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RE: Tight Times: Analysis of Picture Books
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From: Steward, Celeste <csteward_at_aclibrary.org>
Date: Fri, 06 May 2011 14:25:54 -0700
Well, I'm not a teacher...so I can't address the classroom issue. However, my daughter was reading the Clique series several years ago and I recall be ing uncomfortable about the message in those books. She was crazy about the series and eagerly awaited the next installment. One day, I told her how I felt about the behavior of those characters: how they abused their parents ' wealth, acted like spoiled brats, treated those who had less badly, etc.
My then 10-year old looked at me and said, do you think I'll start acting l ike them because I'm reading the books? And just like that, my mom cover wa s blown.
She patiently explained that one of the characters didn't have very much mo ney and my daughter liked that plot element because the reality is that les s well-to-do kids sometimes hang with wealthier friends. My daughter also e xplained that one of the things she liked best about the Clique books was t hat she could step into that world for awhile and experiment with different types of behavior from a safe distance. In this way, she used the books as a kind of self-help guide.
And just like that, I understood that kids sometimes choose to find their a nswers in some of the most unlikeliest places.
Celeste Steward Librarian
________________________________
From: Megan Schliesman
Sent: Friday, May 06, 2011 1:42 PM To: ccbc-net, Subscribers of Subject:
Tight Times: Analysis of Picture Books
I came upon an article that was published in the January/February issue of the journal "Reading Horizons" that relates to our "Tight Times" discussion :
Kelley, Jane E.; Darragh, Janine J. "Depictions and Gaps: Portrayal of U.S. Poverty in Realistic Fiction Children's Picture Books." Reading Horizons, Jan/Feb2011, Vol. 50 Issue 4, p263-282, 20p
It's a both a statistical and content analysis of 58 picture books publishe d since 1990 that have poverty as a central theme.
I wanted to share the researchers summary at the end of the article:
"With 18.2% (U.S. Census, 2006-2008) of all children in the United States l iving below the poverty level, it is increasingly important that teachers i nclude literature about poverty in the classroom.While it is heartening to see that there are multiple books on the topic that accurately and realisti cally depict the current economic state of many in our nation, there are st ill many gaps that need to be filled. Specifically, more books that depict contemporary rural poverty and those that address systemic change need to w ritten. And while several books show individuals making a difference in the ir own homes and communities, social acts such as boycotting, union organiz ing, restructuring business (Kelley et al., 2005), and working together at a community level to enact change are rarely offered to children as means b y which to make a difference in their world. We strongly believe that prese nting students with the truth about today's economic crisis using children' s picture books is one small step teac hers can take in educating tomorrow's leaders of the need for acceptable living standards and opportunities for all people."
I was struck in particular by their findings regarding depiction of poverty in rural (rare) versus urban (more common) settings, and also the issue of what they call "action." For example, they note that while showing charac ters who do something to improve their lives/economic status can be inspiri ng, it can also introduce/reinforce the idea that poverty is an individual problem rather than a larger societal problem (i.e., it's just a matter of pulling yourself up by your bootstraps).
When I look at a book about or featuring characters who are living in pover ty or experiencing "tight times" I think I look first and foremost for a po rtrayal that shows those characters' dignity (along with a sense of accurac y/authencity in their experience)--that doesn't lessen or question their di gnity because they are poor. (This doesn't, of course, means they are alwa ys treated with dignity--that's something altogether different.) But while I don't know that I could have articulated it before, I do think (and hope ) I also think about the message the book might be sending. Sometimes a boo k can have great characters, and the best of intentions, and it makes me fe el uncomfortable. I'm not sure I can always articulate why, but perhaps it has something to do with an underlying message or assumption--one the autho r may not even be aware of.
As an aside, this discussion also has me thinking about the lessons that I think often take place in elementary school about "wants" vs. "needs." (I r emember it when my own daughter was younger.) Ed Sullivan mentioned the te rrific picture book "Those Shoes" by Maribeth Boelts and also Barbara O'Co nnor's extraordinary novel "How to Steal a Dog" in his post--two books that are offer a great contrast of a "want" (cool shoes) versus a "need" (housi ng). (I'd add Nan Gregory's picture book "Pink" to the "wants" bibliograph y.)
