Multicultural Literature Survey Allison Jenkins LS 5903 Vardell Summer 2006

Multicultural Literature Children not only need to read literature that they can find themselves depicted within, but they need to reach beyond the confines of their own culture to experience others as well. "Children need the opportunity to view issues from a variety of perspectives, to think critically about social constraints, and to engage in decisions that result in action. They need to understand concepts from various perspectives and deal with issues of oppression and human rights.“ (Pang, et al.) By reading multicultural literature and opening oneself up to other possibilities, it helps foster feelings of tolerance and understanding. Multicultural literature helps children build their view of themselves and the variety of those around them.

Colleyville, Texas Website: Population: 21,700 Racial Makeup:93.14% White 3.23% Hispanic/Latino 3.15% Asian American 1.31% African American 0.39% Native American 0.03% Pacific Islander 0.59% Other Race 1.40% Two or More Races

Age of LibraryOpened November 24, 2003 Years of Experience of Current Librarian2 years in September # of Items in Library Collection41,811 # of Circulations for Library Since July 1, ,881 # of Items in Youth Services Dept.15,390 # of Circulations for YS Dept. Since July 1, ,217 Selected Multicultural Books in Collection142 titles / 179 items # of Circulations of Selected Multicultural Books958 % of Selected Multicultural Books of Total Youth Services Collection 0.92% % Circulation of Selected Multicultural Books of Total Youth Services Circulation 1.56%

International Authors David Almond# of Copies# of Circulations 1Counting Stars15 2The Fire-Eaters10 3Heaven Eyes12 4Kit’s Wilderness11 5Secret Heart10 6Skellig15 Total611

International Authors Mem Fox# of Copies# of Circulations 1A Bedtime Story18 2Boo to a Goose119 3Feathers and Fools11 4Guess What?12 5Harriet, You’ll Drive Me Wild19 6Hattie and the Fox110 7Hunwick’s Egg13 8Koala Lou214 9The Magic Hat114 10Night Noises16 11Possum Magic18

International Authors 12Sleepy Bears120 13Sophie10 14Time for Bed321 15Tough Boris22 16Where is the Green Sheep?14 17Whoever You Are10 18Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge Wombat Divine13 Total24159

International Authors Cornelia Funke# of Copies# of Circulations 1Dragon Rider238 2Inkheart260 3Inkspell116 4Pirate Girl14 5The Princess Knight123 6The Thief Lord232 7The Wildest Brother13 Total10176

International Authors German author Cornelia Funke is the most popular international author surveyed. Many of her books are available in both print and compact disc formats. Though she has a significantly lower number of titles than Mem Fox, her fantasy novels remain young readers’ favorites. Fox also shows strong circulation records, but only a few of her titles circulate on a regular basis. Many others are overlooked. Though David Almond’s books have been recognized by the Michael L. Printz Award committee, his books are ignored by the library’s younger patrons. All book jacket images were taken from the Colleyville OPAC.

African American Authors Christopher Paul Curtis# of Copies# of Circulations 1Bucking the Sarge35 2Bud, Not Buddy218 3Mr. Chickee’s Funny Money 23 4The Watsons Go to Birmingham Total930

African American Authors Angela Johnson# of Copies# of Circulations 1The First Part Last17 2Heaven112 3I Dream of Trains118 4Just Like Josh Gibson13 5The Leaving Morning10 6Looking for Red24 7One of Three11 8Running Back to Ludie10 9Violet’s Music18 10When I Am Old With You10 Total1153

African American Authors Jerry Pinkney# of Copies# of Circulations 1Back Home21 2Black Cowboy, Wild Horses112 3Goin’ Someplace Special12 4John Henry28 5Miranda and Brother Wind20 6New Shoes for Silvia16 7Nightingale14 8Sam and the Tigers27 9The Sunday Outing24 10The Tales of Uncle Remus15 11Tanya’s Reunion10 Total1649

African American Authors Mildred Taylor# of Copies# of Circulations 1The Land16 2Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry 215 3The Well: David’s Story10 Total321 Jacqueline Woodson# of Copies# of Circulations 1Hush15 2If You Come Softly13 3Locomotion13 4Miracle’s Boys14 Total415

African American Authors Angela Johnson has the highest number of circulations among the selected African American authors. Her books include young adult and juvenile novels, as well as picture books. Her picture book, I Dream of Trains, and Christopher Paul Curtis’s Newbery Medal winner, Bud, Not Buddy, have circulated more than any other African American title. Jerry Pinkney also has a large number of titles that circulate well. As both author and illustrator, he has developed many picture books and non-fiction titles for children.

