Aler 2018 louisville female characters social justice(4)

EXPLORING STRONG
FEMALE CHARACTERS
IN CHILDREN’S LITERATURE
FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE
Patricia A. Crawford
University of Pittsburgh
Sherron Killingsworth Roberts
Vassiliki (Vicky) Zygouris-Coe
University of Central Florida

Purpose or Objectives:
■ To provide a rationale for examining representations of
female characters in recent children’s literature.
■ To highlight representations of female characters in
recent Caldecott books (2000-2018), particularly noting
language, images, and scenarios that lead to behaviors
concerning images of strong female characters related
to social justice.
■ To explore pedagogical strategies for the critical reading
of complex, multimodal texts that include strong female
characters, gender expectations, and stereotypical
messages and that also impact understandings of social
justice issues.
■ Highlighting touchstone texts which include strong
female characters to serve as role models for social
justice.

Exploring Strong Female Characters
in Children’s Literature for Social
Justice
■ This session explores representations of
strong female characters in recent Caldecott
Honors and Medal books from 2000-2018,
highlighting touchstone texts and integrating
pedagogical strategies for examining complex,
multimodal texts for issues related to social
justice.

Defining Social Justice
■ Social justice is related to issues of power, race, and gender
as well as to the equality within schools and classrooms
(Wiedman, 2002, p. 200).
■ “…social justice requires resource equity, fairness, and
respect for diversity, as well as the eradication of existing
forms of social oppression… and it also means creating and
"ensuring" the processes of truly democratic participation in
decision-making. “ (Feagin, 2001).
■ Boylan and Woolsey (2014) define social justice “as having
relational, distributive and participative aspects, across micro
and macro ethical dimensions, and as a form of action rather
than a state to be achieved” (p. 62).

The Importance of Children’s
Literature■ Children's literature plays a significant role in children's overall development
(Mendoza & Reese, 2001; Sipe, 2008; Wolk, 2013) and provides support during
times of stress (Crawford & Roberts, 2017; Roberts & Crawford, 2008). The
books that young readers encounter offer opportunities for them to both reflect
on their own identities and to gain greater perspective about the identities of
others (Bishop, 1990).
■ Because the lenses that children’s books offer young readers are so powerful,
teaching for social justice demands that educators are able to analyze, select,
and share books that offer characters who are passionate about improving the
world in which they live (Leland, Lewison, & Harste, 2012).
■ Certainly, both male and female characters offer models for participating in
social justice and making a difference. However, our focus in this session is to
probe depictions of strong female characters at different life stages; characters
who have distinct personalities, interests, and abilities. Since strong women
have been known for making a difference and making history in terms of social
justice issues, we were curious to explore the portrayals of women at different
stages of their lives in recent picturebooks winning the Caldecott Award.

Methods
■ Critical content analysis provides both a perspective and methodology for
uncovering issues of identity and power in children’s literature (Botelho &
Rudman, 2009; Johnson, Mathis, & Short, 2017).
■ We built on the work of others who have examined portrayals and stereotypes
related to gender in children’s literature (Mattix & Sobolak, 2014; Taylor, 2003),
and utilized critical content analysis to examine representations of girls, women
in early to middle adulthood, and older women in recent Caldecott Honor and
Award books, particularly noting language, images, and scenarios that lead to
conversations and actions concerning images of strong female characters as
they relate to enhancing or inhibiting social justice.
■ We divided up the runners-up and winners of the Caldecott from 2000 to 2018.
Each person read and analyzed books in a six to eight year era, and then
brought results for discussion to reach 100% agreement.

Findings:
Touchstone texts across the years

2000-2006
Caldecott Award and Honor books

2007-2012

A Note from Jane Goodall
■ “Each one of us makes a difference. We
cannot live through a single day without
making an impact on the world around us—
and we have a choice as to what sort of
difference we make. The life of each of us
matters in the scheme of things, and I
encourage everyone, especially young
people, to make the world a better place for
people, animals, and the environment.”

