Holy Moly, A Publication

After a lot of hard work, I'm so happy to announce that my first "real" published article is out!  In spring 2014, one of my professors encouraged me to write a paper critically analyzing four graphic history books about the Battle of the Alamo, and it's one of the most fulfilling, interesting academic journeys I've ever taken.

While writing this paper, I was able to travel back to my childhood and relive wonderful memories of visiting San Antonio and learning about my home state's history.  However, I also had to confront the fact that the "official" (i.e., popular and dominant) story of the Alamo is pretty biased, inaccurate, and sometimes flat-out racist.

dramatic picture via The Young Turks

After the paper was finished, my friend and co-author, Margaret Robbins, provided some helpful input (many thanks, Margaret!), and we sent it off to Social Studies Research & Practice.  If you'd like to read the article, you can find it here.  It's an open-access online journal, so you'll be able to read the whole thing and/or download it for free.

I hope you enjoy it!

KidLit in Chicago

I've been yearning to go to Chicago for years now, and I finally got my chance last week when I attended the American Educational Research Association (AERA) annual meeting.  The city did not disappoint!  (I didn't want to leave.  Can I go back now?)  When I wasn't doing conference stuff, I had several opportunities to get out and explore.  Here are some highlights:

Benito Juárez statue

Colonial-era painting of La Virgen de Cayma (Perú) @ the Art Institute of Chicago

Adorable Indonesian primate friends (13th century) @ the Art Institute of Chicago

 

This looks better than any of the pictures I took.

My favoritefavoritefavorite excursion, however, was visiting the Pilsen neighborhood and the National Museum of Mexican Art on the Lower West Side.  In addition to a beautiful permanent collection -- with everything from Mesoamerican sculpture to contemporary video art -- they have a few temporary exhibits, like the brand new collection inspired by Sandra Cisneros and her landmark novel, The House on Mango Street, which is set in Chicago.

Exhibition banner

I wish I could've taken pictures of the artwork because the collection included paintings by two of my favorite artists / children's book illustrators: Carmen Lomas Garza and Rafael López.  (Photography isn't allowed in temporary exhibitions at most museums, though.  Oh well.)  Fortunately, there was another Garza painting in the permanent collection, so I snapped a picture of that one:

Las posadas (2000)

Even better, the gift shop had a great selection of Latin@ and Latin American children's books, many of which I'd never seen or heard of before.  One book that really caught my attention was El gusto del mercado mexicano / A Taste of the Mexican Market by Nancy María Grande Tabor.

Yum

In this dual language book, Tabor -- who's from Loreto, Mexico -- guides readers through a traditional market, showing them popular Mexican foods and asking questions that reinforce math and science skills (e.g., "If we choose two of each [pastry], how many will we have?" and "Which of these ripe fruits are still green?").  I love this book, not only because of what it teaches, but also because of how Tabor presents the information.  Instead of presenting this Mexican cultural practice as exotic and strange to US readers (as many books about international cultures do, unfortunately), she depicts visiting a market as an interesting (but ordinary) practice that some people do.  Good stuff.

Another great book was Lotería by Patty Rodriguez, a dual language board book by a publisher called Lil' Libros.

Awwww

Each page spread features a super-cute representation of a lotería card with Spanish and English captions.  Since there are lots of bilingual babies in my life, I bought a copy and was able to test it out on my friends' seven-month-old little dude as soon as I got back to Georgia on Saturday.  He focused intently on each page, laughed when I made Spanish and English rooster noises, waved his chubby little arms, and then shoved the book in his mouth when we finished reading.  So... SUCCESS.

Chicago is a beautiful stronghold of Latin@ (especially Mexican-American) culture, so if you get a chance to visit and are in the market for some great Latin@ children's literature and cultural experiences, they can hook you up.  I miss it already.

And now I leave you with the song that's been stuck in my head for a week:

Book Talks at Latin@s in Kid Lit :D

I don't think I've mentioned it here yet, but the lovely folks at Latin@s in Kid Lit -- a group blog run by some amazing authors, illustrators, librarians, students, and teachers -- have invited me to contribute some book reviews for their "Libros Latinos" feature.  I'm so excited to join the team!  Last month, I wrote a review of Jorge Argueta's Talking with Mother Earth / Hablando con Madre Tierra, and I have another review coming out at the end of April.

 
Here are some hints about the book I'll be discussing:

• It's a new release.
• It's a picture book.
• It's tasty.
• The illustrations connect past and present.

