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15. We’re All Wonders
Author: R.J. Palacio
Illustrator: R.J. Palacio
Publication Information: Published by Alfred A. Knopf in New York, NY: 2017. Wonder published by the same company in 2012.
Genre: Children’s Picture Book, fiction, .
Reading Level: PreK-K, 1-2 (N). Wonder is written for grades 3-5 and 6-8 (V).
Summary: We’re All Wonders provides the same protagonist and message from Wonder for a younger audience. Auggie is an ordinary kid with an extraordinary face. While he, his family, and his dog Daisy see him as a “wonder”, many people just see him as different. But Auggie knows that if people take the time to see, they’ll find that everyone’s different, and that we’re all “wonders”.
Personal Reflections: I like how R.J. Palacio writes the text so that it’s no more than a few lines at a time and doesn’t take over the page. It allows the readers to appreciate the illustrations and use both the text and illustrations to analyze the story. I also like how the Palacio’s illustrations reveal an insight into Auggie’s imagination and inner thoughts. It helps the young readers realize that the story is told through a child’s point of view, which they can better relate to. Finally, since Palacio writes the story in Auggie’s point of view, the text, as well as the accompanying illustrations introduce readers to someone who has a difference they might not be familiar with and teaches them that we’re all different in some way and that we all can belong, despite these differences.
Classroom Application: As a teacher, how I would use the book depends on the age group of the class and which version I’m using. For a younger class, I would introduce the book We’re All Wonders in a read-aloud. For an older elementary or middle school class, I would do a classroom unit on Wonder, in which everyone would have their own copies to read from. However, I would also have them read We’re All Wonders and ask them to write about how they would depict Wonder for a younger audience and compare their version to R.J. Palacio’s version. For the younger classes that are only reading We’re All Wonders however, after the reading, I would have them complete their own wonder worksheet. They would have to draw a picture of their faces and fill out the second half of the sheet that starts with “I am a wonder because…”. I would also have the students get into groups and create interview questions to ask Auggie about how he feels about his face, what makes him a wonder, and what advice he would give to anyone who either feels different or know someone who’s different. Finally, for a more active assignment, I would have a class discussion with the students about how we can create acceptance and belonging for those in the school who are different. Then students can try out some of these suggestions and consider how their actions have impacted them and others and created a stronger school community.
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14. The Day You Begin
Author: Jacqueline Woodson
Illustrator: Rafael Lopez
Publication Information: Published by Nancy Paulsen Books in New York, NY: 2018.
Genre: Children’s Picture Book, fiction, .
Reading Level: PreK-K, 1-2 (N/A)
Summary: There are times when everyone feels different. Maybe it’s because of their hair, their name, or what they eat. No matter the reason, it’s easy to feel alone because of our differences. However, when one takes the brave first steps and shares their story, we find that others are willing to reach out and bonds are formed.
Personal Reflections: I have read Jacqueline Woodson’s memoir Brown Girl Dreaming before and, while I was reading The Day You Begin, I noticed that both of her works have a lyrical, almost poetic prose style. This style of text I believe helps young readers connect the story to childhood, and therefore, will help them better be able to relate to the characters. I have also enjoyed the recurring images provided by Rafael Lopez. Each image, such as the background ruler, nature, and books establish some sort of inner meaning that would help students make connections to the book’s message. For example, the ruler can represent the distance between ourselves and others that our differences can make while books can represent gateways into new worlds that give us the tools to reach out, make connections, and create belonging.
Classroom Application: As a teacher, I would read this book to the class in a read aloud. While I was reading the book to the class, I would take the time to discuss the lyrical text and recurring images and establish how the students can determine meaning from them. Then, to establish differences and encourage using them to connect to their classmates and form friendships, I could have the students do a couple of projects to demonstrate differences and connections through reaching out to others. First, on a worksheet in the format of a ruler-it could be something else from the story if the students feel that this isn’t what the ruler represents-students can write down a time when feeling different created a distance between themselves and others. It could be their hair style, where they’re from, on the playground, etc. Then, I will have them create a story book in which they will write-or draw if they can’t write-something about themselves, such as their family or what they did over the summer. After they complete their ruler worksheets and story books, I will have the students share them with the class. Afterwards, they will be asked to consider how sharing these stories have formed friendships and belonging amongst each other, how they felt about the experience, whether they believed it was a positive or negative experience, and why.
