GLBTQ In Children's Literature Wrap-Up

What makes topics like GLBTQ so difficult sometimes is the fact that it is not obvious when looking at someone if they fall into that category. People are often very afraid to admit they are gay/lesbian because of the backlash of negative attention it can bring. But, the truth of the matter is GLBTQ is all around us, whether people like to admit it or not. Why should we hide from it? Why should we make anyone feel less adequate than someone else for the way they were born? Especially children who were born into a situation they cannot help; children should not have to feel their family is wrong if their parents are gay. It is important to get these books more mainstream so that children do not feel along anymore.

The three books I chose did not accomplish my original intention. Originally, I was going to find books dealing with children whose parents are gay. But, my search in numerous libraries and book stores rendered few quality books. I ended up finding three books that dealt with male gay characters. I am not sure why this is the case that male gay characters are more common than female gay characters. In fact, it surprised me. I am not sure why I have always thought this, but I have felt like society has found it easier to talk about a woman being a lesbian than a man being gay. Perhaps a sign that times are changing? (hopefully)

The Harvey Milk Story by Kari Krakow is one that can inspire. Young children can look to Harvey's story and know that they, too, can succeed and be who they want to be and do what they want to do. They should not let their sexuality or anything else bring them down just because others may not agree. So Hard To Say by Alex Sanchez is about the confusion a young boy goes through while figuring out he is not attracted to girls. Plus, it is unique in the sense it gives the perspective of the boy's best friend who is unaware of what he is going through. Not to mention, it deals with the negative connotatoin that goes with the term 'gay' and addresses how young adults use it as an insult. Lastly, Mini Mia and Her Darling Uncle by Pija Lindenbaum shows the innocence of a four year old wishing to have her uncle all to herself and her anger towards having to share him with his boyfriend. She is not upset that her uncle is gay, in fact, that is not even mentioned, she is just the typical four year old expressing her jealousy. All three of these books were written through different perspectives. The Harvey Milk Story was from the outside looking in; someone talking about Harvey Milk. Mini Mia was written from the perspective of the four year old girl. And So Hard To Say was a mixture of both. This is why I chose all these books to show the different and unique viewpoints.

All three of these books are exceptional in their own right and are quality pieces of literature, not just GLBTQ literature. They should be in every library and book strore so children can have access to them and learn from them.

"Heather and Her Critics" by Leslea Newman

Heather and Her Critics is written by Leslea Newman, a lesbian author who wrote Heather Has Two Mommies. Newman speaks about the outrageousness of banning GLBTQ literature in schools and libraries. She explains about writing her controversial book, "my goal was simply to tell a story." She had run into a lesbian couple who recently adopted a child and wished there was literature out there that they could read to their child that would reflect their family. So Newman did. She goes on to write, "Is it important for children to see their own image reflected back to themselves within the culture at large? Speaking from personal experience, my answer is a resounding YES." Personally, I would have to agree. Not every family is the same; these days the 'normal' family seems to be one that is not so typical. The traditional mom, dad, brother and sister family is becoming less and less common. So why should children's literature not reflect the changes in society?

What I like about Newman's article was that when she defended the statement she made about representing all families in children's literature is she did so using her religion, not her sexuality. That way it can give readers another perspective. She expressed that she was a young Jewish girl who grew up in a very Jewish community, surrounded by families similar to hers. yet, she still longed for a Christmas tree and an Easter egg hunt like she had seen and read about. She had never been able to see herself in the books she read, which made her feel like her family was wrong. Newman's feelings as a young girl show that there needs to be much more diversity in children's literature to represent the numerous different types of people and families today.

Newman also discusses the controversy her book has caused and points out that her book along with others in the GLBTQ category do not deal with sex, they deal with families. Furthermore, children do not perceive sex from those stories. It is the adults, who feel the GLBTQ books need to be banned, that perceive sex from the text. But, GLBTQ literature for children are not about sex they are about people who are in love with each other and their families. What is the harm in that? Her conclusion sums it up best,

"What leads you to believe that every child sitting in your child's classroom or library comes from a home with a mother and father? Why do you think that htere are no children in your child's classroom or library with lesbian or gay parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents, neighbors and friends. What messages are you giving to all children, when you pretend there is only one type of family, and render the rest invisible?"

