Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Part 1: Taking A Critical Issues Approach -- 1: Introduction to multicultural children's literature: a critical issues approach -- Children's literature defined -- Multicultural children's literature -- Brief historical overview -- Role of multicultural children's literature in today's schools -- Critical literacy and multicultural children's literature -- Forming issues into and through critical literacy lessons -- Creating a "web of significance" -- Reflection questions for the teacher -- Sample response lesson 1-1: Forming a critical literacy lesson using educational drama -- Examples of responses to lesson 1-1 -- Selected annotated bibliography -- References -- 2: Essentials and foundations of multicultural children's literature -- Tracing a brief history of multiculturalism -- Multiculturalism to multicultural children's literature -- Evolution of multicultural children's literature -- Before and after the Civil Rights Movement -- Multicultural children's literature and levels of multiculturalism -- Defining multicultural children's literature -- Melting pot books -- Socially conscious books -- Culturally conscious books -- Need for multicultural children's literature -- Equal representation and validation -- Cultural authenticity -- Cultural authenticity: whose perspective? -- Insider and outsider perspectives -- Conclusion -- Reflection questions for the teacher -- Sample response lesson 2-1: Check for authenticity -- Selected annotated bibliography -- References -- 3: Choosing books and reading critically -- Choosing critical children's books -- Traditional read-aloud -- Reader response -- Reading aloud and transactional theory -- Critical read-aloud -- Questioning -- Functions of questioning -- Ask the experts: authors, parents, educators, and teachers -- Reflection questions for the teacher -- Sample response lesson 3-1: Change is not easy -- Example of response to lesson 3-1 -- Sample response lesson 3-2: Negotiating a deal -- Selected annotated bibliography -- References -- Part 2: Exploring Issues In Multicultural Children's Literature -- 4: Responding to censorship, book banning, and controversies -- What is censorship? -- Book banning, book challenge, and censorship -- Intellectual freedom and the First Amendment -- Types of censorship -- Why are books censored? -- Literature suppressed on political grounds -- Literature suppressed on social grounds -- Literature suppressed on religious grounds -- Literature suppressed on sexual grounds -- Literature suppressed on other grounds -- What does censorship really do? -- What do authors, publishers, teachers, and parents say about censorship? -- Useful resources -- Organizations -- Formats and guides -- Reflection questions for the teacher -- Web sites of organizations -- Sample response lesson 4-1: Censorship -- Selected annotated bibliography -- References --

5: Gender, sexuality, and equity -- Gender roles portrayed in children's literature -- Children's reading preferences -- Gender equity and finding a balance -- Some considerations and recommendations -- Children's books and sexuality -- Sexuality portrayed in children's books -- Gay and lesbian families addressed in children's books -- Using children's books to promote equity and understanding -- Reflection questions for the teacher -- Sample response lesson 5-1: Gender roles -- Sample response lesson 5-2: Gender and coming of age -- Selected annotated bibliography -- References -- 6: Understanding or justifying violence -- Defining violence -- Justifying violence in children's books -- Popular images in media -- Movies and television -- Video games -- Steps to counter violence in the media -- Gang violence -- Traditional tales and violence -- Real life, history, and violence -- Understanding violence -- Reflection questions for the teacher -- Sample response lesson 6-1: Violence -- Sample response lesson 6-2: Violence -- Selected annotated bibliography -- References -- Part 3: Realities In Life And Multicultural Children's Literature -- 7: War, terrorism, justice, and freedom -- Making Meaning: A historical perspective -- Making Meaning: A current perspective -- Making meaning and critical connections -- Freedom -- Justice -- War and terrorism -- Using children's books to address war, terrorism, justice, and freedom -- Past depictions -- Current depictions -- Reading authentic accounts -- Finding resilience in the face of adversity -- Conclusion -- Reflection questions for the teacher -- Sample response lesson 7-1: Exploring issues of war using educational drama -- Examples of responses to lesson 7-1 -- Selected annotated bibliography -- References -- 8: Prejudice, bullying, abuse, and other challenging situations -- Defining and discussing challenging situations -- Prejudice -- Bullying -- Poverty -- Abuse -- Physical and emotional abuse -- Drug and alcohol abuse -- Divorce -- Abandonment -- Child labor -- Reflection questions for the teacher -- Sample Response Lesson 8-1: Poverty -- Sample Response Lesson 8-2: Foster care -- Selected annotated bibliography -- References -- 9: Disabilities and the special child -- Need for representing disabilities and special needs in classrooms -- Special child -- Lived realities -- Disabilities as a "multicultural" group -- Children who are health impaired -- Reflection questions for the teacher -- Sample Response Lesson 9-1: Children with special needs -- Sample Response Lesson 9-2: Children with special needs -- Selected annotate bibliography -- References -- 10: Influences of a digital world -- Internet, television, and the video industry -- Digital age literature -- TumbleBooks -- ICDL books -- Computer books and programs -- Accelerated reader -- Magic School Bus -- Dr Suess -- Audiobooks -- Reflection questions for the teacher -- Sample Response Lesson 10-1: http://www.tumblebooks.com -- Sample Response Lesson 10-2: http://en.childrenslibrary.org -- Selected annotated bibliography -- References -- Glossary -- Index -- About the author -- About the contributing author.