White privilege is prevalent throughout children’s literature, and it doesn’t just stem from a few passages in some books written fifty years ago. Quite frequently, it is apparent in contemporary works, and it isn’t always clear from a first reading. This is particularly true if you are reading from the perspective of a White individual, unaware of said privilege.
Below is a list of tangible examples. A majority of these works are currently circulating in libraries around the United States. Some materials showcase distorted views of a particular race, while others highlight a lack of inclusion or include cultural appropriation for a punchline. Whitewashing history, or glossing over certain facts to downgrade people of color and their importance to history, is also represented. This list is not intended to incriminate or belittle these authors or their works, but instead to provide insight into how deep the issue of white privilege is in the world of children’s literature, whether intentional or otherwise.
Geisel, T. S. (1937). And to Think That I saw It On Mulberry Street. New York, NY: Vanguard Press.
Age Range: 5-9
This story is about a boy walking home from school and imagining the different things he might tell his father about what he saw along the way. The story flows easily, does not have too many lines per page, and using a consistent rhyming pattern. Cartoonish illustrations accompany the text, adding detail, and encouraging young readers to use their imagination.
While this story is all about using the imagination, there is a bit of racial stereotyping in the drawings and words. The author describes a “Rajah, with rubies” which is pictured riding on the back of an elephant as if on a throne. The Rajah even has a turban and pointed shoes. Additionally, the author describes a “Chinese boy who eats with sticks” and the illustration depicts a yellow colored “Chinese” boy with a bowl and chopsticks in his hands, whereas all of the other people are white skinned.
Burnett, F. H. (1911). The Secret Garden. New York, NY: HarperCollins.
Age Range: 8-12
An English girl is suddenly orphaned in India and sent to an unknown uncle in England, where she discovers a secret garden, a secret cousin, and herself. This story is written with simple text and flows easily. Each chapter has something happening and brings the reader into the setting and the story. The illustrations are simple drawings which bring the story’s descriptions to life. The author is very descriptive of the setting and the people, making the whole story seem as if you are right there, observing the interactions.
Unfortunately, there is a bit of racial stereotyping when the young girl speaks about her life in India. For example, it is said that there are a lot of “blacks there instead o’ respectable white people.” The young girl also becomes offended when she realizes that the maid thought that she was “a native.” Additionally, the Indian people are stereotyped as “always very religious” and “a man an’ a brother.” Finally, there are a few comments about the Indian people being snake charmers.
Bunting, E. (1994). A Day’s Work. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin.
Age Range: 5-9
This story is about a boy and his immigrant grandfather trying to find day labor. It reads smoothly and has beautiful watercolor illustrations. The text is fairly simple to read and the book reminds children that lying is unacceptable, even if you are doing it for a good reason. The young character grows in his understanding of this concept and the grandfather proves to be an honest, hardworking man.
Unfortunately, though this is a well written book, it stereotypes immigrant workers. The young boy is portrayed as being “Americanized”, with his jean jacket and Lakers cap. The grandfather is portrayed as a poor Mexican, with his rough looking clothes, sandals, and bushy mustache, and the fact that he only speaks Spanish. The book also implies that the grandfather cannot get work on his own and needs the boy to help him along, going so far as to push an adult out of the way.
Brunhoff, J. (1937). The Story of Babar: The Little Elephant. New York: Random House. (Original work published 1931)Age Range: 4-8
The story starts off with a happy baby elephant being raised by his caring mother in the great forest. After his mother is killed by a hunter Babar runs away to a city and is fascinated by the clothing he sees people wearing. A wealthy elderly woman gives him money to purchase a suit of clothes. He then moves in with the generous woman and spends his time taking lessons from a “learned professor” and meeting people at dinner parties. Babar finally decides to return home with his cousins who have come to find him. After he arrives home the elephant elders see him in is fine clothing and decide to make him King of the Elephants “since he has learned so much living among men.”
De Brunhoff’s illustrations are lovely and complement the story. But the story itself is somewhat offensive. When Babar is living in the city and educated by the humans it appears that he is an “uncivilized” person becoming “civilized” in a very Western-centric view. Why do the elephants need to have someone who “has learned so much living among men” to be their king? The story conveys that the elephants (or native people) are ignorant because their culture is different from the very Westernized city.
