Identifying Authenticity in Children's Multicultural Books

摘要

In recent years, as the nation's racial, ethnic and linguistic diversity grows, there has been an appeal for K-12 classrooms to include more children's and young adult literature that reflect various cultural and ethnic backgrounds (Mendoza & Reese, 2001). Adopting a high-quality multicultural book in a classroom is a critical issue, which brings about emotions related to cultural issues and beliefs that children internalize and perpetuate toward specific cultures portrayed in the book. However, critiques regarding "boutique multiculturalism" (Fish, 1997), a superficial or cosmetic relationship toward diversity (e.g., clothing, ethnic foods and festivals) in children's books provides an opportunity for reflection regarding children's literature. When children's and young adult fiction does not adhere to the core values of multicultural education, it distorts the perception toward certain ethnicities, cultures, languages, and genders (Nel & Paul, 2011), which implicitly affect students' perceptions (Murff, 2020; Paris, 2012). Regardless of the intention, Asian immigrants and Asian Americans are often stigmatized in multicultural education as "successful model minorities." This portrayal contributes toward underrepresentation of gender, poverty, racism, oppression, and economic inequity that most ethnic minorities face (Chae, 2007).