"This Idea Came From a Book Called Crooked River": Queering "Straight" Literature in K–5 Classrooms

• In Event: Alternative Readings and Readers: Literature as Critical Identity Work

Abstract

Representations available to children in books matter, but in the case of LGBTQ-inclusive literature, such representations are often banned from schools. This proposal uses participant observation data from a multiple case study project to investigate how teachers can queer “straight” literature without LGBTQ-identified characters. Exploiting queer moments in otherwise straight texts gives teachers and students another tool to help them investigate heteronormativity, reimagine the ordinary, and recognize implicit connections to LGBTQ topics circulating within popular children’s books. Drawing on research from a second grade classroom reading contemporary realistic fiction and a fourth and fifth grade classroom reading historical fiction, we analyze possibilities for including LGBTQ experiences in classrooms even when LGBTQ characters are not.

Authors

• Caitlin Law Ryan, East Carolina University

• Jill M. Hermann-Wilmarth, Western Michigan University