Young Readers at Risk: Quilt Patterns and the Underground Railroad

Abstract

Gently introducing young readers to difficult historical events and traditions through children’s literature is a valuable tool for parents, teachers, and librarians. Well written stories excite children’s imaginations and help broaden their world beyond time and space. However, in writing for impressionable young children, how important is authenticity when dealing with grim subjects? Nina Mikkelsen asserts in her article, “Insiders, Outsiders, and the Question of Authenticity: Who Shall Write for African American Children?” that we should ask, “What makes a story good? Replicating reality to the fullest? Getting the facts and feelings right? Suppressing or distorting reality to make us think and feel differently?” Mikkelsen ends her article by challenging African American story tellers to “get it right.” No matter how authors justify the construction of a good story when writing fiction, historical fiction falls into another category where authenticity becomes necessity, especially when writing for impressionable young children. Although librarians hesitate to censor, the need to critically evaluate these selections becomes imperative. The story may become so distorted that the truth is lost. A disservice is done to what Mikkelsen calls “inherited cultural imperative.” An example of this situation is the Underground Railroad quilt myth.