Through the Lens of a Book

It is a widely regarded viewpoint that children are the future of society. But that begs the question, how do we best prepare kids to be empathetic, successful and responsible adults? The What Makes a Book Worth Sharing? A Review of Children’s Literature Creative Inquiry project, led by Drs. Koti Hubbard and Kristen Abel of the Department of Teaching and Learning, hopes to answer this question by finding literature that teaches children skills for adulthood.

Creative Inquiry students select and evaluate books each year. Each year, the topic of interest varies, but the most recent iteration focused on diversity and culture. Dorsey Winchester, a senior early childhood education major, talked about one of the concepts important for children: mirrors, windows and doors. “You need to have books that a kid can read and see themselves reflected back, they need to have a peek into a different mindset and culture, and then something that can open the door to them exploring it,” Winchester said. This allows children to diversify their viewpoints and experiences.

Children are not the only ones that benefit from these books. The future teachers in this Creative Inquiry project take what they learned into their future teaching experiences and careers. “Those were books that I should have gone and looked for myself, or even knew existed so I could look them up. It gave us that awareness and that exposure,” Emily Seay, an early childhood education major, said.

Hubbard is an editor for Literacy Matters, a South Carolina journal that shares resources for educators, and she oversees a literature review column, Windows, Mirrors and Sliding Glass Doors which is where the findings of the Creative Inquiry team are published. She wants educators to be able to communicate with their students about difficult topics. “Maybe they need to have a conversation, they just don’t know how to go about it: books are an outlet for that,” Hubbard said.

By participating in the literature review, Creative Inquiry students can help educators in South Carolina, as well as themselves, better prepare to teach and mentor children.