Opinion
Reading & Literacy Letter to the Editor

Children’s Books Are Indeed Biased

October 24, 2017 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

To the Editor:

In response to the recent Education Week article “Does The Cat in the Hat Sustain Racist Stereotypes?” (Oct. 11, 2017), the answer is yes. This is not to argue for book burning or banning but to suggest that teachers and educators at large, as well as U.S. Department of Education officials, should develop strategies to help teachers interpret problematic representations of race, class, and gender in texts for young readers. This is not a new issue: In the late 1970s, British author Bob Dixon argued that virtually nothing was being done to counteract the racial, gender, and class stereotypes found in many children’s books or to promote greater diversity. Research also shows that many U.S. history texts routinely leave out or conflate important parts of the past, telling only one side of the story. Reading books with an eye for implicit and explicit messages is a service to readers, not an effort to “cleanse” the past.

The views in this letter are the author’s own and do not represent the organization he works for.

Jon McGill

Academic Director

Baltimore Curriculum Project

Baltimore, Md.

A version of this article appeared in the October 25, 2017 edition of Education Week as Children’s Books Are Indeed Biased

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
The Future of the Science of Reading
Join us for a discussion on the future of the Science of Reading and how to support every student’s path to literacy.
Content provided by HMH
Mathematics K-12 Essentials Forum Helping Students Succeed in Math
Student Well-Being Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: The Power of Emotion Regulation to Drive K-12 Academic Performance and Wellbeing
Wish you could handle emotions better? Learn practical strategies with researcher Marc Brackett and host Peter DeWitt.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Reading & Literacy How a Teacher Used an AI Tool to Help Her Students' Reading Comprehension
A 6th grade language arts teacher discusses how AI image creators can help boost reading comprehension.
2 min read
Jessica Pack, a 6th grade language arts teacher at James Workman Middle School in Riverside County, Calif., speaks on AI and literacy at the ISTELive 25 + ASCD Annual Conference 25 in San Antonio on July 1, 2025.
Jessica Pack, a 6th grade language arts teacher at James Workman Middle School in Riverside County, Calif., speaks about AI and literacy at the ISTELive 25 + ASCD Annual Conference 25 in San Antonio on July 1, 2025.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
Reading & Literacy Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About Early Literacy Learning?
Answer 7 questions about building strong family and school connections.
Reading & Literacy Popular Reading Programs Feature 'Multisensory' Instruction. Does It Help?
Many elementary school classrooms incorporate touch and movement into reading lessons. But research on the practice is inconclusive.
6 min read
Reading & Literacy California Is Poised to Pass a 'Science of Reading' Law After a Long, Tense Debate
Advocates on both sides say the compromise bill is strong, but imperfect. Will it move literacy instruction forward in the state?
7 min read
Students interact in a fourth grade classroom at William Jefferson Clinton Elementary in Compton, Calif., on Feb. 6, 2025.
Students interact in a 4th grade classroom at William Jefferson Clinton Elementary in Compton, Calif., on Feb. 6, 2025. More young students could receive instruction in phonics and other evidence-based techniques, if a long-sought state proposal is approved.
Eric Thayer/AP