ABSTRACT
There is a current shortage of culturally responsive African American children’s books. Culturally responsive literature provides a positive influence on children of all races and researchers have indicated that picturebooks that are diverse and culturally responsive can affirm cultural and social identities (Crowley, Fountain, & Torres, 2012). The purpose of this study was to examine how the life experiences of African American families are currently being depicted in recently published children’s literature. This study employed a qualitative research design to explore the topic of African American families in children’s literature. The study examined how African American families are represented in the illustrations and texts. Two research questions on African American life experiences and family culture were used to guide this study:
I applied the critical race theory as a conceptual tool for analyzing how race and racism have been systematized and supported. Findings from this study indicate that the most prevalent life experiences found among the literature were the church, family, and music. Findings also indicate that the picturebooks did not represent a wealth of experiences that are present in African American families. Findings also indicate that the selected picturebook subset did not have enough culturally responsive books in the collection. Implications for families as well as teachers are included.
","abstract_html":"<p>ABSTRACT</p> <p>There is a current shortage of culturally responsive African American children’s books. Culturally responsive literature provides a positive influence on children of all races and researchers have indicated that picturebooks that are diverse and culturally responsive can affirm cultural and social identities (Crowley, Fountain, & Torres, 2012). The purpose of this study was to examine how the life experiences of African American families are currently being depicted in recently published children’s literature. This study employed a qualitative research design to explore the topic of African American families in children’s literature. The study examined how African American families are represented in the illustrations and texts. Two research questions on African American life experiences and family culture were used to guide this study:</p> <ol> <li>How are life experiences of African American families represented in children’s picturebooks submitted to the Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) in 2017?</li> <li>How are African American characters and cultures portrayed in the illustrations and/or texts?</li> </ol> <p> I applied the critical race theory as a conceptual tool for analyzing how race and racism have been systematized and supported. Findings from this study indicate that the most prevalent life experiences found among the literature were the church, family, and music. Findings also indicate that the picturebooks did not represent a wealth of experiences that are present in African American families. Findings also indicate that the selected picturebook subset did not have enough culturally responsive books in the collection. Implications for families as well as teachers are included.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["World, Tiffany"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Education in Elementary and Early Childhood Education","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Elementary and Early Childhood Education","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Dr. Neporcha Cone","Dr. Raynice Jean-Sigur","Dr. Camille Sutton-Brown-Fox"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2019,"date_issued":"2019-07-24T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2019-07-24T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:43:33Z","subjects":["African American picturebooks","critical content analysis","culturally responsive pedagogy","critical race theory","Early Childhood Education","Educational Methods","Elementary Education"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/eecedoc_etd/2","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Dr. Neporcha Cone","Dr. Raynice Jean-Sigur","Dr. Camille Sutton-Brown-Fox"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["World, Tiffany"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Elementary and Early Childhood Education"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Education in Elementary and Early Childhood Education"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["African American picturebooks","critical content analysis","culturally responsive pedagogy","critical race theory","Early Childhood Education","Educational Methods","Elementary Education"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/eecedoc_etd/2"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["ABSTRACT
There is a current shortage of culturally responsive African American children’s books. Culturally responsive literature provides a positive influence on children of all races and researchers have indicated that picturebooks that are diverse and culturally responsive can affirm cultural and social identities (Crowley, Fountain, & Torres, 2012). The purpose of this study was to examine how the life experiences of African American families are currently being depicted in recently published children’s literature. This study employed a qualitative research design to explore the topic of African American families in children’s literature. The study examined how African American families are represented in the illustrations and texts. Two research questions on African American life experiences and family culture were used to guide this study:
I applied the critical race theory as a conceptual tool for analyzing how race and racism have been systematized and supported. Findings from this study indicate that the most prevalent life experiences found among the literature were the church, family, and music. Findings also indicate that the picturebooks did not represent a wealth of experiences that are present in African American families. Findings also indicate that the selected picturebook subset did not have enough culturally responsive books in the collection. Implications for families as well as teachers are included.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Cracked Windows, Broken Mirrors, and Closed Doors: A Critical Content Analysis of African American Children's Books"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Dr. Neporcha Cone","Dr. Raynice Jean-Sigur","Dr. Camille Sutton-Brown-Fox"],"dc:creator":["World, Tiffany"],"dc:description.abstract":["ABSTRACT
There is a current shortage of culturally responsive African American children’s books. Culturally responsive literature provides a positive influence on children of all races and researchers have indicated that picturebooks that are diverse and culturally responsive can affirm cultural and social identities (Crowley, Fountain, & Torres, 2012). The purpose of this study was to examine how the life experiences of African American families are currently being depicted in recently published children’s literature. This study employed a qualitative research design to explore the topic of African American families in children’s literature. The study examined how African American families are represented in the illustrations and texts. Two research questions on African American life experiences and family culture were used to guide this study:
I applied the critical race theory as a conceptual tool for analyzing how race and racism have been systematized and supported. Findings from this study indicate that the most prevalent life experiences found among the literature were the church, family, and music. Findings also indicate that the picturebooks did not represent a wealth of experiences that are present in African American families. Findings also indicate that the selected picturebook subset did not have enough culturally responsive books in the collection. Implications for families as well as teachers are included.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/eecedoc_etd/2"],"dc:subject":["African American picturebooks","critical content analysis","culturally responsive pedagogy","critical race theory","Early Childhood Education","Educational Methods","Elementary Education"],"dc:title":["Cracked Windows, Broken Mirrors, and Closed Doors: A Critical Content Analysis of African American Children's Books"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Elementary and Early Childhood Education"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Education in Elementary and Early Childhood Education"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:43:33Z"}