Exploring the link between reader sentiments and ratings of children’s multicultural literature

Abstract

Multicultural literature plays a vital role in helping children connect with their own culture and gain a better understanding of diversity and inclusiveness by encouraging openness to other cultures. Recognizing the importance of children seeing themselves reflected in multicultural collections curated by librarians, the selection of quality multicultural literature for children has become increasingly crucial. This study aims to explore how users discuss and recommend books in multicultural literature through analysis of reader reviews shared via GoodReads. The sample books were chosen from ALA Youth Media Honors and Awards for multicultural literature, including Pura Belpré, Coretta Scott King, Schneider, and Stonewall. The study selected 27 books and collected 2,640 reader reviews on Goodreads. The preliminary results indicated that review rating scores did not accurately capture readers’ perspectives in discussing books. To determine a statistical connection between sentiment values and Goodreads reader book ratings, a correlation analysis was conducted. Content analysis explored whether sentiments include factors influencing the selection of multicultural books for children. This study has significant implications for contributing to the appropriate selection of multicultural literature for children by understanding users’ perspectives and theirs expressed feelings on the books.