Children and Young Adult Multicultural

Literature Pathfinder
Authors
*African/African American
Virginia Hamilton - A renowned author of African American stories for children
and young adults.
Julius Lester - An African American reporter, who has written many stories for
both children and adults.

*Asian/Asian American
Ken Mochizuki - Primarily writes about Japanese and Japanese-Americans in
both fiction and non-fiction. He has written four picture books and two Young
Adult book.
Janet Wong - Writes wonderful stories and poems for children.
Lawrence Yep - A Chinese-American author who primarily writes of the
Chinese-American experience for young adults. He has won two Newbery
Honors.
Marie G. Lee - Writes for both children and young adults based on her Korean
American experience.
Humble Comics - The website of Gene Luen Yang, graphic novel artist and
writer and winner of the Printz award for 2006 for American Born Chinese.
Cynthia Kadohata - A Japanese-American author who writes young adult fiction.
She is a Newbery Award winner.
Allen Say - A Japanese-American author known not only for his stories of the
Japanese experience, but for his accompanying illustrations that range from
whimsical to lifelike. Winner of the Caldecott Medal.

Linda Sue Park - Korean-American children's author and winner of the 2002
Newbery Award for A Single Shard.

*Latino
Gary Soto - Award winning author and poet who writes much about the Latino
experience. A National Book Award Finalist.
Julia Alvarez - An author who writes everything from novels to poetry to
children's books from a Latino perspective.
Pat Mora - A Latina author who is especially well known for her children's
books, though she also writes for adults.

*Native American
Cynthia Leitich Smith - A member of the Creek nation, she is a relatively new
author who writes in a variety of genres for both children and young-adults from
a Native American Perspective.
Joseph Bruchac - An Abenaki storyteller who has written for a wide variety of
audiences in a wide variety of genres, including picture books.

*General
Tomie de Paola - A well-known children's author, notable as much for his
illustrations as his stories which often touch on multicultural themes.
Hoobler Authors.com - Dorothy & Thomas Hoobler write primarily historical
novels for young adults, and a samurai detective story.
Kim Antieau - An author of young adult fiction and an essayist.

Illustrators
Tomie de Paola - A well-known children's author, notable as much for his
whimsical illustrations as his stories which often touch on multicultural themes.

Ral Coln - An illustrator with an earthy tone.

Ana Juan - She uses a very Mexican traditional style which often features
creatures from Mexican folk-lore.
Charlotte Riley-Webb - An illustrator with a slightly surreal bent.
Kam Makb - This illustrator is more realistic, but almost has an impressionistic
touch.
Chris K. Soentpiet - An illustrator whose painings are usually very luminecent.
Allen Say - A Japanese-American author known not only for his stories of the
Japanese experience, but for his accompanying illustrations that range from
whimsical to lifelike. Winner of the Caldecott Medal.
Jim LaMarche - An author and illustrator of children's books, who combines the
fantastic with the realistic in his illustrations.

Poets
*Authors
Maya Angelo - A world renowned and prize winning African-American author
who has participated in presidential inaugurations.
Nikki Giovanni - Another popular African-American poet.
Langston Hughes - An African-American poet from the Harlem Renaissance.
Naomi Shihab Nye - An award-winning Arab-American poet and author. A
National Book Award finalist. She also as a letter to would-be-terrorists.
Janet Wong - An author of stories and poems for children.
Gary Soto - An award winning author and poet who writes primarily about the
Latino experience.

*Resources
Poets.org - For authors, methods, poems, and everything in between.
Famous Poets & Poems - From classic to contemporary, with the ability to search
by nationality and a special section on African-American and women poets.
Poetry Foundation - Another good all-purpose poetry site.
The Poetry House - Another poetry site with tons of links, with plenty of focus on
multicultural poetry.
Poems of Soul - Features international poems.
Mr. Africa Poetry Lounge - A great place to find biographies, poems, and more
from African-American authors.
Asian American Poetry - A blog on the subject by poet Roger Pao.
Asian American Poetry - A site for writers, readers, and the merely curious.
Haiku Society of America - The official organization for fans of this poem type.
Haiku for People - Yet another website on my favorite poem type.