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13. Stone Soup
Author: Heather Forest
Illustrator: Susan Gaber
Publication Information: Published by August House Littlefolk in Little Rock, AR: 1998.
Genre: Children’s Picture Book, folktale, .
Reading Level: PreK-K, 1-2 (M)
Summary: Two hungry travelers ask villagers to share a little food, only to be turned away. They then teach the village the impact of sharing and create joy by demonstrating their recipe for stone soup. An author’s note on the history of the tale and a recipe for stone soup are included.
Personal Reflections: While Stone Soup was one of my favorite tales growing up, I had never read Heather Forest’s version before. Therefore, reading her version was like reexperiencing my childhood through as new lens. I also happened to rather like this version. First, I find Heather Forest’s use of repetitive text is great because it allows the young readers to follow along with the story. I also like how Susan Gaber’s illustrations are very bright and portray people of different ages and ethnicities. They help set the tone of the story and allow the readers to feel included. Finally, I like how Heather Forest includes an author’s note on the tales origins and a recipe for stone soup. The author’s note encourages readers helps readers feel connected to other parts of the world and the recipe encourages readers to create more connections and belonging by making their own stone soup.
Classroom Application: As a teacher, I would also read this tale in a read-aloud. However, I would have the students to read aloud the repetitive statements and to help them follow along and reinforce the message of the tale. Then, I would have the students create their own stone soup recipe. I would first have them write down their ingredients on a worksheet. After that, they would draw a pot with all the ingredients that they chose inside. Also, to further help the students understand how sharing creates bonds and belonging, I would have them do something in which they are required to share. They could, for example, share a moment of fun while playing on the playground with classmates they don’t normally play with, or, if they’re older, they could do an activity sharing with younger students. Throughout this activity, the students would be required to reflect on how their actions and sharing strengthened their bonds with others. Finally, since Stone Soup is a folktale told in various countries, I would provide a few different versions of the tale. The students could then demonstrate higher understanding and learn how folktales teach the same lesson in different forms by reading one of the other versions and comparing it to Heather Forest’s version through a compare and contrast graphic organizer.
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12. The Name Jar
Author: Rose Yangsook Choi
Illustrator: Yangsook Choi
Publication Information: Published by Alfred A. Knopf in New York, NY: 2001.
Genre: Children’s Picture Book, fiction, Korean.
Reading Level: PreK-K, 1-2 (N)
Summary: After arriving in the United States from Korea, Unhei decides that it would be easier to go by another name. Her classmates try to help by placing suggestions in a name jar. However, she soon realizes that she can keep her name and belong.
Personal Reflections: I like Yangsook Choi’s illustrations for the book. Each illustration looks like a painting and many young readers can associate some of the illustrations with their own neighborhoods. I also like how Yangsook Choi fits the text on the page. Her placements allow readers to read the text but still enjoy the images and relate them to the story. Finally, I think that Unhei’s story of trying to adjust and fit into a new country and a new school would be relatable to readers who have immigrated to other countries as well as introduce some of the things immigrants experience to readers who aren’t immigrants.
Classroom Application: As a teacher, I would teach this book as both a read-aloud and one of a selection of books for a unit on immigration. Before I begin reading however, I would first teach my students a little about Korean culture and Unhei’s name so that they can read and analyze the book without any bias. Then, to help students relate how important Unhei’s name is to her identity to how important their names are to their identity, I would have them explore their own names and present their findings to the class. They would have to research their name’s origin and meaning and interview their family members on how they were given their name. Finally, for the immigration unit, I would assign two writing prompts and allow the students to pick one. For the students who are immigrants and want to share their stories, I would ask them to write about how try to adjust themselves to their new home country while keeping their sense of belonging to their old home country and traditions and to compare their experiences to the characters that they have read about like Unhei. For the students who either don’t want to tell their stories or have never immigrated to a new country, I would ask them to write down how would they try to belong to both their home country and traditions and their new home country. They would also have to include strategies from Unhei and the other characters that they have read that they think would be helpful.