Schachner, J. B. (2007). Skippyjon Jones and the Big Bones. New York, NY: Dutton Children’s Books.
Age Range: 3-6
In this story we meet SkippyJon Jones, a small Siamese cat with a large head and ears, digging in Mrs. Dolly Doohiggy’s garden. Skippyjon is searching for Darwin the dog’s buried bones in order to make a dinosaur skeleton model. After being scolded by his mother Skippyjon transforms himself into a Chihuahua named Skippito Friskito that wears a cape and mask and resembles the legendary Mexican figure Zorro. After singing a rhyming song Skippito enters his closet where his imagination takes over and he is now in a prehistoric jungle. Skippito finds his imaginary Chihuahua friends, Los Chimichangos, who use stereotypical Mexican accents and say things like “reelly, reelly beeg, dude.” The group of friends then encounter some aggressive “dinosaurios” and Skippito saves Los Chimichangos by defeating the dinosaurs. As Skippito leaves the closet and changes back to Skippyjon he meets Darwin who has come to retrieve his stolen bones. The next scene is a dazed and bandaged Skippyjon waking up on the couch after a seemingly violent encounter with Darwin. The story ends with Skippyjon finding his hidden “Skipposaurus” dinosaur model and then going to bed.
The Skippyjon Jones books would have been so much better if Judy Schanchner had just illustrated them and she had found someone else to write them. Her bright and colorful illustrations using acrylics and pen bring the characters to life. It is hard to not find her painted depictions of Skippyjon appealing. But once the words are read there is no going back. Her offensive rhyme schemes which might also be called lazy include adding “ito” to many English words to make them into what she is hoping to be some type of English/Spanish hybrid. “Marshmallow-ito” and “Sediment-ito” are just two examples. At one point she even adds “schmossilitos” to rhyme with “fossilitos” which might be her attempt at adding Yiddish into the mix. Adding to all of this bastardizing of Spanish words is the portrayal of Skippito Friskito as a stereotypical Mexican bandit and having Los Chimichangos speak with offensively fake Mexican accents. This is all culturally insensitive. Spanish speaking young children and also those with Mexican ancestry may very well think that their language and heritage is the butt of a joke in these books.
Flack, M., & Wiese, K. (1961). The story of Ping. New York, NY: Viking Press.
Age Range: 4-8
The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack was published in 1933. Ping is a small yellow duck who lives with his large family on a boat on the Yangtze River. The duck family finds food on the shore during the daytime and then in the evening they climb up a little bridge to get back on the boat. The boat master uses a switch to spank the last duck in line. One-day Ping does not hear the call to come back to the boat and once he sees he will be last in line he decides to hide rather than get spanked. When he wakes in the morning he is lost and can’t find his family’s boat. Ping meets a little boy in the water and the boy brings Ping back to the boy’s family. Once the family sees Ping they decide that they want to eat the duck for dinner, but the boy says Ping is too beautiful to be eaten. The boy helps Ping escape and then Ping sees his family’s boat. Ping does get spanked on his way onto the boat, but he is happy to be back with his family.
The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack was published in 1933. Ping is a small yellow duck who lives with his large family on a boat on the Yangtze River. The duck family finds food on the shore during the daytime and then in the evening they climb up a little bridge to get back on the boat. The boat master uses a switch to spank the last duck in line. One-day Ping does not hear the call to come back to the boat and once he sees he will be last in line he decides to hide rather than get spanked. When he wakes in the morning he is lost and can’t find his family’s boat. Ping meets a little boy in the water and the boy brings Ping back to the boy’s family. Once the family sees Ping they decide that they want to eat the duck for dinner, but the boy says Ping is too beautiful to be eaten. The boy helps Ping escape and then Ping sees his family’s boat. Ping does get spanked on his way onto the boat, but he is happy to be back with his family.
Look, L. & Pham, L. (2010). Alvin Ho: Allergic to Birthday Parties, Science Projects, and Other Man-made Catastrophes (1st ed.). New York, NY: Schwartz & Wade Books.
