Multiracial Identity in Children's Literature

Racially mixed children make up the fastest growing youth demographic in the US, and teachers of diverse populations need to be mindful in selecting literature that their students can identify with. This volume examines representative children’s literature to demonstrate the role they play as cultural artifacts that perpetuate, resist and negotiate racial stereotypes. Performing a content analysis of 90 books with mixed race characters, it places them within a historical context and critically analyzes what contemporary children’s fiction is saying about the experiences of multiracial students.

Racially mixed children make up the fastest growing youth demographic in the U.S., and teachers of diverse populations need to be mindful in selecting literature that their students can identify with. This volume explores how books for elementary school students depict and reflect multiracial experiences through text and images. Chaudhri examines contemporary children’s literature to demonstrate the role these books play in perpetuating and resisting stereotypes and the ways in which they might influence their readers. Through critical analysis of contemporary children’s fiction, Chaudhri highlights the connections between context, literature, and personal experience to deepen our understanding of how children’s books treat multiracial identity.