young readers. Whatever is written on these books influences the way these young readers think and behave. They are the children’s main sources on how to conduct themselves appropriately, next only to their parents and teachers. As Toçi & Aliu (2013) said, these children’s books “create an image of what is tolerable in a society” (p. 32). A quality evaluation of these books then, is crucial. Quality evaluation means that aside from the usual criteria (content, illustrations, medium and style of illustrations, format) that the ICA teachers use in choosing the books that they ask their students to read, one very important criterion that should be included in the evaluation process is the role of language in messages about gender identity.
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For many years, China has been known as a culture that very much favors the birth of a son over that of a daughter, and though, through the years, the treatment of Chinese women has been improving (Wen, 2014), being a girl in a Chinese family can be difficult. Students tell of stories about how spoiled their brothers are and how their parents think that their ahia (Chinese term for older brother) should study abroad for college to prepare him in handling their family business, while they are expected to stay and study here to care of their parents. This kind of stereotypical constructions of masculinity and femininity does exist in many Chinese families. It is all the more imperative then that ICA teachers choose books whose language does not contribute to establishing and reinforcing these sexist attitudes. Aside from the goal of uncovering gendered messages hidden through the use of subtle language, this paper also aims to answer the following questions:
1. What can be done to raise awareness on the importance of gender representation in literary texts?
2. What can be done to inculcate in Reading teachers a resisting or interrogative way of reading children’s books that they would ask their students to read?
3. How can teachers be aware of the effects of books on the developing self-image of their students?
4. How can teachers use children’s literature to promote gender equality?
5. What are the guidelines that can be used in choosing children’s books for book report
For many years, China has been known as a culture that very much favors the birth of a son over that of a daughter, and though, through the years, the treatment of Chinese women has been improving (Wen, 2014), being a girl in a Chinese family can be difficult. Students tell of stories about how spoiled their brothers are and how their parents think that their ahia (Chinese term for older brother) should study abroad for college to prepare him in handling their family business, while they are expected to stay and study here to care of their parents. This kind of stereotypical constructions of masculinity and femininity does exist in many Chinese families. It is all the more imperative then that ICA teachers choose books whose language does not contribute to establishing and reinforcing these sexist attitudes. Aside from the goal of uncovering gendered messages hidden through the use of subtle language, this paper also aims to answer the following questions:
1. What can be done to raise awareness on the importance of gender representation in literary texts?
2. What can be done to inculcate in Reading teachers a resisting or interrogative way of reading children’s books that they would ask their students to read?
3. How can teachers be aware of the effects of books on the developing self-image of their students?
4. How can teachers use children’s literature to promote gender equality?
5. What are the guidelines that can be used in choosing children’s books for book report