Innovation in Language Learning

Multicultural children’s literature (MCCL) (e.g., picture books) may be trivialized as a pedagogical resource to teach young children literacy skills and other important aspects of culture, language, and literacy. The research literature reports a dearth of authentic representation of images, discourses, ambience, and other cultural aspects that fortifies Indian children’s identity construction.While often undervalued, MCCL is an effective literary tool for children to develop deeper understanding of their heritage (Galda & Short, 1993). This exploration examined and analyzed six picture books published in India. Illustrated MCCL is a new genre, especially for literacy educators in India. There is a lack of publishing houses that print authentic picture books available to educators and parents. The review through Critical Visual Discourse Analysis indicates that the representation of characters through images in MCCL would affirm children’s literacy development, healthy ethnic identity development and social skills.

Keywords: Asian Indian people, Authenticity, Critical Visual Discourse Analysis, literacy, picture books