"We all smile in the same language"

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Fantastic movie on a wonderful classic!

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Where The Wild Things Are

Author: Maurice Sendak

Illustrator: Maurice Sendak

Publisher: Harper Collins

Date: 1963

Genre: Children’s Literature

            Where The Wild Things Are is the story of Max, a young mischievous boy who was causing trouble all over his house. His mother finally sent him to his room without supper, when all of a sudden his room turned into a jungle and he traveled across an ocean to where the wild things were. When he met the wild things, he was not afraid, so they made him king of all wild things. He went on adventures with the wild things, until he decided it was time to go back to his room. When he got back from his adventures, Max’s warm supper was waiting for him.  

Thoughts and Reflection:

           I love this story because it is about imagination and adventure. I think this book describes everything that a childhood should be about. The main character, Max, is mischievous causing havoc in his home and when sent to his room he uses his imagination to create this new world of jungles and wild creatures. I love that he creates this whole adventure where he becomes king of all wild things. This book is a classic that I will forever share with my students. I think it brings creativity and fun for children in a world where technology has taken over their lives. I think all children should take the time to read this book and live a life of imagination and adventure.

Classroom Application:

            This story can be used for a creative writing activity. There are a few sections in the book where there are no words, only pictures. The teacher can make copies of those pages for students and then explain to the students that they are the author now and they will be writing creative captions for what is happening on those pages. Groups of students can have different pages and work together on creating cohesive captions on the adventures of Max and the wild things.  

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The Adventures of Stuart Little

Author: Daphne Skinner (Adaptation)

Publisher: Harper Trophy

Date: 1999

Genre: Children’s Literature

            The Adventures of Stuart Little is the story of a mouse named Stuart who is adopted by the Littles, a family of humans. Stuart runs into a lot of problems after being adopted, trying to win over his brother George who is not excited to have a mouse as a brother, and stay away from Snowbell the pet cat who keeps trying to eat him. As soon as Stuart starts to fit in with his new family, his real mouse parents show up to take him back home, only they aren’t really his parents. The Littles are so sad and disappointed because Stuart was finally becoming part of the family. After he leaves the Littles to go live with his “real” parents, Stuart gets caught up in a mess, but finds his way back home to his real family.

Thoughts and Reflection:

           I decided to use this book because it is another perspective into the world of diversity. Stuart is a mouse who is adopted by a human family. He has to overcome many obstacles to be accepted by his new family and survive in the day to day life of being that small in a world of humans. I think this is a great book for young readers because it is a page turner that they won’t want to put down. Students can make many connections to this story because the characters are so relatable. I also feel that even though Stuart is a mouse, he is a relatable character because he just wants to be a part of a family unit and be loved and accepted for who he really is.  

Classroom Application:

            This story can be used in the classroom for a reader’s workshop unit on character traits. Students can choose their favorite character in the book and identify the traits that best describe that character. Students can also do a character study in which they compare the traits of the character they chose from Stuart Little to the traits of a character in another book they have read. Students can complete a diagram drawing and describing how the two characters they chose are similar and how they are different.

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The Colors of Us

Author: Karen Katz

Illustrator: Karen Katz

Publisher: Macmillan Publishers

Date: 1999

Genre: Children’s Literature

            Lena is going to paint a picture of herself, wanting to use the color brown for her skin saying “brown is brown.” Lena’s mother disagrees with the idea that brown is brown and Lena and her mother decide to go for a walk. The Colors of Us is the story of a young girl who takes a journey through her neighborhood with her mother to understand that skin color comes in many different shades.

Thoughts and Reflection:

           The Colors of Us is a colorful story that puts the idea of diversity into perspective for young readers. I love how the author used different foods, foods that children can relate to in order for them to develop an understanding of the different shades of skin color. This is a great story to use as an introduction to diversity for young children. I love that the author didn’t just use different shades to distinguish the different characters throughout the story, but also used different shapes of their eyes, noses, and mouths. Too often characters in a story all look alike, but the differences of characters shines through in every page in this story.

Classroom Application:

           This book can be used for a self portrait art project. Students can use a mirror to study their face, focusing on their skin and eye color and the different shapes of their eyes, nose, and mouth. Students will then draw themselves using an array of colors that they think best suit them. After completing their self portrait, students can do a writing assignment in which they compare the color of their skin to a food and how that color represents their culture. I think this is a fun activity for students to complete after reading The Colors of Us because it allows students to make a text to self connection by creating their own skin color and comparing that to those discussed in the story.

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Chocolate Milk, Por Favor!

