Representing Asian and Asian-American Children's Literature

           We are shaped by our culture.  From early on, we are constantly watching and listening to what’s going on around us and using that information to interpret how we can and should react to the world around us.  What our culture teaches us is a think that is hard to unlearn.  Why, you ask, might you want to unlearn your culture?  A specific cultural view can be a dangerous thing to have.  Narrow viewpoints lead to discrimination and stereotypes.  When you stay within your own cultural view, you do not see multiple perspectives for how things can be done or how others react to your own culture.  You become trapped in your own cultural bubble.  As librarians and teachers, we need to promote a broadening perspective on cultural views by supporting children’s books that present various viewpoints.

            With this idea of a need for various perspectives, I will look at Asian children’s literature.  Asians, historically, were unrepresented.  Weimin Mo and Enju Shen say in their essay “Accuracy is Not Enough: The Role of Cultural Values in the Authenticity of Picture Books” that “Asian cultures and Asian Americans were once the least represented in picture books, but much progress has been made…” (Fox,199).  For years, books that featured Asians or Asian Americans showed them as people who all looked like.  The books had racist sentiments and grouped all Asians together, discounting the fact that Asia is large continent, not a single country.  Asian cultures today are becoming better represented, but there is still a long way to go. 

Writers of Asian children’s literature, as well as illustrators, must do their best to present an accurate and authentic description of the culture.  Librarians and teachers should review children’s books and critique them on their accuracy (did the writer do enough research?  Are they accurately representing a single culture and not promoting stereotypes?) and critique them on their illustrations (did the illustrator study the culture enough?  Do the colors or style of the clothes match the time period of the book?).  It might be that the author has done their part to produce a children’s book worthy of display in a library for its cultural accuracy, but the illustrator did not.  In this case, the librarian or teacher needs to make a call on whether the book stereotypes the culture or if the illustrations are slight enough that the librarian or teacher (more likely the teacher) can talk to the children about why the illustrations are inaccurate.  It may not always be the case that we are able to let the child know the drawings are inaccurate, though.

            Weimin Mo and Enju Shen, say that culture “influences the way we view ourselves, society, and human relations and interactions.  It determines our assumptions about social behaviors or customs and reflects what we value and believe to be true” (Fox, 98).  We grow up with these assumptions and sometimes they carry over into our adult life, into our work.  Mo and Shen say, “Authors and illustrators are not immune to this influence and it has been reflected in their picture books” (Fox, 199).  It is dangerous to take a multicultural book at face value.  Librarians and teachers need to keep in mind the culture that the author grew up in and what their aim is.  I have written about aim and intent before, but I bring it up again because it matters, but not as much as the follow through of the aim.  Authors may have good intention to portray Asian cultures accurately, but if they have a narrow perspective without enough research, their intent is unjustified.  Mo and Shen, along this line, say, “Cultures also affect each other.  They constantly absorb each other’s values, attitudes, and beliefs; sometimes, they actively clash” (Fox, 201).  This could come in the form of author’s good intent.  However, it also could lead to the creation of new stereotypes when cultures clash and that is the last thing we want our children’s literature to do.  Cultural experience and research are the only ways to gain insights into what a culture is really like and how best we can portray them (Fox, 203). 

            Currently, a lot of cultures are summed up by their folklore.  We view folktales as accurate representations of the culture historically instead of treating it as we do our own – as fiction or fictional stories that may have been somewhat derived from history.  Either way we do not see our own (Eurocentric) folklore as a historical text of who were once were and how we once acted.  Wo and Shen say, “Several studies indicate that folktales represent an extremely high percentage of multicultural picture books” (Fox, 203).  Libraries need to ensure that our collections avoid promoting folklore as historical accuracy.  Picture books that tell an accurate story “constitute a rich cultural resource to support us in understanding, respecting, and appreciating ourselves and others” (Fox, 211).