Can you guess?  Hope to see you over at Latin@s in Kid Lit!

White Kids + Diverse Books

During my sophomore year in high school, I was required to read Hunger of Memory, Richard Rodriguez's autobiographical account of losing touch with his family's culture and language as he progressed in his education here in the US.  (For more info on this book, click here.)

I've always cared about diversity and creating a more loving world for people of all ethnic, linguistic, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds in a broad and general way, but as a teenager, I was still very unaware of issues like White privilege, systemic racism, and the struggles that many people face on a daily basis due to inequity and prejudice in our society.  So when I began reading Rodriguez's book and found it somewhat boring*, I got frustrated and thought to myself: "Why do I have to read this book anyway?  I'm not Mexican."

That's when I needed someone to (not literally) slap me and say, "Because other people's experiences and perspectives matter, numnuts."  At that time in my life, even though I was somewhat aware of injustice in the world and wanted to care, I didn't see past my own small world.  I needed someone to help me look beyond myself by explicitly showing me how to read critically, to name and confront inequity, to cherish stories from people different than me, but no one did.  (Honestly, I can't blame my sophomore English teacher, because I know she was and still is an amazing educator who's very dedicated to diversity and equity -- I'm 99.99% sure that she didn't feel free to discuss these issues at length due to politics at my mostly White, very conservative school.)

Earlier this week, I came across a guest post by Taun M. Wright at the Lee & Low blog called "Why Do We Need Diverse Books at Non-Diverse Schools?" and it really hit home.  In this post, Wright lists the multiple reasons why it's important for kids from "dominant" sociocultural backgrounds to read diverse books, including decreases in prejudice and increases in academic performance.  All very true.  I needed diverse literature as a child/teenager, and I also needed adults to point out to me why reading diverse literature is crucial in our society.

I'm so grateful that graduate school has invited me to delve into topics concerning social justice, diversity, and multicultural education and children's literature -- my studies have enriched my life so much and have allowed me to see beyond myself, and I hope that my research can encourage others.  But what bugs me is that I didn't start exploring these topics in depth until graduate school.  Why not elementary school, or high school at the very latest?

This is why we need diverse books -- not only to read them, but to discuss them and get kids from all backgrounds thinking and acting.

*I've re-read Hunger of Memory since high school and, thankfully, don't think it's boring anymore :)

KidLit in Savannah

Have you ever been to Savannah?  It's a very cool, extremely fascinating city.  Last week was my first time down there, and I wish I could have stayed for two weeks instead of two days.  SO MUCH interesting history.

Mikve Israel, the third oldest

Jewish congregation in the US

First African Baptist Church, a stop in the Underground Railroad

and meeting place during the Civil Rights Movement

Haitian Memorial Monument, a tribute to the Haitian

soldiers who fought in the Battle of Savannah

during the American Revolution

Pretty square :)

Lots of interesting bookstores, too.  The first place I hit was E. Shaver, Bookseller, a small, independent store in the historic district.  

It had two rooms dedicated to books for young people -- one for picture books and another for chapter books and nonfiction.  Admittedly, I assumed that the selection would be pretty White and conservative (being in a city that gets a lot of White, conservative tourists), and I was pleasantly surprised to find many books by diverse authors and about diverse characters and topics.  While most of these books were more older, popular "classics," it was nice to see diversity on the shelves.  Here are some examples:

Cassie's Word Quilt by Faith Ringgold,

a gorgeous picture book about young Cassie's community

Nana in the City by Lauren Castillo,

a super cute picture book about 

being brave with a cool grandma

BEEKLE!! (this year's Caldecott winner by Dan Santat)

 Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, 

an autobiographical novel about

Japanese-American internment during World War II

The Watsons Go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis,

an exploration of racism and the Civil Rights Movement

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

and Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya, 

two of my favorite banned books right next to each other!

A W.E.B. DuBois doll next to Ruth and the Green Book

Final verdict: Loved this store, although they could stock more new diverse books -- there are lots to choose from.  Bought Beekle for the nieces, although they might have to pry it out of my selfish fingers if they really want it :)

The next day, I visited the Book Lady, a used bookstore also located in the historic area, and found quite the little treasure: a signed copy of Heave Ho! by Savannah author and illustrator, José Lucio.

Heave Ho! is the story of a little worm who wants to crawl out of his hole and play in the sunshine, only to be grabbed by a bird.  Struggle and hijinks ensue.  It's an adorable, funny book for little kids, and the illustration style (photography + mixed media) is totally charming.  Buy yourself a copy and support a talented up-and-coming author/illustrator!