Age Range: 6-9
Lenore Look uses simple text along with LeUyen Pham’s ink drawings to tell the stories of Alvin Ho, an Asian-American second-grader who has an anxiety disorder that makes him afraid of everything. In this third story of the series, Alvin’s anxiety is heightened when instead of getting an invitation to Hobson’s war-themed party, he gets one to Flea’s girly birthday tea. A major part of the plot is Alvin’s desperation to go to Hobson’s party so he too can “play Indian” in the “Indians and settler” game with the boys. When Alvin finally gets invited to Hobson’s party, he dresses up wearing the Deluxe Indian Princess costume that his mother bought for Flea. Since it didn’t come with a headdress, Alvin makes one out of 100 popsicle sticks, buttons, and ribbon. Alvin finally gets to play indian; war paint, war cries, whooping, and the whole bit.
Look’s stereotyping is both controversial and a mockery of the American Indian culture and a departure from the more promising diverse text she delivers in the other Alvin Ho stories. While Look may have thought it “harmless fun–[to have her main character and friends] dressing up as Indians for a birthday party [American Indians find it] stereotypical and . . . racist” (Reese, 2011). Look’s lack of sensitivity to the American Indian’s pride is a surprising blunder in her 2010 authorial work of Book #3. As authors diversify will the topic of “white privilege” morph into the privilege of others? Say, in the case of Alvin Ho, Chinese American privilege?
McDermott, G. (1974). Arrow to the Sun. New York, NY: Puffin.
Age Range: 6-9
Gerald McDermott both wrote and illustrated this 1975 Caldecott winner using gouache and ink. Vibrant colors and bold geometric forms mimic the stylized art of the Pueblo Indian. McDermott uses simple text to tell how it came to be that the Lord of the Sun sent his seed to a young Pueblo maiden to bear his son in the “world of men.” When the Boy becomes of age he leaves his mother in search of his father. When at last the Boy comes upon the wise Arrow Maker he asks if he could lead him to his father. Recognizing that the Boy comes from the Lord of the Sun, the Arrow Maker fashions a special arrow. The Boy becomes the arrow and the Arrow Maker shoots it toward the sun. The father receives the Boy but demands that he prove himself worthy by “pass[ing] through the four chambers of ceremony–the Kiva of Lions, the Kiva of Serpents, the Kiva of Bees, and the Kiva of Lightening.” Six wordless pages beautifully illustrate the Boy’s conquest at each trial. The father and son triumphantly rejoice; after which, once again, the Boy becomes an arrow and the father shoots him back to earth to “bring [his] spirit to the world of men.” The people celebrate the Boy’s return “in the Dance of Life.”
This is supposed to be a retelling of an ancient legend evoking “the Native American reverence for the source of all life–the Solar Fire” (McDermott, Cover Flap, 1974). Being a graduate of Pratt Institute and one who worked with the renowned mythologist Joseph Campbell makes McDermott a credible storyteller for the retelling. It turns out, however, that this story is not a true Pueblo legend after all. Rather it is a slap in the face to the Pueblo Indian and yet another example of white privilege in children’s literature. For one, the Pueblos do not perform the “Dance of Life”; and when they do dance it is dance of prayer. Secondly, Kivas are not chambers but are places for worship and teaching (Reese, 2009). This story is a misrepresentation of “Native American culture and tradition” and “provide[s] an excellent starting point for teaching children that information in books can be wrong” (Reese, 2009).
Bishop, C. H., & Wiese, K. (1996). The Five Chinese Brothers. New York, NY: Penguin Putnam Books (Original work published 1938)
Age Range: 4-8
This children’s classic has become an example of controversy by today’s standards for racial stereotyping and violence. The Horn Book calls it “an original Nonsense tale told with . . . spirit and gusto” (as cited in “goodreads,” n.d.). According to Wikipedia (2016), the story “is a retelling of a Chinese folk tale, Ten Brothers.”
Claire Huchet Bishop (1899-1993) was a librarian and an award-winning children’s novelist in her time. She won the Newbery Honor medal for Pancakes-Paris and All Alone, the Josette Frank Award for Twenty and Ten, and the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1959 for The Five Chinese Brothers (as cited in “Author Notes,” n.d.). The following comes from the dedication page: “To my father / who made me love China / and / To my mother / a born story-teller.”
