ABSTRACT
Like literature written for adults, children’s literature is an ideal space in which to consider race and ethnicity. In this chapter, we discuss how these categories have been major factors in children’s literature in the United States. We ask both how children of color have historically been depicted in children’s literature by white writers and how writers of color have used children’s literature to correct nativist, Orientalist, colorist, and racist depictions of Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and Asian American children. Further, this chapter explores the ways scholars, teachers, and readers of children’s literature have championed social media campaigns to incite robust critical discussions.