Mini Mia and Her Darling Uncle

Mini Mia and Her Darling Uncle by Pija Lindenbaum is a quality piece of literature about a girl named Ella, nick-named Mini Mia be her favorit Uncle Tommy for her love of soccer. (After soccer great Mia Hamm.) Mini Mia adores spending time with her Uncle Tommy and is thrilled when her parents go out of town and she gets to spend time with him. But, now Uncle Tommy's friend Fergus joins them and Mini Mia does everything she can do to get rid of him and have her uncle to herself again. She is insanely jealous of Fergus and it is not until Uncle Tommy gets sick one day and cannot play with her that her and Ferfus must spend time together and she finds out that he is not so bad afterall. What I like about Lindenbaum's book is that there is no mention that Uncle Tommy and Fergus are a gay couple, it is just evident from the pictures when they make eye contact and look like a couple in love. I like that because in books about heterosexual couples it is not always mentioned that they are a couple, it is evident from the illustrations showing the same characterisics, so why should a homosexual couple be any different? Secondly, the fact that they are a gay couple is not the main focus, it is seen through a four year old's innocent jealousy and the un-biased love she has for her uncle regardless of his sexuality. The book is an excellent depiction of a four year old longing to have her favorite person all to herself and the angry feelings she feels towards the man taking that person away from her, a typical experience young children go through. It just so happens that her special person is gay.

One issue with the book I have is one page of illustrations. Uncle Tommy and Fergus take Mini Mia to the pool and she goes to the Women's locker room alone to get changed. It shows a naked rear end on the side of the page; which some may deem inappropriate. It is not necessary to the story, so I do not understand why it needed to be included. However, the quality of the story remains the same and I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.

So Hard To Say

So Hard To Say by Alex Sanchez is wonderful. It follows best friends Xio and Frederick and is written in a unique way. First the readers hears from Xio's point of view, then the next chapter is from Frederick's point of view and so on. Therefore, for many major parts of the story the reader can hear how Xio saw the event take place and how Frederick saw the event take place. This is pivotal seeing as Xio has developed a very big crush on Frederick and Frederick does not like her that way, in fact, he is wondering if he is gay. But, as most teen boys who are gay feel, he is afraid to admit it and is not sure why he feels different around his friend Victor. The story follows Xio and Frederick as their actions confuse themselves and each other. It put a smile on my face as everyone can remember instances from their adolescence when they are trying to find themselves and end up in awkward situations.

The novel also addresses how being called 'gay' is an insult. There is a point during lunch when one of the girls asks Frederick if he is gay, Frederick immiediately goes on the defensive and Xio stands up for him getting very angry with the girl who asked.

"I'd never really seen him mad before, but I couldn't blame him. Everyone knows calling somebody gay is just about the worst thing you can say to them. And asking someone if they're gay is like telling them you think they are gay" (Sanchez 84).

You will have to pick up So Hard To Say and read it yourself to hear what Frederick thought about the situation!

The Harvey Milk Story

As some people may know there is a movie, Milk, coming out that is about politician Harvey Milk. When I was at my local library I came across this book. I, personally, had not heard of Harvey Milk until I saw previews for the movie. I think it is great they are doing a movie about such a brave man. Harvey Milk was the first openly gay man elected as a city official in the United States. He lived in San Francisco and many people were thrilled with the results, but many were not, and Harvey Milk was assassinated by a fellow politician. The Harvey Milk story written by Kari Krakow is a wonderful biography story of this ground breaking man. The illustrations by David Gardner are vibrant and do not depict any stereotypes that could be deemed offensive. The story is told from when Harvey was a young boy, which I enjoy as it establishes more of a connection with Harvey. Krakow also does not mention he was gay right away, and then explains why Harvey was afraid to tell people he was gay, despite how popular he was with all his friends.

"Like so many people of his time, he was afraid of what would happen to him if others knew he was gay. Fears that he would be beaten up at school and abandoned by his friends and family troubled his sleep and tormented his days" (Krawkow).

The Harvey Milk Story would be a wonderful addition to any classroom library. It shows children a person, who happened to be gay, who accomplished what he wanted to do. It is a great example of someone standing up for what they believe in. It is a well written and illustrated biography that could inspire many young children.

Follow Up to Dennis Leary Discussion

In case anyone was still interested, I found this article online today that has Dennis Leary's apology and explanation about the chapter in his book dealing with autistic children. He said his comments were taken out of context in the book and directed towards parents of children who receive help but do not really need it, therefore, those who really do need the help are pushed aside and neglected. It's definitely worth checking out and also the comments posted are interesting, as well.

Boston Herald Article

Gay Story Lines in Popular Television

So, Yahoo! is my homepage on my computer and today in the Entertainment section of the news was the headline, "Grey's Anatomy Actress Dismissed From Show." Seeing as I am a Grey's fan, I opened the article to see who. I was first surprised to learn it was Brooke Smith who plays Dr. Erica Hahn. Dr. Hahn is a well respected doctor who has revealed to two other characters recently that she is a lesbian. She in the beginnings of a new relationship with another female doctor, Callie, who has never been with a woman before. This story began in the last season and continued into the current one. So the second surprising part about this article was that her entire story line had been cut. It said that the story "will come to an abrupt end in this Thursday's episode." In addition there is a new actress, Melissa George, who is coming to Grey's. She was supposed to come on as a lesbian character who flirts with Callie but this story will not go anywhere.

