Date Approved
4-21-1997
Embargo Period
8-25-2016
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A. in School and Public Librarianship
Department
Special Educational Services/Instruction
College
College of Education
Advisor
Levy, Lynne
Subject(s)
American literature--African American authors--Bibliography; Children's literature--Bibliography
Disciplines
Library and Information Science
Abstract
This thesis examines and analyzes the history of African American children's literature, which began in the 1890s, and highlighted negative stories written by whites about African Americans. It progresses to the 1990s, and highlights warm, rich, stories with similar background experiences, written by and about African Americans.
This thesis discusses the lack of African American children's literature, and the difficulty in finding it in quantities: in libraries, bookstores, or book reviews.
Because of the lack of cultural literature in abundance for African American children, social portraits experienced by African American children in children's literature are generally representative of those expressed by white American authors. For this reason, an annotated bibliography of African American children's literature books, written by African American authors, is also included. These books are listed in two specific categories: 1) African American children's literature books for the elementary student, and 2) African American children's literature books for the middle school student. This thesis also includes an author's index, which names many African American children's authors.
Recommended Citation
Freeman, Annie L., "African American children's literature: past and present" (1997). Theses and Dissertations. 2059.
https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/2059
