Newbery Winners Decrease in Diversity in Recent Years

re: Newbery Winners Decrease in Diversity in Recent Years

cassie — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 21:21:43 GMT

Sorry! Just wanted to add that I'm not trying to say the study doesn't have merit cause I absolutely agree that children's publishing needs to put out books with more diverse characters. It just seems like in all publishing if you aren't a white male then your book is a 'very special story from a very special viewpoint' and I wish that would go away.

re: Newbery Winners Decrease in Diversity in Recent Years

Cassie — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:39:25 GMT

To be fair, two of last years honor books were written by african-american authors with african-american characters. The winner was a historical fiction book about medieval times. And how much weight should race play in the final decision?

For further clarification the past 9 (the 2000s) years have included winners whose characters are black, white, asian, rich, poor, teenagers, young children, two parent homes, broken homes, living in all times and one is a mouse. So it seems like a pretty diverse list to me. Of the characters that are white, 3 from the past so it's not like they are middle class white kids hanging out with their happy happy families. The other 2 are spunky kids who make a point of discovering their world and relating to other children who are not like them. That's not including the honor books.

If you want a full list of great books for kids, check out the Notable Books or Best Books for Young Adults. Those lists are really diverse and do take into account a balanced list. I've served on ala committees in the past and I promise that the commmittees always strive to meet the needs and cultures of children.

One last point, it has never been the goal of children's literature to accurately portray society, rather to use story and metaphor to enhance a child's world. Both a black and a white child can relate to the struggles of a boy weighed down with the pressures of knighthood, becoming a man. All children, not just asian ones, can understand the little girl in kira-kira's sorrow at losing her home.

I wonder how many people have actually read these great books or just looked at their descriptions to get a gage of what color the characters are.

re: Newbery Winners Decrease in Diversity in Recent Years

Shannon LC Cate — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 23:44:11 GMT

Oh, and thanks for the vote of confidence folks, but I think a book based on a family like mine would sell about twelve copies--mostly to relatives!

re: Newbery Winners Decrease in Diversity in Recent Years

Shannon LC Cate — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 23:43:27 GMT

Betty Wu, here's another version of the story:

www.nytimes.com/.../31arts-STUDYFINDSLE_BRF.html

re: Newbery Winners Decrease in Diversity in Recent Years

BettyWu — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 22:01:50 GMT

Sadly, the link to the original article is missing. I'm just dying to see BYU's take on this (I'm guessing something along the lines of "No Homos or Dark Folk corrupting our children's literature! HURRAY!).

I agree with you that this is a real shame and something that needs fixing. I also agree with Misty Dawn - write one! As you say, there are books out there that fit the bill, but if there are more and they find significant audience, the Newbery will hopefully sit up and listen.

re: Newbery Winners Decrease in Diversity in Recent Years

Misty Dawn Reed — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 21:11:06 GMT

I say this sincerely: Why don't you write a children's book? With your unique (for now) family dynamic and writing abilities, you could be the next Newberry winner. You are in a fabulous position to do it! Plus, I would buy it.