Not only has Grey's taken out this story, but Ugly Betty has also said that Rebecca Romjin, who plays a transgender in that show, will also be cut at the end of this season. The article does not reveal any reason from ABC or the story writers as to why they suddenly decided to cut these two story lines. It is especially interesting due to the fact there is no mention of any other story lines being cut. I am extermely curious to hear their reasoning...it seems as though these two stories would be able to reach out to a lot of people and expand their audiences, so I would like to hear what the writers were thinking. I would also welcome anyone else's opinions on the matter and if they have heard anything about this or what they think.

Here is the article's address, if you want to read what I read:

http://tv.yahoo.com/grey-39-s-anatomy/show/36657/news/urn:newsml:eonlinekristen.com:20081104:TV-8d220a20f1880b272fa485fbc973f373__ER:1

Perhaps there is some information being left out, but if everything in this article is correct, it sounds like a huge step back for positive exposure of Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals and Transgenders in today's media.

Tim McGraw Writes a Book

First of all, I have to start out by saying I am a big fan of Tim McGraw. I think he is a fantastic singer and seems to be one of the rare, down to earth celebrities out there. With that said, I hope the children's book he has written with Tom Douglas, My Little Girl, is one that is quality.

He said he wrote the book for his three daughters and that the message of the story is "As long as you're spending time with them, it doesn't really matter what you do." He goes on to say that if he had boys there would be different activities that they would be more interested in doing that would probably be the same interests as him. But, he finds that his daughters are just as happy going to the store or to the office with him, which is a good thing otherwise he would be at the mall or getting manicures if they had it their way. Which is what the book is about, the main character, Katie, spends a day just hanging out with her dad and doing nothing in particular.

His wife, singer Faith Hill, wrote the forward to the book. I am definitely going to check this out next time I am at the book store, hopefully it will not end up in the running for our class's Worst Celebrity Book Written.

The Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature

The following information about the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature, I found at http://www.apalaw.eb.org/awards/awards.htm.

This award is based on literary and artistic merit that promote Asian and Pacific American culture and to honor and recognize the works. There are three different categories within this award; they are, Adult Non-Fiction, Illustration in Children's Literature and Young Adult Literature. Here are some of the eligibility requirements:

1. Works must be published for general commercial release in the U.S. and published between January 1st and December 31st of the year to be elgible for that particular year.
2. The works do not necessarily need to be written or illustrated by an Asian/Pacific American, but they must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
3. Self published works or exclusive internet publications are not eligible.
4. Works by more than one author are not eligible.
5. Works must be originally written in English.
6. Any works that have previously won another award are not eligible.
7. If no books are found to meet these criteria, no award is given.

I thought a couple of these requirements were interesting. The one that caught my attention the most would be #7. It really makes me wonder if there has ever been a year that they did not give out an award, if they really did not see any book worthy of the award. Or perhaps, there is not enough Asian/Pacific American literature published each year, that they are very hard pressed to find some?

Requirement #2 also stood out to me as it deals with our infamous insider/outsider debate. So the author does not have to be of Asian/Pacific descent, necessarily, but they do need to be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. So the author does not necessarily need Asian/Pacific ties, but the author does need American ties? Interesting. My personal view point is that good literature is good literature, regardless of who wrote it so I am unsure of why this clause is necessary. But, maybe it is to narrow the field a little or because it is an award based in the U.S. for Americans. Not sure.

Anyway, here is a list of the latest recipients of this award.
Adult Non-Fiction: Driven Out: The Forgotten War Against Chinese Americans by Jean Pfaelzer
Honorable Mention: Bento Box in the Hartland: My Japanese Girlhood in Whitebread America by Linda Furiya

Illustrations in Children's Literature: Surfer of the Century by Ellie Crowe Illustrations by Richard Waldrep
Honorable Mention: Hiromi's Hands by Lynne

Young Adult Literature: Hiroshima Dreams by Kelly Easton
Honorable Mention: Keeping Corner by Kashmira Sheth

**On a personal note I read Hiromi's Hands and definitely enjoyed it. It is about a young girl who badly wants to be a sushi chef like her father, which is generally not a job for a woman. But since her family has moved to America, her father finally agrees to show her the ways and she becomes a very popular and talented sushi chef. It has wonderful illustrations and a solid story that explains some of the differences between Japan's culture and America's that I think kids will really enjoy.



I also read Surfer of the Century and while the main character is extremely inspirational and amazing, it is quite a slow read and could not keep my attention the whole way. It is very long for a children's book and I do not think many children will be able to stay connected for as long as they would need to for this story.