Megan
-- Megan Schliesman, Librarian Cooperative Children's Book Center School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison 600 N. Park Street, Room 4290 Madison, WI 53706
608/262-9503 schliesman_at_education.wisc.edu
www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/
Date: Fri, 06 May 2011 14:25:54 -0700
Well, I'm not a teacher...so I can't address the classroom issue. However, my daughter was reading the Clique series several years ago and I recall be ing uncomfortable about the message in those books. She was crazy about the series and eagerly awaited the next installment. One day, I told her how I felt about the behavior of those characters: how they abused their parents ' wealth, acted like spoiled brats, treated those who had less badly, etc.
My then 10-year old looked at me and said, do you think I'll start acting l ike them because I'm reading the books? And just like that, my mom cover wa s blown.
She patiently explained that one of the characters didn't have very much mo ney and my daughter liked that plot element because the reality is that les s well-to-do kids sometimes hang with wealthier friends. My daughter also e xplained that one of the things she liked best about the Clique books was t hat she could step into that world for awhile and experiment with different types of behavior from a safe distance. In this way, she used the books as a kind of self-help guide.
And just like that, I understood that kids sometimes choose to find their a nswers in some of the most unlikeliest places.
Celeste Steward Librarian
________________________________
From: Megan Schliesman
Sent: Friday, May 06, 2011 1:42 PM To: ccbc-net, Subscribers of Subject:
Tight Times: Analysis of Picture Books
I came upon an article that was published in the January/February issue of the journal "Reading Horizons" that relates to our "Tight Times" discussion :
Kelley, Jane E.; Darragh, Janine J. "Depictions and Gaps: Portrayal of U.S. Poverty in Realistic Fiction Children's Picture Books." Reading Horizons, Jan/Feb2011, Vol. 50 Issue 4, p263-282, 20p
It's a both a statistical and content analysis of 58 picture books publishe d since 1990 that have poverty as a central theme.
I wanted to share the researchers summary at the end of the article:
"With 18.2% (U.S. Census, 2006-2008) of all children in the United States l iving below the poverty level, it is increasingly important that teachers i nclude literature about poverty in the classroom.While it is heartening to see that there are multiple books on the topic that accurately and realisti cally depict the current economic state of many in our nation, there are st ill many gaps that need to be filled. Specifically, more books that depict contemporary rural poverty and those that address systemic change need to w ritten. And while several books show individuals making a difference in the ir own homes and communities, social acts such as boycotting, union organiz ing, restructuring business (Kelley et al., 2005), and working together at a community level to enact change are rarely offered to children as means b y which to make a difference in their world. We strongly believe that prese nting students with the truth about today's economic crisis using children' s picture books is one small step teac hers can take in educating tomorrow's leaders of the need for acceptable living standards and opportunities for all people."
I was struck in particular by their findings regarding depiction of poverty in rural (rare) versus urban (more common) settings, and also the issue of what they call "action." For example, they note that while showing charac ters who do something to improve their lives/economic status can be inspiri ng, it can also introduce/reinforce the idea that poverty is an individual problem rather than a larger societal problem (i.e., it's just a matter of pulling yourself up by your bootstraps).
When I look at a book about or featuring characters who are living in pover ty or experiencing "tight times" I think I look first and foremost for a po rtrayal that shows those characters' dignity (along with a sense of accurac y/authencity in their experience)--that doesn't lessen or question their di gnity because they are poor. (This doesn't, of course, means they are alwa ys treated with dignity--that's something altogether different.) But while I don't know that I could have articulated it before, I do think (and hope ) I also think about the message the book might be sending. Sometimes a boo k can have great characters, and the best of intentions, and it makes me fe el uncomfortable. I'm not sure I can always articulate why, but perhaps it has something to do with an underlying message or assumption--one the autho r may not even be aware of.
As an aside, this discussion also has me thinking about the lessons that I think often take place in elementary school about "wants" vs. "needs." (I r emember it when my own daughter was younger.) Ed Sullivan mentioned the te rrific picture book "Those Shoes" by Maribeth Boelts and also Barbara O'Co nnor's extraordinary novel "How to Steal a Dog" in his post--two books that are offer a great contrast of a "want" (cool shoes) versus a "need" (housi ng). (I'd add Nan Gregory's picture book "Pink" to the "wants" bibliograph y.)
Megan
-- Megan Schliesman, Librarian Cooperative Children's Book Center School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison 600 N. Park Street, Room 4290 Madison, WI 53706
608/262-9503 schliesman_at_education.wisc.edu
www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/
---Received on Fri 06 May 2011 02:25:54 PM CDT
