Research in the Community

Research in a Local Bookstore- Barnes and Noble, Rockville


Snow Flower and the Secret Fan- Lisa See

Shanghai Girls- Lisa See

Sarah's Key- Tatiana de Rosnay

The Help- Kathryn Stockett

Someone Knows My Name- Lawrence Hill

One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd- Jim Fergus


Wench- Dolen Perkins-Valdez


A Thousand Splendid Suns- Khaled Hosseini


   I found these books in the Noteworthy Fiction section at Barnes and Noble, Rockville, MD. Some were displayed on the new Fiction table, and some on the shelves. Most had the covers facing the aisle. There were many more books on racism and culture than sexism. Sexism topics were were either completely separated in to women's fiction books, or dealt as a backdrop to a race/culture issue in those books. For each book, the author who wrote the story was of that culture the book discussed. There was a wide variety of cultures, but I was surprised not to see any dealing with Native Americans. Most race/culture books were either African American related or Asian related. Most of the covers on the books show the race in a stereotypical way. The African American books show slaves, while the Asian books show girls with fans and white faces. I do not think this is racist, because it is historically what those cultures were subject to. Obviously these books are trying to convey the characters of their stories in their historical context. The DC/MD area is very diverse which could explain to the wide variety of historical fiction dealing with race and culture, and why they were put out so deliberately to see. Rockville, especially is very heavily Asian populated. This could be why there were so many Asian inspired historical fiction novels. 


Research in a Local Library- Rockville Public Library


Nadia's Hands by English, Karen


Happy New Year! = Kung-hsi fa-ts'ai! - Demi.


On Sukkot and Simchat Torah by Fishman, Cathy Goldberg.


Feliz Navidad! : two stories celebrating Christmas by Feliciano, José.

My first Kwanzaa by Katz, Karen.

    There is not much separation amongst the children's books. They have a holiday section and a spanish language book section, but no section for race/culture. The books are dispersed among other titles with not relating to its subject matter. There were many books for different cultures, but none that were displayed very openly. Most books i found were hidden in the shelves.

    The authorship of these books was diverse but not diverse to the material of the book. Most authors were the of the background of the book they were writing. For example, Feliz Navidad is by Jose Feliciano.

    I did not like that in most of the books, the pictures displayed typical images of the culture or race they were discussing. In today's world there are so many images that can portray someone of for instance celebrates Kwanzaa. What about those children that are adopted in to families of different race but then celebrate their family's religion? 

Online Research


Children's Literature Comprehensive Database
http://www.childrenslit.com/
    This website is a database for Children's Literature. It features children's literature of the month, offers recommendations, provides author/book specific pages, and gives book themed reviews. The site is used by many universities, authors, and readers alike.

Carol Hurst's Children's Literature Site
http://www.carolhurst.com/
     This site offers a collection of reviews of children's books, ways to use children's books in the classroom, and books and activities on specific topics. It offers featured books and reviewed books. Also, it divides books by either curriculum area or subject. It also offers professional tools such as books on using children's literature in the classroom, that can benefit teachers.

Children's Literature Network
http://www.childrensliteraturenetwork.org/index.php
      This site offers not only book recommendations, but discussion of particular authors, a magazine devoted to children's literature, and videos discussing children's literature. The Radar Online Magazine offers users interviews with authors, book reviews, discussion on reading and writing, and activities and observations in children's literature. I like the sire because it is very interactive, and provides a broad range of opinion on children's lit from many sources.

Database of Award-Winning Children's Literature
http://www.dawcl.com/introduction.html
      This site is meant mostly for use by teachers or librarians. It is meant to offer a good reading list of award-winning children's literature. The site is a bit different in that it sorts the books by the award. It also explains what each award means and the date the awards are given. I like the fact that it encourages citing books when using them for their information, and provides the way in which to cite.

Children's Literature: Lesson Plans and Resources
http://www.cloudnet.com/~edrbsass/edchildrenslit.htm
      This is a great site for teachers! It offers lesson plans, activities, and ideas on using children's literature inside the classroom. It divides lesson plans in to subject areas. It even has a special section for multicultural children's literature.

