ABSTRACT
Literature derives some of its most potent effects from allowing children to identify with those who have had different experiences, whether of events or of emotions. There are then a number of strategies for teachers to employ in choosing literature to support an anti-racist school policy. Fiction, through the centrality it gives to plot and character, provides something which the child cannot derive from factual writing alone. Extension of sympathies by putting the readers into the position of someone apparently unlike themselves who nevertheless seems to have so much in common with them can be one of the most powerful ways of countering prejudice. One of the most frequently used types of fantasy for this age range is the folk and fairytale; since these are available from so many different cultures, there are clear opportunities for displaying the variety of heritages available, and also the similarities between tales from different backgrounds.
