Reading Race: Aboriginality in Australian Children's Literature

by Clare Bradford

In Reading Race, Clare Bradford looks at the ways in which Australia's indigenous peoples have been-and continue to be-represented in books for children. These varying representations have helped to color the attitudes, beliefs and assumptions of different generations of Australians. She offers a ground-breaking and intelligent picture of how Australian children's books, by both white and Aboriginal writers, have negotiated the matter of race.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Race

283 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2001

About the author

Clare Bradford is a professor of literary studies at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia, where she teaches and researches mainly children’s literature. Her 2001 book, Reading Race: Aboriginality in Australian Children’s Literature, won both the Children’s Literature Association Book Award and the IRSCL Award of the International Research Society for Children’s Literature. Clare Bradford’s publications have appeared in Canadian Children’s Literature, Children’s Literature, The Lion and the Unicorn, Papers, and The Children’s Literature Association Quarterly.

Reviews

[Nathaniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great model for anyone analyzing race and/or postcolonialism in children's and YA literature. My only critique is that the author's lack of a conclusion makes it more difficult for readers to see the through-lines of each chapter as well as how she has or has not accomplished her argument. Additionally, many of her chapters seem to end mid-thought, which makes them feel unfinished.

[Claude · Rating 3 out of 5]

I borrows this text from my university library at the recommendation of my current subject co-ordinator (for future me reference: INF205 Literature and Other Resources for Children and Young Adults) and I am fortunate for the reading experience and the insights it brought to my attention for thought.
Obviously things have changed in the 2 decades since this book was published, and having read Bradford's 'Unsettling Narratives' (2017) first I was a bit concerned that this text would be a outdated but but I think this is still a reliable text to refer to; many of the items were discussed are still valid and relevant and I did find a few that I would like to read for myself.
I agree with another comment that Bradford's open-ended chapters can make the discussion feel incomplete but doesn't really detract from the points being made.