Today in class we learned about quality contemporary realistic fiction is a vital staple for the classroom library. Contemporary realistic fiction reflects on life and helps children understand things like self acceptance, problems that people face, or reactions and consequences of situations. Additionally, children can connect with characters in contemporary realistic fiction and glean a feeling of comradery.
Evaluating quality contemporary relistic fiction is also incredibly important. It is important that the text is examined for racism, sexism, cultural stereotypes or inaccuracies, and ableism, just to name a few. It is also important to look at the author and what authoritative stance they are able to take on the subject they are writing on.
Using the criteria from the article "Building Arab Americans’ Cultural Identity and Acceptance With Children’s Literature" by Tami Craft Al-Hazza and Katherine T. Bucher and adapting Arab Americans to Deaf Americans, this can be an effective tool to evaluate my selected text this week.
Evaluating the book El Deafo written and illustrated by Cece Bell, the author wrote the book to reflect on her own childhood growing up deaf. The Newberry Award winning graphic novel is extremely well written. Cece (the main character) exhibits characteristics of any other girl in society, she enjoys playing, wants to have friends, and even has a crush on a boy in school. The author includes different ways that hearing people (mostly inadvertently) make Deaf culture foux pas. For example, shouting, speaking super slowly, trying to force ASL, and many others. The author also displays the different stuggles that many deaf students could relate to like feelings of isolation, embarrassment that everyone is looking at them, ect. Overall, El Deafo is a quality piece of contemporary realistic fiction and I would love to use it in my classroom one day.