CRITERIA FOR SELECTING THE

TOP 100 CHILDREN’S BOOKS

 

            The criteria established to select my top 100 children’s books were:

1. The main character or real person must be black, or the topic of the book must be about the black experience/culture.

2. The content [plot or true story] of the book must be relatable to the young reader.

3. The content must be meaningful to the young reader.

4. The illustrations must be realistic, authentic and reflect the young reader’s image.

5. The content of certain books may provide a form of bibliotherapy.

6. The non-fiction content must be accurate, such as the dates, names and the backgrounds of the people discussed. It must be well researched.

7. The characters must not be stereotypical or offensive and the illustrations must capture authentic skin colors and facial features of black people. [ A brown face with eyes, nose, mouth and ears is not enough].

8. The book must attract a young person’s interest just by reading the title and viewing the front book cover.

9. The content of each book is not homogeneous regarding socio-economic groups.

10. The main character’s age [in fiction] should be similar to the young reader’s age.

11. The book should indicate the age group and grade level.

 

 

My criteria are based on several factors relating to literacy and how the above criteria affects the reading habits of young people. Per the article, “It Was Like a Book Buffet!” Parents and Children Selecting African American Children’s Literature Together, “literacy is affected by the process of being read to as a child and reading as a child.

 

McNair (2011) cited the following:

Reading aloud has been identified as a significant factor in helping children to become literate. It also has been found to be positively related to academic readiness and success with beginning reading in school. Students reading amount and breadth contribute substantially to several valued aspects of their achievement and performance, such as reading achievement, world knowledge, and participation in society. Time spent reading aloud to children and the amount of time that they spend reading themselves are significant aspects in the process of literacy development. (p. 163)

 

 

The black culture is also a factor which affects the relatability of a children’s book to the young reader. The black community is heterogenous, but they share a history which should be exhibited in the literature which is read by young people. Per the article titled, “Evaluating Cultural Authenticity in Multicultural Picture Books: A Collaborative Analysis for Diversity Education, “the authors discuss the definitions or criteria of cultural authenticity which should be conveyed in picture books relating to various ethnic groups including African Americans.

 

Yoo-Lee, Fowler, Adkins, Kim, & Davis (2014) cited the following:

To develop criteria for good African American children’s literature. They argue that in addition to possessing general characteristics of high-quality children’s literature, such as vivid language and worthy themes, African American children’s literature should meet additional standards. These criteria include well-developed characters in realistic situations, accurate representation of African American dialect, authentic illustrations of settings and characters (including variety in African Americans’ skin color), and accurate information. (p. 326)

 

Some books for children discuss a specific issue within the fictional plot of a story which could alleviate stress in the reader. Bibliotherapy is a form of treatment to alleviate discomfort or stress in a person; the person reads the literature and discovers that others are dealing with the same issue. This methodology can be used with children’s literature. “Bibliotherapy is sharing a book or books with the intent of helping the reader deal with a personal problem.” (Lu, 2008) Some of the titles selected discuss issues which affect the emotional development of young children such as which deals with autism and which deals with the aftermath of an absent parent and how the child perceives the mistakes that his father has made.

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Lastly, Through the Eyes of a Child : An Introduction to Children's Literature was reviewed; there is an evaluation criteria listed which consists of

seventeen rules to select multicultural literature. (Norton & Norton, 2011)

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The criteria created to select children’s books is important to parents, caretakers, librarians, and teachers. Children should be inspired, informed, entertained and they should not have difficulty in reading the text.

 

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