Topic: Diversity

Activity: Write a book review.

Description of the activity:

For this activity, I chose to write a book review of the Mem Fox picture book Whoever You Are (1997). I chose this book as it is a good introductory book to multiculturalism, awareness of difference, peace and tolerance for a pre-school audience. Diversity in the context of library services for children and young adults enables all library users to embrace the multicultural nature of our society, of exposing children to a vast array of cultures and languages. The reflection of diversity in library collections, programming, building design and staffing ensure that libraries are for everyone in the community. Diversity is not just limited to the common concepts of cultural or ethnic diversity, it also encompasses gender and sexuality and the variety of marriages, relationships and families that these all encompass.

What did I learn?

The close examination and assessment of children’s picture books is not a simple and straightforward task. Just as examining a piece of art can be a personal unique experience, questioning the illustrations, sentence structure and content of a picture book can be open to interpretation. In the process of reading picture books, at times the illustrator seems to have had no conversation with the author and has interpreted the words in a different way to the author, with illustrations at odds with the text. In the case of this book, the illustrations are a whimsical accompaniment to the words and support the theme of diversity, multiculturalism yet sameness amongst children across the globe.

How was the activity relevant to my professional practice?

Reviewing books, particularly children’s books is a valuable skill to develop when working with children. I am reviewing when selecting books for the collection, when choosing books for a storytime session and when making recommendations to families. When choosing books to present to a group for a particular theme, such as diversity, selection criteria must be taken into consideration. If the text is to be read aloud, it must flow smoothly, the illustrations cannot be too detailed or small and the content must be age appropriate. If it is a book to be shared between an adult and a child, these requirements are different.

Consideration of diversity in libraries is ever present, in the books that are purchased, the languages provided for, and the programs provided that promote inclusivity, such as language and support groups (Larsen, Jacobs & van Vlimmeren, 2003, p.5). This diversity should also extend to the provision of resources and programming for different genders, sexual orientation, religious preference, age, education level and socioeconomic status (Naidoo, 2014, p.2.).  The role of the public library in supporting and engaging with all community members, in particular children and young adults is a vital one to ensure the library’s relevance in an ever changing society.

Were any gaps in your knowledge revealed?

Libraries are valuable in the education of children in diversity and awareness of others. This development of social awareness needs to occur on a regular basis to avoid stereotyping or negative attitudes (Naidoo, 2014, p.6). This professional development activity has reminded me that we need to introduce topics and books on diversity on a more regular basis. As Naidoo states (2014, p.6) “it is imperative that diversity be included in library programs and displays routinely throughout the year”.

  

References

Larsen, J.I., Jacobs, D.L., & van Vlimmeren, T. (2003) Cultural diversity: how public libraries can serve the diversity in the community. ALIA 2004 Biennial Conference: Challenging Ideas. Gold Coast. Retrieved from http://conferences.alia.org.au/alia2004/pdfs/vlimmeren.t.paper.pdf

Naidoo, J.C., (2014). The importance of diversity in library programs and material collections for children. [white paper]  Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/alsc/sites/ala.org.alsc/files/content/ALSCwhitepaper_importance%20of%20diversity_with%20graphics_FINAL.pdf

Appendix B

Book Review

Fox, M. (1997). Whoever you are. Sydney: Hodder.

Whoever you are (1997) follows the journey taken by four children and an adult guide across the globe, discovering and exploring the diverse cultures of the world. The male guide, with apparent magical powers, dressed in a suit reflecting the sky and clouds, carries the children across the globe, exploring the many countries and cultures. The journey shows the children that despite many differences in schools, houses or clothing all children around the world are essentially the same. The narrative continues to describe differences in lifestyle, language and culture, returning to repeat the central message of despite any differences, inside all humans are alike. We all love, smile, hurt and cry. The book goes on to explain that even once we are grown, these differences still exist, but underneath we still share the same similarities.

While this book was published 18 years ago, it is still completely relevant when introducing the concept of diversity and tolerance to young children. The simple text, accompanied by the vibrant illustrations of Leslie Staub, show children in a simple manner how diversity can mean difference, while also showing our common humanity.

Each page is bordered with a bold, jewel encrusted frame. These frames dominate each page, making the pictures appear as pieces of art, perhaps appearing on each family’s wall. The illustrations do not try to suggest any particular country or culture, rather they show different ethnic appearances, various housing types and clothing, without implying any of these children could only be in any one particular country. I believe this is an important message within the book, that any of these children could live in any country throughout the world. I did note however, that there was no child that could be clearly identified as Australian Aboriginal, which I found surprising considering the author is Australian. I also noted that the illustrations are essentially the same, with eye, mouth and head shape very similar. This could either be to simplify the differences and just focus on skin, eye and hair colour or it may be due to the illustrator’s artistic style.

I highly recommend this book as a first introduction to diversity and multiculturalism. The text, with the accompanying illustrations, teaches children in a simple manner the concept of difference and cultural diversity. This book would be ideal for promotion when discussing cultural differences, such as during Harmony Day.