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

Summary of Caldecott Books with Female
Characters Enacting Social Justice, 2000-
2018
Caldecott Years Female Total
2000-2006 5 30
2007-2012 2 22
2013-2018 2 32
Total books 9 84
(%) (10.71%) (100%)

Summary of Caldecott Books with
Female Characters Enacting Social
Justice,
2000-2018Cronin, D. (2000). Click, clack, moo: Cows that type. New York, NY: Scholastic. Illustrated by Betsy Lewin.
Rappaport, D. (2001). Martin’s big words: The life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. New York, NY: Scholastic.
Illustrated by Bryan Collier.
Woodson, J. (2004). Coming on home soon. New York, NY: G.P. Putnam’s Sons. Illustrated by E. B. Lewis.
Giovanni, N. (2005). Rosa. New York, NY: Scholastic. Illustrated by Bryan Collier.
Muth, J. J. (2005). Zen shorts. New York, NY: Scholastic.
Weatherford, C. B. (2006). Moses: When Harriet Tubman led her people to freedom. New York, NY:
Hyperion Books. Illustrated by Kadir Nelson.
McDonnell, P. (2011). Me….Jane. New York, NY: Little, Brown Readers.
De La Pena, M. (2015). Last stop on Market Street. London, U.K.: Penguin Books. Illustrated by Christian
Robinson.
Weatherford, C. B. (2015). Voice of freedom Fannie Lou Hamer: Spirit of the Civil Rights movement.
Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press. Illustrated by Ekua Holmes.

Findings
■ Explorations of these books were surprising; FEW representations in Caldecott books from
2000-2018.
■ Recent Caldecott books included biographies (artists, scientists, and poets) of people making a
difference, but women were not strongly represented in powerful roles as change agents for
social justice.
■ No young females were highlighted in these 83 books, unless we point to Addy’s story in Zen
Shorts (Muth, 2005).
■ Male characters were engaged in clear social justice actions, such as Martin Luther King.
■ Strong females were engaged in doing acts of kindness, fairness, and even noble, but not reach
the criteria of social justice. They clearly making the world a better place, like Frida, but not
explicitly stated as actions toward power and justice. Many females served as nurturing
caregivers, i.e., companions or mothers of male leaders of social justice (Radiant child: The
story of young artist Jean-Michel Basquiat).
■ Some books, such Coming on Home Soon, explicitly stated, “Just imagine a colored woman
working on the railroad!”
■ Strong females were also shown in important roles of discovering the power of personal identity
related to gender (Frida).
■ These books spotlight the importance of critical literacy discussions about gender
representations and related implications for social justice.

Social justice themes
■ Displays of social justice
– Resistance
– Contributions to need
– Political activism
■ Inspirations for social justice (with key
examples):
– Experience/awareness of oppression: Click, Clack
Moo, Martin’s Big Words, Coming on Home Soon,
Rosa, Moses/Harriet Tubman, Last Stop, Fannie Lou
Hamer
– A vision for sharing goodness/resources: Me…
Jane, Click Clack Moo, Zen Shorts, Last Stop
– Spiritual conviction or calling: Moses/Harriett

Further Recommendations
■ Engage students in discussions about how diversity is represented in
children’s literature; for example:
■ How are characters represented in the book? (in terms of age, gender, race,
religion, etc.)
■ How are male characters presented in the book?
■ How are female characters presented in the book?
■ How is language, culture, setting, and relationships represented in the book?
■ Are characters shown to have agency? Are there any differences in how
characters are shown to have agency? What types of agency?
■ How is difference presented in the book?
■ How is wealth, opportunities, or privilege represented in the story?
■ How are characters’ lives represented in the story?
■ Who is treated equally in the book?
■ Who is treated with prejudice, injustice, and inequality in the book?