Author: Maria Dismondy

Illustrator: Donna Farrell

Publisher: Maria Dismondy Inc.

Date: 2015

Genre: Children’s Literature

            From the second Johnny laid eyes on Gabe, he didn’t like him because he was crying to his mother and Johnny doesn’t like cry babies. When the teacher introduced Gabe to the class, she explained that he may have some trouble understanding what his classmates are saying because he doesn’t speak English. Outside, when Gabe was showing off his great soccer skills, the other students started to notice and asked him to join their team. Johnny got really upset, almost to the point of tears, because he couldn’t understand why everyone wanted to be friends with a cry baby. All week Johnny watched Gabe try new things and make new friends. One day at recess, Gabe kicked the soccer ball over to Johnny, but Johnny just shook his head no. Then Gabe did this really hard trick that Johnny had been trying to learn. Gabe showed Johnny how to do it and he practiced and practiced until he got it! Afterwards, Johnny developed empathy for Gabe and realized what Gabe must have been feeling starting a new school and not being able to speak the language.

Thoughts and Reflection:

           This is a new children’s book that I just discovered and I am so glad that I found it. I researched more about the book on the author’s website and love the fact that this is a true story, inspired by one of the author’s students. I think it teaches such a great lesson about the reality of diversity in schools today. I think it also is such a great way for students to learn about what empathy is and understand how ones attitude and actions can hurt others.

Classroom Application:

            This is a great story for young readers because it teaches a great lesson. This book can be used for a lesson on empathy. Students can create a chart of words that describe their feelings and discuss what empathy is. They then can participate in a read aloud with Chocolate Milk, Por Favor, and identify the emotions of Gabe and Johnny and how they change from the beginning of the story to the end of the story. They can talk about the way in which Johnny developed empathy by the end of the story. Students can then get into partners or small groups of 3 or 4 and write a story script about empathy and how the characters developed empathy for someone. The groups can then act out their scripts to their classmates.

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The Red Pencil

Author: Andrea Davis Pinkney

Illustrator: Shane W. Evans

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Date: 2014

Genre: Multicultural Chapter Book

           The Red Pencil is the story of Amira, a 12 year old girl growing up in South Darfur, Africa. Her mother has plans for Amira, forbidding her from learning to read and write and telling her that her purpose is to work and become a good wife and mother. However, Amira has bigger dreams of going to school and learning to read and write. When the Janjaweed militia storm her village, killing her father, Amira and her family are forced to flee and start a new life in a refugee camp. She receives a gift, a red pencil that she cherishes and so begins her journey of learning, exploring, and following her dreams.

Thoughts and Reflection:

           I had never read a book before that was written in verse and initially I was not sure how I was going to like it. I thought the story was going to be hard to follow and the poems confusing to understand. However, I was pleasantly surprised when reading this book. The story grabbed me right from the start. I enjoyed the style in which this story was written, in verse. Each poem was engaging and made me want to keep reading.  I wanted so badly for Amira to be the person she wanted to be and get the education she deserved. I have many strong opinions on the idea that Amira had one purpose to work and become a wife and mother. I felt that Amira’s mother needed to have a more open mind to her daughter wanting to become educated and she should be open to showing her that there is more to life, that she can be anything she wants to be.  

Classroom Application:

           A great way in which The Red Pencil can be used in the classroom is for a social studies unit on the Middle East. Students can use the great maps provided in the book to follow Amira and her family’s journey from South Darfur to the refugee camp. They can research information on South Darfur and the Janjaweed militia attack. Students can complete a research report, making text to world connections on the real life event that affected so many lives.  

           This story can also be used as an activity for The Day of the Girl. This book shows the strong will of women and how they have to overcome stereotypes to become powerful educated people in society. Students can use examples from this story to show how Amira overcame many obstacles and stereotypes to follow her dreams. They can write a personal narrative on a time when they had to overcome something and how it affected them.

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Same, Same but Different

Author: Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw

Illustrator: Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw

Publisher: Henry Holt and Company

Date: 2011

Genre: Children’s Literature

           Same, Same but Different is the story of Elliot, a young boy from American and Kailash, a young boy from India, who are pen pals. Elliot and Kailash write, telling one another all about their lives in America and India. The boys soon realize that even though they live in different countries and their worlds look different, their lives are actually quite similar, “same, same but different.”

Thoughts and Reflection:

           I enjoyed reading this book because the language was straightforward and simple and the illustrations complimented the writing. I loved the illustrations in this story because they portrayed the different worlds in a way in which you can see how things were the same but different for the two boys. I also really enjoyed watching the connection between the boys unfold as they realized that even though they lived in completely different places they have a lot in common.

