A Review of Child Lit

      In this class I have gained a more critical eye to view children's literature with.  There are many questions that I now use to analyze children's books that did not seem all that important before.  What are the underlying messages in books?  Who is being represented in these books and how are they being represented?   What stereotypes are being reinforced and what kind of society does this book portray?  Is this a realistic or idealistic commentary on our society?  What is this teaching the next generation about the world?
     From reading various books that deal with the social issues of gender, race, and class and from listening to fellow classmates share, it became apparent to me that books that these books are out there and plenty of them are good, interesting, well written stories that children will enjoy.  The resources from this class will be so valuable in the classroom when trying to find books that represent all different cultures so that students can see themselves in their literature.  The research in the community also helped me to see how much is out there but how disproportionate it still is and the importance of looking beyond the main display.
     I found our class discussion about children's literature in the media especially interesting, in particular the conversation about how the story book characters are sexualized.  The paradox that exists there has always been strange to me but I had never considered why story book characters.  I think we find some kind of amusement in the corruption of naivety and purity.  Hence the slutty nuns costumes and the humor of a character like Tartuffe (a con-man priest).  Why is that though?  Because then we feel less guilty about our own corruption?  It's an interesting concept to ponder and I'm glad that that discussion got me thinking about it.
      Lastly I found the conversation on banned books extremely interesting.  I had never realized how many of my favorite books and books that I find extremely important are banned.  It made me realize just how strongly I believe that censorship is wrong.  Also our discussion brought up the question of whether they were popular because of the issues that caused them to be banned and their importance in society, or whether they were popular because they were banned and thus mysterious: the age old question of the chicken or the egg.
      Taking this class has opened my eyes to a lot of issues that surround children's literature and the prejudice that lives in so many beloved children's books, that we refuse to acknowledge.  We tend to ignore the racism or the sexism because it is a story we grew up with and love and cannot bear to acknowledge the messages that it send to children about our society.

Counter Narrative Blog

In my text I am making Cinderella a boy (Cinderalvin), the prince a princess, and the step sisters and mother, step brothers and father.  I think that this has several implications on the text about gender restrictions.  First of all it shows a female aiding a male on his rise to the top.  This is very important because the female character has the power and uses it to save the male character.  Secondly it shows a female character choosing who she gets to marry and marrying for love rather than for duty or economic purposes.  By changing the villains to male characters as well it eliminates the stereotypical character of the "evil stepmother."  Also then Cinderalvin and his two stepbrothers are competing for the affection of the princess, giving her even more power.   This version of Cinderella also shows a girl chasing a boy, which is the reverse of the gender stereotypes.  I can't decide whether or not to keep the fairy godmother a woman or to make her a man as well.  Part of me is like who says only women can be magical, but it is hard for me to see that role as a man (probably because of my own preconceptions).  Then I considered making it a flamboyant sassy godfather, but then was concerned that that still furthers the stereotype that only feminine figures can give magical makeovers.  Any thoughts?

Research in the Community Observations

       For my trip to a local bookstore I went to Politics and Prose, which was a very cool bookstore.  Due to the title of the store I presume, there was a section for politics and current event books right as you walked in the door.  On that table there were many different countries represented including (ex. China, Kenya, Israel, the Middle East, Europe, and of course the US).  In the children's section, which was downstairs, there was a section labeled International in the picture book section.  While this section was on the lower shelves which are more accessibly to kids, they were also mostly fairy tales and folk tales, that while being helpful to understand the history and legends of a culture, they are often stereotypical.  When looking at books that are just about everyday kids doing everyday things, the characters are usually white.  I found this also in the library in Tenleytown that I went to.  The stories for teenagers and children that were about ethnic characters were never everyday stories.  Ethnic characters were always having to overcome familial issues  and prejudice, while white characters were the ones dealing with boys not answering their phone calls.  Portrayals of African Americans characters (which was the vast majority of books with ethnic characters in the library) were extraordinary if they succeeded while white characters were expected to succeed.  In books about African American characters they were always struggling.  Also in the library most of the books about diversity were displayed with other books about or dealing with diversity.  Many of these books were on displays, but many of the displays were too high for age appropriate children to reach.  Both the library and the bookstore I went to were in primarily white neighborhoods, which most likely influenced the selection.  African Americans are the next highest represented ethnicity in the area, which explains why most of the books that had any diversity were African Americans.   You would expect to see a much wider range of diversity in a downtown library where the population is much more diverse.  
       Most of the websites I found on Children Literature were trying to aid teachers and parents in finding more diverse children's literature.  One website had pages for African American books, Asian American books, Hispanic American books, Native American books, female books, pirate books, books on sensitive issues, banned books, and also fairytales.  This is a great resource for teachers that are trying to use diverse literature in their classrooms but don't know where to look.  Another website was celebrating diversity and had pages for African American, Chinese American, Japanese American, Korean American, Jewish American, Middle Eastern Americans, Vietnamese Americans, Latino/Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans.  Another website had links to booktalks and podcasts, as well as recommended reading lists.  Access to websites like these give teachers no excuse for not incorporating more diverse literature into their classrooms.
      It was very difficult for me to find any representations of children's story in the media.  I tried to look on youtube for commercials as well as searching google for some examples but those searches were fruitless.  I also did keep my eyes peeled for advertisements but none happened to cross my path.  I don't watch much television so that was not helpful  either.  While I haven't noticed any signs of children's stories in the media as of yet, I am sure in the future I will be much more aware of the parallels that are often drawn in the media. 


