Creating Mirrors: A Look at the Nature of Inclusivity in Children’s Literature

Marri Saunders

Elementary schools and classrooms are filled with books in order for young students to have access to a wide range of children’s literature. Teachers use literature to support all academic areas such as science and history. Literature is also used to help students understand the human experience. By reading about character, setting, and plot, children learn about the world around them. One category of literature is referred to as multicultural literature. While there is no specific definition of multicultural literature, it can loosely be defined as literature by and about underrepresented or marginalized groups (Reading Rockets 2015). Unfortunately, the United States does not have a large demand for children’s multicultural literature. Because of this, multicultural literature is often underrepresented in the greater literature market. 

Literature and literacy are vital for cognitive development, but they also impact children’s socio-emotional development. According to Rudine Sims Bishop (1990), “literature transforms human experience and reflects it back to us, and in that reflection we can see our own lives and experiences as part of the larger human experience.” Within the same article, Bishop uses the terms “mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors” to describe how literature reflects the world. In the case of mirrors, readers see themselves in the characters, plots, settings, and themes of their books. This encourages socio-emotional development because the reading validates one’s own identity. As children develop, they look to adults and the world around them to begin creating their ideas of self-concept, self-esteem, and identity (Bishop 1990). Children’s literature thus acts as a mirror for children’s identities because it validates their experiences and their sense of self. 

A small percentage of children’s books represent minorities and their experiences. Each year, the Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) releases statistics of minority representation in children’s literature. Over the course of a few decades, the statistics have increased in favor of minority representation, but the numbers are still low. From 2016-2017, the percentage of children’s books about people of color or native peoples rose from 28% to 31% (CCBC 2018). However, only 13% of children’s books in the last 24 years are about people of color or native peoples (CCBC 2018). Despite a slight shift towards more representation, there is still a massive gap in the available books for readers.  

One of the most powerful contributors to the gap in multicultural literature is publishing houses. These large companies control the output of books into the literature industry. Because the industry is financially motivated, publishing houses regard sales as a top priority. According to the co-director of Letterbox Library, Fen Coles, “when the publishing industry feels threatened, they stick to tried and tested classics to stay afloat, which aren’t always inclusive-friendly” (Carpenter 2017). Unfortunately, the “classics” often use young, white males as the protagonists because publishers believe they will resonate more with the mainstream culture (Carpenter 2017). However, if large houses only publish the “classic” types of literature, they will fail to represent the diversity of the United States. White Christians no longer constitute a majority of the United States population; as of 2016, the white Christian population was only 43% of the demographic (Zole 2017). For reference, in 1977 eight out of ten Americans identified as white Christians (Zole 2017). The mainstream culture of the United States has shifted, but the publishing industry has not kept up with the changes. 

Along with publishing houses, consumers also have a large impact on the types of books published each year. As a large portion of the consumers for children’s literature, schools and teachers must be held accountable for the lack of demand for multicultural literature. Elementary teachers are particularly important to the publishing industry because of the large role literature plays in the elementary classrooms (Leahy and Foley 2018). Teachers have a major impact on the types of books their students are exposed to, and many are currently failing to feature inclusive literature. This is in part due to teachers’ lack of knowledge of children’s literature and inclusivity in general (Leahy and Foley 2018). A 2012 study asked elementary teachers to identify two books from five different ethnic groups. The study discovered the majority of the participants could only name two books from the Anglo-American culture, and consequently lacked knowledge of other cultures, in regard to literature (Leahy and Foley 2018). This study shows how teachers are not prepared to work with or expose their students to inclusive and representative literature. Another study by Iwai (2013) looked at teacher candidates and their perception of multicultural literature. When asked about the literature, “the candidates could see the importance, but they did not necessarily understand its usage and were not significantly familiar with the books themselves” (Leahy and Foley 2018). With a lack of inclusive literary knowledge, teachers are not making an effort to use literature as a diversity tool (Leahy and Foley 2018). By not introducing inclusive literature to their students, teachers are promoting the current publishings of non-representational children’s literature. 

The publishing industry will not change on its own; it will only publish more multicultural literature if there is a high demand. Because of their financial motivations, it is the responsibility of consumers to urge the publishing houses in a new direction. Unfortunately, the consumer has not demanded enough change. Within the market, each purchase of an all-white children’s book has an impact, or “vote” towards a certain direction of publishing (Leahy and Foley 2018). When consumers consciously or unconsciously choose to purchase non-inclusive literature, they buy into the “classic” publishings and further the cycle of diversity shortage. The industry makes slow changes over time, but there are still enormous gaps in the representation of minority groups. For example, after looking through Barnes and Noble’s Top 100 Kids Bestsellers list, only six out of the one hundred titles (6%) showed at least one character of color on the cover (Barnes and Noble 2018). Consumers are clearly subscribing to the current publishing industry, but do they have a moral obligation to change? According to Welch (2016), they do have a moral obligation (Leahy and Foley 2018). She argues purchasing non-inclusive books perpetuates discrimination and ideas of racism, sexism, ableism, etc. (Leahy and Foley 2018). Perhaps it is true consumers have this moral obligation, but there is no one to hold them accountable. Further, publishing companies rely on consumers to sway their marketing and business. However, without a change by either the consumer or the publisher, nothing in the children’s literature industry will change with regard to the publishing of multicultural literature. 

