Childrens Lit in the Middle East

I used two short children's stories for my second paper in our Middle Eastern Literature studies class to show that children's literature can be used as a tool to teach our nations youth about other cultures and maybe even change popular opinions passed down to us about other ethnic groups. I firmly believe that if incorporated into the public school system's curriculem our children will be more well rounded and in tuned with what is going on in other parts of the world and if nothing else at least have a better understanding of other cultures and their lives.

The first story I used was The Day Of Ahmed's Secret, written by Florence Parry Heide and Judith Heide Gilliand. This piece of literature is magnificent with it's illustrations which could give a young reader an idea of what life in Egypt might be like. The faces of the characters are calm and friendly as opposed to what a child may see on televison or on the cover of their parent's magazines. My parents raised me to fear people of Arabic decent and that they were most likely no good terrorists living in the united states on a visa to run party stores and gas stations in order to fund their organizations over seas. If i would have been exposed to a story like this as a child I feel that I may have been less fearful of Arab people. The story shows that Ahmed works in the bustling city of Cairo and what his daily routine entails, and although it may seem rediculous to a child that other children in other countries have to work full time The Day Of Ahmed's Secret goes to great length to inform that he needs to do this to help his family and that he is proud to have work and benefit his family.

The second story I chose which was written by the same authors; Sami And The Time Of Troubles shares the same beauty in illistrarions as The Day of Ahmeds Secret. What makes this story benneficial to the education of our children is that it tells of hard times during times of war with bombs and guns but it does it in a positve way. Yes war is a touchy subject for children to be able to handle but most of the earliest literature aimed towards adolescents were to frighten children and teach them important lessons. The positive a child could take from this story is that even though times may be tough family is important and what child is not comforted my his mother or fathers voice or touch.

I really hope you read this blog and comment because as an aspiring teacher I am more than serious about trying to introduce this in my work and am willing to do anything and everything to end the stereotypes of other ethnicities, most importantly the Middle East. With so much going on in the Middle East today our children need to be prepared and informed about the world they are about to enter. I was not and feel like I am now playing catch up in trying to understand the world and how it works.