Beyond Checklists: Applying an “I Spy” Approach to Evaluating Children’s Literature in Urban Classrooms

• In Event: Part 2: Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of Urban Education: Past, Present, and Future Directions

Abstract

There is a popular children’s game called I Spy. Often played with children during long car rides, in the waiting room of a doctor’s office, or at the end of the school day before dismissal begins, the game offers a way to pass the time while engaged in otherwise mundane activities. The game starts with a simple declaration by one player: “I spy something _____.” The blank is filled with any adjective (e.g., purple, fuzzy, tall, square). It is then up to the other player(s) to guess what the first player is observing. The goal is to be the first to guess the object correctly, while the player who selected the object tries to stump others for as long as possible using obscure clues and observations.

This game made its way into the world of children’s picture books through the I Spy series (Marzollo & Wick, 1992), which features photographic collages paired with lists of objects for readers to locate. Drawing upon this intentional dance of seeking and finding, we propose an “I Spy” approach to evaluating children’s books that reflect classroom diversity. The method we introduce allows for a more extended, deeper, and critically engaged view of what various books contribute to personal, public, and school libraries, going beyond previously offered, checklist-driven approaches.

This approach intentionally centers mixed-race families in response to the increasing visibility and demographic significance of mixed-race youth in U.S. schools. According to the U.S. Census Bureau (2021), the number of mixed-race Americans has grown by 276% over the past decade, making mixed-race children one of the fastest-growing populations in the country. In some urban school districts, mixed-race students now represent over 15% of the student body (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2022). This focus aligns with longstanding calls for culturally responsive education and supports the growing demand for library collections that affirm all readers’ identities (Ladson-Billings, 1995; Naidoo & Dahlen, 2013).

Although the I Spy method can be applied broadly to literature that reflects classroom diversity, this article focuses on its application within a specific and often overlooked subset: picturebooks that feature mixed-race families. We demonstrate this approach using two texts—Mixed Me! and Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match/Marisol McDonald no Combina. By comparing evaluations of these books using traditional checklist-based tools and the I Spy approach, we build a case for more dynamic, equity-oriented evaluation methods designed to meet the unique needs of today’s urban classrooms.

Authors

• Cynthia A. Tyson, The Ohio State University

• Ashley N. Patterson, Pennsylvania State University