Children's Literature in the Media


Gay Prize Added to ALA's Youth Awards
http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/11/01/Gay_Prize_Added_to_ALAs_Youth_Awards/

http://www.philnel.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Seuss_Secrets_navifish.jpg

http://www.hemmy.net/images/advertisements/riskhide01.jpg

http://dahl.at/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/act-on-co2-tub.jpg

http://www.qapr.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/spongebob-and-burger-king.jpg

Pod Cast Ideas

    I was thinking of using my PodCast to focus on race. I'd like to use the book Being with You This Way, by W. Nikola-Lisa, to focus on race and how differences should be celebrated. The book seems to make everyone the same. I think it is more important though to identify differnces and learn about them, rather than ignoring them altogether and being "color blind".
   I like this book for the representation of so many races and cultures, but have a hard time with how the author deals with those differences. This book would be good for many children because they are able to identify themselves in it, but once those identifications are made they should be shared amongst the class. I like that the book attempts to show difference in race in a good light, by not marginalizing any one group. I only wish to discuss how those differences can be looked at as good on their own, and not ignored altogether by calling everyone the same.

Quotable quotes- The Emporer Was Devine

"Is there anything wrong with my face?" she said (Otsuka 15)

    Children can develop a lack of confidence when they see themselves different from their peers. The young girl notices others staring at her, and therefore decide she must be different, an outsider, that there is something wrong with how she looks. Though her mother tells her she is beautiful, it is the views of fellow children around her that seem to dominate her opinion of herself.
   It is so important that children see themselves in the literature provided in the classroom. When children do not recognize characters that look like them or representations of their culture, they feel separated from their classmates. It is crucial that students are able to recognize themselves and see a variety of cultures, people, races, genders, etc. in the materials a teacher uses in the classroom. Children should be exposed to many types of people not only for personal confidence and acceptance but also to prepare them for a diverse world and show them how different people can accept one another.

"The next day, for the first time ever, she sent the boy and his sister to school with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in heir lunch pails. "no more rice balls," she said. "And if anyone asks, you're Chinese" (75).

   This quote got got me thinking more about the discussion we had in class about our identities and how they affect so much of how we are seen by others, how we see ourselves, and how we act in different situations. I remember some of the class saying that when they had brought in lunches to school, and they were different then other children's because of their cultural food, how differently they were looked at. It is amazing to think that children so young could separate each other so easily based upon something as simple as food.
  People do change based on the situation they are in and in this case the mother is telling her children to do so. More for safety than anything, she wants them to remain as far from their Japanese roots as possible. In growing up this way, they could lose so much of their culture. I feel like this is what happens to many of feel separated from the norm. Children especially never want to feel separated from their peers, so falling in to the blend of children and disregarding their heritage often occurs. I feel like schools should celebrate individuality more and highlight different cultures, instead of trying to make everyone seem the same and avoiding diversity.

Positioning and Being Positioned

Hello my name is...
    Jacqueline
    Jacque
    Jax
    OLG
    Best Friend
  
Jacqueline- Jacqueline is my whole given, birth name. It is what I like to be called best. I use it to introduce myself, always.I use this name from a position of being true to myself and loving the name my parents gave me.  However, most times people shorten my name and call me Jacque, or mispronounce Jacqueline and say, "Jackalyn".

Jacque- Jacque is the name I was called all throughout my school years by friends, before I got to college. It comes from a the position of a young friend. It was easier at a young age for my friends to call me Jacque, rather than Jacqueline. Jacque is much more common. The disadvantage of Jacque is the uniqueness it takes away from my identity. This name is really only used with friends I have had since a young age, and new friends introduced by those old friends.

Jax- Jax is a position of sibling love and adoration. It is a title my brother, Adam gave me. It is a name only really used by he and his girlfriend. It gives me access to a special relationship with him.

OLG- Only Little Girl is a signature I established as a little girl. I have signed every note, letter, card, etc to my parents with this for as long as I can remember. It positions me as my parents only daughter. I use this name from a position of love, close relationship, and endearment. I use this name to achieve a special bond with my parents, and to ensure that they know I will always belong to them first above all; I will always need them as my parents.

Best Friend- Best Friend is a term that really means the most with my mom. It is something i use to both refer to her and her to myself. I hold this title very dear. It means we have a concrete trust, unbreakable reliability, and unconditional love for one another. It positions me as a person for my mother to lean on when she needs me, and smile with in times of joy. It positions me with access to a more adult world than my own, a different perspective on life. It also provides me with the position of a life-long friend that will always be there no matter what, without question. I use this name in all spaces to show our special relationship as both mother and daughter, and best friends. Maybe my example will encourage other young girls to build strong relationships with their own mothers.

Hello My Names Are Not...


Jacklyn- All my life, people have been pronouncing the name Jacqueline as Jacklyn. It comes from first, a place of frustration, and then just acceptance. Frustration not at others but at the fact that correcting them to me, feels rude. Instead I continue to let others call me by that name. It is used in places where people do not know me well, where I am unfamiliar. It positions me with the disadvantage of being an unknown to that crowd, or person. At the same time, it gives me the advantage to be whomever I choose in that particular  situation. I never use this name. It is a name only used by others.