Rhodes Childrens Literature Bibliography 1

Resources for Children to Promote Racial Tolerance Grace Rhodes Emporia State University February 23, 2011

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Abstract Every person in the world is unique. The celebration of our differences is just as important as finding what makes us the same. Race and ethnicity are no exception. Children need to learn how to respect differences and look for similarities. The materials in this paper are appropriate for elementary and middle school aged children to learn to respect racial differences.

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Resources for Children to Promote Racial Tolerance Description of paper: In this bibliography I attempted to find resources for children, parents, and teachers to encourage dialogue and understanding about racial tolerance. Many of the resources listed address the issues that African-Americans have faced, and are still facing, in this country. I have included books about segregation, Civil Rights, and the Ku Klux Klan. There are also online resources about Black History Month and famous African-Americans. This bibliography is meant to include other races in addition to African-Americans. There are resources for Asian-Americans, Hispanics, Indian, and mixed-race people as well. Members of my own family are mixed race and I especially liked the Mandys Moon and Pattycake Dolls websites for them. It was a bit difficult to find resources for races other than African-American, but I imagine that this is because they have had a longer history of prejudice in America than others. Many of the resources emphasized the fact that the world is becoming more diverse and the importance of understanding and acceptance.

15 Childrens Book about Racial Tolerance/Acceptance:

1. Beaumont, Karen. (2004). I like myself!. New York: Scholastic.

Although race is not explicitly addressed in this book, it is implied in the text and illustrations. The main character is a young black girl who declares that she likes herself. She is pictured on a page with only white people saying theres no one else Id rather be. When a white boy is pictured apparently laughing at her, she says And I dont care in any way what someone else may think or say. The girl points out that she doesnt just like her personality, but she also likes her looks. This book would be good for black children to help them see another child who likes her looks. Children who are not black can also benefit from seeing someone who doesnt look like they do who like their looks. 2. Birtha, Becky. (2005). Grandmamas Pride. Morton Grove, IL: Albert Whitman & Co.

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Set in 1956, this book tells the story of a young African-American girl and her family as they visit their grandmama each year in the South. This year, however, the girl is able to read well enough to notice White Only signs that are typical in the South during this time. She had never known that they were not allowed to do everything they could do at home because her family had always sheltered her. Grandmama tells her about segregation and the girl understands that she never rides the bus because her pride was too tall to fit in the back of a bus. When they visit next summer, after the passage of the Civil Rights Act, her Grandmama is proud to do everything she was not allowed to do before. More about the Civil Rights Act is explained in the authors note included after the story. This is a good book to use to discuss Civil Rights and how we treat others.

3. Brown, Bobbi and Annemarie Iverson. (2000). Bobbi Brown teenage beauty: everything you need to look pretty, natural, sexy and awesome. New York: Cliff Street Books.

The target audience for this book is older girls who will like learning about makeup and other beauty tips. However, it is about more than just makeup. Makeup artist Bobbi Brown includes text that highlights learning to embrace your features and loving yourself. She writes of her own struggles to love her own looks rather than wish to look another way. Browns makeup tips are not limited to one ethnicity. There are chapters for African-Americans, Asians, and Latinas. This book is a good way to show girls that they can love their own looks and appreciate the looks of girls of all races.

4. Clements, Andrew. (2002). The Jacket. New York: Simon & Schuster.

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This chapter book would appeal to older children since the main character, Phil, is a sixth-grader. In the story, Phil fights with a black student, Daniel, whom Phil believes has stolen his brothers jacket. Phil is wrong about Daniel and finds himself wondering how much of his reaction was based on Daniels being black. Until this incident Phil had never considered himself prejudiced, but realizes now that he is. He also comes to understand his parents prejudices as well. This book would be a good way to start a discussion for a class about prejudice or for an individual to self-reflect on their own prejudices.

5. Global Fund for Children, The. (2006). Global babies. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge.

The board book is aimed toward babies and very young children, although anyone will enjoy looking at the beautiful photographs in this book. Babies from seventeen countries all over the world are featured dressed in their native clothes. The text that is included is a message of acceptance and tolerance of the beauty of all children. It is likely that todays American children will grow up knowing children of many races. This book is a good introduction to the different peoples of the world and how they are not so different.

6. Hesse, Karen. (2003). Aleutian sparrow. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books.

This chapter book would be most appropriate for upper elementary and middle school aged students. It is the story of Aleutian islander Vera, whose family is relocated to an internment camp during World War II. In the same way that Japanese-Americans were placed in internment camps, the Aleutian people were moved for their, assumed, own good. Veras story, in unrhymed verse,

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7. Johnston, Tony. (2004). The worm family. New York: Harcourt.

