Multicultural Books for PreK–Grade Three

Xiufang Chen, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Literacy Education in the Department of Language, Literacy and Sociocultural Education at Rowan University in New Jersey.Susan Browne, EdD is an associate professor in the Department of Language, Literacy and Sociocultural Education at Rowan University.

Annotated bibliographies of literature resources on a particular subgenre are common. What sets Chen and Browne’s compilation apart from a standard reading list is their inclusion of guides to selecting and evaluating early-childhood cultural literature and instructional strategies and learning activities for classroom teachers to use while incorporating the suggested book and resource lists and other educator-chosen materials. As such, this guide is useful for practitioners, preservice educators, readers, and researchers. In addition to more commonly examined cultures (e.g., African American and Latinx), the chapters on Jewish and dis/ability experiences are particularly appreciated. Each chapter begins with a brief overview of the culture’s heritage and common themes examined in that culture’s literature before moving on to sources and uses. The book has a few drawbacks. It blends all Asian cultures into one chapter and does not give equal representation to those cultures in the source choices. Halfway through the book, the format of the resources changes, making the book less useful as a reference. Finally, considering all the included visuals, color printing would have been a worthy publisher choice. Recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty and professionals.

• ForewordChapter One: Overview of Multicultural Literature for Younger Children in ClassroomsChapter Two: Native American Literature Chapter Three: African American LiteratureChapter Four: Asian American LiteratureChapter Five: Jewish LiteratureChapter Six: Latinx LiteratureChapter Seven: Middle Eastern LiteratureChapter Eight: Caribbean LiteratureChapter Nine: LGBTQ+ LiteratureChapter Ten: People with DisabilitiesAbout the Contributors