Cinderella Around the World

*Cinderella in Africa
Egyptian Cinderella - This story shows that discrimination and the good side of
human nature know no bounds.
Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters - A guide to this variation.

*Native American Cinderella

Mi'Kmaq Cinderella - The origin of this story.

The Native American Cinderella - Resources to use with the Mi'Kmaq story.
The Turkey Girl - A sad version of Cinderella from the Zuni tribe.

*Cinderella in Asia
Korean Cinderella - Read this version online.
Chinese Cinderella (and other legends) - Read the original story.
The Enchanted Anklet - A Cinderella Story from India.

*Latino Cinderella
Little Gold Star - A religious Mexican-American Cinderella.

*Articles and Resources

Multicultural Cinderella - A booklist put out by the ALA.
Cinderella Stories from Around the World - A list put out by Shen's Books with
over 60 versions.
Cinderella - Find out about stories by location.
Teacher Resources - Tons of ideas for teachers in using Cinderella in the
classroom.

Children/YA Literature Awards

*Children's Book/Illustrations Awards
Newberry Award - The best children's book, given by the ALA.
Caldecott Award - The best children's book illustrator, given by the ALA.
Jane Addams Children's Book Award - Given to the children's book that best
promotes peace, by the Women's International League of Peace.

Mildred L. Batchelder Award - Given to the publisher of the best work translated
into English while still retaining the illustrations and flavor of the original, given
by the ALA.
Pura Belpr Award - Given to the Latino(a) author that best portray and
celebrate Latino culture in children's books.
Coretta Scott King Award - Awards African American authors and illustrators
whose books promote the "American Dream", given by the ALA.
Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children - Given to the best
nonfiction book written for children, given by the National Council of Teachers
of English.
The Kate Greenaway Medal - The most distinguished illustrator of children's
books in the UK, givn by the British Library Association.
Laura Ingalls Wilder Award - Given to an author/illustrator whose work over
time has contributed to children's literature, given by the ALA.
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award - Given to the author/illustrator of
the most distinguished informational book published in English, given by the
ALA.

*Young Adult Book Awards

The Michael L. Printz Award - Celebrates excellence in young adult literature,
given by the YALSA.
Teens Top Ten - Teens choose the best young adult books of the year, sponsored
by the ALA.
Margaret A. Edwards Award - Honors an author as well as their work in young
adult literature, given by the YALSA.
Alex Awards - This award is given to books written for adults that have special
appeal to teens, given by the YALSA.
Best Books for Young Adults - The most noteworthy books for young adults
published in a given year, given by the YALSA.

The Alan Award - Given to the best contributor to YA literature - author,

publisher, librarian, scholar, editor - given by the Assembly on Literature for
Adolescents.
Great Graphic Novels for Teens - A list of the year's best graphic novels, given by
the YALSA.

*Both
Aesop Prize - Given to the most outstanding book(s) using folklore written in
children/YA publishing, given by the American Folklore Society.
Amricas Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature - Given to the
children/YA book printed in the US in fiction/non-fiction, English/Spanish that
best portrays Latino culture, given by the National Consortium of Latin
American Studies Programs.
Boston Globe-Horn Book Award - Recognizes excellence in children/YA
literature, given by Boston Globe newspaper and Horn Book magazine.
NCTE Poetry Award for Excellence - Given to honor a living American poet for
their collected work, sponsored by the National Council of Teachers of English.
Scott O'Dell Historical Fiction Award - Awards historical fiction published in the
US and set in the new world, given by the ALA.
The Edgar Allan Poe Award - Given by the Mystery Writers of America, it has
two awards for children/YA mystery books.
The Carnegie Medal - For the outstanding book in children/YA literature, given
by the British Library Association.
The Schneider Family Book Award - Given to the children/YA author/illustrator
whose work best portrays the disability experience, given by the ALA.
Odyssey Award - For the best audio books in English for children/YA, given by
the YALSA.

*Other

Native Writers Circle of the Americas An award for literature by Native

Americans given by Native Americans.
Asian/Pacific American Award For Literature Given by the Asian/Pacific
Americn Library Association for adult and children/YA literature and
illutstrators.