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11. First Laugh: Welcome, Baby!
Authors: Rose Ann Tahe and Nancy Bo Flood
Illustrator: Jonathan Nelson
Publication Information: Published by Charlesbridge in Watertown, MA: 2018.
Genre: Children’s Picture Book, fiction, Native American.
Reading Level: PreK-K, 1-2 (AD500L)
Summary: The members of a Navajo family try to get their new baby to laugh. According to Navajo tradition, the first person to get a baby to laugh hosts the First Laugh Ceremony, welcoming the child into the community. References to other religious birth ceremonies are in the back.
Personal Reflections: I like how Tahe and Flood’s text doesn’t take over the page, as it allows readers to appreciate the illustrations and use them to follow the reading. I also like how they provide the names of family members in relation to the baby in both English and the native Navajo language. This, as well as the images and text depictions of the family further teach young readers about the Navajo culture and appreciate it as they do their own cultures. Finally, I find that the references to the other birth ceremonies in the back help young readers to compare different cultures and learn to understand them in a new way. For example, the members of my family are both Catholic and Jewish, so I’m familiar with Baptism, the Jewish Naming Ceremony, and the Bris (circumcision ceremony) for boys. However, I enjoyed learning about other cultures that were referenced and found it interesting how the “Happy Birthday” celebration had Ancient Greek origins.
Classroom Application: I would teach this book in a read-aloud, but first I would review the First Laugh Ceremony and Navajo culture with the class. That way, the students can understand the Navajo people and traditions and engage in the read-aloud without any bias. During the read-aloud, I would take the time to enunciate and define the Navajo words, and have the students enunciate the words as well, so that they can appreciate the Navajo language. Then, to help them further associate the words with themselves, as the Navajo words all relate to family relations, I would have the students draw pictures of their families, labeling the relatives with the Navajo words, the English translation, and any other names that they may call them. For example, for a Spanish-speaking student drawing a picture of his or her grandmother, the words on the picture could be “nima-sani” (Navajo), “grandma” (English), and “abuela” (Spanish). Finally, I would have the students do a project where they ask family members about their own cultural birth ceremonies and present it to the class explaining what it is and comparing it to the First Laugh Ceremony depicted in the book. Finally, they will be asked how learning about their own cultural birth ceremonies has helped them better understand and appreciate the First Laugh Ceremony in a written paragraph.
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10. Red: A Crayon’s Story
Author: Michael Hall
Illustrator: Michael Hall
Publication Information: Published by HarperCollins Children’s Books in New York, NY: 2015.
Genre: Children’s Picture Book, fiction.
Reading Level: PreK-K, 1-2 (L)
Summary: Red is a crayon that can’t seem to color anything red. No matter what advice everyone gives him, he just can’t seem to color correctly, giving him an identity crisis. It is only when a fellow crayon asks him to color something different, that he discovers his “true color.”
Personal Reflections: I like how the illustrations are familiar to children and the drawings reflect children’s drawings. It helps young readers relate to the story. I also think that the personification of the characters helps young readers relate to the story. I like how the text doesn’t overtake the page as well. It allows the readers to appreciate the illustrations and use them to aid their reading. Finally, knowing that this story was written to teach children about gender identity, I find the message very relatable: there are many kinds of genders and no one follows the stereotypes to the letter. For example, I identify as a cisgender female who uses the “she/her” pronouns. However, I hate dresses and skirts, I don’t wear makeup, pink isn’t my favorite color, and I had more in common with the boys in my class growing up than the girls.
