A Content Analysis of Multicultural Children’s Books in the Republic of Korea and America

Abstract

 Picture books are a staple in the kindergarten classroom for teaching content, social expectations, and the joy of reading. The purpose of this study is to explore the representation and depiction of multicultural families in children's picture books within kindergarten classroom libraries. Children's pictures books are a microcosm of today's society. They convey cultural messages and values about society, and help children learn about their heritage and the heritage of others. Children's literature is increasingly more reflective of diverse cultures. Children need to see themselves reflected in literature in order to see the lives of others, and in order to see themselves as able to transverse between groups and worlds. America (U.S.) has been and will always be a diverse nation. Likewise, the Republic of Korea (ROK) is quickly becoming a multicultural society as well, and the influx of multicultural families is growing exponentially. Books depicting this growing diversity can dispose of stereotypes that children may have about races other than their own. Children's literature is still not authentically portraying a multiethnic Korea. The results of this study show that children who interact with current picture books predominantly see Korean faces. Finding books depicting non-Korean characters, particularly books depicting culturally specific elements, is rare, although there are books depicting culturally neutral and generic characters However, although our classrooms are culturally and ethnically diverse, the books predominantly found in classrooms portray only one race. What does that tell our students? Seeing diverse populations in children's literature needs to become the norm, not the exception.