This picture book addressed prejudice by using animals instead of people. A happy family of worms is always on the move because wherever they go, their bug neighbors run them off. No matter what others do to them, the worm family never gets discouraged and continues to be happy to be worms. Although this book is recommended for younger readers, it has some difficult language and would work best read aloud. 8. Kitze, Carrie A. (2003). I dont have your eyes. Warren, NJ: EMK Press.

This book is for adopted children and their families. It acknowledges that although adoptive children do not usually look like their families, but that does not mean that they are not a real family. Many interracial families are shown in loving situations. This book could be a good lesson in families for any child adopted or not. The strongest statement in the book is I dont look like you on the outsidebut I look inside and in our hearts we are the same. This message is an important one when discussing racial tolerance.

9. McKissack, Patricia C. (2007). A Friendship for Today. New York, Scholastic.

In this chapter book a young African-American girl named Rosemary is the only black girl in her newly desegregated class. Rosemary experiences intolerance as she has trouble making friends and has to prove she does not need remedial classes. One of her classmates, Grace, is from a known racist and poor family. Although Grace has been mean to Rosemary in the past, their shared outcast status helps them become friends despite the protests of their parents.

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10. Nettleton, Pamela Hill. (2005). Lets get along! : kids talk about tolerance. Minneapolis, MN: Picture Window Books.

Written in the style of an advice column, this book is about all kinds of tolerance. In fact, racial tolerance is not specifically mention. It is addressed indirectly through the illustrations. The subjects that are mentioned in the text include languages, religion, and cultural traditions. When discussing these topics, race is also a part. Children of different cultures are likely different races. The illustrations in the book reflect this by featuring children of all races pictured equally. This book would be useful for individual use by children or to use as a way to invite discussion in a classroom.

11. Park, Linda Sue. (2005). Project mulberry. New York: Yearling.

This chapter book features Korean-American Julia Song. Julia and her family are the only Korean-Americans in their town and Julia fears being too Korean. When she and her friend Patrick decide to raise silkworms as a class project, Julia worries that their project is not normal enough. Julia recounts other times of racial and cultural insecurity in the story. She remembers how other friends have criticized her mothers Korean cooking. Julia also deals with her mothers prejudices when Julia gets help from a black man for her project.

12. Shaw, M. Beatryce. (2010). Mr. Browne and the rose show. Mustang, OK: Tate Publishing.

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This book aimed and elementary aged children, addresses the issue of race through the example of flowers. In the story, Mr. Browne wishes to enter his beautiful roses in the rose show, but receives criticism for the colors of his flowers. Mr. Brownes roses are all different shades of brown! By the end of the story, everyone has learned that despite the color of the petals, they are all beautiful roses.

13. Uhlberg, Myron. (2005). Dad, Jackie, and me. Atlanta, GA: Peachtree. This book is a Teachers Choice award winner, a Schneider Family book award winner, and a 2007-2008 Mark Twain award nominee. Set in New York in 1947, the story is about a boy who loves baseball and the Brooklyn Dodgers. Although his father has never been a baseball fan, he gets them tickets in hopes of meeting Jackie Robinson. The boy is embarrassed to be at the game with his father. Since his father is deaf, he sounds strange when he cheers for Jackie Robinson. However, everyone yells together when they see players show prejudice against Robinson because he is African-American. The father explains his interest in Jackie Robinson. They both had to overcome prejudice in their lives. Parents and teachers can appreciate how this book addresses two types of prejudice while still appealing to sports fans.

14. Vander Zee, Ruth. (2004). Mississippi Morning. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdman Books for Young Readers.

Set in 1933, this book is the story of a young boy, James William, whose father is the popular owner of a hardware store. James Williams friend, Red, tells him that James Williams father has been heard speaking against the black people in town. His other

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friend, a black boy named LeRoy, tells James William about the Klan and points out the hangin tree. His father refuses to discuss such matters and James William is confused. However, things become clear when he accidentally sees his father in his Klan hood. This is a very surprising book that would most likely need adult explanation. Teachers could use this in class discussion on history and character education.

15. Wood, Douglas. (2003). Old turtle and the broken truth. New York: Scholastic.

In this simply illustrated book, a truth falls from the sky like a falling star and breaks. The animals find one piece, but the other is lost. The animals realize that it is an incomplete truth and so they do not hold on to it. The humans, however, hold tight to the truth: You are loved. This causes trouble because they cannot agree on who the truth is for. A girl goes to the wise old turtle to help find the missing piece of the truth. Once found, she takes the rest of the truth back to the humans: And so are they. Knowing and understanding the whole truth heals humanity. This book is a beautiful way to teach children, and remind adults, that everyone is special no matter what their race, culture, or beliefs.

