Art, Music & Language Arts 10 Quick Ways to Analyze Childrens Books for Racism & Sexism

Read 3 childrens books and comment on each of the topics as described by the accompanying handout. Book: The Night Before First Grade Author: Natasha Wing In the story the main character Penny is white. Her best friend Jenny is African American. Her teacher is Hispanic. The children in the classrooms are all from different ethnicities as well. Penny the main character is white. Most of the supporting characters are people of color. The vibe I received from the book is that all of the families were that of the middle or higher class. Book: Hansel and Gretel Author: Rachel Isadora The main characters, Hansel and Gretel are African American. The story also takes place in Africa. All of the characters are African American. Hansel and Gretel are the main characters. But, the storyline makes Hansel the strong/brave character. In the story they state that the father is very poor. This is why the wicked stepmother leaves them in the forest. Book: Standing on My Own Two Feet Author: Tamara Schmitz The main character, Addison is a young white male. Throughout the book he explains how his parents are divorced and he lives in two separate homes.

1. Check the illustrations

2. Check the story line

3. Look at the lifestyles

This story doesnt have much diversity. It just explains divorce through the words of Addison. The lifestyle that Addison, through the illustrations, it looks like he lives in a suburban area.

Art, Music & Language Arts 10 Quick Ways to Analyze Childrens Books for Racism & Sexism
4. Weigh the relationships between people The book never favors Penny (who is white) over her best friend Jenny (who is African American.) The relationship between Hansel, Gretel, and the father is shown as strong. The relationship between the stepmother and the wicked witch is shown as dark and evil. The relationship between Addison and his parents is very positive. He explains through the story that even though his parents arent together they both love him very much. They are a white family who lives in suburbia. There isnt a set hero of this story. But, Addison is the hero because hes the main character explaining his home life. This book would be excellent to read to a group of children. Many children live is two different households due to divorce. This book would be able to make a connection in a positive way.

5. Note the heroes

The hero of the book would be Jenny.

6. Consider the effect on childs self-image

The book is full of diverse characters. I fell confident that every child in a center would be able to connect with at least one of the characters in the story.

Hansel is the hero for leading them home. But, Gretel is also a hero because she is the one who kills the witch. This book would have a more of an effect on African American childrens self-image. But, I think its a great book because it shows that all of the fairy tales doesnt have to just have white/rich characters in them. In this version, it helps introduce different

Art, Music & Language Arts 10 Quick Ways to Analyze Childrens Books for Racism & Sexism
cultures. Especially since it takes place in Africa. Rachel Isadora is a middle aged white woman from New York City. She has written several classic tales which all take place in Africa. I think the Isadora did an excellent job of portraying a family in an Africa setting. Even though shes from New York, she was able to a diverse vibe across to the reader. I didnt notice any loaded words in this book.

7. Consider the authors or Natasha Wing is a middle illustrators background aged white woman from Connecticut who now lives in Colorado.

Tamara Schmitz is a middle aged white women from Ohio.

8. Check out the authors perspective

The story is about friendship and going to school. I think the story and the illustrations correctly demonstrated this.

I wasnt able to find out if Schmitz parents divorced. But, I do believe she lived in suburbia.

9. Watch for loaded words There werent any loaded words in this book.

There werent any loaded words in this book.

10. Look at the copyright date

The books copyright date is 2005.

The books copyright date is 2009.

The books copyright date in 2008.