Evaluating Materials About Africa for Children.

Choosing texts, media, and literature about Africa is a difficult task for school librarians who have not studied Africa in detail; however it is possible to evaluate the available materials on the basis of several important criteria. These include the authority of the author, the dates of preparation and publication, and the accuracy of illustrations. Blatant biases can be easily recognized, but attention should also be paid to the more subtle forms of bias in the use of stereotypes or evaluative labels to typify whole groups. Over half of the children's materials on Africa appear in publishers' series, most of which use a European conceptual framework in the discussion of economics, history, religion, and social life. Such a viewpoint distorts the presentation of African life and invites negative comparisons to western life. African materials should present the African perspective and values and avoid overgeneralization about this very diverse continent. Many of the available books are fiction or folklore for which there are additional considerations: the authenticity and provenance of the tale; and human dignity in characterization, dialog, and plot. A selected list of new materials is appended. (Author/SL)