As age increases books increase the content of Multiculturalism

As Age Increases, Books Increase the Content of Critical Multiculturalism

According to McLaren (1994), a critical multiculturalism must include both difference and sameness perspectives. Five books obtained from a recent web site titled Fifty Multicultural Books Every Child Should Know and presented in this essay attempt to embrace multiculturalism and pass it onto >the universal child=. Unfortunately, some of these books fall short of the expectation this web site leads one to place on these books. The books designed for younger children adopt a more conservative view, perhaps attempting to, as McLaren puts it, create a 'soothing balm= created so that a child will not lose their >innocence=. However, the books aimed for older age groups manage to present a more multicultural perspective in an effort to increase a child's educational outlook on the world.

The books chosen from the preschool and five to seven age groups demonstrate a conservative position, as the Oxford Dictionary of Current English states, Amoderate, avoiding extremes@ (p.177).

U.S. Census map indicating U.S. counties with fewe...

English: Ortodox Cathedral in Sao Paulo

African American girl, half-length portrait, looki...

As mentioned by Daniels (2002) these books illustrate what many parents feel books should concentrate on, Athe happier side of life@ (p.161). The preschool book, Do You Know What I=ll Do?, is essentially void of the duality that McLaren assumes to be a critical multiculturalism. The book tells a story of what a little girl will do to make her younger brother happy. The tale is very obviously written by a typical North American. It incorporates all the seasons, mentioning that to make her brother happy, she will build him a snowman or bring him a shell from the ocean. This books describes a middle class, white female girl whom has all the opportunities she desires. The only stereotype that exists in this book would be the way the female is positioned, as it does not break...