The story is told with age appropriate vocabulary and is illustrated with a simplified pen and watercolor wash using various gradients of black and white and yellow. It begins with “Once upon a time there were five Chinese brothers and they all looked exactly alike” . . . Each possesses an individual talent:
The first Chinese Brother could swallow the sea.
The second Chinese Brother had an iron neck.
The third Chinese Brother could stretch and stretch and stretch his legs.
The fourth Chinese Brother could not be burned.
And
The fifth Chinese Brother could hold his breath indefinitely.
As the story progresses, a little boy notices what a good fisherman the first Brother is and begs the Brother to let him go fishing with him. The Brother sucks in the sea to expose all of its fish and treasure and the elated boy ventures out onto the sea bed. After awhile the Brother can no longer hold in the sea and motions for the boy to come back but the boy ignores him. The boy disappears when the sea forces its way out and returns to its bed.
The plot thickens when the First Brother is arrested, tried, and condemned to have his head cut off. One by one, each of the Brothers outwit the executioner by using their extraordinary individual talents. On the morning of the execution, the the judge allows the first Brother to go and bid his mother Goodbye. The second Brother returns in place of the first Brother. When the executioner’s sword is unable to penetrate the Second Brother’s iron neck, the crowd becomes angry and decides that the Brother should now be drowned. The judge allows the second Brother to return home to bid his mother Goodbye and the third Brother returns in his place. When the third Brother is tossed out of the boat to be drowned at sea, he stretches and stretches his legs so that he stands, his head above water, impossible to drown. Once again the people are angry and decide the Brother should be burned. On the morning of the execution, the judge allows the third Brother to go home and bid his mother Goodbye and the fourth Brother who could not be burned returns in his place. Seeing that the Fourth Brother enjoys the warmth of the fire, the people call out that he should be smothered. On the day of the exection, the fourth Brother is allowed to return home to bid his mother Goodbye and the fifth Brother who could hold his breath indefinitely returns in his place. When the fifth Brother awakens from a night spent in an oven filled with whipped cream, the judge decides he must be innocent and frees him to return home where “The Five Chinese Brothers and their mother all lived together happily for many years.”
The book is on many Banned Books lists because of its violence and ethnic stereotyping. Some think that having the brothers all look the same is suggestive of the white privilege notion that all Chinese people look the same. One Blogger said that he didn’t see the book as racist. As a child he always thought the brothers were quadruplets. In another Blog, the reviewer defended the book saying it was a “fairy tale” with a moral:
People or things that look exactly alike can easily fool you–because
they might not be exactly alike. Every brother was the same on the surface,
but underneath he had just the talent to foil his execution. (“Deceptology,” n.d.)
In a 1977 School Library Journal article, Selma G. Lanes defended the story. She said that “the illustrations [were] ‘cheerful and highly appealing, characterizing Wiese’s ‘broad cartoon style’ as ‘well suited to the folk tale, a genre that deals in broad truths'” (Wikipedia, 2016)
Whether one finds this book racist or not appears to be a matter of opinion. Let the white privileged reader and/or the Chinese reader be the judge.
Hites, K. (2015). Winnie & Waldorf. New York, NY: HarperCollins.
Age Range: 4-8
Winnie & Waldorf, written and illustrated by Kati Hites, is all about unconditional love. Though Winnie loves her dog, Waldorf, he’s a bit of a mess. He rips up stuffed animals, sniffs through the garbage, and even breaks a string on Sara’s (Winnie’s sister) beloved violin. Still, Winnie thinks his behavior terrific, and even though Sara would prefer a cat, a bout of stage fright and Waldorf to the rescue might change her mind.
Though this work, told with very sweet mixed-media illustrations, has a solid message, one detail showcases cultural appropriation for a cheap laugh. Winnie, attempting to be on her best behavior after the violin incident, dresses up in her “most formal attire” for the concert that evening. However, this involves wearing an Indian headdress, a Native American custom reserved only for the ost respected and regarded individuals of a tribe. The headdress is worn without comment, though a scene at the concert depicts a woman parting the headdress with her hands so she can see through it. In reality, this is a deeply offensive act. Aside from the fact that Winnie is shown wearing a highly significant symbol from a culture she is not part of, she appears to do so only for this one joke.
