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Written and illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats 

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This story is about two young boys who come across an old pair of motorcycle goggles. It takes place in an urban setting. When a group of older boys try to steal the goggles, the young boys have to trick the older boys in order to get away from them.

1. The book illustrates many societal and family norms from the 60s. One example is the freedom and lack of supervision of children. Throughout the story, the young boys run around the city on their own. They even reference their “hideout” which seems to be made with an old door and pipe. There is no mention of their parents or other adults. The boys seem to be expected to entertain themselves and handle conflicts on their own.

2. Children take on the primary role in this text. The children in this story are portrayed in two different ways. The two main characters, the young boys, are portrayed as adventurous, independent, and curious. The older boys, however, are portrayed as scary, dark and mean. I think this speaks to a common idea from that time frame that older boys are dangerous and shouldn’t be trusted. I believe the author is portraying the young boys as a model for children, while the older boys are being portrayed as an example of how not to be.

3. The relationship between the children and adults is very hands off in this story. In this way, it feels like the children had the power in the book. They were able to make their own decisions and were free to handle a difficult situation independently, which allowed them to grow and learn in an authentic way.

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Written and illustrated by Vera B. Williams

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This story is about a little girl and her single mother who are trying to save up money to buy a new chair. Their belongings had all been lost in a house fire the year prior. The little girl, her mother and her grandmother fill up a jar with coins from the mother’s tips at work until they have enough money to buy a new comfortable couch.

1. The family structure in this story included a single mother working to make ends meet. I think this portrayal speaks to the view of single parents in the 80s. This was becoming more common and they were often looked down upon and seen as less fortunate than families with two parents. The character’s childhood seemed very different from the childhood portrayed in the story written in the 60s. Throughout the story, the young girl was always with her mother, accompanying her to work, helping her count the coins, and eventually going shopping with her for the new chair. This illustrates the societal norm throughout the 80s that included more adult supervision, as well as more responsibilities for children.

2. Although the story was told from the child’s point of view, the child took on a secondary role to the mother’s life. Much of the young girl's time was spent with her mother, taking the responsibility of helping her mother. It seemed as though her needs and wants depended on her mother’s needs and wants. This text could act as a mirror for some students going through the same thing, and I think this is a trait the author wanted readers to see as positive and inspiring.

3. The relationship between the adults and children seems to be more hands-on in this text. It portrays the parent as the authority and the child as a helper or supporter. This portrayal could leave young children with the idea that they need to feel responsible for helping their parents if they are struggling.

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Written by Sharon Dennis Wyeth, Illustrated by Chris Soentpiet 

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This story is about a little girl who lives in a run-down apartment. As she notices the trash and graffiti on her building, as well as her homeless neighbor, she decides to look throughout her town for something beautiful. As she visits her family and neighbors, they share the beautiful aspects of their neighborhood.

1. Family is a big idea in this story. As the young girl searches her neighborhood, she visits her aunts, uncles and cousins around the neighborhood. I think this perspective of the importance of extended family in certain cultures is portrayed positively in this story. However, the book does portray urban living as a negative experience. Although it may not represent all urban experiences, the concern could be that others could see this as a “single story”. A single story refers to stories that portray an experience as positive or negative, but the reader doesn’t have the experience or knowledge to know otherwise. The reader may begin to believe that all urban neighborhoods are run-down or dirty.

2. The child in this text seems to be very dependent on her family. Although she seems to be more independent and able to roam her neighborhood unsupervised, there seems to be family or close family friends everywhere she goes. In the beginning of the story, the girl is feeling down on her living experiences, but towards the end she begins to see all the beautiful aspects of her life and neighborhood. I think this is a concept the author wanted readers to relate to and emulate in a way that they can see the brighter side of their experiences. In another way, the author may have wanted to shine light on the positive aspects of urban living for readers who may not have that experience to understand.

3. I think this story portrays the relationship of children and adults as someone you can turn to for answers or to learn from. As the girl searches her neighborhood, she looks to the adults in her life that she trusts to help her find what she is looking for. The adults in the story have the wisdom to see the beauty in their neighborhood beyond what might be seen at first glance.

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Written by Ibtihaj Muhammad, S.K. Ali, Illustrated by Hatem Aly

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This is a story about a younger sister admiring her older sister as she wears her hijab for the first time to school. She observes as her and her older sister’s peers misunderstand her hijab and wonders why. However, she remembers her mother’s words reminding them to be proud of their culture and makes the effort to stand up for her sister.

1. Unfortunately, one societal norm that was very apparent throughout this story is being treated differently because of your beliefs or how you look. This was apparent when the young girl’s friend asked what her sister was wearing and when the older boy threatened to pull off her sister’s “tablecloth”. However, more importantly emphasized was the strength in family. This text sends a strong message that your family and culture comes first. This belief can be beneficial for children with strong families, however, it could be detrimental to children who don’t have great parental figures or role models.

2. The children in this text somewhat stand in the background to the older characters, looking up to them. It seems as though the author may have portrayed the character as someone to identify with or emulate for children who may be going through the same situation. The character could also act as a window to students who may not have had any experience meeting someone with a hijab before.

3. In my opinion, the young girl, her sister who wears the hijab and their mother all have power and wisdom in this text. The mother displays wisdom in the way her daughters remember her words through difficult situations, which gives her the power to empower her children. The older sister has power by owning her culture and by ignoring those that try to put it down. Lastly, the younger sister is gaining power throughout the story by seeing her sister and mother and recognizing that she can be herself and celebrate her culture and not worry about what other people think. The three of them have the wisdom of their culture and family which gives them the power to stay true to themselves.

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Throughout my analysis of these texts throughout the years, there were a few patterns that I observed. My first observation was that the children's relationships with their parents grew closer throughout the years. For example, in Goggles! (1969), the children in the story were very independent and often unsupervised. The boys in the story spend the day running around their city, solving conflicts on their own. This correlates with what I’ve read about childhoods in the 60’s, stating that children were often allowed to play unsupervised for fairly long periods of time. Compared to A Chair For My Mother (1982), in which the young girl was always with her mother and Something Beautiful (1998), where the young girl was surrounded by her extended family. Even in The Proudest Blue (2019), the young girl seemed to be more connected to her parents, remembering advice that her mother had given her and her sister. Another pattern that I recognized throughout these texts was the impact of the character’s culture throughout the text. Throughout the decades, culture was an important factor that impacted the characters. Their cultures shaped their personalities and beliefs. Lastly, another pattern I noticed was the influence of strong familial bonds on the characters. Throughout the decades, the text referenced strong families of all different structures. This portrays the idea that families can all look different but still be strong in their own way.