Books for Children

Look World-lt's Me

by Pauline Davey Zeece

Children's self-awareness begins very early in life. By the age of two, they have a rudimentary understand- ing that they are separate from the sur- rounding world and distinct from oth- er people. Living and learning in a stimulating environment provide the basis from which children initiate the development of a rich, multifaceted view of themselves. By watching, lis- tening, and interacting with others, they begin to fol~n a personal sense of self that includes a variety of their own unique characteristics and capaci- ties (Lewis & Brooks-Gunn, 1979).

Yet this emerging sense of self is fragile in young children. Children's self-esteem develops as their personal judgment of worthiness forms. Such judgment evolves from their private reactions to themselves and the reac- tions of others who play a significant role in their lives (Lewis & Brooks, 1987). Preschoolers begin to use their emerging cogni t ive and language skills to relate themselves to others. They begin to classify themselves and others according to salient ways in which all people differ: age, gender, ethnic identity, and physical and be- havioral characteristics (Berk, 1994). They are aided in this task when they are provided with experiences that al- low them to see, hear, discuss, and think about themselves and others in an assortment of ways. Thus, one ef- fective method of facilitating the de- velopment of healthy self-esteem and the skill of classification is the use of

Pauline Davey Zeece is an Associate Pro- fessor in the College of Human Resources and Family Science at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She teaches courses in child development and has a special inter- est in literature and early childhood edu- cation.

books and materials that focus on self- awareness, gender, and ethnic identity.

Self-awareness Healthy self-awareness is critical to

young children's social and emotional well-being. It becomes the basis for a range of skill development throughout the preschool years. Self-awareness aids young children to display empa- thy, cooperate in play, solve problems and disputes, and develop other proso- cial behavior (Berk, 1994). Below are books that build self-awareness in a posit ive and powerful manner for young children.

Moss, Thylias. Jerry Pinkney, il- lustrator. I Want to Be. New York: Dial Books, 1993, 31 pp., $14.99. Ages three to eight.

I want to be big but not so big that a

mountain or a mosque or a syna-

gogue seems small.

I want to be strong but not so strong

that a kite seems weak.

I want to be fas t but not so fas t that lightning seems slow.

I want to be wise but not so wise that I

can't learn anything...

I want to be life doing, doing every-

thing. That's all.

34 DAY CARE AND EARLY EDUCATION

Award-winning poet Thylias Moss and Caldecott Honor Book illustrator Jerry Pinkney combine their creative expertise in a lyrical excursion from skyways to sidewalks and steps to stars. With youthful abandon, a child relates honestly, hopefully, and even joyfully what she wants to be. The story with its colorful and realistic il- lustrations is food for the imagination and soul of all who journey through its pages.

Dahl, Tessa. Arthur Robins, il- lustrator. The Same But Different. New York: Viking Penguin Press, 1990, 30 pp., $3.95. Ages two to six

Three generations, two pets, and one day later, readers will delight in how six family members in this story are indeed the same, but different, as they complete their daily activities. In the English version (Puffin Books), there is tea for Grandpa, bloomers for Granny, and nappies for Luke. After the day's work is done and the dinner and evening activities are completed, the family again prepares the same way (but also di f ferent ly) for the night's rest. Granny plaits her hair and soaks her teeth. Grandpa doesn't have many teeth or much hair--and neither does baby Luke! Good night...sweet dreams...all asleep .... all different, but the same.

Angelou, Maya. Jean-Michel Basquiat, illustrator. Life Doesn't Frighten Me. New York: Stewart, Tabori, & Chang, 1993, 26 pp., $14.95. Ages four to eight.

A book to be used carefully and creatively with young children to help them explore, discuss, and conquer their fears. Fear of the fantas t ic (ghosts, dragons, panthers in the park) and the eve ryday (barking dogs, "tough guys," strangers in the dark) are treated with respect and resolve that empowers young readers. Maya Angelou ' s impassioned poem and Jean-Michel Basquiat 's brilliant art enjoin children to celebrate their fear- lessness.

Bad dogs barking Big ghosts in a cloud Life doesn't frighten me at all.

Dragons breathing flame On my counterpane That doesn't frighten me at all.

As an added bonus, the book also con- tains brief biographies of Angelou and Basquiat and a selected bibliography and museum listing of their work.

Gender Identity and Sex-Role Stereotype

Gender identity is children's sense of being male or female. Between the ages of two and three, they can usual- ly show an understanding of gender and can correctly classify themselves and others. It is also at this age that children's sex-role stereotype forma- tion begins, developing gradually over the course of childhood (Weinraub, Clemen, Sockloff, Ethridge, Gracely, & Myers, 1984). Sex-role stereotypes are standardized mental pictures of the behavior expected of males and fe- males within a culture. Often this stereotype represents an oversimpli- fied attitude or perception. Yet it may dictate or even determine young chil- dren's behavior (Basow, 1992). Thus, books that instill self-confidence and independence in both male and female

children, model flexibility and accep- tance of all people, and that allow children to express emotions and dis- cuss feelings, enhance a positive sense of self and an appreciation of others, despite gender.

Stinson, Kathy. Heather Collins, illustrator. The Bare Naked Book. Toronto, Canada: Annick Press, 1992 (seventh printing)., 28 pp., $4.9~q~-~Annick Toddler Series (Ev0~s smiles from all ages!)

There is one in every group of chil- dren: the child who loves most of all to remove his or her clothing and run free. This is the book for that child and for the adults who find themselves running after him or her. The Bare Naked Book is a celebration of bodies of all kinds: soaking bodies, singing bodies, loving bodies, bare naked bod- ies. From hair to toes and knees to noses, it explore~ and depicts the hu- man anatomy with humorous and col- orful illustrations. Information about body parts and gender, age, and other individual physical differences are presented in good taste and good fun. Children will ask to hear this story over and over again.