Classroom Application:

            This book can be a great introduction into a unit on multiculturalism. Students can participate in a read aloud and then create a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting the similarities and differences between Elliot’s life and Kailash’s life. Students can then compare Elliot and Kailash’s life to their own.

This can also be an introduction into letter writing for writer’s workshop. Students can write letters to children around the world, describing things about themselves and asking other children to share things about them. The teacher can then research information on pen pals around the world and start letter writing with children from different states or countries. This is a great way for students to practice letter writing as well as learn more about a child the same age and grade as them from a different place.  

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This study is from 2012, however it speaks to how little diversity there is in children’s books. When working on my blog this semester, I often found myself having to look at books differently and be creative in my thinking in order to incorporate them into my theme of diversity. We live in a melting pot of culture and diversity that children are immersed in on a daily basis. There should be more diverse children’s books because it opens up children’s eyes to the reality of the world we live in today. It also gives children the opportunity to learn about different cultures and customs through text. Children can gain so much knowledge from reading!

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The Name Jar

Author: Yangsook Choi

Illustrator: Yangsook Choi

Publisher: Knopf

Date: 2002

Genre: Children’s Literature

           Unhei has just moved to America from Korea and feeling very nervous about fitting in with her peers at her new school. When children make her feel bad about her name on the school bus, Unhei decides to tell her new class that she will choose a name by the end of next week. Intrigued by the new girl with no name, the students make a name jar in which they put name suggestions in for Unhei. She enjoys the idea of choosing a new name, but one of her classmates, Joey, who learns her real name and the meaning behind it decides that she should be proud of her Korean name. A letter from her grandmother back in Korea also makes Unhei have second thoughts on changing her name. On the day Unhei is supposed to choose a name, the name jar mysteriously disappears. Unhei decides to introduce herself as Unhei, helping her classmates pronounce it and teach them the meaning of it.

Thoughts and Reflection:

           When I first started this book I felt sad for Unhei and I was a little upset with her for wanting to change her name. I understand how difficult it is being the new kid in school and wanting to fit in, but I felt like she should be proud of the uniqueness of her name and the meaning behind it. I thought it was wonderful that her classmates wanted to help her choose a name, but I thought her teacher should have been more encouraging towards Unhei to share her name. I loved the ending of this story, how she embraced her Korean roots and how she made a friend in Joey who always thought she should be Unhei.

Classroom Application:

           This would be a great story to use at the beginning of the school year. Students are always feeling anxious and nervous on the first day and this could be a great way to break the ice. The teacher can do a read aloud of The Name Jar and discuss the story as group, having students identify how Unhei was feeling on the first day and compare that to how they are feeling on the first day. The teacher can have a name jar in which the students write their name on a piece of paper and put it in the jar. Then one by one the teacher can pull a name out of the jar and that student can stand up and share something about them. This could be a fun literacy ice breaker for the first day of school.

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The Rainbow Fish

Author: Marcus Pfister

Illustrator: Marcus Pfister

Publisher: North South Books

Date: 1992

Genre: Children’s Literature

           The Rainbow Fish is the story of a fish that all the other fish called rainbow fish because of the beautiful shiny colors of his scales. The other fish were amazed by his beauty and always wanted to play with him, but the rainbow fish would always ignore them. One day a little blue fish followed after rainbow fish and asked him for one of his shiny scales, rainbow fish gave him a look and told him to get away from him. The other fish started to avoid him and this made the rainbow fish very sad, he couldn’t understand why no one wanted to be around him even though he was so beautiful. Then one day after getting advice from the wise octopus, he decided to start giving away all his shiny scales to his fish friends. After realizing he only had one shiny scale left, rainbow fish smiled with such joy. He had made so many of his fish friends happy and that made rainbow fish happy because he realized that sharing and having fish friends was more important than being beautiful.

Thoughts and Reflection:

           I chose this book for a different perspective on diversity. The Rainbow Fish is a story about using your uniqueness to bring joy to others. I love this children’s book because it teaches young readers the importance of sharing and friendship. I related this book to diversity because the rainbow fish was different and he liked being different, but he didn’t realize until the end that having friends is more important than being the most beautiful fish in the sea.

Classroom Application:

          The Rainbow Fish can be applied in the classroom for a unit on character traits. The teacher can review with students the difference between character traits and character emotions. Using big chart paper, students can create a class list of different traits a character can have. The teacher can then do a read aloud of The Rainbow Fish and students can complete a graphic organizer in which they identify the character traits of the different characters and use evidence from the text to show why they chose that trait.

