Beyond Biography and Toward the Collective: The Possibilities and Limitations of Nonfiction Picture Book Biographies

• In Event: (Un)Making Curriculum: Critiquing Racial Hegemony Through Visual-Textual Analysis

Abstract

This paper describes a critical content analysis of sixteen Asian American nonfiction picturebook biographies. Drawing from AsianCrit and Lisa Lowe’s (2015) work about the limitations and possibilities of biographic narratives in portraying collective experiences, the authors illustrate how elementary educators might use picturebook biographies to teach young learners about collective histories instead of solely focusing on individuals.

Authors

• Esther June Kim, William & Mary

• Noreen Naseem Rodriguez, University of Colorado - Boulder