Teaching Hard History through Children's Literature about Enslavement

Because of a long tradition of children's literature depicting enslavement, elementary teachers have an expansive assortment of books from which to choose. These books, however, can be filled with inaccuracies, troubling illustrations, and dubious interpretations of the "peculiar institution." The recent controversy over "A Birthday Cake for George Washington," a book written for first-through-third graders, filled with illustrations of enslaved persons smiling while they work in bondage, demonstrates just how problematic these books have the potential to be. In this article, the authors offer lessons from their study of recently published children's books that depict enslavement. Their analytical framework aims to assist teachers as they decode the interpretive stances embedded in the narratives and illustrations of books that depict enslavement. They then offer recommendations for an instructional strategy aligned with the "College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards" that will support students' learning about enslavement from any of the books in their study, or other books that may be available in a particular school library.