Ethnic Literary Traditions in American Children's Literature

his book expands the understanding of children’s literature as ethnic literature. A diverse blend of contributors helps readers to approach children’s literature from an insider’s perspective, thus enhancing the literary experience found in ethnic children’s books. This collection of essays will inform readers of the cultural nuances of ethnic literature, the signs, signals, and tags that can be misunderstood or overlooked. America has become more aware of our cultural differences, and Ethnic Literary Traditions in American Children’s Literature celebrates those distinctions. Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 10 1 Do Dick and Jane Still Live Here? Reading Children's Literature as Ethnic Literature......Page 12 Section I: American Indian Literature......Page 20 2 Listening to the Loon: On Finding the Ideas for My Books......Page 22 3 Survival through Stories: An Introduction to Indian Literatures......Page 28 4 Oral Narrative and Ojibwa Story Cycles in Louise Erdrich's Birchbark House and Game of Silence......Page 40 5 Alive and Well and Reclaiming Their Cultural Voice: Third Generation Native American Children's Literature......Page 56 Section II: African American Literature......Page 74 6 The Cadence of Language: An Interview with Julius Lester......Page 76 7 "Way Down in the Jungle Deep, the Lion Stepped on the Monkey's Feet": An Introduction to African American Literature......Page 82 8 Trauma and National Identity in Haitian-American Young Adult Literature......Page 94 9 For All My Children, or Approaching African American Children's Picture Books......Page 110 Section III: Asian American Literature......Page 126 10 On Finding a Home......Page 128 11 Foreigners Within: An Introduction to Asian American Literature......Page 134 12 Acts of "Desicreation": Urban Space and South Asian American Identity in Tanuja Desai Hidier's Born Confused......Page 146 13 Examining History: Representing War in Asian American Autobiographies for Children......Page 158 Section IV: Latina/o Literature......Page 174 14 Writing on Violence and Healing for Young Audiences: An Interview with Rigoberto González......Page 176 15 Art, Activism and Community: An Introduction to Latina/o Literature......Page 182 16 Conflicting Inclinations: Luis J. Rodríguez's Picture Books for Children......Page 202 17 Reading Trauma and Violence in U.S. Latina/o Children's Literature......Page 216 Sources for Further Study......Page 238 Notes on Contributors......Page 252 B......Page 256 C......Page 257 D......Page 258 G......Page 259 H......Page 260 L......Page 261 M......Page 262 P......Page 263 S......Page 264 T......Page 265 W......Page 266 Z......Page 267 Esteemed contributors expand the range of possibilities for reading, understanding, and teaching children's literature as ethnic literature rather than children's literature in this ambitious collection. Essays examining children's literature as ethnic literature, including cultural nuances that are often misunderstood or overlooked.