Hispanic/Latino Authors George Ancona# of Copies# of Circulations 1The Folk Arts12 Total12 Pat Mora# of Copies# of Circulations 1Tómas and the Library Lady113 2Uno, Dos, Tres117 Total230

Hispanic/Latino Authors Pam Muñoz Ryan# of Copies# of Circulations 1Becoming Naomi León12 2Esperanza Rising211 3Riding Freedom15 4When Marian Sang23 Total621

Hispanic/Latino Authors Gary Soto# of Copies# of Circulations 1Accidental Love11 2The Afterlife112 3Canto Familiar11 4Chato and the Party Animals216 5Chato Goes Cruisin’16 6Chato’s Kitchen317 7Marisol17 8Nickel and Dime10 9The Old Man and His Door17 10Pacific Crossing12 11Poetry Lover11 12Too Many Tamales29 Total1679

Hispanic/Latino Authors Despite the limited number of selected Hispanic titles, the library’s collection includes many of the popular titles and award winners. Well-known author, Pam Muñoz Ryan only has a handful of titles within the collection. Esperanza Rising was a Bluebonnet Award Nominee in 2003 and the 2002 Pura Belpré Award Winner. Another one of her juvenile fiction titles, Becoming Naomi León was one of this year’s Pura Belpré Honor Books. Two of Gary Soto’s picture books, including Chato’s Kitchen and Chato and the Party Animals were Pura Belpré Award winners for illustration.

Native American Authors Joseph Bruchac# of Copies# of Circulations 1The Arrow Over the Door17 2A Boy Called Slow12 3Code Talker10 4The Earth Under Sky Bear’s Feet10 5Four Ancestors10 6The Heart of a Chief10 7Hidden Roots17 8Jim Thorpe’s Bright Path10 9The Journal of Jesse Smoke11 10Skeleton Man111 The Story of the Milky Way18 12Thirteen Moons on Turtle’s Back10 13Turtle’s Race with Beaver19 Total1345

Native American Authors Michael Dorris# of Copies# of Circulations 1Morning Girl22 2Sees Behind Trees13 Total35 Paul Goble# of Copies# of Circulations 1Death of the Iron Horse13 2The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses19 3Iktomi and the Buzzard11 Total313

Native American Authors The library has a very small selection of Native American books and has no titles by Native American author, Cynthia Leitich Smith. Almost half of Joseph Bruchac’s titles have never circulated. The most popular titles include the Caldecott Medal winner, The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses, and the juvenile novel, Skeleton Man. This collection of titles are vastly overlooked and go unnoticed. The library should acquire more Native American titles and promote them using displays throughout the children’s collection. Recommended reading lists could be developed to guide readers toward Native American literature.

Asian American Authors Allen Say# of Copies# of Circulations 1The Bicycle Man12 2The Boy of the Three-Year Nap13 3Emma’s Rug19 4Grandfather’s Journey327 5The Lost Lake15 6The Sign Painter19 7Tea with Milk113 8Tree of Cranes18 Total1076

Asian American Authors Linda Sue Park# of Copies# of Circulations 1The Firekeeper’s Son110 2The Kite Fighters218 3Project Mulberry26 4Seesaw Girl11 5A Single Shard12 6When My Name Was Keoko14 Total841 Janet Wong# of Copies# of Circulations 1Apple Pie Fourth of July18 Total18

Asian American Authors Laurence Yep# of Copies# of Circulations 1The Boy Who Swallowed Snakes17 2Cockroach Cooties20 3Dragon Prince17 4Dragonwings16 5Dream Soul15 6The Ghost Fox11 7Hiroshima10 8The Journal of Wong Ming-Chung10 9Lady of Ch'iao Kuo17 10The Lost Garden10 11Spring Pearl: The Last Flower113 Total1246

Asian American Authors The titles by the selected Asian American authors circulate fairly well and there is a large diversity among racial ethnicities. Laurence Yep and Janet Wong focus on Chinese American literature, while Linda Sue Park creates Korean American characters and Allen Say concentrates on Japanese literature. These authors choose to focus on the various cultural groups that make up Asians and Asian Americans. Their stories are not only limited to American settings, but travel back to the culture’s original country.

