Abstract
Previous studies have examined diversity in children’s literature: Gender diversity, racial diversity, religious diversity, and diversity in family composition. This project examines an often overlooked diversity issue in children’s literature: Housing diversity. In the stories they read and the accompanying images, children need to see a variety of housing environments and need to see the settings and the people portrayed in a positive manner.
Renting an apartment is an increasingly popular housing option for many families. However, many children’s books glamorize living in a traditional house. Using a rubric designed by the course instructor, students in a university immersive learning course evaluated the “housing message” in a convenience sample of children’s books.
Students then partnered with local preschools, elementary schools, after-school programs, and community libraries to examine their book collections. With support from apartment industry leaders, students purchased and donated copies of the most apartment-friendly books to fill the gap in the book collections in these locations.
Included in
Civic and Community Engagement Commons, Cognition and Perception Commons, Collection Development and Management Commons, Community-Based Research Commons, Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, Elementary Education and Teaching Commons, Human Ecology Commons, Human Geography Commons, Modern Literature Commons, Place and Environment Commons, Pre-Elementary, Early Childhood, Kindergarten Teacher Education Commons, Real Estate Commons, Social Psychology Commons, Social Psychology and Interaction Commons, Urban Studies Commons, Urban Studies and Planning Commons
Housing Diversity in Children’s Literature
Previous studies have examined diversity in children’s literature: Gender diversity, racial diversity, religious diversity, and diversity in family composition. This project examines an often overlooked diversity issue in children’s literature: Housing diversity. In the stories they read and the accompanying images, children need to see a variety of housing environments and need to see the settings and the people portrayed in a positive manner.
Renting an apartment is an increasingly popular housing option for many families. However, many children’s books glamorize living in a traditional house. Using a rubric designed by the course instructor, students in a university immersive learning course evaluated the “housing message” in a convenience sample of children’s books.
Students then partnered with local preschools, elementary schools, after-school programs, and community libraries to examine their book collections. With support from apartment industry leaders, students purchased and donated copies of the most apartment-friendly books to fill the gap in the book collections in these locations.