iRubric: Evaluation of Children's Literature rubric

The story itself is interesting and engaging.

Syntax, grammar, word usage, etc. makes the story easy to read for children of the age for which it is written

There are no distortions or omissions of history.

Various perspectives are represented

Standards for Success. Does it take the white male behavior standards for a person of color or a female to "get ahead"? Is "making it" in the dominant white society projected as the only ideal? To gain acceptance and approval, do people of color and females have to exhibit extraordinary qualities?

Resolution of Problems. How are problems conceived, presented, and resolved in the story? Are people of color considered to be "the problem"? Are the conditions facing oppressed groups represented as related to an unjust society? does the story line encourage passive acceptance or active resistance? Are problems faced by people from parallel cultures resolved through the benevolent intervention of a white, able-bodied, middle-class male?

Role of Females. Are the achievements of girls and women based on their own initiative and work, or are achievements due to their appearance or to their relationships with males? Do they have to be rescued by a male character? Are females of all ages presented as problem solvers with a life of their own, or is their role in the story only as a support of male characters?

Is it assumed that female characters will marry and that this is their major interest in life? Is there an emphasis on describing the physical appearance of female characters? Are positive female characters portrayed as "beautiful" and negative female characters portrayed as "unattractive"? Are older females portrayed in a negative manner? Are older unmarried females ridiculed and assumed to be bitter, unfulfilled, or boring? Are they afraid of mice, spiders, or snakes?

Are norms established that limit any child's aspirations and self-concept? For example, Asian Americans should not be portrayed as model minorities. Are fat people portrayed in negative ways?

Every person from every culture should be portrayed as an individual with unique strengths, weaknesses, interests, lifestyles, and beliefs.
Lifestyles. The lifestyles of the characters are genuine and complex, not oversimplified or generalized.

In the past, children's books were written by authors who were white, members of the middle class, heterosexual, able-bodied, and Christian, with one result being that a narrow Eurocentric perspective has dominated children's literature in the United States. Watch for books that present multiple perspectives. Does the total collection present many world views ? Are readers encouraged to consider a situation form several perspectives?

Heroines/Heroes: Whose interest is the hero/heroine serving? Heroines and heroes should be defined according to the concepts of and struggles for justice appropriate to their group. When heroes/heroines from parallel cultures do appear, are they admired for the same qualities that have made establishment heroes famous or because what they have done has benefited the establishment?

Examples of offensive terms include: "savage," "primitive," "conniving," "lazy," "superstitious," "treacherous," "wily," "crafty," "inscrutable," "docile," "backward," "bitter," "barren," "squaw," "papoose," and "Indian givers."

Watch for sexist language that excludes or in any way demeans females. The generic use of the words man and he were accepted in the past but their use today is outmoded. The following examples show how sexist language can be avoided: ancestors instead of forefathers; humankind instead of mankind; firefighters instead of firemen; synthetic instead of manmade; chair or chairperson instead of chairman; and she/he instead of he.

Consider the effect of the use of the color white as the ultimate in beauty, cleanliness, or virtue (angel food); and the color black or use of "dark" as evil, dirty, or menacing (devil's food).

Dialogue. The characters use speech that accurately represents their oral tradition.

There is nothing in the story that would embarrass a child in your classroom.

You would be willing to share the book with a mixed-race group of children.

The parents of the students would not object to the text.

Administration of school would not object to text.