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This article was downloaded by: [University of Auckland Library] On: 08 October 2014, At: 16:11 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK New Review of Children's Literature and Librarianship Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rcll20 Multicultural text sets: Organizing for critical thinking Janelle B. Mathis a a Department of Teacher Education & Administration , University of North Texas , Box 311337, Denton, Texas, 76203–1337, USA E-mail: Published online: 01 Jul 2009. To cite this article: Janelle B. Mathis (2002) Multicultural text sets: Organizing for critical thinking, New Review of Children's Literature and Librarianship, 8:1, 55-69, DOI: 10.1080/13614540209510659 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13614540209510659 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content.

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This article was downloaded by: [University of Auckland Library]On: 08 October 2014, At: 16:11Publisher: RoutledgeInforma Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T3JH, UK

New Review of Children'sLiterature and LibrarianshipPublication details, including instructions forauthors and subscription information:http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rcll20

Multicultural text sets:Organizing for critical thinkingJanelle B. Mathis aa Department of Teacher Education &Administration , University of North Texas , Box311337, Denton, Texas, 76203–1337, USA E-mail:Published online: 01 Jul 2009.

To cite this article: Janelle B. Mathis (2002) Multicultural text sets: Organizing forcritical thinking, New Review of Children's Literature and Librarianship, 8:1, 55-69,DOI: 10.1080/13614540209510659

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13614540209510659

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE

Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all theinformation (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform.However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make norepresentations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness,or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and viewsexpressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, andare not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of theContent should not be relied upon and should be independently verifiedwith primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liablefor any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses,damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arisingdirectly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of theuse of the Content.

Page 2: Multicultural text sets: Organizing for critical thinking

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Multicultural text sets: organizing forcritical thinkingJanelle B. MathisUniversity of North Texas, Department of Teacher Education &Administration, Box 311337, Denton, Texas 76203-1337, USA.e-mail: [email protected]

Literacy today goes beyond decoding text to critically considering information from multipleperspectives and one's own life experiences in order to understand the issues and participateactively and meaningfully in society. The organizational strategy described here provides a basisfor readers to consider various cultural perspectives through intertextual connections across texts.Emphasis is placed on the need for educators themselves to experience such thinking through thecreation of multicultural text sets in order to realize the significance of such experiences for theirstudents.

INTRODUCTION

The notion of literacy today is complex as a result of globalisation,technology, travel, and diverse populations within individualnations. Educators are using phrases such as new literacies,

critical literacy, media literacy, and others as they attempt to point to thearray of complex thinking skills required to participate fully in ourglobal society. According to critical literacy theory, the mechanics ofreading, writing and completing comprehension assignments is but thebeginning of creating lifelong learners through reading, reflectivethinking, asking questions, and seeking answers. Green cites Witherswho stated, 'We are long beyond the stage of accepting basic literacy—the ability to read and write one's own name - as the norm for thegeneral population... What we have come to realize is needed is'critical literacy' ... the direction of those functional skills towards theability to mount a personal critique of all those issues which surroundus as we live, learn, and work - to help us understand, comment on andultimately control the direction of our lives' (1).

Critical literacy goes beyond decoding to discussions, realizing the roleof multiple perspectives, critically constructing meaning from a varietyof texts, and creating an awareness of the role of power within culturalsystems. 'Thinking readers, called critical readers, evaluate newinformation in light of what they already know, compare many sourcesinstead of accepting only one point of view, and make judgments about

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what they read,' (2). The influence of this expanded idea of literacy isfound in pedagogy that concerns language instruction, cross-curricularlinks to content areas, sociocultural considerations, and media literacy,each demanding an increased ability to think in critical ways.

As educators consider how to invite and nurture critical reading andthinking in young readers, the role of children's literature ininstructional contexts assumes even greater responsibility thanpreviously given. Both teachers and librarians agree that children'sliterature reflects intricate research, exemplary illustration, andperspectives that represent cultural experiences and both national andglobal events. Appealing to both the affective and cognitive domains ofthe thinking processes, this body of resources spreads across genre,knowledge systems, cultural backgrounds, and a variety of topics. Au,in addressing one aspect of culture states, 'Multiethnic literature can beused in the classroom to affirm the cultural identity of students ofdiverse backgrounds and to develop all students' understanding andappreciation of other cultures' (3). As a resource for culturallyresponsive teaching, multiethnic/multicultural literature, well chosenand strategically used, is consistently cited by scholars of literature,education, and diversity issues. 'Multicultural literature is one of themost valuable components of a multicultural education curriculum theunderlying purpose of which is to help make society a more equitableone'(4).

