Reflection on the Class

Throughout this literature course, I have wished that we had spent some time exploring children’s picture books as well as the young adult chapter books. I never really realized that even though we weren’t spending time on the picture books, we were still learned how to critically look at them. I discovered this as I was attempting to find picture books to use in a social studies lesson with my third graders. I looked through many picture books and found that many were inappropriate due to stereotypes, the ways they presented issues, and the facts presented.

Overall, this class was very beneficial. The literature choices for our reading this semester have been very interesting and engaging. In addition, I have become more aware of the limited availability of books about some multicultural groups. It is important that for these groups we do not think that any book is a substitute for a “good” book. These analytical skills can be used throughout my career. As a future teacher, I can now look at books with a more critical eye before adding them to my classroom collection.