In Canada, and in many other countries, there is a powerful and ongoing change afoot in children's publishing that is, I believe, a beacon of hope and harmony in our world.

It is the trend of previously all white, Euro-centric children's literature being interwoven with authentic, vibrant voices and stories from around the world. I say 'authentic' because we know that European writers have often written of far-off, 'exotic' lands, creating at times embarrassing clichés that failed to reflect the reality of the cultures and peoples they purported to describe. Kipling, for example, beloved of so many readers, used to make me cringe when I was a child in India, because his portrayal of Indians was nothing like my reality.

In Canada, in particular, there is an active and conscious effort to publish literature that reflects who we are, and this is informed largely by our need to define ourselves as a people, to carve a distinct and unique identity of our own - and to do so positively, in terms of who we are, rather than what we have tended to do, which is to define ourselves in terms of who we are not, particularly in reference to our behemoth neighbour to the south, the United States.

So who are we? We are a country of immigrants - even our First Nations ancestors came across the Bering Strait, or so it is believed, although much longer ago than the European settlers. We all came from somewhere else, and our country continues to receive and welcome people from across the globe, warping and woofing the strands of cultural diversity into the evolving fabric of our national culture and ethos.

In many ways, because we are still a very young country - oh, perhaps only a teenager as countries go - we are culturally open to the changes, possibilities and diverse paths not imaginable to countries whose futures follow the trajectories of more weighted, ancient and specific cultural histories. In many ways, the multicultural policy of Canada, which is much debated, as well as supported, criticized and vilified, informs part of our identity. This is not
a forum to debate the effectiveness of Canada's multicultural policy, but I believe that in its broadest and best scope, it offers all Canadians the opportunity for individual choice - to blend as they wish aspects of their root cultures with those of the wider community, to create their own fluid-flux personal cultures in the wider embrace of the community. Such a blend is possible only in a culture that values and celebrates diversity.

Over the past thirty years, there has been a huge growth in Canadian literature, fueled by the need to explore our identity as a people. Whereas in the 1970's there were perhaps a dozen publishers who published maybe at most fifty Canadian children's authors and illustrators, now fifty to seventy such publishers publish the work of about two to three hundred established Canadian authors and illustrators; and perhaps a thousand, if we include those who have published only one book. These books reflect a huge diversity of regions and landscapes, as well as cultures: all exploring, naming and bearing witness to the unique ethos that is Canada.

And so, amongst the many Canadian writers of quality books for Canadian children, there are those who explore Loyalist roots, such as Karleen Bradford and Janet Lunn; writers such as Paul Yee and Gillian Chan, who write of the Canadian Chinese experience, bearing witness to the struggles and strength of the early Chinese immigrants, as well as the dehumanizing treatment they received; Marsha Skrypuch, who writes about the Canadian Ukrainian community, as well as the Armenians; Rukhsana Khan who writes about Canadian Muslims; Lynne Kositsky, of Black Loyalists as well as the Jewish experience; Carol Matas, of the Jewish experience; and myself, Rachna Gilmore, of the experiences of Canadian children of Indian (as in from India) heritage, and the search for an authentic and inclusive Canadian identity. We are just some of the authors who weave our diverse backgrounds, experiences and imaginations into the ever-evolving cultural fabric of Canada.

For these books to be used most effectively, I strongly believe that they must be embraced as part of the mainstream of Canadian children's literature, rather than labeled as 'ethnic', which is often well-meaningly but erroneously used for anything other than English and French. We all have ethnic roots, whether we choose to remember, acknowledge, or celebrate them or not.

Part of the value of culturally diverse children's literature is that it offers children of all colours, religions and cultures a chance to find themselves in books, to see aspects of their individual and unique cultural experiences reflected in what they read. It is a powerful validation for children, and one that helps to diminish feelings of loss and isolation, especially if they are recent immigrants. As well, materials that reflect their realities and experiences help immigrant children to engage with reading, and therefore to become more literate.

Another value of culturally diverse children's literature is the opportunity it offers all children to experience and learn about other cultures. But there is more to such books than an exploration of cultural differences and a validation of a specific cultural experience. It is subtle but, I believe, profound: I hope that all such books, including my own, will be read because they are interesting, with compelling characters who struggle with human problems, and not just because they offer an 'ethnic' slant - because the most powerful impact of books written by authors who write from diverse cultural backgrounds is the opportunity they offer all readers, not just readers of similar backgrounds, simply to get absorbed in a good book, to get lost in stories, to enter the magic portals of books, and through that magic, to crawl inside the skins of people from around the world.

It is when we read stories about each other, crawl inside each other's skins, feel what the characters feel, that we become one with them and make them part of us. It is then that we realize, at a deep and profound level, that despite the surface differences of culture and language, there is a universal culture and language of the human heart. We recognize viscerally that we all have similar emotions and needs and wants, and that the universality of our experiences by far transcends any differences - that there is no 'us' and 'them' but a wider 'us'. One planet. One human race.

Although it may be obvious and perhaps redundant to say so, the power of the books we read in our childhoods is deep and pervasive. If you ask people to name a memorable or beloved book they read recently, you will get fewer responses than if you ask them to name a memorable, beloved book from their childhoods. The books available to our children are crucial to informing their world view, their imaginations, their identities as citizens of Canada and citizens of this world. Sharing our stories from around the world is as symbolic and powerful as sharing bread. The wider the scope of the stories we read, the wider our unarticulated and reflex inclusivity. The vision I hope for children's literature in Canada is the publication of more stories from all around the world; more stories exploring diverse experiences and viewpoints; and more stories where cultural differences aren't the 'issue' or 'problem' but just an integral and enriching part of a good story.

Rachna Gilmore

Posted January 2007