Diversity in youth literature : opening doors through reading

Surveying the landscape of children's and YA literature, this contributed volume shows how books have grown to include the wide range of our increasingly diverse society. Identifying both exemplary and problematic titles, the contributors

Provide context by sketching out the historical trajectory of diversity in youth lit Organize titles into sections that range from familiar themes (African American, Asian, Latino) to the lesser known (such as literature dealing with incarceration, transnational adoption, and homelessness) Offer guidelines for evaluating and selecting the best in diversity literature Suggest youth-tested programs and strategies to promote multicultural books in the library and classroom

This thoughtful and timely book helps meet the informational, recreational, and cultural needs of today's youth and those who serve them.

• Acknowledgments p. xi
• Editors' Introduction: Open Books, Open Doors: Cultural Diversity On and Off the Page p. xiii
• Part I Overview of Diversity in Children's and Young Adult Literature p. 1
• Chapter 1 Voices of Experience: Promoting Acceptance of Other Cultures p. 3 Carol Doll and Kasey Garrison
• Chapter 2 Opening Doors to Understanding: Developing Cultural Competence through Youth Literature p. 17 Eliza Dresang
• Part II Exploring Marginalized, Oppressed, and Under/Misrepresented Communities in Youth Literature p. 31
• Chapter 3 African American Children's Literature: Liminal Terrains and Strategies for Selfhood p. 33 Ebony Elizabeth Thomas
• Chapter 4 Promising Portals and Safe Passages: A Review of Pre-K-12 Latino- and Latina-Themed Literature p. 45 Ruth Quiroa
• Sliding Door 1 The Politics of Publishing Latino Children's Books p. 63 Oralia Garza De Cortés and Jennifer Battle
• Sliding Door 2 Re-Storying Nuestro Barrio: Mentoring Children's Picture Book Writing with Latino/Latina Children's Literature p. 67 Jesse Gainer and Angie Zapata and Nancy Valdez-Gainer
• Chapter 5 Beyond Sari, Hindu Monkey God, and Divali: A Critical Analysis of South Asian Cultures and Childhoods Represented in Picture Books p. 71 Eun Hye Son and Yoo Kyung Sung
• Chapter 6 "That's So Chamorro": Representations of Culture in Chamorro Realistic Fiction p. 83 Monique Storie
• Chapter 7 Growing Mixed/Up: Multiracial Identity in Children's and Young Adult Literature p. 95 Amina Chaudhri
• Chapter 8 The Door Has Never Opened for Us: The Roma in Recent Children's Fiction for Grades 4-6 p. 105 Brian W. Sturm and Meghan Gaherty
• Chapter 9 Building a Core Collection: Muslim Experiences in English-Language Children's Books, September 2001-September 2011 p. 119 Anna L. Nielsen
• Chapter 10 Holding Out Hope: Homelessness in Children's and Young Adult Literature p. 129 Kim Becnel
• Sliding Door 3 Bibliotherapy and Characters with Cognitive Disabilities p. 139 Karen Gavigan
• Sliding Door 4 Korean Folktale Video Project for Multicultural Families and Foreigners in the Republic of Korea p. 143 Wooseob Jeong and Sook-Hyeun Lee
• Chapter 11 How to Evaluate Children's and Young Adult Books about Transracial and Transnational Asian Adoption p. 149 Sarah Park Dahlen
• Chapter 12 Representation in Queer Children's Books: Who's In and Who's Out p. 163 Jamie Campbell Naidoo
• Chapter 13 Rediscovering Filipino Children's Literature: Lola Basyang and Me p. 175 Danilo M. Baylen
• Further Reading p. 193
• About the Editors and Contributors p. 205
• Index p. 209