Call for Children's Book
Reviews
The International Journal of
Multicultural Education (IJME) welcomes the opportunity
to publish reviews of current books in multicultural
education and related fields. Book reviews are either
solicited by the editor or may be offered unsolicited by
prospective reviewers. Selected issues of the journal are
theme related, while others are general in focus. Calls for
book reviews related to a specific theme issue will appear
on this site. General reviews are welcome at all times.
IJME is a peer-reviewed
open-access journal for scholars, researchers,
practitioners, and students of multicultural education.
Committed to promoting educational equity, cross-cultural
understanding, and global awareness in all levels of
education, IJME publishes two issues a year on various
topics.
Book Review Procedures and Criteria
Everyone who wishes to review a book
for IJME should first register on the IJME website at
http://ijme-journal.org/. On the top of the homepage,
select “Register” and then complete the profile information
as requested. Please be sure to include all relevant
information in the “Bio statement” and register as
“Author.” Please list your areas of interest and expertise
as part of your biographical information. [Note: You may
also select “Reviewer.” By doing so, you may be asked to
provide peer review for submitted journal articles.]
Once you have registered, you have
several options:
- Choose a recent book related to
either the upcoming issue’s theme or of general interest
to IJME readers. Contact the Children's Book Review
editor (Michael Joseph at ) with your suggestion, and if
approved, complete your review, following the format as
shown on the Children's Book
Review Template.
- Wait to be asked to review a
recent book in one of your areas of interest and
expertise.
Reviewers must choose a text published in fairly
substantial numbers so that it can be easily obtained by a
reader. Reviews need not be favorable, but unfavorable
reviews of first-time authors are discouraged for obvious
reasons. The express focus of the review must be the book in
hand. Reviewers wishing to make broader arguments and raise
larger issues are encouraged to submit full-length articles.
The reviewer should consider the text from a multicultural
perspective, paying attention to multicultural and
monocultural themes, civil rights, cultural normativism,
intercultural exchange, hybridity, and so forth. Some
questions might be: How does the author represent
relationships between characters of different races,
ethnicities, nationalities, abilities, or gender? Does the
text advocate for multicultural education or does it
advocate for assimilation? Does it portray multicultural
ideals in terms of “political correctness” or of civil
rights? Are its representations of culture authentic or
pejorative? To whom would this text appeal? Is it composed
for a specific subgroup of readers, or to all young readers?
Does this book belong to a particular viewpoint one can
ascribe to or identify with other popular children’s
literature? (And is that good or bad?) Does this book
represent or further develop a point of view as demonstrated
in other works by of this writer? Does this book have a
historical precedent? Does it conform to what one might call
an official position, or does it question or attempt to
subvert such a position? Is this book likely to change the
minds of its readers? Will it strengthen the convictions of
those readers who share its perspective? How does this book
compare with similar books on this theme?
For picture books, additional questions might be: does the
artist create authentic individualistic representations, or
are they generic or stereotypical? Do the illustrations
enhance the value of the text or are they superfluous? Does
the artist call on styles of representation that are
appropriate to the text? Do they possess pedagogical value
in themselves, pointing toward traditions or unusual modes
of representation?
Final acceptance for publication is the
decision of the review editor. Be aware that your review
will be edited, and it is not uncommon for revisions to be
requested. Revision of a manuscript does not guarantee
publication.
To submit your book review, go to the
IJME website. Log in and at “User Home” click on “Author.”
At “Active Submissions” click on “Start the Submission
Process.” Follow the 5-step process for uploading your
manuscript to the website. When your submission has been
received, the review editor will consider your review and
contact you if additional information or revisions are
needed. A copyeditor will make final corrections before
final posting online.
If you have questions or would like to
contact me regarding a possible submission, please email me
at
mjoseph@rci.rutgers.edu. I look forward to working with
you.
Michael Joseph
Rutgers University Libraries
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