Educators, however, agree that it is not only the literature but also howthe literature is used that makes it a powerful resource. Green (5) pointsto the importance of individuals to reflect critically on what is beinglearned and taught in classrooms and to invite active participation in theproduction of meaning. The selection and organization of literature issignificant to its role in the development of skillful and strategicthinking processes that characterize a literate person in today's complexsociety. Many educators, themselves, have not experienced consideringmultiple perspectives through literature. Therefore, it is imperative thateducators engage in reading and reflecting from a critical stance if theyare to create environments that enhance such in their students. Thestrategy of organizing literature into multicultural text sets andengaging readers of all ages in considering multiple perspectives acrosstexts is the focus here. While such a strategy can nurture any of thevarious meanings of 'critical literacy,' a cultural stance will frame thisdiscussion. In defining critical literacy from this perspective, Shor (6)says it is 'reflective and reflexive,' emphasizing the importance of a

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person realizing that individual socializations influence how oneinterprets and reacts to society.

DEFINING A TEXT SETA text set is five-to-fifteen texts that relate conceptually in some way,such as similar themes, text types, topics, and other organizing concepts(7). The purpose of the text set is to reflect different perspectives on thechosen theme or connecting concepts. A multicultural text set placessignificance on the fact that a diversity of cultural perspectives isrepresented. The educator must consider various criteria in creating atext set such as: a range of genre and reading materials; knowledgesystems (ways of perceiving the world, knowledge of history, biologyor psychology); cultural perspectives; texts for different readingproficiencies; and other criteria chosen to present diverse perspectiveson a particular topic or theme. Additionally, non-print resources areincluded. Engagements that invite the readers into discussions,intertextual considerations,' and extensions of their insights through theuse of other communicative forms, art, music, drama as well as readingtexts, provide contexts for critical insights to be formed.

CREATING MULTICULTURAL TEXT SETSRecently, in undergraduate and graduate classes that focused onmulticultural children's literature, I became concerned that while thestudents were familiar with gathering texts according to a theme forclassroom use, this selection was often random and a matter ofavailability of texts. While many did practice discernment in selectingwhat they thought were well written texts and those appropriate for thetopic, little consideration was given to the role a text might play inpresenting a specific perspective of the topic. I often used text setswithin the lessons I planned as a way for students to consider a specifictopic, but I was the person selecting the books ones that had beencarefully added to my collection because of a particular perspective itplaced on a topic or because of my own constructs of how a topicshould be represented. However, my students were not experiencing theprocess of identifying the various perspectives that might berepresented through literature and contemplating how books worktogether to illuminate critical comparisons and, ultimately, overallunderstandings.

Studies have shown, and my own observations within education classespoint to, the fact that teachers, themselves, often have not used literaturein a way that invites them to critically consider the messages that

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authors and illustrators are sending to young readers. Even less are theoccasions when the juxtaposition of texts highlights specific points toconsider, and strategies encourage a stance that leads to thedevelopment of critical literacy. While critical literacy has been definedin many ways, the processes that lay the foundation for becoming acritical thinker in any context are very similar. First, one must realizehis/her own standards that guide how the perspectives of others areconsidered through reflection on our own behaviour, norms, and beliefs,shaped by our cultural identities. Then extensive reading and carefullydesigned strategies lead to making intertextual connections among textsand one's own life experiences. According to Short, 'learning can bedefined as a process of making connections, of searching for patternsthat connect so that we can make sense of our world,' however, shecontinues, 'if we stay too close to what we already know, we are notpushed as learners into new understandings' (8) She continues bysharing the belief that it is important that the teacher not assume theresponsibility of critical thinking as he/she focuses on providingbackground knowledge which forces students to make sense ofsomeone else's connections. In emphasising the transactive nature ofreading, she says, 'Readers make multiple connections across texts,ideas, and experiences' (9) and adds that it is important that students areinvited to explore connections and comparisons across their lives andliterature.

