Stories Matter: The Complexity of Cultural Authenticity in Children's Literature

by Dana L. Fox (Editor), Kathy G. Short (Editor)

The controversial issue of cultural authenticity in children's literature resurfaces continually, always eliciting strong emotions and a wide range of perspectives. This collection explores the complexity of this issue by highlighting important historical events, current debates, and new questions and critiques.

Genres: Teaching, Education, Nonfiction, Theory

340 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2003

Reviews

[Romie · Rating 3 out of 5]

really interesting book if you want to learn more about multiculturalism in children's books and see different perspectives on it.

p.s.: this is now a stan account for Thelma Seto and Mingshui Cai (3.5)

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw Dr. Kathy Short at the Spicola Conference today and picked up this book. Her keynote was about the importance of story. This book goes a step further and and explores story and multicultural literature. Each chapter is by a different author, each with a different perspective.

Some of the writers believe that only people of a culture should write literature for that culture while others counter that even people of a particular culture do not always have the best perspective and have made errors in their books in the past. Some cited examples of books written by outsiders under pen names that won critical acclaim for accuracy, even from those within the culture. There are plenty of examples on both sides of good and bad literature written by people outside a culture. The most "authentic" literature is carefully researched and authenticated before publication.

One write dared to say that all literature is multicultural literature and I agree. One thing this anthology was missing was a perspective of the wide range of cultures even in the "white" culture. The culture here in Texas is different from the culture in Wisconsin where I grew up or Minnesota where I went to college and if I wanted to break it down further, being a Confessional Lutheran changes my culture even more. Perhaps I will write an essay about that (and maybe it will get published in a follow up to this book).

I think this is a great book for teachers to read. It has some valid points about books and how to use and not use them in the classroom. It was very readable.

[Cara Byrne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though published in 2003, this book features insightful articles by renowned authors and critics, including Jacqueline Woodson and Henry Louis Gates Jr.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

great set of essays. I am actively using this for reference and further reading. My favorite essay is by Jacqueline Woodson titled "Who can Tell My Story".

[Kim Pickens · Rating 2 out of 5]

Uneven, some parts are good, some are hard to read, it's pretty repetitive.