 2007 (Xwi7xwa Library)

Crossing boundaries with children’s books Z 1037.A1 C825 2006

A broken flute: the Native experience in books for children E 77.4 B76 2005

Ethnic book awards: a directory of multicultural literature for young readers Z 1037 A2 Y67 2005

Building character through multicultural literature: a guide for middle school readersZ 1037 J935 2004

Kaleidoscope: a multicultural booklist for grades K-8 E 184.A1 K34 2003

Hearing all the voices: multicultural books for adolescents Z 1037.A1 D18 2002

Promoting a global community through multicultural children’s literature LC 1090 S743 2001

Learning with literature in the Canadian elementary classroom LB 1575.5 C3 B335 1999

Websites

These websites offer booklists, news, and/or selection criteria.

Cooperative Children’s Book Center: Resources on Multicultural Literature http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/books/multicultural.asp

Book lists include “Fifty Multicultural Books Every Child Should Know” and a very useful set of recommended links. The International Board on Books for Young People is a non-profit organization with a mission to “promote international understanding through children’s books.” The “News” and “Books for Africa, Books From Africa” portion of the site are especially noteworthy. http://www.ibby.org/

BC Books Online http://resources.library.ubc.ca/1590

Dual Language Books Database

http://www.rahatnaqvi.ca/dldb/database.php

International Children’s Digital Library http://en.childrenslibrary.org/

This free online library is maintained as part of an extensive research project at the University of Maryland. The library has over 4,000 books in 54 different languages from 228 countries.

Library and Archives Canada: All the World’s Children http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/read-up-on-it/015020-033000-e.html

Library and Archives Canada http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/childrenliterature/index-e.html offers a program called “Read Up On It,” wherein librarians and children’s literature specialists select books and resources on a particular theme. In 2003, the theme was “All The World’s Children,” and recommended titles are organized by age and language – a stellar Canadian resource. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/read-up-on-it/015020-031000-e.html and Aboriginal Stories http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/read-up-on-it/015020-060000-e.html

Oyate is an American non-profit group dedicated to promoting authentic First Nations literature. See the “Books to Avoid” section for useful guidelines on selecting culturally accurate First Nations books for young people. http://www.oyate.org

Papertigers.org http://www.papertigers.org

This website deals specifically with multicultural books for children written in English; offers dozens of useful book lists organized geographically.

South Asia and the South Asian diaspora in children’s literature: an annotated bibliography http://www.poojamakhijani.com/sakidlit.html

Detailed, annotated booklists of South Asian picturebooks, folk and fairy tales, and young adult books.

A World of Difference Institute: Recommended Multicultural and Anti-Bias Books for Children http://www.adl.org/bibliography/

Book lists are organized by genre and include age recommendations.

Blogs

These blogs offer a combination of news, reviews, and opinions from authors and illustrators interested in promoting multicultural literature for young people; blogs are a great way to find out about new books and hot topics.

The Brown bookshelf: united in story http://thebrownbookshelf.com/

A group of African American children’s authors maintain this blog which “is designed to push awareness of the myriad of African American voices writing for young readers.”

Color online http://coloronline.blogspot.com/

This blog “focuses on women writers of color for adults YA and children.” Includes succinct reviews of current multicultural children’s literature authored by women.

Mitali’s fire escape: a safe place to chat about books between cultures http://www.mitaliblog.com/

Mitali Perkins, an Indian-American children’s writer, provides news and reviews about all aspects of multicultural literature for young people. One of the best places to find news about multicultural children’s books on the web.

Awards

Lists of award-winning books can provide an excellent starting point for discovering some of the best multicultural literature for young people. Lists of current and past award winners can be found at each award’s website.

Batchelder Award http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/batchelderaward/index.cfm

The American Library Association (ALA) issues this award to “a children's book considered to be the most outstanding of those books originally published in a language other than English in a country other than the United States, and subsequently translated into English and published in the United States.”

Coretta Scott King Award http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/rts/emiert/cskbookawards/recipients.cfm

The ALA’s award for books authored and/or illustrated by African-Americans.

IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion Award http://www.ibby.org/index.php?id=272

Awarded every two years to groups or institutions that make “a lasting contribution to reading promotion programmes for children and young people.”

IBBY Honour List http://www.ibby.org/index.php?id=270

A biennial selection of outstanding books for young people; selections come from all over the world.

