Today's Children Need example essay topic

334 words
One issue that I think authors are writing more of today is multicultural literature. Because children today attend ethnically diverse schools, it is important that authors reflect different cultural backgrounds. Children need to learn that the differences we see in people are important and the books that are being written now should teach a positive image of children's heritages. Also, children need to learn the realities of what happened in their culture's past, but it shouldn't be considered the only aspect of their culture. It is important that the books contain current, factual information.

The books should reflect individual people's lives, rather than assigning general personality traits or behaviors to an entire group of people. The writers should weave information about the culture into the flow of the story. Also, the books need to portray other cultures being able to hold powerful positions in the country. The books need to include accurate settings and they need to watch for stereotyping.

All Native American people did not live in tepees, but Native Americans historically have lived in different types of homes. Also another issue we should probably see more of is the complex issues of being biracial. Books dealing with these issues could help a child's confusion about being neither all white nor all black. I think authors today know that children today are growing up in an entirely different world in the one they grew up in. It certainly is different than when I was in grade school in the 1960's. Living in a rural community, I didn't have any exposure to children other than white children.

Today's children need to be able to understand the world around them. Good literature can help children appreciate the idiosyncrasies of other ethnic groups. These books are needed to show children that beneath surfaces differences of color, culture or ethnicity, all people experience feelings of love, self-worth, kindness, and sadness.