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The Sandwich Swap

Author: Kelly DiPucchio and Queen Rania Al Abdullah

Illustrator: Tricia Tusa

Publisher: Disney Publishing Worldwide

Date: 2010

Genre: Children’s Literature

           The Sandwich Swap is the story of best friends Salma and Lily, who love doing everything together, including eating lunch. Every day Lily eats a peanut butter and jelly sandwich while Salma eats a hummus sandwich. They both think that each other’s sandwiches are weird, but never say anything to one another until one day Lily tells Salma her sandwich looks yucky. This starts an argument between the two best friends, which in turn creates a divide between the two girls and other students in the school. Mean words about one another’s lunches’ turns into mean words about one another, until the day Lily and Salma decide to make up and try each other’s sandwiches. After realizing how delicious one another’s sandwiches are they decide to have a school picnic where all students can share and try foods from everyone’s cultural background.

Thoughts and Reflection:

         I very much enjoyed the beautiful watercolor illustrations throughout the story. As I go through these books and stories for my blog, I have started to appreciate the different style illustrations in all the different books. The story of Salma and Lily was a fascinating one; the idea of a sandwich coming between the two girls was only the surface of the problem. When reading this book I realized that the author was really trying to get the reader to understand the cultural differences of the two girls and how they both were not accepting of that in the beginning. Although they were best friends and enjoyed each other’s company, they were not open minded to their ethnic backgrounds. The ending was my favorite part, the idea of the girls getting all of their classmates together to share in a picnic that represents so many different cultures.

Classroom Application:

         I often try to incorporate texts across my curriculum. Although there are many obvious classroom applications that this book can be used for, i.e. social studies lesson on geography or culture and a writer’s workshop activity in which you describe what your favorite thing to do with your best friend is, I thought another way in which this story can be utilized in the classroom is for a math lesson on graphing. Students can try the two sandwiches, hummus and peanut butter and jelly, and then a graph can be created on how many students liked the hummus sandwich versus how many students like the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Students can then create their own graph of favorite foods and graph what their peer’s favorite foods are. This story can be applied in the classroom in many different ways across curriculum.

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One Green Apple

Author: Eve Bunting

Illustrator: Ted Lewin

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Date: 2006

Genre: Children’s Literature

           One Green Apple is told from the first person perspective of Farah, a Muslim girl who is new in school and is adjusting to living in a new country, going to a new school, and learning a new language. On her second day of school, Farah and her class are going on a field trip to an apple orchard. Although unable to really communicate with her classmates, Farah starts to connect with them when making apple cider. She begins to realize that it takes many different types of apples to make the cider, which helps her realize that friendships are made up of all different types of children, who look different, act different, and come from different backgrounds. By the end of the story, friendships are beginning to develop between Farah and her classmates.

Thoughts and Reflection:

           The line the grabbed me when reading this book was, “laughs sound the same, as at home,” because like the title of my blog, “We all smile in the same language,” it shows that even though Farah is a Muslim immigrant who does not speak English, she is making a connection with her peers and her new life in America. I really enjoyed this story and the use of apples and making apple cider as a metaphor for friendship and feeling like you belong.  

Classroom Application:  

           This book can be used in the classroom for a personal narrative writer’s workshop activity. Students can think about a time when they felt left out or different and write a personal narrative describing that time and how they overcame it. The teacher can also create a text set with other books such as The Brand New Kid and Amazing Grace, reading those stories out loud with the class and having a whole group discussion on differences and acceptance. Students can create a chart together on how they are similar and different to one another and how they learn to accept one another for who they are as individuals.

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Watch this wonderful story come to life in this cartoon!

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Ruby the Copycat

Author: Peggy Rathmann

Illustrator: Peggy Rathmann

Publisher: Scholastic

Date: 1991

Genre: Children’s Literature

           Ruby the Copycat is the story of a girl named Ruby, the new girl in Ms. Hart’s class. When Ms. Hart tells Ruby she can take a seat behind Angela, Ruby takes an automatic liking to the big red bow in Angela’s hair and shows up after lunch with an identical bow in her hair. Each day Ruby finds a way to copy everything that Angela wears and does. This gets very frustrating for Angela, who is pushed to the edge when Ruby copies a poem that she shared with the class. When Ms. Hart speaks with Ruby about the copying, Ruby takes a liking to her manicure, showing up to school on Monday with her nails the exact same way and sharing with the class that she went to the Opera just like Ms. Hart. Finally, when asked by Ms. Hart what she REALLY did over the weekend, Ruby admits that she hopped, she loves to hop and Ruby begins hoping around her desk. All of her classmates are impressed by her hopping talent, even Angela, and in the end Ruby realizes that people like her for who she really is.  