Kati Hites later apologized for the illustration, and expressed regret for not realizing her insensitivity. She went on to explain that perhaps she should have shown Winnie in traditional garb from her own Hungarian heritage. Not only would this have been more appropriate, it would have provided insight into a rarely specified culture in American children’s literature.
Strebe, J. (2016). Braids & Buns, Ponies & Pigtails: 50 Hairstyles Every Girl Will Love. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books.
Age Range: 8-11
A book that cites itself as being something ‘every girl’ will love has a lot to live up to. After all, there are a lot of girls and just as many hairstyles. Jenny Strebe attempted to compile instructions for how to perfect fifty hairstyles for young girls. The book labels these styles based on how difficult they are, accessories needed, and ‘Ideal Hair’, and includes photographs of models showcasing the end products.
The trouble is that it is hard to suggest this book is intended for every girl. Based on sheer numbers alone, white models are seemingly featured in nearly 75% of the photographs. In terms of the hairstyles themselves, straight or wavy hair is considered ideal far above any other type, comprising over half of all entries. There’s even mention of how to eliminate frizz and promote silkier or smoother hair, yet no mention of items such as a hot comb, which would work to straighten coarser hair.
This work creates the feeling that White girls with straight or wavy hair are the norm. Even with the misguided suggestion that ‘every girl’ could conceivably find a representative hairstyle in this book, there’s a severe amount of privilege which comes with it. It skews too far to one type of individual, offering that everyone else is not as important.
Delano, M. F., & Epstein, L. (2013). Master George’s People: George Washington, His Slaves, and His Revolutionary Transformation. Washington, DC: National Geographic.
Age Range: 8-12
Master George’s People is an attempt to explain that, yes, the First President of the United States of America did own slaves. He inherited them at the age of ten, and it was a reality of the life he understood, and many other founding fathers also took part in this horrific practice. This work seeks to showcase the lives of the slaves Washington owned, providing brief biographical sketches.
However, this work fails to properly inform the absolute brutality of slavery. While the biographies do provide a sense of who these individuals were as workers, it’s glossed over that they had no choice. The title of the book touches this, giving Washington his title of ‘Master’, which is odd since it gives the distinction legitimacy. The title also refers to slaves as being his ‘People’, but this was not the case, and though Washington might have evolved on the issue of slavery, a slave was still considered property, not a person. His personal feelings did not change the institution as a whole in the United States. By not putting that information at the forefront of readers’ minds, a disservice is done to the explanation of a master-slave relationship.
Perhaps the most egregious example of whitewashing comes from Delano’s explanation that Washington did have a moral evolution and eventually freed his slaves. Though this is true, they were not freed until after his death. Even so, Delano treats this as an ultimate act on his part, while ignoring that he had a hand in crafting the Constitution which allowed for slavery.
Smith, D., & White, L. (2016). Arctic White. New York, NY: Henry Holt.
Age Range: 4-8
White is everywhere during the Arctic winter. Told in second person perspective, a young girl is bored with the monotony of white snow around her until her grandfather journeys with her across the tundra. After a long and eventful walk, something wonderful and colorful awaits them.
The watercolor illustrations are beautiful to look at, and Lee White ensures that the detailed, textured, white snow never looks boring. However, the work itself, which knocks everyday snow as being too plain, lacks any sort of rich specificity. There are limited indicators as to where this story takes place or what culture the main characters represent. This is problematic, because instead, readers are given a faux-culture. It offers a generalized philosophy, with such quotes as, “Grandfather says hope is golden. You can only see it when you look into a snowy owl’s eyes.”
This sentiment is nice, but it’s so generalized that the story might as well have been told in any setting. There seems to be little point in putting it in the Arctic. Although it’s perceived as a contemporary work (the girl is depicted holding a flashlight), the main character lives in an iglu though a vast majority of indigenous Arctic people live in houses. It’s the kind of detail which seems added in because it’s what an unfamiliar audience would assume indigenous Arctic peoples live in. The lack of relevant detail shows, at best, a misunderstanding of culture or, at worst, a non-specific look at a culture for entertainment.
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