Engaging in Critical Thoughts: Re-reading as a Form of Activism

Given the importance of examining gender constructions in children’s literature and as a response to JoLLE’s call for activism, the author reflects on her experience of re-reading a picturebook that received criticism for its gender depictions. By walking the readers through the process of using scholarship in children’s literature to critically examine her first reading of the picturebook, the author shows other possibilities of interpreting the book and hopes to inspire teachers and educators to delve deep into gender depictions in children’s literature. Please cite this article as: Hong, X. (2013). Engaging in critical thoughts: Re-reading as a form of activism. Journal of Language and Literacy Education [Online], 9(1), 208-213. Available at http://jolle.coe.uga.edu/wpcontent/uploads/2013/05/Critical-Thoughts.pdf X. Hong / Re-reading as a Form of Activism (2013) 209 The construction of gender in children’s literature has never ceased to attract attention from librarians, teachers, critics and scholars. As gender is a socially constructed identity and implicated within social power structures, representation of gender in children’s literature plays a vital role in socializing children into culturally accepted gender roles. It is important for teachers and educators to engage in close reading of gender in children’s literature so that they can guide children to make sense of gender as they negotiate their own gender identities. As a response to JoLLE’s call for activism, I reflected on my experience of re-reading a picturebook that received criticism for its gender depictions of the female protagonist. By walking you through my process of using scholarship to navigate my initial resistance to the picturebook, I hope to share how scholarship can help complicate our understanding of gender in children’s literature. The picturebook I re-read is Mei Li, a 1939 Caldecott Medal winner written and illustrated by Thomas Handforth. As a Chinese women studying in US, I first read this book in 2011 when inquiring about Caldecott Medal winners for one of my graduate seminars on children’s literature. Mei Li, a common Chinese girl’s name, immediately caught my attention. After reading the picturebook, I immensely enjoyed the illustrations which showcased Chinese cultural elements such as historical buildings, acrobatics and clothing. However, I was annoyed by the plot which seemed to emphasize a woman’s value as one associated with domesticity. The depth of my annoyance resulted in my refuting the book. Little did I know Mei Li and I would reunite in the distant future. My interest in Mei Li was revived a few months ago when I discovered a recent article in The Horn Book Magazine honoring Mei Li. Reading this article ignited my desire to re-read Mei Li and see if I could delve deeper into the interpretive possibilities of gender construction. Initially, I found it difficult to critically examine my first reading due to my previous schooling that discouraged critiquing what was already learned Yet, with the help of empirical and theoretical scholarship that provide significant lenses to look at children’s literature (e.g. Hubler, 2000; Power, 2003), I was able to further develop my understanding of Mei Li. My enhanced understanding also resulted from analyzing both the text and illustrations in Mei Li this time. In the remainder of this article, I discuss my journey from initial resistance to the picturebook to a more prudent understanding of both the text and my own reading experiences.