Multiracial Identity in Children's Literature [Paperback]

Racially mixed children make up the fastest growing youth demographic in the U.S., and teachers of diverse populations need to be mindful in selecting literature that their students can identify with. This volume explores how books for elementary school students depict and reflect multiracial experiences through text and images. Chaudhri examines contemporary childrens literature to demonstrate the role these books play in perpetuating and resisting stereotypes and the ways in which they might influence their readers. Through critical analysis of contemporary childrens fiction, Chaudhri highlights the connections between context, literature, and personal experience to deepen our understanding of how childrens books treat multiracial identity.

1. Introduction 2. Multiracial Identity in the United States: Historical and Current Discourse 3. Multiracial Picturebooks 4. In/Visibility: The Legacy of Pathology in Contemporary Fiction 5. Multiracial Blending: The Post-Racial Myth in Contemporary Fiction 6. Multiracial Awareness: Power and Visibility In Contemporary Fiction 7. Voices of the Past: Multiracial Identity in Historical Fiction 8. Hidden Identities: Whiteness and Passing 9. Teaching and Learning with Multiracial Fiction Appendices

Racially mixed children make up the fastest growing youth demographic in the US, and teachers of diverse populations need to be mindful in selecting literature that their students can identify with. This volume examines representative childrens literature to demonstrate the role they play as cultural artifacts that perpetuate, resist and negotiate racial stereotypes. Performing a content analysis of 90 books with mixed race characters, it places them within a historical context and critically analyzes what contemporary childrens fiction is saying about the experiences of multiracial students.

Amina Chaudhri is Assistant Professor lã'