Classroom Application: If I was teaching this book to a class, I would do it through a group read-aloud. I would read the narrative parts and I would have the students read the non-narrative parts spoken by the characters. This would help engage the students throughout the reading and help them relate to the story. I would also use the read-aloud as an opportunity to review the vocabulary, which I will help develop further understanding through making up sentences, drawing pictures, and allow the students to experiment with the vocabulary colors by coloring something with them. Then, to teach the students about gender stereotypes and how they don’t have to follow stereotypes in order to belong, I would engage this book as part of selection of fiction and nonfiction in which the characters/people defied gender stereotypes and found belonging. After reading these stories, I would have them engage in a few activities. For a younger class, I would have the students trace the names of the colors in the story and then color an image with that exact color. For an older class, I would have them fill out a sheet in which they would think about two labels they were given, how they felt about the labels, whether they believed they were true or not, how they were affected by the labels, and compare their experiences to Red’s predicament with his label in the book. I would also have them choose one of the people we had read about in the nonfiction works that they admire and write a paragraph about why and how the book helped them appreciate the story. Finally, I would engage all classes in a “We’re All Different Colors Project”. They would pick three colors from a crayon box and use them to draw things that define them. Then, they would share their projects with the class and display them, demonstrating how they belong without falling into one set category.
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9. El Deafo
Author: Cece Bell
Illustrator: Cece Bell. Color by David Lasky
Publication Information: Published by Amulet Books in New York, NY: 2014.
Genre: Young adult graphic novel, nonfiction.
Reading Level: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 (X)
Summary: When she is four-years old, Cece Bell loses her hearing after a bout of illness. When her family moves to a new town, she is given a phonic hearing aid for school. Even though it gives her “superpowers”, Cece struggles to accept her deafness and find her place in her elementary school and among her peers in a hearing world.
Personal Reflections: I like how Cece Bell chose a graphic novel format for her memoir. It gives a visual insight into her childhood in a way that a traditional text or picture book wouldn’t. I also like how she conveys the point of view of a child, which allows the readers to identify with her and what she’s feeling. Finally, while I’ve never been deaf or hard of hearing nor have I known anyone who was, I do have high functioning Autism; what was called Aspergers. Personally, I don’t hate my condition, but I have sometimes felt Cece’s frustration and anguish about others perception of me.
Classroom Application: As a teacher, how I would use this graphic novel depends on the age group. For a younger class, I would use this as a book about diversity and accepting people who are different. For an older class, I could use it as one choice in a unit about disabilities. To emphasize Cece’s desire to belong and have friends who see past her phonic ear, I would have the students create five booksnaps. I would also teach the students about deafness and hearing problems and show other real life examples of other deaf people to help them further understand Cece’s condition and discredit any stereotypes. Finally, as a project, I would have the students write a paragraph about a trait they have that they believe isolates them and how they could use that trait to develop “superpowers” to find acceptance among their peers, like Cece. This will develop the students’ self-confidence and will help them feel like they can belong.
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8. Everybody Cooks Rice
Author: Norah Dooley
Illustrator: Peter J. Thornton
Publication Information: Published by Carolrhoda Books in Minneapolis, MN: 1991.
Genre: Children’s picture book, fiction, cookbook.
Reading Level: PreK-K, 1-2 (M)
Summary: Carrie’s mother asks her to find her brother and bring him home for dinner-which is a rice dish. Searching the neighborhood, she encounters families who, while they are different ethnicities, are all having rice for dinner. Recipes for each dish are included in the back.
Personal Reflections: I like how the illustrations are clear so that myself and other readers can distinguish characters and view the dishes they serve. Also, while I rarely grew up in diverse neighborhoods, my mother’s side of the family is Puerto Rican and rice is a main staple in my diet. My favorite is arroz con gandules. As a result, I can understand how rice dishes connect the characters to their families and their neighbors. Finally, providing the recipes for each dish allows the readers to branch out and try meals from different cultures.
Classroom Application: I believe I also would read aloud this book. For the vocabulary, I would have the students practice pronouncing it before going over the meanings and show them images so that they know what they look like. Also, before the reading, I would ask the students to jot down what are the main dishes that are served at home and how they connect everyone to their families. Finally, since the recipes are in the back, I would make the dishes-after considering the students’ diets and allergies-and have the students sample each dish. That way, they can experience new dishes and connect to cultures other than their own.
