I attended 2014 Decatur Book Festival to explore how childrens books were

presented in community. For me, there are three dimensions to view childrens
literature in this event: speakers (authors and illustrators) giving speech to the public
on multicultural childrens literature and the perspectives of multicultural childrens
literature from scholars. Then I provide my own observation on book festival in
Decatur. I see that childrens books are related to academic expectations, educational
book talks, and community engagement in 2014 Decatur Book Festival.
It is interesting to note that scholars, authors and illustrators all address to their
personal experiences and universal experiences in multicultural childrens literature.
There were four speakers addressing Everybodys Talking About It: Diversity in
Childrens and YA Books. They are Cece Bell, Carmen Agra Deedy, Varian Johnson,
Andrew Smith. They defined Diversity as a topic to analyze ideology and formats
in childrens books. I synthesize their opinions here. When it came to the issues of
White authors writing about cultural otherness, they did not have an agreement, for
indeed some stories indeed arise similar experiences, but others are not. I remember
one African American speaker, Varian Johnson, said that he welcomes other ethnic
groups to write African Americans stories, and he advocated that the experiences of
people of certain background should be opened to the other. One female speaker,
Carmen Agra Deedy, growing up from Cuba, shared an impressive stories. She
mentioned that she yelled They are exactly like me! when reading stories with
similar backgrounds as hers when she was young. Therefore, for them, multicultural
childrens literature is to invoke similar experiences. If young readers realize that
other people have similar experiences with them, they will understand that what
happen to them is not a big deal! (Deedy, 2014)
On the other hand, there are perspectives on multicultural children's literature
from scholars. According to Gopalakrishnan, if we implement multicultural children's
literature in our classroom, it can be linked to critical literacy (Gopalakrishnan, 2011,
p. 8). Critical literacy requires reading between lines. Through critical analyzing
texts in historical and social context, readers gain understandings (Gopalakrishnan,
2011, p. 9). In addition, Rosenblatt encourages teachers to help young readers to
scrutinize their attitudes and dimensions toward literary works under social and
cultural influences (Cai, 2008, p. 215). In inducing readers to think, Apol asks: What
does this text ask of you as a reader? What does it assume about your beliefs, values,
experiences? Are you as a reader willing to go along with those assumptions? (Apol,

1998, p. 38) Examining the relationship between literature and the larger world of
culture and ideology begins by acknowledge the inherent power of literary texts
(Apol, 1998, p. 34). They provide methods for us to read multicultural children's
literature. What they emphasize is empathy and sympathy for readers inside and
outside. With the reminders from scholars, authors and illustrators, children can be
more critical in analyzing texts under the construction of social and cultural values.
I am amazed that authors and illustrators giving speech to public and scholars writing
for teachers (implied readers) can be inevitably helpful for children to view
themselves and other communities.
2014 Decatur Book Festival is reflexive for me, for I have never seen such a
funny book festival in my country. I wrote a Haiku poem on street in the 2014
Decatur Book Festival: ( I love childrens books) UGA ( In
UGA I study childrens books)(Through childrens eyes). Events
related to books in my country are usually commercial and crowded, being held in
buildings. There are many discount books but not so many interactive talks among
readers, authors, and illustrators. Through 2014 Decatur Book Festival, I see that
people in my country lack imagination for childrens books. We always believe that
childrens books should have educational purposes with one uniformity and one
standard, neglecting diversity in childrens literature. I hope that one day residents in
Asia can join book talks on diversity in childrens books, and enjoy open-air market
of browsing and buying childrens books.
References:
AJC Decatur Book Festival. AJC Decatur Book Festival. Retrived December 12, 2014
from https://www.decaturbookfestival.com/2014/index.php
Apol, L. (1998). But what does this have to do with kids? Literary theory and
childrens literature in the teacher education classroom. Journal of Childrens
Literature, 24, 32-46.
Cai, M. (2008). Transactional theory and the study of multicultural literature.
Language Arts, 85, 212-220.
Gopalakrishnan, A. (2011). Multicultural children's literature: a critical issues
approach. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications.
2015 Taipei International Book Exhibition. Taipei Book Fair Foundation. Retrived

December 12, 2014 from http://www.tibe.org.tw/enhtml