Womanist Ethics
Title
Paper: Beware The Cat in the Hat: How Children’s Literature is a Reflection of a Bleak Society
Genre
Appropriation and Reciprocity
Publication Date
Winter 2-5-2019
Course
RELG-203: Christian Ethics
Abstract
Children’s literature is full of messages that are relayed to children. Unfortunately, many of these messages are involve cultural appropriation. Others involve harmful interpretations of sexuality, consent, and identity. This essay explores why classics such as Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat, and Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie. All these books present different problematic material, which must not only be revaluated based on content, but also on the way it is taught and relayed to children. Along with the books listed above, this essay also looks to improve the future of children’s literature by drawing attention to several exams of progressive books. These include I am Jazz by Jazz Jennings and Jessica Herthel, The Three Pigs by Bobbi Salinas, and Can I Touch Your Hair? By Irene Latham and Charles Waters.
Recommended Citation
Kebler, Lucy. "Paper: Beware The Cat in the Hat: How Children’s Literature is a Reflection of a Bleak Society" (2019). Womanist Ethics.
https://digitalcommons.augustana.edu/relgwomanist/7
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