15 Childrens Websites about Racial Tolerance/Acceptance

1. BrainPOP. (2011). BrainPOP spotlight: black history month. Retrieved from http://www.brainpop.com/spotlight/blackhistorymonth/

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BrainPOP is a website for students and teachers to use to explore various school subjects with fun activities. This page, on black history, is a colorful, interactive page full of links and videos. There is a link to lesson plans for teachers and a quiz about black history. Selecting the various links, which are represented with a picture rather than text, sends you to another page with a short text and video about the subject. Subjects include Oprah Winfrey, Jackie Robinson, the Underground Railroad, and Brown vs. the Board of Education. This website would be fun and useful for teachers or parents to help kids learn more about black history. It is also easy enough to navigate that children could use it on their own as well.

2. Brown Bookshelf, The. (2008, February 8). Patricia C. McKissack. Retrieved from http://thebrownbookshelf.com/2008/02/08/patricia-c-mckissack/

The Brown Bookshelf is a website that promotes literature aimed toward and featuring African-Americans. This article is an interview with childrens author Patricia C. McKissack. In the interview, McKissack discusses why she writes books about AfricanAmericans and the obstacles she has faced for doing so. She says how important it is to deliver a message without being preachy and why it is important for there to be quality multicultural literature available for children. This is a good article for librarians, teachers, and parents to read to help understand and justify the need for books that highlight African-Americans and African-American culture.

3. Carr, Dr. Karen. (2010, October 26). Races and racism for kids. Kidipede. Retrieved from http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/people/races.htm

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Kidipede is an online encyclopedia for children (with lots of pop-up ads). This article on race begins by stating that there is no such thing as race, rather a gradual blending of colors and physical traits, and that these colors and traits tell nothing about a person. Therefore, the information will be about what have been historically believed about race. Then there are links to various peoples. However, these links seem to be incomplete as they do not include all peoples. For example, Caucasians and American Indians are not included. This article was included in this bibliography for its unique stance on races and racism. No other resource I found suggested that there is no such thing as race. It would be an interesting view for parents and teachers to think about and possibly suggest to children when discussing racism. 4. Children, Youth and Womens Health Services of South Australia. (n.d.) What is diversity? Retrieved from http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetailsKids.aspx?p=335&np=286&id=23 45 This article is from the government of South Australias website, which would give another perspective rather than including all American websites. This is an easy to read website that is geared to kids that breaks down what diversity, race, and prejudice are using examples and analogies. It explains that diversity is more than just our looks and that every one of us is diverse from each other no two people are just alike. This page takes the variety is the spice of life approach to diversity and makes it sound like fun.

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5. Cochran, Sylvia. (2010). Blue eyes, brown eyes: teaching Christian kids about discrimination. Families Online Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.familiesonlinemagazine.com/christian_parenting-MLK.html

This Martin Luther King, Jr. Day article is from an online Christian families magazine. The article encourages parents to remember the values of Civil Rights throughout the year in their everyday actions and words toward people of all races. An example of discrimination is the blue eyes/brown eyes activity where children are divided by eye color and treated differently. There is also a list included of potentially racist behavior that the reader is to ask themselves in order to improve their actions and attitudes.

6. Corridan, Kara. (2004, May). Talking about race: age by age. Parents. Retrieved from http://www.parents.com/parenting/better-parenting/teaching-tolerance/talking-about-racewith-kids/

This short online article from Parents magazine describes how children view the physical appearances of others at various ages. It says that even babies can recognize differences in the appearances of others. The article reassures parents that the seemingly rude or racist reactions of their children are actually common to their development. For example, it is common for 4-6 year olds to think that those who look like they do are good and that those who do not are bad. It is the parents job to point out that different is not good or bad. This article is a good introduction for parents to the reactions and responses of children to members of other races.

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7. Happy Artist, The. (2011). The Pattycake Doll Company. Retrieved from http://www.pattycakedoll.com/site/480019/page/45029

This website is dedicated to connecting children of all races with a doll with which they can identify. They offer a wide selection of dolls of all races, especially Asian, Hispanic, and Black. On their homepage is the explanation that although most children are not white most dolls are pink. Pattycake Doll not only offers baby dolls of multiple races, but also more specialized dolls such as boy dolls, potty training dolls, and Down Syndrome dolls. Parents and children who are frustrated with trying to find dolls in stores will appreciate the wide selection available.