If you know of any other good bookstores in Savannah, let me know!  I'm always up for more literary tourism.

GCBA 2015!

Every year, UGA's College of Education hosts the Georgia Children's Book Awards and Conference on Children's Literature (or GCBA), an exciting, informative gathering that brings together authors, illustrators, teachers, librarians, and, happily, grad students.  In case you didn't know, I love smaller conferences because they provide great opportunities to spend time with friends, meet new people, enjoy interesting presentations and workshops, and just savor a nice weekend.

A lot happens at the conference, including the announcement of the year's award-winning picture book (grades K-4) and chapter book (grades 4-8).  Students and teachers around the state vote for their favorite books, and this year's picture book winner was Ol' Clip Clop: A Ghost Story, written by Patricia C. McKissak and illustrated by Eric Velasquez -- no big surprise, since lots of kids love spooky tales.  (I wish Niño Wrestles the World had won, but we can't have everything we want.)

The highlight of the conference for me, though, was meeting artist/author Shonto Begay and hearing him speak about his experiences growing up in Arizona, attending the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, and creating sumptuous paintings that capture the desert, Navajo cultural practices, his family and neighbors, and the "harsh realities of modern reservation life."  His art is "about praying, about sending out a universe of prayer," he said, and each swirl of color is "the visual representation of a chant, the syllables of prayers."  And he can Etch-a-Sketch like no other.

Mr. Begay also discussed his time at a boarding school -- school officials literally kidnapped him while he was tending his family's sheep and took him to the "brutal institution," where government teachers attempted to "cleanse" children of their language, religion, and cultural identities.  While he didn't go into much detail about his "educational" experiences, Mr. Begay did emphasize that these schools left "a whole generation traumatized" and that his time there greatly influenced his work.  The tragedies of Indian boarding schools are so often ignored by history, so I'm grateful that he shared his memories.  We need to confront this past, even if it's painful.

Later that day, I found a treasure in the bookstore (because yes, this conference has a bookstore!) -- Navajo Long Walk, illustrated by Mr. Begay and written by Joseph Bruchac.  A counter-narrative to the glorified story of European-American westward expansion, this book privileges the Navajo perspective on the Long Walk, a 450-mile forced march from a reservation in Arizona to the Bosque Redondo in New Mexico.

I've been studying depictions of American Indians in nonfiction children's books and have observed that the telling of American Indian histories is dominated by White historians (Wilson, 1996).  Traditionally, it's been somewhat difficult to find histories written and/or told by Native people about their own tribes and nations.  Furthermore, books about American Indians written by non-Native authors are often filled with harmful stereotypes, biases, oversimplifications, and generalizations (Noll, 1995; Reese, 2007) -- either that, or authors romanticize Native people, minimizing their humanity by depicting them as magical, "relentlessly ecological," noble savages (Slapin, Seale, & Gonzales, 1996, p. 20; Stewart, 2000).  Navajo Long Walk, however, is a history created by two Native people and gives voice to people who have long been silenced while avoiding stereotypes.  Highly recommended.

If you're interested in exploring Shonto Begay's other children's books, take a look at this Goodreads list.  Have fun!

References

Noll, E. (1995). Accuracy and authenticity in American Indian children’s literature: The social      responsibility of authors and illustrators. The New Advocate, 8(1), 29-43.

Reese, D. (2007). Proceed with caution: Using Native American folktales in the classroom. Language Arts, 84(3), 245-256.

Slapin, B., Seale, D., & Gonzales, R. (1996). How to tell the difference: A guide for evaluating children’s books for anti-Indian bias. Sonoma, CA: Oyate.

Stewart, M. P. (2000). How can this be Cinderella if there is no glass slipper? Native American    “fairy tales.” Studies in American Indian Literature, 12(1), 3-19.

Wilson, A. C. (1996). American Indian history or non-Indian perceptions of American Indian       history? American Indian Quarterly, 20(1), 3-5.

What's Skippyjon up to These Days?

As a teacher, I never liked the Skippyjon Jones series, although I could never explain why.  Well, I knew they were extremely difficult and annoying to read aloud because they're giant tongue twisters, but it was something more than that.  Now that I'm more familiar with the study of multicultural children's literature, I can name the vague sense of discomfort every time a student asked me to read one of these books.

To quote Skippyjon Jones and the Big Bones, they're "insane-o."

