The Portrayal of the African-American in Children's Literature

Abstract

The focus of this study is the portrayal of African-Americans found in children's literature in an urban elementary school library in Southeastern Wisconsin. The purpose of this content analysis is to review how African-American characters are treated or portrayed in children's literature. The review of literature leads to the question of the availability of children's literature which portrays the African-American and the humane treatment of African-Americans in children's literature. For this study the sample is the collection of children's fiction books found in an elementary school library in Southeastern Wisconsin. At the beginning of the study 99 books were determined to be African-American. Approximately 30% or 30 books out of the 99 available were selected randomly. The following areas of concern were evaluated: illustrations, lifestyles, relationships, self-image, and insulting words. It was concluded overall that the collection is weak in the portrayal of African-Americans in children's literature and that the collection needs to be strengthened.