Inclusive Literature Nancy Garden# of Copies# of Circulations 1Endgame10 2The Year They Burned the Books14 Total24 Isaac Millman# of Copies# of Circulations 1Howie Bowles and Uncle Sam13 2Howie Bowles, Secret Agent14 3Moses Goes to a Concert19 4Moses Goes School114 5Moses Goes to the Circus116 6Moses Sees a Play15 Total651

Inclusive Literature Naomi Shihab Nye# of Copies# of Circulations 119 Varieties of Gazelle12 2I Feel Jumpy Around You10 3Is This Forever or What?22 4A Maze Me21 5Sitti’s Secrets114 6What Have You Lost?11 Total820

Inclusive Literature The library does not own any titles by inclusive author, Michael Wilhoite. Inclusive literature makes up the lowest percentage of the selected multicultural titles. With only fourteen titles, the youth services collection has very few books on characters with disabilities and gay or lesbian characters. Because of the conservative community it serves, the library is especially careful about which children’s titles it selects that focus on homosexuality or alternative families. This prejudicial selection, however, limits young readers’ exposure to alternative lifestyles, and perhaps their own.

Results Total Number of Titles Percent of Total Collection International African American Hispanic/Latino Native American Asian American Inclusive Total %

Results Analysis Based on the results of the multicultural literature survey, the Colleyville Public Library has a long way to go in providing its youngest patrons with a diverse and authentic youth services collection. It was found that out of the twenty-four possible multicultural authors the library has titles by twenty-two of the selected authors. No books are owned by the Native American author, Cynthia Leitich Smith, and the inclusive author, Michael Wilhoite. Between the 22 selected authors, there were 179 items, which includes duplicate copies and books on compact disc. Of those items, the library's collection consists of only 142 unique titles. In comparison to the 15,390 volumes in the Youth Services collection, the selected multicultural titles make up a fraction of the books on the shelves. They make up a dismal 0.92 percent of the total items in the children's collection. Circulation statistics were acquired and based on a one year period beginning on July 1, 2005 and running through July 24, The circulation statistics are slightly better than the library's holdings. Of the 61,217 circulations within the children's collection, 958 of those were multicultural titles. The percentage of circulations for the selected books in comparison to the total number of circulations comes out to 1.56 percent. The low circulation and title numbers are partially justified because the library has not even been open for three years. The youth services librarian is in the process of building up the children's and young adult collections. There are numerous award winners, honor books, and nominees that the library is still lacking. As funding allows, the librarian is attempting to fill in these gaps.

Results Analysis Cont’d With three authors and 346 circulations, the selected international authors have circulated more frequently than any other culture. Cornelia Funke's fantasy novels and picture books make her a popular choice among Colleyville's young readers. Her novel, Inkheart has circulated an astounding sixty times. The children's collection has more Mem Fox titles than any other author. Her nineteen picture books circulate almost as well as Funke's. In turn, the Native American titles circulate the least. With only three of the four selected authors, the Colleyville Public Library's eighteen books have only been checked out sixty-three times. Though the collection contains numerous Joseph Bruchac titles, almost half of them have never circulated in the previous year. Keeping in mind the city's racial makeup, the multicultural titles that circulate the most (aside from the international books) are those that correspond to the highest minority percentages. The materials depicting Asian Americans, African Americans, and Hispanics or Latinos have the next highest circulation records. In turn, the city has a very low Native American population, which correlates with the disappointing circulation statistics for the past year. However, multicultural literature is not written solely for the ethnic group it portrays. Sandra S. Yamate states, "When it comes to multicultural children's books, a dangerous stereotype exists. This stereotype insists that multicultural books are only intended for the particular racial or ethnic group represented." (105) This is an unhealthy notion and stereotype that limits children from experiencing cultures other than their own.