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7. Stella Brings the Family
Author: Miriam B. Schiffer
Illustrator: Holly Clifton-Brown
Publication Information: Published by Chronicle Books LLC in San Francisco, CA: 2015.
Genre: Children’s picture book, fiction, LGBTQ+.
Reading Level: PreK-K, 1-2 (K)
Summary: Stella has a dilemma. Her class is having a Mother’s Day party, but she has two dads. After days of thinking, she comes up with a solution that not only celebrates her family, but guarantees a day of fun at the party as well.
Personal Reflections: I like how Schiffer frames her text in a way that there are no more than a few lines at a time. It doesn’t take over the page and provides just enough information to allow readers to follow the story and enjoy the images. I also like how the characters in the images represent a diverse population in many ways besides family: including ethnicity and hair color. It allows a diverse population of young readers to feel included and that they belong.
Classroom Application: As a teacher I would include this book in a series of read aloud books about families. I would read to the students stories about different kinds of families from two-parent families, to single-parent families, to blended families, to interracial families, to inter-faith families, to adoptive families, to same-sex parents. After the reading, I would ask the students questions about what they noticed about the families of Stella and her classmates. I would then have the students do a project describing their families and comparing their families with that of Stella, her classmates, and the children of the other books. Finally, I would ask the students to pick one in a list of prompts for a writing assignment. For Schiffer’s book, I would ask them to imagine that it’s Mother’s Day and, like Stella, they have two dads. They would have to describe how they would celebrate the holiday in a way that includes their family.
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6. Children Around the World
Author: Donata Montanari
Illustrator: Donata Montanari
Publication Information: Published by Kids Can Press in Tonawanda, NY: 2001.
Genre: Children’s picture book, nonfiction.
Reading Level: PreK-K, 1-2 (K)
Summary: With each turn of the page, Montanari introduces the readers to a child. These children, twelve in all, are from different countries and each describe different things about their lives: such as where they live, their family, and their favorite foods.
Personal Reflections: I like how Montanari introduces the children before describing them individually. By seeing what the characters look like and where they are on the globe, she ignites the reader’s curiosity of who the characters are and the lives they lead. The paragraphs are small and describe the images, which allow the readers a visual representation of what Montanari is describing. Finally, I like how the images look like they’re made from felt, paper, and other materials. This provides a fun and unique way for readers to engage with and enjoy the book.
Classroom Application: I would use this book for a read-aloud. As I’m reading, I could have students point to where each country is on the globe and say aloud each new vocabulary word before learning the meaning. I would show pictures of the cities, countries, and vocabulary words as well. After reading the book, I would have the students do activities such as matching and word searches to review the vocabulary. Finally, I would have the students create a description of themselves much like Montanari does in the book. Using materials, they can create images that represent themselves, their favorite foods, where they live, etc to emphasize who they are and how they belong. After sharing their descriptions with the class, they can compare their descriptions of the characters in Montanari’s book to see how they belong and how the characters are similar to or different than themselves.
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5. American Born Chinese
Author: Gene Luen Yang
Illustrator: Gene Luen Yang. Color by Lark Pien
Publication Information: Published by First Second in New York, NY: 2006.
Genre: Young adult graphic novel, fiction, Chinese.
Reading Level: 9-12 (Z)
Summary: Many years ago, the powerful kung fu artist the Monkey King decides to make everyone in the land pay for his being a monkey. Years later, Chinese-American boy Jin Wang has trouble fitting in and making friends at his new homogenous school. Meanwhile, popular high school basketball player Danny tries to escape the stigma brought on by his Chinese cousin Chin-Kee. When these stories converge, they create an extended fable about finding where we belong and accepting ourselves for who we are.
