Through the Eyes of the Other: A Critical Analysis of the United States in Global Children’s Literature

• In Event: Roundtable Session 21
  In Roundtable Session: Transnational Children’s Identities in Literature and Research

Abstract

This study reports on an inductive, qualitative content analysis exploring depictions of the United States in translated, international literature for children. The sample included 16 titles recognized with the Batchelder Award or Honor, an award given to publishers who translate and publish books with global origins. Findings included depictions of the United States as a world power, a land of opportunity, and as a source of social capital. The findings offer a window into how people from other nations perceive the United States and illuminate the perceptions that international students may bring to classrooms in the United States.

Authors

• Danielle Eileen Forest, University of Southern Mississippi

• Sue C. Kimmel, Old Dominion University

• Kasey Lynn Garrison, Charles Sturt University

• Yonghee Suh, Old Dominion University