Results Analysis Cont’d By reading literature that focuses on one ethnicity, children develop a distorted and homogenous view of the world. Multicultural literature helps break down these barriers and provide young readers with a more accurate representation of the world's population. Even though the Colleyville Public Library services a population, in which the majority of patrons are Caucasian, does not mean that it should not provide a balanced and diverse children's collection. Though the circulation statistics and titles lists appear limited, one should keep in mind that the survey only encompasses a select list of authors and books. Overall, the Colleyville Public Library offers its patrons a fairly diverse collection, especially in young adult fiction. However, my first recommendation for strengthening and building a more comprehensive collection would be to purchase all the award winners and honor books for those given by the American Library Association. This includes, but is not limited to, the Pura Belpré Award, the Batchelder Award, and the Coretta Scott King Book Awards. By using these award lists as collection development tools, the library will be able to add authentic and quality titles to their collection. In addition to these awards, the librarian should utilize the selection resources known for promoting multicultural literature, such as Bookbird and School Library Journal. Also, by browsing publishers' catalogs, the library will be able to locate appropriate books to add to its collection. Then the librarian should focus on building up the inclusive literature within the library, since this is the area with the fewest amounts of titles.

Results Analysis Cont’d Finally, the library should work to promote the multicultural literature it already owns. By creating recommended reading lists, patrons can easily locate multicultural award winners and books based on a specific culture or ethnicity. Setting up displays throughout the children's section and in the main entryway of the library will attract the patrons' attention. The key is placing the books in plain sight and making them easily accessible. Patrons are always asking for reading suggestions. This provides the youth services librarian the opportunity to booktalk the multicultural titles within the children's collection on a one-on-one basis. The Youth Services department can also incorporate multiculturalism into its programs. By offering multilingual story times, children can be introduced to various cultures and languages. It provides the chance to dispel the stereotypes and preconceived notions about certain cultures. It allows children to ask or address any questions or concerns they may have about a foreign custom. A family craft time could be arranged, so long as the librarian researches the cultural significance of the craft and does not stereotype cultural groups with projects, such as dream catchers and pi ñatas. In addition to the story times and family programs, the library can participate in annual cultural events, such as El Día de Los Niños: El D Día de Los Libros. The idea is to get the children in the community to actively participate and be exposed to cultures other than their own.

Multicultural Publishers Albert Whitman and Company Alyson Publications Arte Público Press Del Sol Books, Inc. Greenfield Press Just Us Books Kane/Miller Book Publishers Lee and Low Multicultural Books Mantra Publishing Polychrome Publishing

Multicultural Websites American Library Association Literary Awards Asia for Kids Barahona Center for the Study of Books in Spanish for Children and AdolescentsBarahona Center for the Study of Books in Spanish for Children and Adolescents El Día de Los NiñosEl Día de Los Niños Happy Ever Afters International Board on Books for Young People International Reading Association Michigan State Libraries: Multicultural Children’s Literature Multicultural Pavilion Oyate Shen’s Books Texas Library Association Reading Lists United States Board on Books for Young People

Multicultural Resources Journals Bookbird: A Journal of International Children’s Literature Book Links Journal of Children’s Literature School Library Journal The Horn Book Books Stories Matter: The Complexity of Cultural Authenticity in Children’s Literature, edited by Dana L. Fox and Kathy G. Short Using Multiethnic Literature in the K-8 Classroom, edited by Violet J. Harris

My Final Thoughts Working at the Colleyville Public Library, I have always had trouble finding the required reading for my classes. I had assumed that this was because the library is only two years old and still has a very young collection. However, when conducting the survey of the circulation records, I was shocked by how low the percentage of multicultural books was and how many award winners are missing from the children's collection. I feel that by promoting the collection the library already has and supplementing it with multicultural programming will boost the circulation statistics for the children's collection. Also, though the survey provides a general overview, it is difficult to determine how many multicultural titles actually make up the children’s collection. It has helped point out to me the cultural groups that need the greatest attention and work, in order to build a more balanced collection. It has offered a great starting point for multiculturalism.

Reference List Colleyville Public Library Library.Solution PAC. (Accessed July 24, 2006). Pang, V.O., C. Colvin, M. Tran, and R. Barba Beyond chopsticks and dragons: Selecting Asian-American literature for children. The Reading Teacher 46 (3): Wikipedia Colleyville, Texas. (Accessed July 24, 2006). Yamate, Sandra S Asian Pacific American children’s literature: Expanding perceptions about who Americans are. In Using Multiethnic Literature in the K-8 Classroom, ed. Violet J. Harris, Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon Publishers, Inc.