Who is in Your Classroom Library? An Exploration of Early Childhood Educators’ Usage of Multicultural Literature in the Classroom

Author Information

Camille Holts

Abstract/Description

In 2018 it was reported that 27% of children’s books published were about animals, trucks, and other objects and that 50% were based around white characters. This left room for only 1% of published books to be focused on American Indians/First Nations, 5% on Latinx, 7% on Asian Pacific Islanders/ Asian Pacific Americans, and 10% on African/ American characters (University of Wisconsin- Madison School of Education Cooperative Children’s Book Center, 2019). These statistics are alarming considering that books are the cornerstone of our children’s early education. Young children learn through what they see and what is read to them. Through the reading experience, children can learn about multiculturalism and people of color. The first step to ensuring that children are exposed to quality literature representing diverse characters is a teacher who is knowledgeable and trained to recognize culturally appropriate literature.

Note on the Author

Camille Holts is a graduating senior studying Elementary Education and Spanish. She has aspirations of becoming a classroom teacher in the upcoming 2020-2021 school year. During the summer of 2019, Camille worked closely with Dr. Jeanne Ingle (Elementary and Early Childhood Education) on her research, which was made possible by the Adrian Tinsley Program for Undergraduate Research summer grant. The research study focused on how in-service, early-childhood educators can become effectively educated on analyzing and utilizing multicultural literature in the classroom. Camille is excited to continue her work in the education field and has plans to conduct this research study on a larger scale in the future.

Recommended Citation

Holts, Camille (2020). Who is in Your Classroom Library? An Exploration of Early Childhood Educators’ Usage of Multicultural Literature in the Classroom. Undergraduate Review, 15, 123-140.
Available at: https://vc.bridgew.edu/undergrad_rev/vol15/iss1/14

Rights Statement

Articles published in The Undergraduate Review are the property of the individual contributors and may not be reprinted, reformatted, repurposed or duplicated, without the contributor’s consent.