Africa Zone
*Culture
The Harlem Renaissance - A place to learn about this cultural movement.
Association of African American Museums - A place to learn about their culture
and history.
The King Center - Learn about the famous African-American Civil Rights
leader.
Nelson Mandela Foundation - Activist, first person of color to be elected
President of South Africa, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.

*Literature
African American Literature Book Club The #1 Site for Readers of Black
Literature
African American Studies A list of suggested reading.
Black Issues Book Review The African-American publishing authority.
African Literature Association The official site.
African Literature and Authors on the Internet A list of links.

Asia Zone

*Culture
Chinese New Year - The history behind this holiday.
Chinese Historical Society of America - Learn about this ancient people.
Japanese-American National Museum - Learn about this culture.
Passover - Why this holiday is significant to Jews.
Hanukkah - Another Jewish holiday.
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum - Dedicated to remembering
those who escaped, those who survived, and those who died.
Arab American Museum - A place to learn more about our Middle-Eastern
Friends.
Ramadan - The month of fasting in Islam.
Indian Festivals - Learn about the various celebrations held in this diverse land.
The Association for Asian Studies - Official scholarly information (including on
literature) for those interested in this part of the world.
Persimmon - "Asian literature, art & culture".

*Literature
Asian Voices poems & stories by young Asian writers
Asian American Booklist Suggested by the National Education Association,
divided broadly by grade.
Teaching Asian American Literature An essay by a professional.
Links To other pages with Asian/Asian American literature resources.

Latino Zone
*Culture
Csar E. Chvez - A Latino leader who spent his life trying to improve conditions
for Latino migrant agricultural workers.
Cinco de Mayo - Learn about this holiday.
Latino/Hispanic Resources - Links to just about anything you want to know
about this people and their culture, plus resources for their community.
Understanding Hispanic/Latino Culture and History Through the Use of
Children's Literature - A lesson.

*Literature
las Culuras.com This site has links to authors, reviews, writing opportunities
and more for Latinos.
The Azteca Web Page With links to articles, some literature, particularly on
what Chicano and other terms mean and information about Mexico.

Native American Zone

*Culture
National Museum of the American Indian - A place to learn more about the
people.
Native American Sites - Places to find more information about these people.
The Navajo Nation - The official website.
The Hopi Cultural Preservation Office - An official website.
The Pueblo of Zuni - The official website.

The Jicarilla Apache Nation - The official website.

*Literature
Books to Avoid These books do not portray Native American culture in an
accurate light.
Native American Childrens Literature in the Classroom Articles on this
subject.
Native Village Native American education news and resources.
Indigenous Peoples Literature Native stories.
Oyate An organization devoted to educating young Native Americans and
everyone else about their culture.

Other Resources
*Literature
International Children's Digital Library - Read children's books from around
the world.
Multicultural Children's Literature - Annotations of children's books from many
cultures.
Carol Hurst's Children's Literature Site - Tons of suggestions by subject area,
including multicultural subjects.
Kay E. Vandergrift's Special Interest Page - A professor of communication,
information and library studies at Rutgers University, she has a feminist
perspective and also addresses multicultural issues.
Children's and YA Author Cynthia Leitich Smith - An author with a very cool
name (only our middle names are different!) with a website devoted to children
and YA literature, including lots of multicultural information.

*Organizations
The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators - The professional
organization for those who write or draw for children.

*Articles
Assessing Children's Literature - An article put out by the Anti Defamation
League.
How to Choose the Best Multicultural Books - An article by Scholastic about
multicultural books and authors.

*Publishers
Chelsea House Publishers - Publisher of non-fiction books for schools and
libraries from elementary school to college.

*Resources
Library Services to Multicultural Populations - Resources put out by the
International Federation of Library Institutions and Associations.
Multiculturalism and Diversity - Articles, resources and lesson plans on this
topic, also put out by Scholastic.
National Education Association: Minority Community Outreach - Resources and
articles on this subject.

*Gifted Children
National Association of Gifted Children - Information and resources on these
special children.
Helping Your Highly Gifted Child - An article on this topic.

*Adoption
Adoption Books.com - A site to find out information about adoption, issues with
adopting, and books for adopted children and teens.

Adoption.com - A site about how to adopt or put a child up for adoption.

Adoption.org - Another site full of links to further resources.
National Adoption Center - The official organization.