The industry did see a shift in 2014 when an all-male and all-white group of children’s literature authors composed a BookCon event panel. With such an obvious lack of diversity, teachers, authors, and publishers realized the children’s and young adult literature industry needed to change. Immediately following the event, Twitter users began to respond with the hashtag #WeNeedDiverseBooks. The hashtag went viral, and forced publishers and authors to start recognizing their failed attempts at diversity, or lack thereof. The trend and massive online discussion eventually led to the creation of the non-profit organization, We Need Diverse Books (WNDB), in July 2014. The organization does various work with funding grants and scholarships, as well as campaigning for more diversity across the publishing houses. WNBD has advocated for a large change in publishing by expanding diverse literature. According to their website, WNBD defines diversity as follows: “We recognize all diverse experiences, including (but not limited to) LGBTQIA+, Native, people of color, gender diversity, people with disabilities, and ethnic, cultural, and religious minorities.” Due to the pressure of WNBD and the general public, publishing houses and authors have begun to make a conscious effort to expand the market for diverse literature.  

The industry has begun to make small strides towards more inclusive children’s literature. For example, Salaam Reads, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, works to expand Muslim representation. Starting in 2016, Salaam Reads’ goal has been to “introduce readers of all faiths and backgrounds to a wide variety of Muslim children and families and offer Muslim kids an opportunity to see themselves reflected positively in published works” (Salaam Reads 2018). The imprint releases at least nine books a year, ranging from board books to young adult literature (Alter 2016). Simon & Schuster believes they are the first major publishing house with an imprint dedicated to Muslim literature (Domonoske 2016). In comparison, all of the five major publishers have multiple Christian imprints, such as HarperCollins’ Tommy Nelson, a Christian children’s literature imprint (Domonoske 2016, HarperCollins Publishers 2018). When looking at the current imprints and publishers, it appears the “classic” publishings are more valued than multicultural literature. Salaam Reads, however, represents a step toward inclusivity.

Salaam Reads publishes books for Muslim readers, but also for the wider audience (Salaam Reads 2018). The imprint has said it wants to publish books not only for Muslim readers to see themselves in literature, but also for people of other faiths and backgrounds to understand the common experiences of Muslims (Salaam Reads 2018). One example of their publishing work is Mommy’s Khimar by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow (2018). The plot follows a young girl as she explores the importance of her mother’s khimar, also known as a hijab. The young girl is the voice of the narration, so readers experience her perspective and thoughts about the khimar. Muslim readers are able to use this book as a mirror because they may have had similar encounters with a khimar. For example, the young girl uses her imagination, similar to any child, and pretends to be a superhero with her mother’s khimar. However, the plot also has a message for the general audience. It acts in contrast to the current rhetoric about Muslims, especially in regard to Islamophobia. Mommy’s Khimar is an example of how multicultural literature benefits all types of readers because it helps bridge the gaps between misconceptions and prejudice. 

Additionally, Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow is a Muslim woman writing about a Muslim girl’s experiences. The vast majority of multicultural children’s books are not actually written by someone who is a minority. In most cases, the authors are still white. For example, the CCBC received 340 books with significant African American characters or content, but only 29.41% were written by African American authors (CCBC 2018). It’s important that minority writers be a voice for their communities. Salaam Reads is undertaking the task of publishing accurate and engaging books by Muslim authors.

Consumers and publishing houses have both created a literature market which lacks multicultural literature and representation of minorities. Because the industry is based on financial gain, publishing houses have in large part decided to publish books they know will sell to consumers. On the other hand, consumers overwhelmingly purchase books with white children as protagonists. Both publishers and readers must make a conscious effort to select and promote multicultural texts. While there has been some progress made by both consumers and publishers, such as #WeNeedDiverseBooks and Salaam Reads, there is still much to be done for multicultural literature and minority representation. 

References

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Carpenter, Caroline. (2018, August 7). Children need more inclusive books. The Bookseller. Retrieved November 21, 2018 from https://www.thebookseller.com/news/children-need-more-inclusive-books-505526.

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Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow. (2018). Simon & Schuster. Retrieved December 3, 2018 from http://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Jamilah-Thompkins-Bigelow/2120035660. 

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Leahy, M. & Foley, B. (2018, April 18). Diversity in children’s literature. ResearchGate. Retrieved November 24, 2018 from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324595785_Diversity_in_Children's_Literature. 

Reading Rockets. (2015, January 30). What is multicultural literature?. Youtube. Retrieved December 3, 2018 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=lB5l9S4T_wE.

Salaam Reads. (2018). Salaam Reads. Retrieved November 21, 2018 from http://salaamreads.com/.

Wang, F. (2017, January 5). From hashtag to movement to book: #WeNeedDiverseBooks publishes first anthology. NBC News. Retrieved November 24, 2018 from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/hashtag-movement-book-weneeddiversebooks-publishes-first-anthology-n703606

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White Christians are now a minority of the population, survey says. (2017, September 6). PBS News. Retrieved November 23, 2018 from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/white-christians-now-minority-u-s-population-survey-says.