Personal Reflections: I like Yang’s choice of graphic novel format as opposed to either a traditional text or picture book. In this format, Yang can convey more action on each page and it’s easier to transition from one story to another. I also find each of their stories relatable to everyone at some point, especially when going through puberty, wishes that they could be seen by others as they wish to be seen and treated accordingly rather than just outer characteristics and stereotypes. Everyone also wants to belong in the world, school, home, etc.
Classroom Application: One way that I could have students emphasize the message of belonging and self-acceptance is through booksnaps. They can take pictures of five pages from the graphic novel that they think helps convey the central ideas of the tales and decorate them with emojis. Also, before reading this graphic novel, I would take the time to discuss and discredit the Chinese stereotypes so that students can read through the graphic novel with an open mind. Finally, after reading the graphic novel, I would assign the students to write a profile of either the Monkey King, Jin Wang, or Danny on how they see themselves, how they’re seen by others, and how they want to be seen. Then, I would ask the students to write a similar profile on themselves and compare their profile to the profile they wrote of the chosen character to see how similar or different they are from each other.
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4. Are You My Mother?
Author: P.D. Eastman
Illustrator: P.D. Eastman
Publication Information: Published by Random House in New York, NY: 1960.
Genre: Children’s picture book, fiction, animals.
Reading Level: PreK-K (I)
Summary: A mother bird leaves her nest to find some food for her soon to be born baby. While she is away, the baby hatches. When he doesn’t see his mother right away, he decides to look for her, but he doesn’t know what she looks like.
Personal Reflections: I liked Eastman’s use of repetitive text throughout the book Are You My Mother?. I find that the repetitive text would help young children follow along with the story and learn new vocabulary words. Eastman’s images are also great for young readers because they’re clear enough for them to determine whether or not each animal or object is the bird’s mother, and the bird’s situation is very relatable to them. Although I’m not a mother, I certainly understand a mother’s love for her child and a child’s need for their mother, and I think young children can understand this as well.
Classroom Application: As a teacher, I would conduct a read-aloud for Are You My Mother?. While reading, I would take the time to emphasize new vocabulary words and have the students take turns reading some lines. After words, I would have the students do word searches, puzzles, and other activities to improve the students’ vocabulary and reading fluency. I can also use Are You My Mother? for a unit on animals. As part of the unit, I can have students match pictures of baby animals with pictures of adult animals. I can also emphasize on common characteristics so that they can distinguish between the animals and determine which animals raise which baby animals.
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3. Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match/Marisol McDonald no combina
Author: Monica Brown
Illustrator: Sara Palacios
Publication Information: Published by Lee & Low Books in New York, NY: 2011
Genre: Children’s picture book, fiction, Latin American
Reading Level: PreK-K, 1-2, 3-5 (AD580L)
Summary: Marisol McDonald is a girl of mixed heritage and nothing about her-from her outfits to her favorite foods, to the games she likes to play-matches. One day, she decides to try to match, only to realize that she doesn’t need to match to belong.
Personal Reflections: One thing that caught my attention about this book is that the author had chosen to write it in both English and Spanish. I find that it would be good in a classroom, especially with the increase of students who are English Language Learners. I also realized that the story was like a mirror for me. Like Marisol, I come from a mixed family; although I never was as bold as Marisol is about embracing a combination of cultures. I also admired Marisol for her fearlessness and ability to be herself, which I think students will also appreciate.
Classroom Application: As the story is written in both English and Spanish, I could have students do a read-aloud of the story where the English-speaking students read the English translation and the Spanish-speaking students read the Spanish translation. It would help the students learn vocabulary for both languages. Also, as an assignment, I can ask the students to interview their family members about their countries of origins and traditions. As they learn where their families originated and the cultures they practice, they can analyze how these traditions affect their daily lives and present it in a format that they can share with the class. That way, the students can learn that there is no one way to belong.
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2. Sea Prayer
Author: Khaled Hosseini
Illustrator: Dan Williams
Publication Information: Published by Riverhead Books in New York, NY: 2018
Genre: Picture book, fiction, Middle Eastern
Reading Level: 1-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 (N/A)
Summary: Asleep while waiting for a ship to arrive, young Marwan’s father recounts to him his summers at his grandfather’s house in Syria. As he continues to reminisce through time, Marwan’s father laments about the home they lost and prays that Marwan will be protected on their sea journey. This book is inspired by and dedicated to three-year-old Syrian boy Alan Kurdi and other refugees who perished at sea trying to flee to safety.