Responding to my students' needs in this area, the creation ofmulticultural text sets as defined earlier became a definitive assignmentin a class called 'Cross-curricular Resources and Materials.' Studentswere invited to work in groups although they could elect to workindividually. The groups chose a variety of topics and themes aboutwhich to create their multicultural text set. Among these topics werefamily, growing up, animals, homes and houses, facing challenges,strong children, farming, and freedom. The criteria that were to beincluded within the text set were various genre, reading ability levels,knowledge systems, cultural elements and perspectives, and othercharacteristics unique to their particular topic. Students were asked toread extensively as well as intensively, using an inquiry chart designedto place titles vertically in the first column and various criteria insubsequent columns (see figure 1).

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The ButterflyP. PolaccoPhilomel,2000AlvinAileyA. PinkneyHyperion,1993Sadako andthe thousandCranesCoerr1999,PenguinPutnam/ see theoceanE. CondraHambleton2002The HickoryChairFraustinoScholastic,2001

Genre

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Monique helpsher friendsescape Nazisin France.Overcomesobstacles tobecome adancer.Sadakobecomes illwith radiationpoisoning -WW2

Blind childuses othersenses toparticipate infamily fun.Blind childparticipates infamily;Grandmotherdies.

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My name isJorgeMedinaBoyds Mills,1999Moses goesto a concertMillmanFarrar, Straus& Giroux,1998Sees behindtreesDorrisDisney Press,1999ImmigrantkidsR. FreedmanPutnam, 1995

Tomas andthe libraryladyP. MoraKnopf, 1999

Poetry -bilingual

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The inquiry chart provided a place for students to keep notes about thebooks they read. The example is in-process and shows the use of thechart to gather information while reading in order to select the bestbooks to present a comprehensive picture of the theme or topic. Thecriteria were ones that pointed to various perspectives for the* books andoffered points of comparison across the texts for young readers whowould eventually consider the text set both as a whole and through itsparts. After extensive reading the person creating this set could examinethe categories to see which books best represented which perspective orgenre and which perspectives might be missing.

Different genre were an important component. Poetry, for example,succinctly and powerfully provides a sharp glimpse of a topic from theimpressions of its authors. While poetry usually is thought to representan affective approach to a topic, it can provide a powerful impact forthe reading of other informational works or that of fiction. For example,in a text set entitled 'Non-traditional Families,' My Man Blue by NikiGrimes (10), the story of the relationship of a young inner city boy andhis mother's boyfriend, is a powerful reminder of the importance ofsupporting and caring relationships for all people.

Various knowledge systems represent the different content areas and thelens through which a particular field of study views an event orsituation. An environmental issue, for example, would be perceiveddifferently by a historian, biologist, politician, economist or sociologist.How writers in these different fields portray an event or topic is a pointfor consideration as they may assume quite different stances.

Needless to say, the life experiences, value systems, life styles, andgroup histories of different cultures provide diverse perspectives on agiven topic. As one student discovered in her text set on 'Freedom,'freedom is viewed differently by different people. For some it meansthe freedom to view the world as they wish while for others it mightmean freedom to walk the streets of their community without beingattacked. A focus on 'Celebrations' may vary according to religiousbeliefs. A set on 'Admirable Women' will shed light on culturalexpectations of various eras as well as present day value systems.Garcia and Willis acknowledge that Shor has 'linked culture and criticalliteracy by pointing out how our own socialization can affect ourinterpretations and views of the world' (11). Multicultural text sets

