From: K.T. Horning <horning_at_education.wisc.edu>
Date: Fri, 04 Nov 2011 10:17:32 -0500

Thanks, Lyn, for getting the conversation started for these first weeks of November during which we'll explore social issues in books for children and teens. And, thanks, too, to Jessica Powers and all the contributors at The Pirate Tree blog for their work in this area.

I found Jessica's blog post analyzing homelessness as a theme in picture books to be very interesting in that she was able to sort the books into four main categories: The Caring Adult; Presenting Only Part of the Story; Open-Ended Conclusions; and Encouraging Good Deeds.

Jessica also points out that there are two common strategies used to present difficult topics to younger readers: (1) using animal characters and (2) setting the book in the past.

Her entire post can be read here:

I have found in general that there is very little published in the U.S. that shows contemporary families living through economically hard times, although this year we have begun to note more middle grade and YA novels that show families struggling to make ends meet just as part of reality, rather than what the book is about. these are families who seem to be one paycheck away from homelessness. Examples that come to mind are "Angry Young Man" by Chris Lynch, "Bluefish" by Pat Schmatz, and "Camo Girl" by Kekla Magoon.

In American books for children and teens, we rarely see families that are working class. I remember hearing the author/illustrator Vera B. Williams talk several years go about her picture book "More More More, Said the Baby," and saying she wanted to depict the character Little Bird sleeping on the couch because she herself had grown up sleeping on a couch, and many children do but you never really see that in books.

Do you feel that class in general is a taboo subject in books for young readers?
Received on Fri 04 Nov 2011 10:17:32 AM CDT