Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults

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Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults Reflections on Critical Issues

Mingshui Cai

Book Code: GM1244

ISBN: 0-313-31244-3

ISBN-13: 978-0-313-31244-1

DOI:

224 pages, figures

Greenwood Press

Publication: 10/30/2002

List Price: $102.95 (UK Sterling Price: £59.95)

Availability: In Stock

Media Type: Hardcover

Also Available: Ebook

Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4

Subjects:

Series Title: Contributions to the Study of World Literature

Series Number: 116

Reviews:

This volume is helpful in clarifying conflicts, discussing both good and bad examples of multicultural books, suggesting directions for further study, and providing lists of print sources and Web sites for additional information....Recommended. Readers at all levels.
—Choice July/August 2003
[A]n intelligent, lucid, and thoughtful study ... perhaps the most thorough account of the conflicts surrounding multicultural literature to date, and it provides helpful suggestions on how multicultural literature can be used and explored in standard curriculums of elementary and high schools.
—The Journal of Children's Literature Studies November 2004
[A]ny school or curriculum serious about its importance will find Multicultural Literature For Children & Young Adults to be an essential reference. This examines the foundations of issues related to such literature, critiquing multicultural literature both individually and as a whole, and analyzing the role of authors and readers in contributing experience....[A] critical assessment of the field as a whole which provides many important imsights to parents and teachers alike.
—Library Bookwatch April 2003

Endorsement From Rudine Sims Bishop
The Ohio State University: Mingshui Cai offers a clear path through the minefield of controversies and dilemmas that plague discussions of multicultural literature for children and young adults. This timely and important book speaks to both advocates and opponents of multicultural children's literature with well-reasoned arguments and sensible suggestions. It is a must read for all those who care about children's literature and its role in helping to inform and empower intelligent citizens of a multicultural, democratic society.

Description: There is much discussion of multiculturalism in education. This is especially true of multicultural literature for children and young adults. The rise of multicultural literature is a political rather than a literary movement; it is a movement to claim space in literature and in education for historically marginalized social groups rather than one to renovate the craft of literature itself. Multicultural literature has been closely bound with the cause of multiculturalism in general and thus has been confronted with resistance from conservatives. This book discusses many of the controversial issues surrounding multicultural literature for children and young adults. The volume begins with a look at some of the foundational and theoretical issues related to multicultural literature. The second part of the book addresses issues related to the creation and critique of multicultural literature, including the authorship of such works and the role of the reader in determining whether or not a work is multicultural. The third looks at the place of multicultural literature in the education of children and young adults. Throughout its discussion, the book makes extensive references to a large body of multicultural fiction and provides a thorough review of research on this important topic.

Table of Contents:

Preface
Issues Related to the Concept of Multicultural Literature
Defining Multicultural Literature
Classifying Multicultural Literature
Issues Related to the Creation and Critique of Multicultural Literature
Imagination, Ethnicity, and Cultural Authenticity
Reader Response Theory and the Author Role in Multicultural Literature
Stereotyping and the Politics of Representation
Culturally Correct and the Evaluation of Multicultural Literature
Issues Related to the Use of Multicultural Literature in Education
Crossing Cultural Borders
From Informing to Empowering
Investigating Reader Responses to Multicultural Literature
Appendix: Web Sites Related to Multicultural Literature
Index

LC Card Number: 2002017139

LCC Class: PN1009

Dewey Class: 809


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