Representing Africa in children's literature : old and new ways of seeing / Vivian Yenika-Agbaw.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Yenika-Agbaw, Vivian S.

Series:

Children's literature and culture

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Children's literature--History and criticism.

Children's literature.

Africans in literature.

Africa--In literature.

Africa.

Physical Description:

xx, 142 pages ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

New York : Routledge, 2008.

Summary:

Representing Africa in Children's Literature explores how African and Western authors portray youth in contemporary African societies, critically examining the dominant images of Africa and Africans in books published between 1960 and 2005. The book focuses on contemporary children's and young adult literature set in Africa, examining issues regarding colonialism, the politics of representation, and the challenges posed to both "insiders" and "outsiders" writing about Africa for children.

Contents:

Introduction: Children's Literature and Africa xv

Part I Image Making and Children's Books 1

Chapter 1 Images of West Africa in Children's Books: Replacing Old Stereotypes with New Ones? 3

Chapter 2 Illustrations and the Messages They Convey: African Culture in Picture Books 17

Chapter 3 The "Typical" West African Village Stories 29

Part II Growing Up African and Female in Children's Books 35

Chapter 4 Religion and Childhood in Two African Communities: Ogot's "The Rain Came" and Adichie's: Purple Hibiscus 37

Chapter 5 Revising Traditional Cultural Practices in Two Picturebook Versions of African Folktales 49

Chapter 6 African Girls' Sexuality in Selected Fiction for Young Adults 55

Chapter 7 Individual vs. Communal Healing: Three African Females' Attempts at Constructing Unique Identities 67

Part III Reading African Cultural Survival in Children's Books 79

Chapter 8 Reading Images of Resistance in Tom Feelings': The Middle Passage 81

Chapter 9 African Sites of Memory in African-American Children's Literature 89

Chapter 10 When Illustrations by Africans Lack Visual Appeal, How Should African Readers React? 103

Chapter 11 Authenticity, Hybridity, and Literature about African Children 111.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 127-135) and index.

ISBN:

9780415974684

0415974682

OCLC:

124031840