An Application of Asian Critical Theory to Books for Young Readers: The APALA Rubric to Evaluate Asian American and Pacific Islander Youth Literature

A subcommittee under the Family Literacy Focus committee of the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) created a comprehensive rubric for evaluating Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) representation in youth literature. The APALA Rubric’s creation was inspired by the Council on Interracial Books for Children’s “Ten Quick Ways to Analyze Children’s Books for Sexism and Racism” (1974). This article discusses the APALA Rubric within an Asian critical theory framework, especially the tenets of Asianization, counterstorytelling, and intersectionality, and guides readers through using it to evaluate youth literature depicting Asian and Pacific Islander diasporas. The APALA Rubric is divided into categories, including stereotypes, tokenism, humanity, power, agency, heroes, and racism. This article analyzes specific examples of youth literature to explain how they affirm or fail to affirm the criteria for those categories.