Here are the lists of the books that I found in the library and bookstore along with the websites I found:


Bookstore: 

• Elementary Fiction: Revolution is Not a Dinner Party by Ying Chang Compestine (about the 1972 Chinese revolution)
• Bring Me Some Apples and I'll bake you a Pie: A Story about Edna Lewis by Robbin Gourley
• Early Readers Section: Grosse Clire by Mireill ed'Allance (written in french!)
• Ahmed and the Feather Girl by Jane Ray 
• International Children's Section: Her Stories by Virginia Hamilton (African American folktales, fairytales, and true tales)
• International Children's Section:Not One Damsel in Distress by Jane Yolen (World Folktales for strong girls; stories from Greece, Niger, Germany, Argentina, China, US/White River Sioux, US/Ozark Mountains, Scotland, Romania, Poland/Jewish, Japan, England, and France)
• International Children's Section: Filipino Children's Favorite Stories Retold by liani romulo (the author's name was not capitalized and was not anywhere on the front cover)
• Politics and Current Events Section: Reflections of the Revolution in Europe: Immigration, Islam, and the West by Christopher Caldwell
• Politics and Current Events Section: It's Our Turn to Eat--the Story of a Kenyan Whistle-Blower by Michela Wrong
• Politics and Current Events Section: Israel is Real: an Obsessive Quest to Understand the Jewish Nation and it's History by Rich Cohen
• Politics and Current Events Section:The Rise of Islamic Capitalism: Why the New Muslim Middle Class is Key to Defeating Extremism by Vali Nasr
• Politics and Current Events Section: China Safari: On Trial of Bejing's Expansion in Africa by Serge Michel and Michel Beuret

Library: 

• Young adults section: Sellout by Ebony Joy Wilkins
• About a young African American girl who grows up fitting into an all white neighborhood who discovers her roots in a life-changing summer in Harlem  
• Young Adults section: Acting by Sherri Winston
• About a young African american twin, Eve, and her struggles between good and bad and family drama.  She seeks refuge in make believe.  She's always been a good girl until she meets the bad boy.
• Young Adults section: No Laughter Here by Rita Williams-Garcia
• Deals with two friends, Akilah and Victoria, one of whom goes through the trauma of female gender mutilation in her summer back in Nigeria.
• Kids Section: Sweethearts of Rhythm by Marilyn Nelson and Jerry Pinkney
• This is the story of the greatest interracial all girl swing band in the world.  It's told in poems and addresses race, jazz, World War II, and the 1940's.
• Kids Section on display with other kids biography books: Gandhi: India's Great Soul by Maura D. Shaw
• On display with other biography books such as Michelle Obama, Garrett Morgan, Magellan, Madison, Martin Luther King Jr.
• Kids Section on display: Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan
• Story about a young Mexican girl who must leave her Mexican ranch to work in California when poverty strikes. (Interesting that the girl on the cover looks more Caucasian than Mexican)
• Kids Section on display: Tiki Tiki Tembo retold by Arlene Mosel
• Chinese story with the moral that short names can sometimes be better than long names; it did not have very authentic illustrations.
• Adult Non-Fiction Section on display: Quicksand: America's Pursuit of Power in the Middle East by Geoffrey Wanro
• Uses Middle Eastern history and fresh insights there to shed light on a different perspective of the war there.

Websites:

• http://comminfo.rutgers.edu/professional-development/childlit/ChildrenLit/
• http://www.multiculturalchildrenslit.com/
• http://www.carolhurst.com/
• http://nancykeane.com/
• http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/web/childlit.html