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invite readers to consider that there are other interpretations of societyand its issues.As the list of titles for 'Children Facing Challenges' could become quiteextensive, the person creating this set might decide to focus even more,such as 'Children and the Holocaust,' 'Children Facing PhysicalChallenges,' or 'Children as Problem Solvers.' Reading these bookshelps the teacher determine the types of concepts that the childrenmight be invited to consider. For example, a text set on 'War andPeace,' might be rather large as many children's books have beenpublished in the past decade that concern significant wars within thehistories of many countries. However, as students read extensively tocreate a text set, they realise there are many approaches to this topic.They also begin realising that within these books are various messagesthat readers can grasp, such as the universality of war, women orminority groups as found in the United States' Civil War, or the effectsof war on all aspects of society. As they read, they often narrow theirobjectives and decide on a particular concept, such as 'Children andWar' (also a potential part of the text set on 'Children FacingChallenges'). Then, within this narrowed collection of titles, smallersubsets may be juxtaposed to consider in relation to each other, such asDrummer Boy: Marching to the Civil War by Ann W. Turner (12) andSleeping Boy (13) by Sonia Craddock. Drummer Boy is the story of athirteen year old boy who is inspired when he hears Abraham Lincolnspeak and runs away from home to enlist in the army. Witnessing thebloodiest battle of the Civil War, he deals with his fear by concentratingon beating his drum. The book ends with him saying he will tell Mr.Lincoln a young boy should not have to witness this. However, SleepingBoy is an allegory in the style of 'Sleeping Beauty.' Placed under acurse at the celebration of his birth, a boy and his family sleep throughthe Second World War and the division of Berlin. A comparison ofthese books can develop positions on patriotism, the role of childhood,and the effects of war on children. How did these young men face theirchallenges? How much control did they have over their situations?

Once numerous books were read and critical information recorded, thegroups in my class met to discuss which titles were most significant toinclude in the set. This discussion alone provided an opportunity forthem to negotiate the value of each text to the set and refine theirinsights concerning the focus of the set, the questions that might drive ayoung reader to read and consider each book. The working chartprovided a reference as to what perspective each book contributed aswell as other unique contributions of a particular title to the set. An

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annotated bibliography was then compiled and further groupdiscussions focused on the best engagements for response, intertextualconnections, and extending insights gained from this text set by readers.Engagements for the final set that emerged from the example of theworking chart on 'Children Facing Challenges' might have included:1. Create an inquiry chart of the various types of challenges these

children faced? In one column list the character and cKallenge. Inanother column describe the solution. In a third column, suggestwhat you might do if confronted with a similar situation. Whatcharacteristics do these children have in common?

2. Create a readers' theatre about facing challenges based on thecharacters you have met in these stories. Or plan a television show inwhich you will interview these children or people who knew them.

3. Create a time-line of the various people within this text set. Whendid they live? Where did they live? What effect did the time & placein which they lived have on their challenges?

4. Have you or someone you've known faced a challenge lately? Whattypes of problem-solving did you use to meet the challenge?

When the text sets were finished, students were asked to write areflection that described their learning, the process of creating the set,positive and negative feelings about this requirement, and any otherinsights they wish to share both as a learner and a teacher. Thesereflections revealed information about the teachers' critical thinking andlearning.

REFLECTIONS ON CREATING TEXT SETSAs students in my class created text sets and reflected on their insightsof the process as well as cultural understandings, several categoriesemerged as significant to these future teachers and librarians. Personalgrowth as critical readers and learners was one major categorycontaining several specific areas that students mentioned. Included herewere: learning about perspective and its important role in considering avariety of topics; learning about culture and how it affects diversity; andthe value of text sets in motivating personal inquiry. A second categorythat emerged from their reflections was in the area of professionalgrowth; the findings offered many areas of significance: identifyinggenre; evaluating the significance of books for authentic purposes;practicing critical discernment; developing confidence in choosing titlesand themes; creating an awareness of the curricular potential ofchildren's literature; learning about multicultural literature and itsauthors; and refining their notions of valuable engagements following

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the reading of such text sets.

With the focus of this manuscript being that of creating multiculturaltext sets, I will share more specifically students' insights on culture anddiscovering multiple perspectives. Readers' voices provide examples oftheir construction of new insights during the process of creating textsets.

Various insights into cultural understandings through multipleperspectives were seen in the reflections of these teachers and revealedvarious levels of critical thinking. For many students this was the firsttime they had contemplated the notion of cultural perspectives. As onestudent wrote,

'I can't recall ever being taught a multicultural lesson unless it was about holidays. I think that thisis very sad. I am twenty-two years old and I still learn from material printed for a second or thirdgrader. This activity allowed me the opportunity not only to explore multicultural texts but also theopportunity to broaden my insight on different cultures.'