Pura Belpre Award http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/belpremedal/belpreabout/index.cfm

Administered by the ALA, this award is for a children’s book by a Latino/Latina writer or illustrator.

White Ravens http://www.childrenslibrary.org/servlet/WhiteRavens

Chosen by the International Youth Library, the White Ravens are awards given to outstanding newly-published books from around the world.

Presentation Topics

1. “Folklore / folktales” Touch magic : fantasy, faerie & folklore in the literature of childhood GR43.C4 Y64 2000 Education Library

Traditional storytelling today : an international sourcebook / edited by Margaret Read MacDonald -- LB1042 .M337 1999

Browse the following call numbers: GR PZ 7.3 and PZ 8.1

2. “Multicultural children’s literature from a Canadian perspective”

Parungao, P. Canada's Year of Asia Pacific Multicultural Bibliography 1997 Z1395.E4 P37 1997

Saltman, J. & Edwards, G. Looking at Ourselves Looking at Others Multiculturalism in Canadian children’ picture books in English http://www.hbic.library.utoronto.ca/vol3edwardssaltman_en.htm

Pantaleo,Sylvia. Exploring Canadian Identity Through Canadian Children’s Literature ReadingOnline http://www.readingonline.org/international/inter_index.asp?HREF=/international/pantaleo/index.html

Ingrid Johnston; Jyota Mangat Cultural Encounters in the Liminal Spaces of Canadian Picture Books http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all~content=a713656836

Home words : discourses of children's literature in Canada / Mavis Reimer, editor -- PS8069 .H65 2008 @ Koerner

3. “The selection of multicultural children’s literature”

Guides for Selection http://wiki.ubc.ca/Multicultural_Children%27s_Literature#Guides_for_Selection

Multicultural Children's Literature: Creating and Applying an Evaluation Tool in Response to the Needs of Urban Educators http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/multicultural/higgins.htm#evaluation

Choosing High Quality Children's Literature/Multicultural Literature http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Choosing_High_Quality_Children%27s_Literature/Multicultural_Literature

4. “Aboriginal children’s literature”

Tips for finding Canadian Aboriginal Children’s Books:

Resources for evaluation of books: • A Broken Flute by Doris Seale and Beverly Slapin ( Ed. Lib.E77.4 .B76 2005) • Oyate http://www.oyate.org/

Aboriginal Books for Schools http://books.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/2008-AbCat.pdf (2008-2009) http://books.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/ABPBC-2009-Aboriginal-catalogue-WEB.pdf (2009-2010)

Xwi7Xwa Library Resources: http://www.library.ubc.ca/xwi7xwa/kids.htm

Publishers of First Nations Children’s Books • Theytus Press • Orca • Good Minds

Call number areas for: Picture Books PZ4.9 Traditional Tales E98-E99 Novels PZ7

Multimedia - Keep your eyes open. The big trend in First Nations children's literature is to create bilingual picture books with sound recordings in both languages. An example of one of these books is Yamozha and His Beaver Wife, which is told in both English and Dogrib. (Ed. Lib. E99 T4 Y34 2007)

Haida-Manga Animation "Flight of the Hummingbird" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi5u7A9DRAc

UBC Library of Congress search terms for Aboriginal materials: • “Indians of North America” - can narrow search with specific group o ie. “Indians of North America” and Navajo • “First Nations” – will result in materials at the Xwi7Xwa Library

5. “Paul Yee author study” Paul Yee [videorecording] / a School Services of Canada production -- PR9343.E412 Z52 1991 Video Becoming a writer : a lecture given at … by Paul Yee -- PS8597.E3 Z53 2007 @ Rare Books & Sp.Coll.

6. “ Eric Kimmel author study”

7. “The immigrant experience” Winnick, N. Immigration Weigl JV7220 .I439 2009 Hodge, D. Kids book of Canadian immigration JV7220 .H62 2006

8. “ Multicultural poetry”

Library Archives Read Up On It Poetry http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/read-up-on-it/015020-041000-e.html

Browse the children's poetry section PZ 8.29 and PZ 8.3

Poetry in literature for youth / Angela Leeper [Ch. 5 especially] -- Z1037 .L348 2006 Cultural journeys : multicultural literature for children and young adults / Pamela S. Gates, Dianne L. Hall Mark [Ch. 8 especially] -- PN1009.5.M84 G38 2006

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