Banned Books

         What I have realized from discussing banned books is that we  as a society avoid books that will stir conversations that we are uncomfortable with.  We would rather not have a discussion about homosexuality or the insecurities of an overweight girl or the sexual desires of teenagers.  We would like to pretend they don't exist.  Young adults don't experiment with drugs and certainly don't do anything promiscuous.  Of course all of these lies we fool ourselves in believing are just that--lies. Pretending that these issues are not real and present in our society only perpetuates them.  We're not afraid that children will actually do the things they read in books simply because they read them in books, that is just the facade and justification we, as a society, give for censorship.  In reality we are simply afraid of them bringing it up, asking difficult questions, acknowledging taboos.  
      I found it very interesting that many of the banned books are also many of the most praised works, both classic pieces and modern works, although not surprising.  Things that are great are groundbreaking and things that are groundbreaking are controversial and things that are controversial are always swept under the rug by some people.  It also makes you consider if they are so popular simply because they are so controversial, that desire to know what all the fuss is about.  In that way banning a book backfires on those that banned it because it merely draws attention to the fact that this book is unusual.
      After reading The Earth, My Butt, and other Big Round Things I understand even more clearly the importance of having a free society without censorship.  This book has a lot of interesting lessons for young girls.  While it may have some scenes that are more sexually explicit than some mothers would enjoy, it is important that adolescent girls know that they are not alone in the urges and desires they may be having.  They will benefit from seeing their insecurities in a character, reading Virginia's internal monologue that matches up with their own at some points.  This book has an incredible message about self-image and that if you want to change yourself do it because you want to do it not to please others.  Parents might dislike the idea that Virginia needs to rebel against her parents to discover who she is, but sometimes teenagers need to do that.  It is difficult for a teenager to feel comfortable with who she or he is and they need to see that represented in the books they read in a very real way.   

Ideas for the Critical Literacy Podcast

For my podcast I want to discuss the sociopolitical issues that are refelected in the children's book The Wump World.  This book addresses how our society often destroys the Earth without much concern for the future and the impact that it has not only on our society but on others that share the Earth with us.  It is also interesting to investigate the issue of class as the society that is not destroying their planet is viewed as less intelligent than those who come and ruin the bounty that was once there.  This may be similiar to how civilizations that live more grounded in the needs of the land are looked down upon as savages and forced into certain regions, while those destroy are actually often viewed as creators.

In terms of actually recording the podcast I am going to look into the equipment that Katzen has as a resource for students because I know they have recording devices that would probably be capable.

Quotable Quotes- When the Emperor was Divine

"Sometimes he worries he was there because he'd done something horribly, terribly wrong.  But then when he tries to remember what that horrible, terrible thing might be, it would not come to him.  It could be anything.  Something he'd done yesterday--chewing the eraser off his sister's pencil before putting it back in the pencil jar--or something he'd done a long time age that was just now catching up with him.  Break a chain letter from Juneau, Alaska.  Flushing his dying pet goldfish down the toilet before it was completely dead.  Forgetting to touch the hat rack three times when the iceman drove by.  Sometimes he thought he was dreaming, and he was sure that when he woke up his father would be downstairs in the kitchen whistling "Begin the Beguine" through his teeth as he fried up breakfast in the skillet.  'Here it comes, champ,' his father would say, 'one hobo egg sandwich.'"

In this quote Julie Otsuka reflects on the fact that there was no reason for the treatment of the Japanese Americans through the eyes of a child.  His guilt and search for the mistake he made emphasizes his innocence and really causes the reader to reflect on the tragedy of the Japanese internment.  It also reaffirms that these people are just like us, they do things like break chain letters and mess with our siblings things.  This quote is so clearly through the eyes of a child; I would believe that a child wrote this, which makes me sympathize even more.  Something about hurting children is just unacceptable and even more awful than hurting adults, because they are so innocent and so young.


"Nothing's changed we said to ourselves.  The war had been an interruption, nothing more.  We would pick up our lives where we had left off and go on.  We would go back to school again.  We would study hard, every day, to make up for lost time.  We would seek out our old classmates.  'Where were you?' they'd ask, or maybe they would just nod and say, 'Hey.' We would join their clubs, after school, if they let us.  We would listen to their music. We would  dress just like they did.  We would change our names to sound more like theirs.  And if our mother called out to us on the street by our real names we would turn away and pretend not to know her.  We would never be mistaken for the enemy again!"

This quote was really touching to me.  We would never be mistaken for the enemy again.  It is so shameful what we did to our own people.  I think that this also shows the generation gap that I think often exists in the Asian community.  Maybe this is where it began.  The younger generation wants to assimilate and become Americans while the older generation tries to maintain the culture and roots that they left behind.  In many cases the younger generation is even ashamed of their past and their heritage, which in this case is because they've been told their heritage is the enemy.  To say you will pretend not to know your mother is a pretty profound statement.  It's sad that  these children felt they had to dress the same as everyone else and listen to the same music as everyone else and change their very identity in order to avoid being the enemy.  Doesn't sound like freedom to me.

