http://www.ted.com/

I had to watch this video in my Diversity in Child & Adolescent Literature class this semester and found it to be quite eye opening, and if you have the time I highly suggest you viewing it yourself! After taking the Childrens Literature prerequisite I was able to recognize a lot more things that had not been apparent to me after reading a "simple" children's book. This current class is showing me how these books are able to have such a huge impact on the way children view themselves and even others. I found it intriguing how her limited access to books, changed the way she saw herself, which really wasn't herself at all, and how once she was exposed literature that was from a more familiar culture she shifted completely. She was also able to see how this "single story" that she was once exposed to changed the ways others viewed her and others that weren't commonly represented in literature.
It is amazing the influence the exposure to childrens books or lack there of, can have on children and even adults. Gradually it is becoming more and more apparent to me how important it is to choose a wide variety of content, and culture in the classroom library I have slowly been collecting. But to also be carefull the books I choose to represent these multiple cultures, and to make sure that they are addressed correctly with the right intentions. In order for us to change the way people view one another and make assumptions and stereotypes, they need to be exposed to the every aspect of the story.