Nicole Anderson

Language and Literacy

9/29/15
Gumiko Monobe
Multicultural Literature and Response
The main purpose of this reading was to inform the reader about why reading literature
from other countries or from other cultures gives the reader more insight about the world and
about people as a whole. I believe that it is important for schools to have books or stories from
other countries or other groups of people so that the students are informed that not everyone is
exactly the same. Teachers need to tell their students that it is okay if they are not. Everyone is
different and it is important for children to learn this at a young age so that they will know this
for the future and for the rest of their lives.
One of the sentences that I liked from the reading was in the beginning of the article.
According to Cai (1998), multicultural literature is a critical component of this movement, a
tool that can be used to reach its goal: diversity and equity in education (p. 318) (Oswald &
Smolen, 2). The reason that I liked this quote so much is because this is one of my values for
my classroom when I become a teacher. I want my classroom to show equality and I want
everyone in my classroom to have respect for one another. I want people to treat others the way
they would want to be treated. Everyone is different; which is what makes each individual
unique. Each childs look, attitude, interests, etc. makes the classroom the way it is and creates
the classroom environment.
Another sentence that I liked from the reading was from the Criteria for Selection of
Multicultural Literature section from the reading. Once purpose is established, it is important
for educators to be acquainted with criteria to determine honesty, authenticity, and quality in
multicultural literature (Oswald & Smolen, 3). I like this quote because teachers should be

enforcing equality and kindness in the classroom. Teachers want their students to feel like they
are in a safe and comfortable environment. If the children feel like they are being judged or they
feel out of place, then they will not be motivated or willing to come to school. We want everyone
to feel welcome in the classroom and to have the children feel like they belong in school.
From the reading, I am curious to know why authors write about other cultures beyond
their own. How can an author possibly know about a culture if they are not part of the religion or
from that country? Maybe if they lived in that country for a short period of time, then I could see
how they could write about it. But without experiencing a specific place or a group of people for
themselves, then how can they possibly be considered an expert on that culture in order to write
about it?

Work Cited Page

Cai, M. (1998). Multiple definitions of multicultural literature: Is the debate really just ivory
tower bickering? The New Advocate. 11(4), 311-324.
Smolen, L. A., & Oswald, R. A. (Eds.). (2010). Multicultural Literature and Response:
Affirming Diverse Voices: Affirming Diverse Voices. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.