ABSTRACT
Cultural authenticity in children’s literature is one of those contentious issues that continuously resurface, always eliciting strong emotions and a wide range of perspectives. Authors, illustrators, editors, publishers, educators, librarians, theorists, and researchers have different points of view that they feel strongly about, based on their sociocultural experiences and philosophical perspectives. Their arguments about cultural authenticity are not just academic; the voices in these debates are passionate and strong, reflecting deeply held beliefs at the heart of each person’s work in creating or using books with young children.
