What the kids are reading: A content analysis of ethnic portrayals in preschool children's literature

The development of beliefs about ethnic groups begins in early childhood, and media exposure can greatly impact this. The current study sought to examine this issue by completing a content analysis of preschool children's literature. Items examined include ethnic representations overall, ethnic representations in main and secondary role castings, and stereotyping of ethnic groups. These factors were compared between tie-in books, which feature characters from children's television shows and movies, and other books. To examine these topics, 186 books were content analyzed. The results showed that Caucasian characters were highly overrepresented in preschool children's literature. Main characters mostly consisted of Caucasian characters while minority characters were mostly cast in secondary roles. However, tie-in books featured significantly more minorities in main roles than other books. Overall, there were very few indicators of stereotyping. This suggests that modern books avoid stereotyping ethnic groups.