Multicultural Picture Book Paper
Point value: 200
Find a picture book that presents a story from folklore or mythology. Read the book carefully several times. Then write an essay of approximately 1200 words (in 12-point font, double-spaced) in which you:
Briefly summarize the content (text and artwork) of the picture book. Don’t forget to give the title of the book and the names of the author and illustrator (in some cases, the author and illustrator may be the same person).
Evaluate the picture book based on the criteria discussed in the two articles by Besty Hearne, “Cite the Source: Reducing Cultural Chaos in Picture Books, Part One” and “Respect the Source: Reducing Cultural Chaos in Picture Books, Part Two.” (See links above the assignment instructions.) You will need to cover five elements here: (1) type of source note (see “Cite the Source”), (2) the authority of the author & illustrator (see “Respect the Source”), (3) the adaptation (see “Respect the Source”), (4) the art work (see “Respect the Source”), and (5) the text itself (see “Respect the Source”).
Comment on the relative usefulness of Hearne’s point of view for collection development and for using books with children.
You may also supplement your analysis with other relevant readings and links found on the class web site.
In order to find a picture book appropriate for this assignment, check out this list on Amazon: (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. Or you can consult the bibliographies at the end of Chpt. 6 (“Traditional Literature”) and Chpt. 11 (“Literature for a Diverse Society”) if you have access to Lynch-Brown & Tomlinson’s Essentials of Children’s Literature. Look for the the books identified with PI for picture book. Also, remember not every picture book listed in the bibliography at the end of Chpt. 11 is necessarily based on a myth or folktale–but a number of them are. So be sure to consider the titles and perhaps “preview” the books by looking for reviews on Amazon as well as other review sources.
NOTE: Be sure to document material you include from the readings by using parenthetical citations within your paper (in MLA format) and by including a list of Works Cited (in MLA format) at the end of your paper.
Your assignment will be evaluated on the basis of:
Content
Organization
Adherence to the assignment instructions
Proper documentation of sources (MLA format)
Writing quality, including absence of grammar and spelling errors