Personal Reflections: I have read other works by Khaled Hosseini, and-much like his other works such as A Thousand Splendid Suns and The Kite Runner-, I could feel the emotional plight of Marwan and his father. I could feel their sadness over the loss of their home and loved ones to war and terrorist groups as well as the desperation they felt as they wait for the boat to arrive; especially since the story was inspired by Alan Kurdi. I also like the illustrations provided by Dan Williams. Each picture looks like a child’s painting, and the shades of each image affects how the image is viewed. The pleasant memories are lighter while the memories of war are darker. These images help the reader further understand the plight of the characters.
Classroom Application: I can use this book as a choice in multi-book unit on displacement. I could provide copies of other books of similar events such as the Japanese Internment Camps and the Native American displacements and permit the students to pick the book they want to analyze. As we continue reading the books, I can use them in class discussions about various issues on the topic of displacement: including how the loss of their homes affects the characters’ sense of belonging and how they try to find where they belong in the world after. Also, as the book was inspired by the story of Alan Kurdi and the proceeds from it are donated to the UNHCR (the UN refugee agency) and Khaled Hosseini Foundation to help refugees around the world, I would have my students go to the websites of those respective organizations to learn about and better understand the wars in Syria and the rest of the Middle East, as well as the plight of the refugees. I would also have them research the story of Alan Kurdi to better understand how Hosseini and Williams write and illustrate the story.
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1. Seedfolks
Author: Paul Fleischman
Illustrator: Judy Pederson
Publication Information: HarperCollins Publishers: New York, NY in 1997. Author’s reflection “From Seed to Seedfolks” added in 2002.
Genre: Young adult fiction, chapter book with some illustrations, stories with multiple points of view, novella.
Reading Level: 6-8, 9-12 (W)
Summary: A little girl named Kim decides to connect to her late father by planting bean sprouts in some fertile soil around some trash in her Cleveland neighborhood. As neighbors begin to notice what she’s doing, they begin making some contributions of their own until they form their own community garden. Little by little, as progress continues on the garden, neighbors that wouldn’t otherwise be together form friendships and become closer as a community, while each individual also discovers something about themselves and their loved ones.
Personal Reflections: Personally, I’ve never had or participated in a garden nor had I ever lived in such an urban area as the setting in the novella. However, the stories of the characters in the book are very relatable. The garden helps the characters feel like they can belong in the community, or even a smaller sub-group. These stories include Kim’s, who believes that if she can grow beans, then she can reach her late father through his farming roots; Gonzalo’s grandfather, who uses the garden as an opportunity to impart knowledge to his grandson; Nora, whose ingenuity allows wheelchair-bound Mr. Myles to have access to and participate in the garden; and other such stories. There have been times when myself, as well as others, wanted to belong and made connections by something small. I also find Pederson’s illustrations very telling. Each chapter begins with an image of the narrator’s face, and an object such as a crop, flower, or other utensils. This gave me an impression of what each character possibly looked like and how they were able to contribute to the garden. Finally, Fleischman’s personal reflection “From Seeds to Seedfolks” gave me an insight into how and why he wrote the novella. Knowing his motivations and that some of the characters were even based on real people also allowed me to personally relate to the characters’ stories even more.
Classroom Application: Establishing connections to the illustrations with the narratives of each chapter, I could have the students make up a possible story about the character and the objects they’re accompanied with before reading the chapter. After reading the chapters, I can have the students jot down how the character’s story was similar or different from what they thought it would be. I can also have them write “I Am” poems of a character they relate to and of a character they didn’t relate to and share them with the class to establish an understanding of the characters and how they want to belong to something. Finally, to establish how the characters connect over the garden, I could have them do a classroom project in which they all have to work together and analyze how working together on the project strengthened the classroom community.
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