![]() Many historical topics found in children's and young adult literature-slavery, conditions in the Jim Crow South, the Japanese internment camps of World War II, and the genocide of Native Americans, to name just a few-are set amid the incomprehensible horrors of the bleakest chapters of American history. As children read historical fiction, they are also learning about our nation's fraught past. Because problematic depictions of children continue to be published, reading and English language arts teachers in classrooms all over the United States, as well as the literacy educators who prepare them, must critically consider these questions as they select books for their students. ![]() What kind of story is being told in the book? What makes the story difficult? Who is it difficult for? Does the nature of that difficulty differ depending on the demographic makeup of a classroom, school or community? None of these questions are new. For example, who will be reading the book? Is the imagined young reader of these historical stories a White, middle class cisgender heterosexual, able-bodied student who was born in the United States, or are child readers from all backgrounds being kept in mind. ![]() When selecting and evaluating historical children's literature, there are many questions that must be considered. ![]()
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