Crossing Borders

            Mingshui Cai, in Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults: Reflections on Critical Issues (2002), discusses the idea of crossing borders by discussing similarities among different cultures.  He begins, “Many multicultural books are designed to help children connect to other cultures by showing the similarities among people of different cultural backgrounds” (120).  Until I read this in chapter 7, I was rather under the same impression.  As a child (or even sometimes as an adult) it is easy to pass over the complications of life and think of the basics:  We are all human.  We all must eat, bathe, sleep.  We all have our happy moments, we laugh, our struggles, we cry, and our tipping points.  We are human no matter what language or color, no matter our height or our food preference, our religions or our habits or disabilities (or abilities).  The basic idea being, “Despite some differences, human beings are basically the same.” (120).   So since we are all human, why should it be a bad idea to allow children’s literature to portray this "healthy" view of the world?  How can it be a bad thing to show our similarities?  Wouldn't it help erase stereotyping, racism, sexism, etc.?  If we are all similar, are we not all equal?

           Mingshui Cai thinks differently.  There are borders that exist between people.  Three types, in fact, are described by Cai: physical, cultural, and inner borders (117).  It makes sense to think, though, that simply showing kids through literature that we all have similarities will not help us overcome all of these borders.  The borders simply are too great and complex to be resolved in a 20-30 page picture book.  The example I will draw on is from My Best Shoes by Marilee Burton.  

 This is a simple children's book that has a fun, innocent rhyme to it.  It displays a number of multiracial children wearing different shoes and explains why they wear those shoes.  It is not about showing Native Americans in moccasins or Chinese in sandals, but rather, it is considered a culturally neutral book.  It is not about the race of the children, but instead about showing kids how we all wear shoes and sometimes like walking around in bare feet.  

              Books that only discuss our similarities, such as this one, can prove harmful to an extent.  While it is great to portray our humanness, we must not forget that our difference also prove to be reason for celebration.  Books that focus only on our similarities give us a false idea that the world is "always a nice place" (122).  It oversimplifies the fact that true border crossing is difficult.  

             Let's look back at the borders mentioned: physical, cultural, and inner.  The physical border is just that: the line, for example, between the United States and Mexico.  The cultural border is one where perhaps someone has lived in another country for a few months or years and better understands the culture.  The inner border has more to do with the mind.  You cross this border when you truly understand that culture, more than just in a tangible way.  With a book like My Best Shoes, you aren't really allowed to cross any borders.  You are stuck in the oneness of the world.  

              An ideal world would be one where we automatically understand and can accept other cultures; where their traditions, habits, and customs are realized and respected.  Books on human similarity would be perfectly acceptable and encouraged.  As it stands now, though, this type of literature is by no means sufficient stock on library shelves.  It has its place, but it also has its gaps.

              Perry Nodelman, in chapter 7 of Multicultural Literature, distinguishes between truly multicultural books and theoretically multicultural books (122).  He explains that real multicultural books "insist...on the real and deep-seated emotional and intellectual differences between people of different cultural backgrounds and demand a real tolerance hard to achieve, rather than proclaiming as most theoretically multicultural books currently do that people are basically the same" (122).  Nodelman's distinctions are critical to the collections development librarian.  There must be a balance in the selection process.  We must look for books that are not just theoretically multicultural, but ones that display emotional and intellectual differences.  If we are all the same, we will not grow; we will not learn.  It is foolish to assume that one single culture knows all and should be used as the "exemplar" to other cultures.  In the collection process, we should analyze whether the multicultural children's book puts on a "similarity veil" or if it will teach the reader about another culture.  Does it face the issues head on or does it step around the cultural differences to show only the "fun" aspects of that culture?  Nodelman says, “It’s easy to tolerate someone like yourself, less easy to tolerate some quite truly different” (122).