Several students noted how the search for different perspectives madethem critically aware of the lack of literature for children that representsdiverse points-of-view.

'This text set opened my eyes to the fact that cultures other than our own are greatly under-represented in our society. I was shocked to see just how hard it was to find multicultural books.After spending hours looking, I found only a few decent multicultural books and only one majorbookstore that carried any respectable size set of books on other cultures.'

Despite reading and hearing of this dilemma, their own unsuccessfulsearch for books created a heightened sense of the need for an equitablenumber of books to reflect the lives of diverse people. Their criticalthinking involved problem detecting and a search to understand theimplications of this situation for those groups under-represented inchildren's literature.

The discussions within the group included not only the texts that wereread, but the life stories of participants as their life experiences becameyet another perspective that group members could share.

'I noticed that we shared our lives and cultural experiences as we shared our books. Because weshared our personal experiences to various books, I was able to truly personalize our text set andmake it a real part of my life.'

This statement indicates the intertextual nature of reading andresponding to text sets. The nature of the transactional theory of readerresponse (14) is that of critically contemplating the significance of atext to one's life, thus making an individual's life a text in itself to be

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compared, contrasted and used as a point of comparison for other texts.During this process, one student mentioned,'I think that by doing multicultural text sets you begin to further define what culture means to you.'

Ultimately, adopting a critical stance in thinking about cultural aspectsof any topic can inform readers as to the many lens through whichpeople view society around them—both within their local communitiesand extending to a global consideration. John Dewey said, 'Learning tolook through multiple perspectives, young people may be helped tobuild bridges among themselves; attending to a range of human stories,they may be provoked to heal and transform' (15).

One group, reading about the African-American culture, discussed thename, African-American, itself.

'I shared with Tearra (an African-American student) an experience I had when I was inundergraduate school. A black classmate had said that being called an 'African-American* waswrong and that the correct terminology was 'Black-American' because not everyone was fromAfrica. However, Tearra believed otherwise. I learned through this conversation that race is a topicthat can be confusing at times but that always requires sensitivity and being open to others'perspectives'.

Many students said that creating this text set helped them realize thatany subject can be represented from diverse perspectives. They furtherdiscovered from their own considerations of multicultural issues withintheir particular topics the need for the teacher to represent variouscultural experiences.

'Children aren't prejudice from birth; they are taught that different is not good, and I thinkknowledge is the key to getting rid of ignorance.'

As many students noted, multicultural themes need to be tailored for thespecific situations of individual classrooms with diverse students tohelp students of all cultures relate to and be accepting of others.Additionally, one stated,

'The world is becoming smaller all the time with the age of technology, and it is important for eachchild to feel that their heritage has a special place. Children's books today share traditions withinan expanding market; therefore, it is possible to learn more now about unique traditions than everbefore as well as the universal values and experiences.'

The value of genre in presenting multiple perspectives wasacknowledged many times, such as,

'In college, I worked with the deaf, studied deaf culture, and thought I knew their lifestyle. But increating this text set, I learned a lot more than what informational books provide. Being inside thecharacter's head, in a work of fiction, illustrates a deeper look at what children with disabilities gothrough'.

Others commented on how poetry would invite them to take a quite

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complex topic and focus momentarily on one aspect, usually throughthe eyes of a particular person. Poetry also let them as readers 'stand inthe shoes' of another for brief time to see a topic as the 'other' wouldsee it. A term as universal as freedom was found to have manymeanings through the various genre that represented it.

As students reflected on the notion of multiple perspectives, severalstudents remarked similarly to this one:

I really got a chance to think about what we are supposed to be teaching to our students. I started torealise the importance of the choices we as teachers make in choosing texts for our classrooms -both in light of individual texts and how texts are used to present a topic. It is crucial to find thebest books available for the students to read that represent the concepts that we are trying to teachas well as books that represent as many views as possible, and that authentically present the worldaround us. Creating a context for critical thinking is imperative to educate a child for today'ssociety.

CONCLUDING IMPLICATIONSOne significant outcome of this organizational strategy is the criticalthinking required on the part of the adult who is creating the text set.Teachers and librarians need to be aware and have available texts thatwork with other texts to provide opportunities to compare and contrasttopics within a variety of cultures. A context for nurturing criticalthinking is one that invites readers to extend their consideration of anissue through discussion, the use of multiple sign systems, andapplication to 'real life' situations. Both extensive and intensive readingof children's literature from a diversity of cultures is paramount tocreating such contexts for thinking.