Additional books that highlight female characters enacting
social justiceClark-Robinson, M. (2018). Let the children march. Minneapolis, MN: Lu and Bean Read. Illustrated by Frank Morrison.
Clinton, C. (2017). She persisted: 13 American women who changed the world. New York, NY: Penguin Random House. Illustrated by Alexandra Boiger.
Clinton, C. (2018). She persisted around the world: 13 women who changed history. New York, NY: Penguin Random House. Illustrated by Alexandra
Boiger.
Eggers, D. (2017). Her right foot. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books. Illustrated by Shawn Harris. https://daveeggers.net/foot
Eggers, D. (2018). What can a citizen do? San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books. Illustrated by Shawn Harris.
Harrison, V. (2017). Little leaders: Bold women in Black history. Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Company. Illustrated by Vashti Harrison.
Hood, S. (2018). Shaking things Up: 14 women who changed the world. New York, NY: Harper Collins.
Levy, D. (2016). I dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg makes her mark. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. Illustrated by Elizabeth Baddeley.
Markel, M. (2013). Brave girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers’ Strike of 1909. New York, NY: Harper Collins. Illustrated by Melissa Sweet.
Paul, M. (2015). One plastic bag: Isatou Ceesay and the recycling women of the Gambia. Minneapolis, MN: Millbrook Press. Illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon.
Ryan, P. M. (2002). When Marian sang: The true recital of Marion Anderson. New York, NY: Scholastic. Illustrated by Brian Selznick.
Shetterly, M. L. (2016). Hidden figures: The true story of four Black women and the Space Race. New York, NY: William Morrow and Company. Illustrated
by Laura Freeman
Slade, S. (2017). Dangerous Jane. Atlanta, GA: Peachtree Publishers. Illustrated by Alice Ratterree.
Stone, T. L. (2015). The house Jane built: A story about Jane Addams. London, U.K.: Macmillan. Illustrated by Kathryn Brown.
Tonatiuh, D. (2014). Separate is never equal: Sylvia Mendez and her family’s fight for desegregation. New York, NY: Abrams Books. Illustrated by Duncan
Tonatiuh.
Williams, K. L., & Mohammed K. (2007). Four feet, two sandals. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. Illustrated by Doug Chayka.
Winter, J. (2005). The librarian of Basra: A true story from Iraq. New York, NY: Scholastic. Illustrated by Jeanette Winter.
Winter, J. (2009). Nasreen’s secret school: A true story from Afghanistan. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. Illustrated by Jeanette Winter.

Concluding Remarks
■ Thus, this content analysis focuses on the importance of
re-examining the role of strong female characters in
recent Caldecott books.
■ Situated at the intersection of research and practice,
these findings from our critical analysis of female
characters as well as effective instructional strategies for
engagement and praxis with these texts can bring
awareness of the powerful role young girls and women
can play in advancing themes of social justice.

References
■ Bishop, R. S. (1990). Multicultural literacy: Mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors.
Perspectives: Choosing and Using Books for the Classroom 6(3).
■ Botelho, M. J., & Rudman, M. K. (2009). Critical Multicultural Analysis of Children's Literature:
Mirrors, Windows, and Doors. Language, Culture, and Teaching series. New York, NY:
Routledge.
■ Boylan, M., & Woolsey, I. (2014). Teacher education for social justice: Mapping identity
spaces. Teaching and Teacher Education, 46, 62-71.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2014.10.007
■ Crawford, P. A., & Roberts, S. K. (2017). Literature as support: Using picturebooks to assist
young children in coping with natural disasters and human crises. In Szente, J. (Ed.) Assisting
Children Caught in Human Crises and Environmental Disasters: A Resource Book for Early
Childhood Teacher Educators. Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
■ Feagin, J. R. (2001). Social justice and sociology: Agendas for the Twenty-First Century:
Presidential address," American Sociological Review, 66, (1), 1-20.
■ Johnson, H., Mathis, J., & Short, K. (Eds.). (2017). Critical content analysis of children’s and
young adult literature. New York, NY: Routledge.
■ Leland, C., Lewison, M., & Harste, J. (2012). Teaching children’s literature: It’s critical! New
York, NY: Routledge.
■ Mattix, A., & Sobolak, M. J. (2014). The gender journey in picturebooks: A look back to move
forward. Childhood Education, 90, 229-233.

References
■ Mendoza, J., & Reese, D. (2001). Examining multicultural picture books for the early
childhood classroom: Possibilities and pitfalls. Early Childhood Research & Practice,
3(2), 1-38.
■ Roberts, S. K., & Crawford, P. A. (2008). Real life calls for real books: Literature to
help children cope with family stressors. Young Children, 63(5), 12-17.
■ Sipe, L. (2008). Storytime! Young children’s literary understanding in the classroom.
New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
■ Taylor, F. (2003). Content analysis and gender stereotypes in children's books.
Teaching Sociology, 31(3), 200-311.
■ Wiedeman, C. R. (2002). Teacher preparation, social justice, equity: A review of the
literature. Equity & Excellence in Education, 35(3), 200-2011.
https://doi.org/10.1080/713845323
■ Wolk, S. (2013). Caring hearts and critical minds: Literature, inquiry, and social
responsibility. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.
■ Zygouris-Coe, V. (2012). Disciplinary literacy and the Common Core State
Standards. Topics in Language Disorders, 32(1), 35-50.
■ Zygouris-Coe, V. (2015). Teaching discipline-specific literacies in grades 6-12:
Preparing students for college, career, and workforce demands. New York, NY:

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