She argues "Children's literature is one of the most crucial sites for feminist education for critical consciousness precisely because beliefs and identities are still being formed".
[2] The cover of hooks' book, drawn by Laura DeSantis, depicts children alongside adults, showing the importance of the youth.
A currently accepted method of thought for children's literature criticism in the academic world came to life during the 1970s, the same time that the second wave of feminist theory became popular.
[3] At this time, many female characters in children's books "play dead or doormats (as in 'Snow White', 'Cinderella', and 'Sleeping Beauty') or are severely mutilated (as in 'The Little Mermaid')".
[4] Due to the second wave of feminism, gender roles in all of the classic fairy tales (such as those by Grimm, Andersen, and Perrault) were starting to be questioned.
Boys were overwhelmingly shown to be much more active and have adventures more frequently, while girls were passive and remained in the home with the adult women.
[8] Furthermore, feminist theory gives children the right to be included in the literary community, to no longer be oppressed by a hierarchical order of power.
It either acts to highlight women and educate people about their history, or it subtly shares ideas of reversed gender roles where a female character might have more power.
[11] Varga-Dobai also states that the 1960s brought about the ideas of multicultural literature because of "shifting social and political perspectives on race, class, and gender."
Also according to Varga-Dobai, "From a postconstructural feminist perspective, gender representations should allow for a more complex portrayal of subject positions available for female characters".
One example of a children's book that includes feminist ideals that highlight females is Rad American Women A-Z by Kate Shatz.
Inspired by her two-year-old daughter, Schatz wanted to create a book that educates children on women's history and also teaches them the alphabet.
This book not only intends to fill a hole in feminist literature for children, but also to address and represent race through the women that Schatz includes.
[12][13] A prominent example of a feminist children's story that subtly speaks out about the issues of gender stereotypes is The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch.
Both the book itself and the history of its publication and of subsequent study of it by feminist writers give valuable insight into the course of second-wave feminism.
As children learn about issues of culture, feminist lenses are encouraging students to take on different perspectives.
As students learn, they are heavily influenced by mainstream culture, but incorporating children's literature into classroom settings can help expand opinions.
Children's learning is to be moulded in diversity and inclusivity is a moral principle and mutual obligation by parents, educators and the community.
The ethics in children's books guide the young reader to form basic concepts and fundamental principles of decent human conduct and essential equality.
The message in the Little Red Hen, teamwork and hard work, is overlooked and its main character has become a racist capitalist who refused to feed the poor.
[17] A picture book Rosie's Walk, written by Pat Hutchinson, about a hen who is unaware that a fox is hunting her in the farmyard is seen as a symbol of 'stupid womanhood.'
In an attempt to avoid stereotypes, girls are shown as strong, brave and resourceful, mothers go out to work, boys knit, and fathers cook cakes.
Sarah Begley, Time (2017), advises parents to read with their children, 'children are going to encounter it, and a safer way to learn how to counter it is via fiction.
Another critic, Malcolm Jones, cites from the National Coalition Against Censorship, PEN American Center, and the First Amendment Committee of American Society of Journalists and Authors who argued 'while it is perfectly valid for critics to dispute a book's historical accuracy and literary merits, the appropriate response is not to withdraw the volume and deprive readers of a chance to evaluate the book and the controversy for themselves.'
Furthermore, these books are useful as historical evidence of how and what shaped people's attitude in the time they were written and supply a source of debate of right and wrong and how we acknowledge that there is a better way to live.
Moreover, studies by sociologists focus on the behaviour of boys and girls in books as an ideological reality of individual ability and character.
However, Amy Singer, claims that 'a subversive story for children will include not only strong role models at an individual level but also connections between social power and inequality.'
The questions Singer asks are how connected are the narratives of the protagonists to the social structures in which they live and do they implicate a subversive representation of the cultural stratification.
Moreover, Ewick and Silbey suggest that children's narratives can 'support challenges to the status quo by illuminating a set of tactics for future use.'
The role model that characters play out and their narratives can draw attention to social relationships and teach young readers to think critically about what they read.