8. Huie, Jessica and Huie, Jethro. (2011). Colorblind Cards. Retrieved from http://www.colorblindcards.com/index.php

Colorblind Cards was created after brother and sister Jethro and Jessica Huie could not find a suitable greeting card for a black friend. This British company began with Jessicas daughter and niece as their first models and continues to use real multiethnic children today. A variety of children are pictured on cards for all occasions. These cards are a great option for anyone struggling to find an appropriate card for a particular person or for those who simply wish to appreciate the beauty of a nontraditional model.

9. Levy, Wendi and Etheredge, Kim. (n.d.) Mixed Chicks: a curly revolution. Retrieved from http://www.mixedchicks.net/

This website is an online store that promotes Mixed Chicks hair care products. Besides sections to buy the products, there is also information about and pictures of mixed race

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adults and children. Under the who we are section, the creators of the products discuss the need for hair products that cater to types other than Caucasian hair due to the increasing demand for products for a continually diverse population. The kids section pictures biracial children and show the results of their products. This can be a useful website for parents to find ways to help their children look their best and work with their nontraditional looks.

10. NYU Child Study Center. (1999, December 1). Preparing children for a multicultural world. Retrieved from http://www.aboutourkids.org/articles/preparing_children_multicultural_world

This article contains advice for parents of young children around the age where they will first begin to ask questions about the appearance of others (about three years old). It prepares parents for the types of questions children may ask, and explains why they ask these questions. Suggestions are given for how to respond to certain questions and situations. For example, parents are advised to encourage questions and learning by researching family history with their children. This seems to be an informative article that parents would appreciate reading to prepare themselves for these questions rather than be caught off guard and overreact to a curious child. 11. ONeill, Laurie. (2011). Mandys Moon: personalized multicultural gifts. Retrieved from http://www.mandysmoon.com/Qstore/Qstore.cgi ONeill was inspired to create Mandys Moon after adopting her daughter, Mandy, from Vietnam in 1998. The website was created after she realized how difficult it was to find

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products depicting Asian children. The website now offers products for children of all races. Mandys Moon includes multiethnic dolls and gifts. There is also a wide variety of personalized products such as cards, announcements, and stationary that can be customized to depict each member of the family. This would be a good resource for parents who, like ONeill, are struggling to find products that accurately depict their children.

12. Perkins, Mitali. (2009, April 1). Straight talk on race: challenging the stereotypes in kids' books. School Library Journal. Retrieved from http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6647713.html

This article was written by Indian-American author Mitali Perkins about her experiences with race growing up. She believes that an open dialogue in schools about race is much healthier than choosing to ignore the issue. She also discusses racial stereotypes in childrens literature. A point that is made is about the ways authors describe characters in chapter books to suggest race and how readers imagine characters looking. Also whether book covers really represent the true looks of the main characters or if they are made less ethnic to be more mainstream. Perkins also admits to changing her own book once readers complained of stereotypes. Even though Perkins is a young adult author, her points are relevant for childrens chapter book as well.

13. Sky, Natasha. (n.d.). Resources for multiracial families. Retrieved from http://www.multiracialsky.com

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This website is the creation of multiracial woman as a resource for other multiracial people and for those with multiracial children, either from adoption or not. This website includes many different types of resources such as: books, dolls, and skin toned markers. There are links within the site to articles on how to create a multiracial home environment, talking about races, adoption, taking care of the hair and skin of multiracial children, and more. This is a good resource for parents and children to become comfortable with their identities and to explore more about themselves.

14. Time for Kids. (2011). Black history month. Time for Kids. Retrieved from http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/specials/articles/0,6709,97217,00.html This online resource from Time for Kids is a part of their specials section which also includes child labor, global warming, and Harry Potter. This resource is similar to the BrainPOP webpage because it also is a Black History Month page that includes links. One link goes to an interactive timeline that links to text about the time periods. There are also links to a history quiz, a matching game with the childhood pictures of famous African-Americans, and a section on famous African-Americans in the arts. This is an attractively designed webpage that children would find easy to navigate.

15. Wang, Frances Kai-Hwa. (2011). Asian Pacific American heritage month for kids. Asian-American Village. Retrieved from http://www.imdiversity.com/villages/asian/history_heritage/wang_asian_heritage_month _kids.asp

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Information about Asian-Americans is not as easy to find as it is for African-Americans. This article highlights the contributions of Asians and Asian-Americans on everyday American culture. Young Asian-Americans who feel that they do not fit in would benefit from reading through this information. Children who are unfamiliar with Asian culture and contributions would also be interested. Some of the information given is famous Asian-Americans (like Apolo Ohno), games and entertainment (like kites), and other contributions and invention (like frost resistant oranges).