The Bronx Masquerade

The Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes was a very enjoyable read for me. I loved how the book was set up where there was a journal type entry from a particular student, then the poem they wrote and read aloud during Open Mike Night, and then a short commentary by Tyrone. I do not believe I would have gotten as much out of this book if it had been written any differently. It was really neat that the reader is able to be on the 'inside' as well as the 'outside' point of view. The reader is on the 'inside' in the sense that we get to take a peak into each of the student's lives, all be it a short one, it is genuinely a very intimate part of their lives. Issues range from pregnancy, abuse, parents and aspirations. The poems they write really allow one to see into a deep side of them. Grimes also allows us to see an 'outside' perspective by having Tyrone make a comment after each student's poem is read. He often expressed what he thought about the fellow classmate before they read their poem and then after they read their poem. Although, in today's world it does not seem exactly feasible that students would get so excited about an Open Mike Night, so much that even the local news was there, it is still nice to believe that there is a hope students would be so eager to write and share their poetry. Even if this book does not inspire a whole movement of Open Mike Nights, at least it could inspire one struggling student to know they are not alone in their problems in the world and that there are ways to express themselves.

A Bad Case of Stripes

For part of my 401 class I am to organize a lesson plan for the third grade class in which I teach. I talked to my Cooperating Teacher about a book she would recommend and she gave me A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon. I had never heard of this book before. Now, I love it. It follows Camilla Cream on her first day of school. Her favorite food in the whole world is lima beans, although she will never admit that. She is very excited about her first day of school, yet worried about fitting in. When she wakes up the next morning and looks in the mirror she is horrified to see she is covered in rainbow stripes. She does not attend the first day of school and is taken to the doctor's office instead. Seeing as they could not find anything wrong with her, the doctor said she could go to school the next day. So, the next day at school during the Pledge of Allegience her rainbow stripes become red and white stripes and white starts with a blue background. No one can seem to find a cure for Camilla's stripe problem; especially since everything they've tried just makes her turn into something else. When she took a pill, she turned into a pill, then she turned into her room, too. It was not until a little old lady knocked on the door and asked if she could try to help. She asked Camilla if she liked lima beans; but Camilla said 'no' to save herself from being laughed at any further. But the old lady convinced her to eat them and she did then all of a sudden all of her stripes were gone!

A Bad Case of Stripes portrays an excellent message of never being afraid of what you like and who you are. Camilla would never have had this problem if she were not so afraid to eat the lima beans she loved so much. When I do my lesson with this book I plan on asking questions like; "Who has ever really liked something but was ashamed to admit it because they wanted to fit in?" or "Who has ever done something they did not want to do, but did it anyway so they could fit in?" I could also take the discussion further by asking "What are some of the ways you could make someone feel more comfortable with who they are?" and talk about what the students could do if they see someone getting bullied or made fun of. There are lots of ways students could relate to Camilla and I plan on having a more in depth conversation with the third graders about this.

The illustrations are also by David Shannon and are amazing. They really bring out the story wonderfully and this is truly a story for anyone and has a great message behind it. I would definitely recommend it and put it in my classroom library.

Insiders vs. Outsiders: The Debate About Who Gets to Write Multicultural Literature

The debate about who gets to write different kinds of literature can be a complicated one. On one hand it seems that the people who are on the 'inside' of a cultural group should be the experts and should be the ones to write about their particular culture group. On the other hand, it seem wrong and unfair to exclude anyone from writing a great piece of literature strictly based on their culture.

There are so many different cultural categories, since the definition of culture goes far beyond that of race, that people belong to that everyone is an 'insider' on some topic. Plus, I believe being an 'outsider' of a cultural group can be considered as a cultural group of its own.

All in all I do not believe someone necessarily has to be an 'insider' to write about a particular group of people. As Violet Harris writes in her article, No Invitation Required to Share Multicultural Literature, she write about author Donnarae McCann who is European-American and says;

"She possess the critical consciousness that enabled her to create an excellent examination of the depiction of Native-Americans. In the column that she co-authors with Opal Moore in the Children's Literature Association Quarterly, she writes eloquently about other groups as well. I selected the authors because they are experts in literacy and/or children's literature; they are informed about the group's literature; and they possess the critical consciousness that enables them to assess literature in a forthright manner" (pg. 11).

Does it matter the culture of the author; a great piece of literature is a great piece of literature.

Going off that, however, I think it is irresponsible of an author to write about a cultural group different from their own if they have not properly educated themselves. As Rudine Sims Bishop writes in her article, A Reply to Shannon the Canon, "you have to know a culture intimately if you're going to reflect if accurately in your fiction" (pg. 6). Writing about culture in a children's book is not a task that should be taken lightly. It is important to portray people accurately as to not give children the wrong ideas.