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Anholt, Catherine, and Anholt, Laurence. Kids. Cambridge, MA: Candewick Press, 1992, 26 pp., $13.95. Ages two to six.

We are the kids! Look out, here we come! Colorful illustrations and a rhyming text describe the abilities and activities, as well as the feats and feel- ings, of many different kinds of chil- dren. Each page presents opportunities to discuss much of what happens within a young child's world. For ex- ample, what do kids do? They mix, mess, muddle; comfort, kiss, cuddle. Or maybe you would like to know what's in a kid's pocket: rubber bands, stones and sand; handkerchief, pretty leaf; pieces of string, another thing-- of course. The possibilities for extend- ing the content of this book are limited only by the adult imagination.

wolves, and maybe, just maybe, hu- mans. Rarely does a storyline attribute such power to young females:

The Grizzly sisters were thrilled. It was most rewarding. Who would have thought they were so ferocious, so powerful/? They stood on the river- bank and jumped for joy. "We're big! We're bad! We're the Grizzly sisters!"

But right prevails, gender or not, and disobedience and abuse of power eventually get the Grizzly sisters into quite a bind. In the end they discover that even powerful young female griz- zly bears must practice caution and care in the forest.

Ethnic Identity

As the world becomes increasingly diverse, ethnic awareness becomes a significant developmental task during early childhood. A young child's eth- nic identity refers to his or her sense of belonging to an ethnic group. It also includes the thoughts, percep- tions, feelings, and behaviors that are part of ethnic group membersh ip (Rotheram & Phinney, 1987). By the age of four, most children have devel- oped an elementary awareness of eth- nic differences based on color and other observed physical and behav- ioral differences. Group differences and social compar isons based on group characteristics also begin to sur- face at this t ime of deve lopmen t (Aboud, 1987). Literature that sup- ports the development of children's ethnic identity and awareness must val idate ch i ld ren ' s cultural back- grounds and challenge their assump- tions about the world by giving them new information and experiences.

Greenfield, Eloise. Jan Spivey Gilchrist, illustrator. First Pink Light. New York: Writers and Readers Publishing Company, 1991, 30 pp., $6.95. Ages three to six.

The usefulness of any story rests first on the authenticity and genuine- ness of its story line. In First Pink Light, award-winning author Eloise Greenfield and noted illustrator Jan Spivey Gilchrist depict the celebration of a family's separation and reunion in warm, artistic, and human ways.

Bellows, Cathy. The Grizzly Sis- ters. New York: Macmillan Publish- ing Company, 1991, 30 pp., $14.95. Ages three to eight.

In this universal story, Cathy Bel- lows uses soft watercolor illustrations of bears and other creatures in the for- est to set the stage for the antics of the Grizzly sisters. Boredom and curiosity drive their disobedience as they ex- plore the world with great abandon and conf idence , scaring beaver ,

36 DAY CARE AND EARLY EDUCATION

Patrida Polaceo

Mrs I atz �9 {{

Every chi ld can ident i fy with young Tyree's struggle to understand, wait, and then finally greet his much missed and soon-to-return father at dawn's first light. This is a soft, assur- ing, simple, but powerful book about and for young children and their fami- lies.

Hurwi tz ,Johanna. J e r r y Pinkey, i l l u s t r a to r . New Shoes f o r Silvia. New York: Mor row Junior Books, 1993, 28 pp., $15.00. Ages four to eight.

Young Silvia receives a pair of beautiful red shoes from her Tfa Rosi- ta, but they are sadly too big for her. The young girl's impatience turns to ingenuity as the shoes become beds for dolls, trains for babies, and even catchpots for shells and smooth peb- bles from the beach. This is a story of waiting and growing and finally be- coming bigger- -an experience to be shared and understood by every child who has ever felt a bit too tiny in the very big adult world.

Polaeco, Patricia. Mrs. Katz and Tush. New York: Bantam Little Rooster Books, 1992, 28 pp., $15.00. Ages five to eight.

A tender , ta i l less tale about a scrawny old cat named Tush who finds a home and connects the hearts of a young African-American boy and a lonely Jewish widow. In a blossom- ing and then enduring fr iendship, young readers (and perhaps old alike) will learn of bubelehs and borscht re- sorts, kugels and kaddishes, gefilte fish and matzoth bread. Laurel discov- ers the common themes of anguish and achievement that Black and Jew- ish history share; Mrs. Katz discovers that living, giving, and loving do not have to stop with aging or dying.

References

Aboud, F. "The Development of Ethnic Self-Identification and Attitudes. In J.

Phinney & M. Rotheram (Eds.), Chil- dren's Ethnic Socialization: Pluralism and Development. Newbary Park, CA: Sage, 1987.

Basow, S. Gender Stereotypes and Roles. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole, 1992.

Berk, L. Child Development. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon, 1994.

Lewis, M., & Brooks, J. "Self-Knowledge and Emotional Development." In M. Lewis & L. Rosenblum (Eds.), The De- velopment of Affect (pp. 205-226). New York: Plenum, 1978.

Lewis, M., & Brooks-Gunn, J. Social Cog- nition and the Acquisition of Self. New York: Plenum, 1979.

Rotheram, M., & Phinney, J. Children's Ethnic Socialization: Pluralism and De- velopment. Newbury Park, CA: Sage, 1987.

Weinraub, M., Clemens, L., Socldoff, A., Ethridge, T., Gracely, E., & Myers, B. "The Development of Sex Role Stereo- types in the Third Year: Relationships to Gender Labeling, Gender Identity, Sex-Typed Toy-Preference, and Family Characteristics." Child Development, 1984, 55, pp. 1493-1503.

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