Multiethnic Literature: Holding Fast to Dreams

Abstract

The first part of this report surveys the past 25 years of the publishing of multiethnic literature-documenting trends and analyzing the content of the books that have been published.The second part surveys trade books and basal series currently used in schools for their inclusion of stories and illustrations featuring different ethnic groups.Finally, six issues are raised: the predominance of European-American authors writing about people of color, the ethnically nondistinctive child in illustrations, hypersensitivity, cultural grouping, the possibility of a canon of children's literature that includes multiethnic books, and the limited number of multiethnic books being published.