Representation of Latinx Immigrants and Immigration in Children's Literature: A Critical Content Analysis

Children's Literature Assembly. e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: https://www.childrensliteratureassembly.org/journal.html

Y

16

Immigrants; Hispanic Americans; Childrens Literature; Immigration; Picture Books; Content Analysis; Disproportionate Representation; Fiction; Race; Critical Theory

1521-7779

The aim of this article is to examine the immigration experiences of Latinx child characters in picturebooks, analyzing the portrayals for their potential impact as mirrors and windows for students in today's schools. This study builds on research that explores Latinx representation in children's literature by specifically attending to how authors of picturebooks include complicated issues of Latinx immigration. Since Latinx children and families are still underrepresented in children's literature, analysis of how this topic is handled in the available texts is essential. The study focused on the following research questions: (1) How is the immigration experience for Latinx immigrant children and children of immigrants represented in realistic fiction picturebooks with significant Latinx content? (2) How are Latinx immigrant children and children of immigrants themselves represented within that text set? Using critical content analysis, the authors examined depictions of Latinx immigration in 13 children's picturebooks published between 2010 and 2016. The investigation revealed that though representations of Latinx child characters' experiences are still limited, a handful of newer books addressed some of the hardships of moving to a new place in honest ways.

ERIC

2020

EJ1271160