The Black Experience in Children's Fiction: Controversies Surrounding Award Winning Books

The Use of Historical Fiction in the Language Classroom: A Pedagogical Proposal for Teachers of English

“…Three potential challenges might emerge when teachers of English begin using historical fiction. First, teachers may feel pressure to instill both history and English in learners and become more concerned about the authenticity and accuracy of a work rather than skills gleaned through engagement (Taxel, ). Although historical fiction elucidates historical contexts and speculates about what could/might have happened in the past, it is important to be mindful of the goal of using historical fiction in the English classroom: It is not to enumerate historical facts but to discern the totality of a historical event, which has been reinvented in the text.…”

Perceptions of Deaf Characters in Adolescent Literature

“…The research examining deaf characters in fiction is extremely limited (Burns, 1950;Guella, 1983;Krentz, 2002; literature-specifically picture books (Bailes, 2002;Brittain, 2004). Despite decades of research affirming culturally authentic children's literature and the merits of multicultural literature, a coexisting body of research reveals the lack of culturally authentic texts (Applebee, 1992;Campbell & Wirtenberg, 1980;Ernest, 1995;Larrick, 1965;Sherriff, 2005;Taxel, 1986). Moreover, children's books with deaf characters are used as informational depictions of deaf individu als (Bockmiller, 1980).…”