Caterpillar Summer

Caterpillar Summer is in keeping with an increased focus on presenting a variety of cultural experiences in adolescent literature. Historically, characters of nonwhite racial backgrounds and other minorities (commonly termed BIPOC, for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) have been underrepresented in middle grade literature. A 2018 study found that 50% of adolescent books depicted characters who were white, while only 10% contained characters of African American backgrounds, 7% Asian or Asian Pacific Islander, 5% Latinx, and 1% Indigenous or First Nation decent. Likewise, 27% of books featured characters who were animals—more than all minority representation combined. Since the late 2010s, however, publishers, teaching associations, and library associations have endeavored to raise the visibility of minority groups through adolescent literature. (Huyck, David and Sarah Park Dahlen. “Diversity in Children’s Books 2018.” 19 June 2019).

Rudine Sims Bishop, Professor Emerita of Education at The Ohio State University, stresses the importance of representation in literature:

When children cannot find themselves reflected in the books they read, or when the images they see are distorted, negative, or laughable, they learn a powerful lesson about how they are devalued in the society of which they are a part (Sims Bishop, Rudine. “Multicultural Literacy: Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors.” Perspectives: Choosing and Using Books for the Classroom, vol. 6, no. 3, 1990).

Just as importantly, as the world becomes smaller and our worlds more diverse, it is beneficial for majority white readers to gain an understanding of the cultures, belief systems, and experiences of those around them. Bishop coined the metaphor “windows, sliding glass doors, and mirrors” to convey the impact multicultural literature has on its readers.

A “window” provides a reader “with a view into someone else’s experience” and can also serve as a “sliding glass door” by allowing the reader to step inside that world and imagine what it is like to live in its characters’ shoes. A “mirror,” on the other hand, “reflects [the reader’s] own culture and helps [them] build [their] identity” (“What are Windows, Mirrors, and Sliding Glass Doors?” We Are Teachers, 12 July 2018). Books that serve as windows, sliding doors, and mirrors for minorities elevate and validate their experiences while allowing majority readers to better understand a minority experience. Importantly, such diversity in literature can extend beyond racial and cultural identities into identifiers such as disabilities and mental illnesses.

In Caterpillar Summer, Henry “Chicken” Gladwell is challenged by an unspecified condition. He is impacted by the conditions in his surrounding environment, becoming easily stressed or upset when things are too “chaotic,” and prone to running away unexpectedly in a manner that sometimes puts his safety at risk. In these ways, Chicken requires attention and care not typical of all six-year-olds.

Likewise, Chicken’s and narrator Cat’s identities as members of a mixed-race family provide a window into the experiences of biracial children. Cat and Chicken must navigate the expectations of other people who have difficulty accepting or understanding the makeup of their family unit. In these ways, the novel instills empathy into readers as they learn about experiences that are like or different from their own.