Reading Globally, K–8: Connecting Students to the World Through Literature

Reading Globally, K-8 offers a primer on how to introduce "global" literature into the classroom, particularly in the K-8 classroom. Written by three academics out of Ohio State, the book lists the various facets of globalization spurring educators to incorporate more global literature into classroom curriculum. It lists the pedagogical benefits of reading such literature. It includes a section on simple approaches and activities to incorporating it in all disciplines (language arts, social studies, math and science, and the arts), a chapter on rationales for how global literature aligns with NCTE standards, and a section on evaluating the authenticity of texts of global literature. All throughout the book, the authors have sprinkled useful titles, including literature from both the first world and the third world, by both Americans and natives to those foreign countries.While the book is thorough and valuable, I had two complaints: 1. The book is somewhat basic. It takes a very idealistic approach to cosmopolitanism and assumes that introducing these books will encourage tolerance and empathy for others, a simplistic approach which many scholars have criticized in recent years. 2. The definition of "global" literature employed by the book is so vast as to be meaningless. According to the authors, global literature includes literature about other countries that sound pretty authentic. Don't get me wrong. I am a fan of James Rumsford but there is a difference between literature by foreigners and literature about foreign places and, by glossing over these issues, the book sidesteps issues of cultural poaching, stereotyping and misrepresentation.