![]() ![]() Look for Tokenism:This is the “one only” message. AAPI are portrayed with slanted eyes or just lines to represent eyes.All AAPI know martial arts or are meek and compliant.AAPI are exotic or their food is exotic/abnormal.AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islanders) are depicted as the “model minority”.Poor people are depicted as passively needing help from others.Disabled people must “overcome” their disabilities rather than just live with their disabilities.Disabled people are not independent or are to be pitied.American Indians live in teepees, carry bows and arrows, or are half-naked in winter.All Muslims are Arab / All Arabs are Muslim.Arab and/or Muslim women are voiceless and passive.African American women are too independent, oversexed, or “welfare moms”.African American men are gang members, oversexed, or underemployed.Latina women are earth mothers or subservient.Latino men talk funny, are lazy, gang members, or wear oversize sombreros,.Book-loving or nonathletic boys and men are “effeminate”.Strong, independent girls and women are “manlike”.BOX 1: Common Harmful/Undermining Stereotypes Books containing stereotypes require you to engage children in critical thinking, but should probably be eliminated from your collection. Also consider if images depict all people as genuine individuals with distinctive (rather than stereotypical) features. The books you choose should depict people compassionately and as real human beings. To alert you to stereotypes in children’s books, as well as other media, it is useful to list all the stereotypes you know about various groups of people as precondition for critically reviewing children’s books. Unfortunately, all of us absorb socially prevailing stereotypes about a range of people, even if we do not consciously subscribe to them. ( See Box 1 below for a list of common, harmful stereotypes). Look for Stereotypes: A stereotype is an oversimplified generalization about a particular identity group (e.g., gender, race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, ability/disability), which usually carries derogatory, inaccurate messages and applies them to ALL people in the group. The number of children of color in the United States continues to rise, but the number of books published by or about people of color stays the same or even decreases. However, while choices have improved over past decades, the lack of quality multicultural kid’s books currently being published has frustrated many communities. Fortunately, there are some good anti-bias children’s books, which are available as a result of the ongoing activism of many individuals and groups over many years. All of the books should be accurate and appealing to young children. ![]() It is important to offer young children a range of books about people like them and their family-as well as about people who are different from them and their family. Consequently, carefully choosing quality children’s books is an indispensable educational and child-rearing task. Children’s books teach children about who is important, who matters, who is even visible. Depending on the quality of the book, they can reinforce (or undermine) children’s affirmative self-concept, teach accurate (or misleading) information about people of various identities, and foster positive (or negative) attitudes about diversity. The visual and verbal messages young children absorb from books (and other media) heavily influence their ideas about themselves and others. They reflect the attitudes in our society about diversity, power relationships among different groups of people, and various social identities (e.g., racial, ethnic, gender, economic class, sexual orientation, and disability). Based on “Ten Quick Ways to Analyze Children’s Books for Racism and Sexism.” Updated in 2013.*Ĭhildren’s books continue to be an invaluable source of information and values.
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