Engaging in Critical Conversations With Young Children Using Children’s Books About Racial Injustice

• In Event: Illuminating Young Children's Critical Literacy Practices for Reparative Justice

Abstract

Teacher candidates often feel reluctant or resistant to discussing challenging topics like racial injustice with young children. To support them in this process, we endeavored to share with them an example of how to use children's books to approach social justice issues. This was accomplished by having a group of teacher educators read and record, "Something Happened in Our Town" to their own children, ages five to nine, following a protocol, that showcased how to complete a dialogical read aloud and how children respond to critical questions. This work was then analyzed to answer the question, “How do caregivers, young children, and teacher candidates respond to a dialogic reading of a children’s book on racial injustice?”.

Authors

• Christine K. Kenney, Grand Valley State University

• Kathryn Ann Ohle, Grand Valley State University