Multicultural Picturebooks: Art for Illuminating Our World

"Picturebook," spelled as a single word to identify its unique qualities and to differentiate the genre from other books with illustrations, is one that tells a story either in pictures alone or in almost equal partnership with text. The picturebook has great potential for bridging the differences among us; the concept of a story is one common to all, a shared experience that sets the stage for communication. And the goal of multiculturalism is to emphasize the positive attributes of human society, the outstanding, rather than the stereotype. Because children born today will interact with people from different cultures much more than previous generations, it is important that they are taught about other cultures, starting at a young age. Multicultural picturebooks are, therefore, an excellent teaching tool for meeting this educational challenge. The picturebooks profiled are appropriate for children in grades K - 4 but can be used with older children, depending on the curriculum and the students' comprehension level. Books covering Asia and the Pacific, The Middle East, Africa, South America, North America (Native Americas, Inuit, etc.), and books specific to the immigrant experience are profiled. Each book is described in one paragraph that includes an engaging review of the story line, special features of the content, the look and style of the artwork, interior design, and layout of the book. The authors emphasize that the visual qualities of picturebooks affect their ability to tell stories about people whose values and behaviors are different from those of the reader.