Counter-Cultural, Not Culturally-Responsive Stories Are What Children Need

Books should inspire children to be the heroes of their own stories, not victims of their circumstances.

Recently, a young student animatedly shared accounts of life at his father’s house with me. He recounted stories of things he had seen and heard while he was there that no six-year-old should know of. I didn’t fear for his safety or well-being, but I mourned for the loss of his innocence and untainted wonder about the world around him. Childhood is such a precious and fleeting season in life. It should be experienced fully without the intrusion of adult problems and topics. Listening to his experiences, I couldn’t help but think about all the beautiful, wholesome books I wanted to share with him to expand his world, ignite his imagination, and introduce him to the idea of “happily ever after”. 

C.S. Lewis wisely stated, “Since it is so likely that (children) will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage. Otherwise you are making their destiny not brighter but darker.” Unfortunately, there has been a shift from introducing stories that will inspire bravery, courage, and hope for a better future as more schools adopt “Culturally Responsive Teaching” and, more specifically, “Culturally Responsive Books”. The current recommended selection of books for many classrooms and public school libraries highlights the struggles and issues facing so many young people in our current culture rather than allowing them to read and learn about those who lived in a different time and place (in real life or fictional tales) and became virtuous heroes or heroines who faced and conquered their enemies.

When schools curate reading lists to ensure that they include only books that the students relate to or “see themselves” in the characters, they rob them of the opportunity to see a different perspective or way of dealing with life’s trials and circumstances. Reading a story about a character with a similar experience or issue as a student may validate or affirm their feelings or decisions. Still, it won’t help them consider or imagine that there could be another way to handle it. 

At one point in my conversation with the student, he saw a fancy car drive by and told me with great conviction that he would drive a car like that someday. I told him that was an admirable goal and asked how he planned to achieve it. He gave me a bewildered look. After explaining that cars cost a lot, I asked him what kind of job he would like to have to help him earn the necessary funds. He still seemed a bit confused, and I thought about how he could learn so much from Almanzo Wilder in Farmer Boy. As a young, starry-eyed boy, Almanzo wanted nothing more than a horse of his own. Before his father fulfilled his wish, he had to prove that he had learned about the realities of hard work, perseverance, patience, honesty, and humility. If these virtues were being taught at home, the book would reinforce them. If they weren’t being cultivated at home, it would introduce them into his thinking.

Of course, this is just one example of how books that are counterintuitive to the current culture rather than “culturally relevant” can help encourage children to view or interpret circumstances from a different point of view. Publishers like Big Sky Life Books highlight books depicting desirable character traits in some of their timeless, beautiful, and wholesome collections. Other publishers such as Tuttle Twins, Heroes of Liberty, and Chicken Scratch Books are also creating quality literature that students may not “see themselves in” but may recognize similar struggles as theirs and possible solutions they hadn’t considered before. The non-profit organization Freedom In Education offers lists of books like this for every grade range and links to more comprehensive lists for the more voracious readers. They see this as part of their work in pursuing and promoting practical solutions to the problems facing education in America today. 

As parents and educators, we should strive to do what is best for our children and students. We want them to have a brighter future where they can thrive and flourish. We can help them get on the right path by providing them with and encouraging them to read books that demonstrate good conquering evil, heroes winning the battle, and light overcoming the darkness. Children are bombarded by “culturally relevant” material that aims to curtail their childhood every day through social media and entertainment. Schools and literature should be an oasis where their imaginations, dreams, and childhoods can be fed and fortified.