What's in Your Books? Parents' Views on Race in Children's Books

• In Event: AERA Graduate Student Research-in-Progress Session 3
  In Roundtable Session: Centering Race and Ethnicity in Research on Literacy (Table 11)

Abstract

Children's first experiences with books often come from shared book reading with their caregivers. Research has shown that there is a lack of diversity in children's book characters, but few have asked parents how this gap influences the books they read with their children. This survey analyzes 1) caregivers' dis/satisfaction with the gap in diversity within children's literature – both in the diversity of the protagonists as well as the storylines of that protagonist and 2) parents' perceptions of the meaning of the messages within available diverse children's books. Results show general dissatisfaction with current book diversity and a need for more stories of non-White children engaged in everyday activities.

Author

• Morgan Boyd, New York University