ABSTRACT
Multiple subjectivities or a person’s characteristics influence identity development, including race, gender, social class, language, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and ability (Nieto & Bode, 2012). This chapter is grounded in sociocultural theory that recognizes these elements of identity and emphasize the importance of critical pedagogy and critical literacy with preschool-aged children, which enables them to deconstruct hidden messages in a text. Gee (2000) suggests that identity is about being recognized as a person in a specific context. This chapter explores the multiple influences that impact preschool-aged children and offers critical pedagogical practices that are relevant for working with them. Furthermore, this chapter examines children’s literature that introduces alternative gender representations as multicultural literature to identify how parents, caregivers, teachers, and others who interact with young children can introduce texts to begin dialogue and encourage critical conversations that focus on gender identity and social development.
