We are a very multilingual society, home to over 160 languages, but many classrooms have a monolingual bias. In Aotearoa New Zealand, it is also important for all children to see themselves and their families in the books that they read, and to hear their voices. This is the case when, for example, in 2020 the percentage of children’s books about people of colour (Black/African, Indigenous, Asian, Latinx, Pacific Islanders, Arab) in the United States was 30%. She also points out the inequities that come from dominant groups seeing more of themselves than minoritized groups. She points out the importance of children both seeing themselves (mirrors) and others (windows) in the books they read. There is a very famous metaphor involving windows and mirrors, first used by Professor Rudine Sims Bishop (1990) to explain the power of children’s books. Children’s literature also offers opportunities for changing power structures. However, children’s literature tells us a lot about the culture and society in which we live – our values and beliefs. Associate Professor Nicola Daly, University of Waikato Picturebooks as windows and mirrorsĬhildren’s literature is an area often underestimated, primarily because the audience for which it is intended has little power.
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