Brittany Cole

Multicultural Text Set

1. The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis

a. The Watson family from Flint, Michigan take a trip to visit their grandmother

down in Birmingham, Alabama during the Civil Rights Movement. There they

experience a church bombing based on the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church

Bombing that killed 4 young girls in a racially motivated crime.

b. It is appropriate for older children as it is a chapter book, around upper 4 th to

middle school students.

c. Racism, Hate Crimes, Family

d. This book deals a lot with race and racially motivated crimes that were especially

prominent in the 60s with the civil rights movement taking place. It helps

students to understand what happened at that time and to see how these crimes

affect everyone.

e. It would be a way to help teach about civil rights and what sort of things that the

civil rights leaders and the minority Americans of the time had to deal with. I

would suggest watching a documentary based on the actual events of the

Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing and how that affect America at the

time.

f. The Reading Sols for 4.4 and 4.5.

2. The Night Has Ears by Ashley Bryan

 a. It is a picture book that illustrates a variety of sayings from a variety of African

tribes, such as As a crab walks, so does its children and A log may lie in the

water for 10 years, but it will never become a crocodile.

b. It is for students in grades 1-2.

c. Proverbs, Africa, Variety

d. This book would help with inclusiveness. Proverbs are something we often hear

in our daily lives and it is important to see what other cultures have deemed

important and make a practice of saying.

e. An activity that you could do is to either give students a proverb or have them

think of one themselves and then illustrate them.

f. Reading 1.2, 1.3 and 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3

3. Henrys First-Moon Birthday by Lenore Look

a. This is a picture book that is told from Henrys older sister Jennys point of view.

It depicts her helping her grandmother for her brothers 1-month birthday which

is a big celebration in Chinese culture.

b. This is appropriate for k-1.

c. Chinese culture, birthdays, Mandarin language

d. This book is another that helps to promote inclusiveness of the children by

seeing celebrations from other cultures. It is a way to help students understand

the differences and similarities of their own culture and that of this Chinese

familys.
 e. It would be a good book to read when discussing similarities and differences, and

also when learning about Asia/China. You could have the students think of a

tradition their family has or how this celebration is similar to that of an American

birthday.

f. Reading k.1

4. Junebug by Alice Mead

a. This is a story of a young African American boy who is about to turn 10 while

living in the projects of New Haven, Connecticut. He dreams of getting himself

and his family (mom, aunt, and younger sister) out of the area as it is filled with

gangs and drugs.

b. It is appropriate for 3-5.

c. Gangs, Socioeconomic class struggles, Drugs

d. This is a book that deals with very heavy topics such as drugs and gangs and

what that sort of living environment can do to a kid. It is helpful to show another

way of life that some of your student may be living and to show it in a hopeful

way.

e. It is a good way to introduce the idea of socioeconomic classes and the

disadvantages that those may cause. It would go along with some civics lessons

as well.

f. Reading 3.3, 3.4, and 3.5

5. How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman
 a. This is a picture book that is about a young girl who goes to the market to get

supplies to make an apple pie but the market is closed, so she must go around

the world to get the supplies.

b. It is appropriate for 1-2.

c. Nonfiction, baking, multiple cultures

d. This is just a fun book about the different things around the world that grow and

how we use them. It shows that the world is interconnected and that all places

are important to us at home.

e. You could choose another food, such as a cookie, to see where all of those

ingredients would come from. This would have to be very guided for the young

children but a good way to teach researching. Or you could bake the apple pie

and talk about the book while/after eating a piece.

f. Reading 1.4, 1.7, 2.5, 2.7, 2.11

6. Babushkas Doll by Patricia Polacco

a. This is a book about a young girl who has been misbehaving and when her

grandmother goes to the store she gives her a doll to take care of. The doll

comes to life and is even more demanding than the girl was being to her

grandmother.

b. It is appropriate for 2-3.

c. Russian, Patience, Russian folklore

 d. This is a good book to introduce Russian cultures and how other cultures have

folklore to teach children. It shows another belief and culture that the students

may not know about.

e. You could have the students write their own story about a doll who comes to life

to teach a child something. Or just write what the book taught they they should

be.

f. Reading 2.2.

7. Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges

a. This is an autobiographical account of Ruby Bridges walk to school surrounded

by federal marshals in 1960 to enter into the first integrated school in the area.

b. It is appropriate for children ages 8-12.

c. Racism, Civil Rights, De-segregation

d. This book addresses racism and how difficult it was for us as a country to

desegregate. It is told from the actual point of view of the 6-year-old girl who

was screamed at by a racist mob just for attending school.

e. It would be a book to lead a discussion around. There are many topics to touch

on in regards to the civil rights movement and how turbulent things were in

America at the time.

f. Reading 4.5

8. Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola

a. Stega Nona leaves Big Anthony in charge of the Pasta Pot and he does not listen

to her warnings about how it works.

 b. Grades k-2.

c. Italy, Listening, folktale

d. This is a book that is based on what is supposedly a folktale from Italy. It also

introduces some Italian words to children.

e. Use this book to discuss folktales and have the students make up their own

folktales. Or look at different folktales from around the world.

f. Reading 2.5, 3.5.

9. The Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars

a. Sara has a younger brother Charlie who has a mental disability. In the summer of

her 14th year he disappears and Sara must help to find him. She must also come

to terms with herself that summer.

b. Grades 4-6.

c. Mental Disabilities, Family, Missing Child

d. This is a good book to use to discuss children with disabilities and how to treat

them. That everyone deserves to be treated with respect.

e. It is a book to discuss the topic of mental disability and respect. I would suggest

reading it during disability awareness week to tie along with talking about all

types of disabilities.

f. Reading 5.5

10. Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman

a. Grace is a young African American girl who loves books and stories. She decides

that she wants to play Peter Pan in the school play no matter what the other

students say.

b. Grades 1-3

c. Prejudice, Overcoming prejudice, Ability

d. This is an excellent book to use when teaching children that they can be

whatever they want to be regardless of other peoples prejudices.

e. Tell the students to draw a picture of what they want to do that people have told

them they cannot. And then discuss why they can do that.

f. Reading 2.8, 3.5