For those of you who aren't familiar with the series, it centers on a Siamese kitten who wants to be a Chihuahua and goes on wild adventures with his imaginary chihuahua friends.  Together, they speak a good deal of mock Spanish by adding -o and -ito (e.g., "Jurassic-o, " "marshmallocito") to the ends of words.  Lots of fake Mexican accents ("reelly, reelly beeg"), negative portrayals Mexicans ("crazy-loco," banditos, etc.), and very inauthentic uses of the Spanish language.

Carmen Martínez-Roldán, professor of bilingual/bicultural education at Teachers College, wrote a very interesting study about these books a couple of years ago, in which she examined stereotypes and mock Spanish that permeate them.  These depictions of ethnicity and language, she argued, can negatively impact young Spanish-speaking, Mexican-heritage children's self image, while also filling other children's heads with shallow, inaccurate, and unfair perceptions of how Mexican people speak and act.  However, she also pointed out that these books can be useful tools for helping children practice critical reading skills and uncover and discuss harmful depictions of culture and language.  Here's a link to the abstract (and if you'd like to read the full article, head to a university library website and download it, or, if you don't have access to one of those, the nice people at your local public library can probably help you find a copy).

Dr. Martínez-Roldán isn't the only person critiquing the series.  Just take a look at readers' reviews on Amazon and GoodReads or this review at De Colores, and you'll see that lots of people have had negative reactions.

So the other day, I saw the newest Skippyjon book, Snow What (2014), and was immediately seized by curiosity.  

Judy Schachner, the author/illustrator, has been receiving a fair amount of criticism for years now, so I wondered whether she had moved away from the stereotypes.  Here's what I found, starting with the description of the book on her website:

Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the bravest Chihuahua of them all? Skippyjon Jones, the Siamese cat who thinks he’s a dog! While his sisters listen to Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Skippy bounces on his big-boy bed and heads off for the REAL adventure awaiting him in his closet. Once inside, he finds himself in a magical snowy forest of make-believe, where the seven Chimichangos challenge him with his most dangerous task yet: to wake up Nieve Que [sic], the frozen princess, by kissing her! Yuck! Will this hero agree to don a prince’s pantelones [sic] and save his poochitos?  With rhymes, rollicking wordplay, and mucho fairy tale fun, this fuzzy tale is sure to end happily ever after.

(Note: One of the gags in the book is that Skippyjon keeps saying "Snow What" instead of "Snow White."  "Nieve Qué" is a literal translation of "Snow What," and... yeah.)

OK.  So far we see "Chimichangos," "poochitos," and a random mucho.  Also, pantalones is spelled incorrectly.  Onto the book.

While there aren't any obvious stereotypes about Mexicans in this book, there's still plenty of "rollicking wordplay" that involves slapping -o and -ito onto the ends of words: "Skippito Friskito," "smoochito," "indeed-o."  In an interesting twist, there are also a lot of correctly used Spanish words that readers can figure out and learn from context and illustrations.  For example, one of Skippyjon's chihuahua friends grumbles, "Some dog has been chewing my zapato," while holding a shoe in his mouth.  But does this linguistic choice make up for the rest of it?  Not for me.

Finally, there's this video: an interview with Judy Schachner, in which she describes Snow What and discusses her inspiration for Skippyjon.  Based on what she says, I don't think she's changed her mind about mock Spanish and stereotypes.  (Also, despite his portrayal of Zorro and other Mexican characters, Antonio Banderas is from Spain, not Mexico.)

I've heard people defend the Skippyjon books because they're fun and promote creativity and imagination.  According to some reviews I've read, others like them because they introduce children to Spanish.  But there are so many other picture books that simultaneously celebrate imagination and humor and affirm language and culture.  Why not go for those books instead?  

I think a lot of parents and kids stick to Skippyjon because he's familiar, cute, seemingly innocuous, and extremely popular.  They might not know about the more culturally sustaining literature out there in kidlit land.  What we can do is (gently) point out the problematic elements in the series and then suggest fun, Spanish-containing, culturally sustaining books.  We can ask booksellers to prominently display more bilingual and "code-switching" books (texts that are in English but contain some Spanish words) so that shoppers notice them.  And we can share book reviews and other multicultural children's literature resources to help get conversations started.  Here are a few that I've found especially helpful:

• De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children

• Latin@s in Kid Lit

• Latinas 4 Latino Lit

• Colorín Colorado

Long story short: Skippyjon Jones is still up to his mock Spanish ways -- use those books for critical reading.  Buy other books to teach Spanish and learn about Mexican cultural practices.  We can do so much better.