However, many educators need to first become aware of how theyposition themselves in regard to the perspectives of others before theycan create contexts for critical thinking to develop. Banks helps us tounderstand this need by stating:

Each of us becomes culturally encapsulated during our socialization in childhood. We accept theassumptions of our own community culture, internalise its values, views of the universe,misconceptions, and stereotypes. Students who are bom and socialized within the mainstreamculture of a society rarely have an opportunity to identify, question, and challenge their culturalassumptions, beliefs, values, and perspective because the school culture usually reinforces thosethat they learn at home and in their communities. (16)

Considering the complexity of culture is not an easy task, althougheducators in all contexts are confronted with the need to be aware of thesignificant role that one's culture plays in literacy learning. Tounderstand the role of culture in literacy learning educators and studentsmust first be given the opportunity to grapple with the significance of

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their own culture and the lens through which they view society aroundthem. A teacher wrote:From the immigration text set, I have learned that there is another side to every situation. Forexample, I've become more aware of my attitude towards immigrants on the side of the roadwaiting to be picked up every morning for temporary or seasonal laborious jobs. I've tried to makea conscious effort to have more patience for people who don't speak English or who are hard tounderstand... In the past, I have tried to avoid making contact with them because it gets frustratingto try and communicate. After reading books about immigration, I was exposed to the otherperson's view. I realized it is probably just as difficult and frustrating, if not more, for these peopleto have a conversation with me.

As the field of children's literature continues to grow with richresources on a diversity of information, knowledge of these books andhow to strategically organize them is one way to create contexts thatnurture the thinking skills that are so obviously necessary for living intoday's global society. As we seek to invite readers of all ages toconsider the many perspectives on a given topic, we are helping toprepare them to achieve literacy as described in the opening of thispaper, a literacy that encourages them to question, critique, andchallenge the issues that surround them in daily life.

REFERENCES1. GREEN, P. Critical literacy revisited. In H. Fehring and P. Green, eds. Critical literacy.

Newark, DE: International Reading Association, 2001, 7-14.

2. GALDA, L. and CULLINAN, B. Literature and the child, 5th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth,2002, p264.

3. AU, K. Literacy instruction in multicultural settings. Fort Worth; Harcourt Brace Jovanovich,1993, p176.

4. SIMS-BISHOP, R. Multicultural literature for children: Making informed choices. In V. J.Harris, ed,. Teaching multicultural literature. Norwood: Christopher-Gordon, 1992, 37-54,p40.

5. GREEN op cit.

6. SHOR, I. What is critical literacy? Journal for Pedagogy, Pluralism & Practice, 1(4).http://www.lesley.edu/journals/jppp/4/shor.html, 1999.

7. SHORT, K., HARSTE, J. with BURKE, C. Creating classrooms for authors and inquirers,2nd. Ed. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1992.

8. SHORT, K. Making Connections across Literature and life. In: K. E. Holland, R. A.Hungerford, S. B. Ernst, eds. Journeying. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1993, 284-300, p284.

9. ibid.

10. GRIMES, N. My man blue. New York: Dial, 1999.

11. GARCIA, G. E. and WILLS, A. I. Frameworks for understanding multicultural literacies. In P.R. Schmidt & P. B. Mosenthal, eds., Reconceptualizing literacy in the new age ofmulticulturalism and pluralism, Greenwich Connecticut: Information Age Publishing, 2001, 3-31, p20.

12. TURNER, A. W. Drummer boy: marching to the Civil War. New York: HarperCollins, 1998.

13. CRADDOCK, S. Sleeping boy. New York: Atheneum, 1999.

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14. ROSENBLATT, L. The reader, the text, the poem: a transactionl theory of the literary work.Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1978.

15. GREEN, M. (1993). The passions of pluralism, multiculturalism, and the expandingcommunity narrative. Educational Researcher, 22, 13-18.

16. BANKS, J. A. Multicultural education: for freedom's sake. Educational Leadership, (4), 1993,32-35.

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