Hello My Names are

Hello My Names are:

• Meg
• Margaret
• Margaret Elizabeth Gabrielle Palermo
• Margo/Margie/ Meggo
• Meggers
• Megger McGreggor
• Meg Monster
• Meggs
• Miss Meg
• And Many Many Many More

Meg is the nickname I was given upon birth.  My mother stole it from Little Women but actually Shakespeare used it before Louisa May Alcott in Much Ado About Nothing.  It is my name for everyday life, what I prefer to be called.  I think it fits me- kind of spunky, short and sweet, not flowery or particularly ornate, just kind of down to earth but still fun and not too serious.  It indicates my gender since Meg is not terribly ambiguous, which can have certain implications in society, but I have never found to put me at too much disadvantage.   Meg makes situations informal and comfortable.  I've been told my height can be intimidating, so I think using Meg takes that edge off a bit and let's people know I don't take myself too seriously.  

Margaret is my formal name.  It is what the US Government knows me as.  It is who I am on standardized tests, school rosters, and credit cards.  It reflects my European, specifically Irish and English, descent, which puts me in a position of privilege.  It is the name used when I am in trouble or sometimes just to tease me.  Oddly enough it shows that a person really knows me, because most people don't know my full name is Margaret.

  

Margaret Elizabeth Gabrielle Palermo is my full name, impressive right? I always say I was born to be a queen with a name like Margaret Elizabeth.  The Gabrielle is my confirmation name and indicates that I am Catholic, which can give me both privilege and disadvantage.  While Catholicism is a very popular faith in America and is Christian so thus doesn't suffer much discrimination.  My faith is often attacked and people often assume I am extremely conservative, close-minded, and judgmental when I say I am Catholic, which is simply not true.  We are a widely misunderstood family of believers I would  say.  Palermo is also misleading as I am only one eighth Italian.  People always assume I am from a big Italian family and know how to cook well and all the Italian stereotypes but unfortunately I have missed out on much of the Italian culture.  

Margo, Margie, and Meggo are just a few of the multitude of nicknames my friends have up with for me.  I always say that I will have so many options for old lady names when I get into my 70s- Margo, Marge, Margie.  Naturally my friends starting calling me these names as a joke and first it started off to tease me but they soon became endearing.  Now people assume they can get a rise out of me by calling me Marge, but I just take it as a compliment.  My best friend Kim calls me Margo, so that name is very near and dear to me. She would shout it through the halls of my high school and it has very happy connotations with it.  Meggo is the name my friend Jen calls me because I call her Jennono so sometimes it's Meggo and sometimes is Meggogo.  I love having fun nicknames for people so I love it when people come up with a new nickname for me.  A good nickname means to me that the person really cares about me and wants to have an individualized name for me.    

Meggers is a nickname that I often like to use for myself.  When signing letters or cards to my closest friends I will often sign them Meggers.  I don't really know why I like it, it just has a nice ring to it I guess.

Meggor McGreggor is just another nickname but this one is from one of my childhood neighbors.  It shows that I grew up in a close-knit community and had a strong support net as a child which has always been an asset in my life.

Meg Monster is the nickname my best childhood friend's family called me. While it may seem like a not very fun nickname, for me it is brings up memories with that family and how close I was with them.  It was never used in a malicious way and they still call me that to this day, even though I do not see them as often.

Meggs is the nickname my middle school drama director called me.  I like to think that it reflects that I am an actor.  There is not just one Meg, but multiple sides of me that come out in different characters and that I can transform into different roles.  As an actors I feel both looked down on as someone who will make no real contribution to the world, but also envied for the courage to follow my passions, as impractical as they may seem.

Miss Meg is the name my ex-boyfriend used to call me.  We are still good friends so there is no lingering resentment in the name, although he doesn't use it anymore.  I really liked it that he called me that because I think it shows the respect we had for each other, but was still affectionate.  

Hello My Name is not:

• Megan
• Margarita
• Katie

People have been calling me Megan all my life and it used to frustrate me but now it doesn't really bother me too much unless I know the person really well.  I have met several other Margaret Megs and they are really different from Megans.  Megans are usually a bit more mellow and calm and chill where as Margaret Megs are more spunky and laugh more and are more silly.  Those are just come personal observations.  So I feel like I make much more sense as a Margaret Meg than a Megan.  But without fail people call me it all the time.  I have  an acting coach that I have known for 4 or 5 years that still calls me Megan.  

Margarita was my name in Spanish class and is also what the Mexicans that work in the kitchen of the restaurant I work at call me.  While I enjoy the nickname I feel like its not me because of the implications that would come with it.  It would be unfair of me to represent myself as a heritage I am not of and let people assume I have  faced more prejudice and hardship in my life than I have.  

Katie is my older sister's name and I got called that by teachers all throughout elementary, middle, and high school.  Often even my own mother mixes us up.  Friends at church and the community often mix it up too.  We are constantly told we look very similar, and yet neither of us see the similarity.  We are also very different people.  While we are both very silly, she is much quieter and introverted.  She is extremely talented in the visual arts but is terrified of public speaking.  It used to really irritate me back in school but now I usually just don't correct it and wait for them to realize.  It can be rather amusing.