Thoughts and Reflection:

           This is one of my all time favorite books. I loved reading this book when I was younger and I now enjoy sharing it with my students. I think the message Peggy Rathmann is trying to display is apparent from the second you start reading, be true to yourself no matter what others think. The illustrations in this book are amazing, the way she depicts Ruby copying Angela’s outfits each day. Ruby the Copycat is a book that always makes me smile and reminds myself and teaches my students to always be confident in everything you do.

Classroom Application:

           Ruby the Copycat can be used in the classroom for a book study. Students can participate in a read aloud, answering before, during, and after reading questions in order to gauge their ability to make predictions and connections, as well as their comprehension of the text. This story can also be used for a topic on friendship and individualism, what makes them unique from their classmates. Students can create a class book in which they each make a page writing about a strength they have, something they do well. The teacher will compile all the pages into a book and students can share what they wrote about with their peers, showing pride in what they are good at whether it be something as small as tying their shoes or big as being an all star soccer player.  

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All Different Now: Juneteenth, the First Day of Freedom

Author: Angela Johnson

Illustrator: E.B. Lewis

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Date: 2014

Genre: Picture Book

           All Different Now: Juneteenth, the First Day of Freedom is the story of Juneteenth day, the day that freedom came to the last slaves in the South. The story is told through the eyes of a young girl, seeing life from a whole new perspective, life of freedom. All Different Now’s beautiful illustrators display a colorful story of a new life and new beginning for the slaves as free people.

Thoughts and Reflection:

           I chose this book for a different look into the world of diversity. When reflecting on the topic of my blog, diversity, I decided that I wanted to add a book in that would teach children about what life was like for African Americans back when the Civil War was taking place. I had heard of Juneteenth, but did not know much about it and was very interested to read this story. This story grabbed me and made me feel like I was a part of that first day of freedom, experiencing such simple things like sitting on a beach and looking at the stars, things that we take for granted. The slaves were experiencing new things that they had not been privileged to for many years. I enjoyed this book because I felt as though I was a part of that day, looking at things in a whole new light and dreaming about what the future may hold for them.

Classroom Application:

           This story can be used in the classroom for a social studies unit on the Civil War and Slavery. Students can discuss the events that took place leading up to the Civil War and what life was like back then for African Americans. Students can complete a KWL, identifying what they know, want to know, and learned about the Civil War and Slavery. Students can then research more about Juneteenth day, identifying what it is and how it is celebrated. Students can complete a Venn diagram, identifying the similarities and differences between Juneteenth day and other days celebrated for Freedom.

           This book can also be used in a text set with the book Underground by Shane W. Evans. The teacher can lead a discussion about the two books, having students compare how they are the same and how they are different, as well as how each book portrays freedom.

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Tea with Milk

Author: Allen Say

Illustrator: Allen Say

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Date: 1999

Genre: Picture Book

           Tea with Milk is the true story of a young Japanese girl named Masako, May for short, who was growing up in San Francisco, California. May had dreams after high school to go away to college and live on her own in San Francisco however her parents had different plans. They were home sick and decided to move their family back to Japan, which was their homeland. May was very upset to leave the only home she’d ever known. Living in Japan was very different for May because there were so many rules for girls that she did not agree with. At school, the other girls made fun of her, calling gaijin, meaning foreigner in Japanese and the teacher who spoke English refused to talk to her. May felt left out and alone. At home, May struggled with the idea of having to be a proper Japanese lady. Her mother’s dream for her was to find a husband, but May had bigger plans. One day she decided to leave, traveling to Osaka. May got a job and met a man. The two got married and started a life together in Yokohama.

Thoughts and Reflection:

           I loved this story for many reasons. The first thing that grabbed me was the strength of the main character, May. She showed perseverance, moving to a new place on her own to start the life that she wanted to live. This story is very empowering for women. I also enjoyed this story because it was a true story, written by the son of the main character. This story shows how much the author, Allen Say, admired his mother and father for the choices they made and the life they created for themselves and their family.  

Classroom Application:

           In class we have had discussions on International Day of the Girl, which is a day in which we recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world. Tea with Milk can be used for a lesson during International Day of the girl because it shows how this young woman wants more out of life than to just be a proper Japanese wife. She wants to educate herself, live on her own, and work. The teacher can share this story with the class for a read aloud and students can do a reader’s response to it, writing about how May empowered herself and did not follow the norms of her culture to live the life she wanted to live.