Title: Becoming Naomi Leon
Author: Pam Munoz Ryan
Publisher & Publication Date: Scholastic Press, 2004
Genre: Multicultural, Realistic fiction, novel
Grade Level: 4-6
Summary: Naomi and Owen live with Gram in Lemon Tree, California. Owen has a slight handicap but is extremely bright. Naomi likes to make lists all the time of everything she can think of, and hate her last name which is Outlaw. The kids make fun and she hates it. Throughout the book she is trying to find her true identity and become happy. Naomi and Owen's mother, Skyla comes back after several years and tries to act like she wants to get her children back. In reality all she wants is to take Naomi (for a babysitter for her boyfriends daughter) and leave Owen because of his handicap. Gram has to fight for custody and they even start a search for their father. In the end Gram is awarded custody and everyone is happy that they get to stay together!
Response: I thought this book a little hard to get into. It took me a while to actually enjoy reading it. I don't really know why I couldn't become interested in it. Once I read it I thought it was an enjoyable book, but not one of my favorites. I did like the way the author used English and Spanish throughout the reading. It brought out the Mexican culture more, and made it more realistic. The mixture of languages showed great cultural markers. Also, the different traditions and celebrations that took place in the book showed cultural markers. The author did a good job of integrating them naturally. It may not have been my favorite book, but it was a decent book and would be good for a multicultural discussion.
Teaching Ideas: I would use this book in an upper elementary classroom to talk about Mexican culture. I would have everyone read this novel and then do a book report on it. They would have to figure out the best part of the story they liked and make a visual to represent that section of the story. Then they would have to present it to the class and share their thoughts on the book and their thoughts on Mexican culture.
Showing posts with label Multicultural. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Multicultural. Show all posts
Monday, April 28, 2008
Monday, April 7, 2008
Little Gold Star
Title: Little Gold Star A Spanish American Cinderella Tale
Author: Robert D. San Souci
Illustrator: Sergio Martinez
Publisher & Publication Date: Harper Collins Publishers, 2000
Genre: Multicultural, traditional literature, picture book
Grade Level: 2-5
Summary: This story starts by Teresa losing her mother and her father wanting to re-marry. He re-marries to a mean woman who has two daughters. They all treat Teresa badly. There is a fiesta being held in honor of the patron saint of the town and Teresa is not allowed to attend. At night Miguel opens his house to the people of the community and looks for the girl with the gold star on her head. Teresa was given the gold start by the Blessed Mary for her kind heart. She is pushed out of the house by her step-mother, so then Miguel starts to look for her. He goes to her house and her step-mother locks her in a small room. The cat ends up telling Miguel she is there and he finds her. He then requests her hand in marriage and her step-mother gives her three tasks that seem impossible to do before she will be allowed to marry Miguel. She is helped by the Blessed Mary and is successful at all of the tasks. They were then married and lived happily ever after.
Response: I thought this was a gorgeous book. The images were amazing. They were produced using watercolors. Most of the illustrations are dark, even the cover of the book. The only bright images are the last two pages of illustrations. They are also the happiest of all the pages in the story. I noticed a difference in the version of Cinderella that I have been brought up hearing and this Cinderella. This has different cultural markers in it, names, religious aspects, and some of the words and expressions used. This might be a difficult book to use in the classroom because it does involve religion. It talks about Blessed Mary. That would be my only concern about using this book in my classroom.
Teaching Ideas: Have your students write their own Cinderella story! Read several different variations of Cinderella and let the children explore concepts from the different tales. Once many versions have been read, allow students to research different cultures and start creating their own version of Cinderella. They will create a picture book of their Cinderella story so tell them to be as creative as possible!
Author: Robert D. San Souci
Illustrator: Sergio Martinez
Publisher & Publication Date: Harper Collins Publishers, 2000
Genre: Multicultural, traditional literature, picture book
Grade Level: 2-5
Summary: This story starts by Teresa losing her mother and her father wanting to re-marry. He re-marries to a mean woman who has two daughters. They all treat Teresa badly. There is a fiesta being held in honor of the patron saint of the town and Teresa is not allowed to attend. At night Miguel opens his house to the people of the community and looks for the girl with the gold star on her head. Teresa was given the gold start by the Blessed Mary for her kind heart. She is pushed out of the house by her step-mother, so then Miguel starts to look for her. He goes to her house and her step-mother locks her in a small room. The cat ends up telling Miguel she is there and he finds her. He then requests her hand in marriage and her step-mother gives her three tasks that seem impossible to do before she will be allowed to marry Miguel. She is helped by the Blessed Mary and is successful at all of the tasks. They were then married and lived happily ever after.
Response: I thought this was a gorgeous book. The images were amazing. They were produced using watercolors. Most of the illustrations are dark, even the cover of the book. The only bright images are the last two pages of illustrations. They are also the happiest of all the pages in the story. I noticed a difference in the version of Cinderella that I have been brought up hearing and this Cinderella. This has different cultural markers in it, names, religious aspects, and some of the words and expressions used. This might be a difficult book to use in the classroom because it does involve religion. It talks about Blessed Mary. That would be my only concern about using this book in my classroom.
Teaching Ideas: Have your students write their own Cinderella story! Read several different variations of Cinderella and let the children explore concepts from the different tales. Once many versions have been read, allow students to research different cultures and start creating their own version of Cinderella. They will create a picture book of their Cinderella story so tell them to be as creative as possible!
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Letters From Rifka
Title: Letters From Rifka
Author: Karen Hesse
Publisher & Publication Date: Henry Holt & Company, 1992
Genre: Historical fiction, Multicultural, novel
Grade Level: 4-6
Summary: Rifka is a young, Jewish girl that does not look like other Jews. She has blond hair and blue eyes. This allows her to help her family escape the harsh Russian treatment of the Jews. Her father, mother, two brothers and her hide on a train. She is used as the deploy so they can escape successfully. She already has two brothers in America, which is where they are trying to go. They go through many horrific and humiliating situations. She is even separated from her family on the way. She has to stay with a "foster" family until she is treated for ringworm. Once she is better she is sent to America and is told that she is not going to be allowed to join her family because of her condition. Her condition that they speak of is the fact that she doesn't have any hair. They think she will not be able to marry and have a life because no man will find her attractive enough. She pleads her case and stays at the hospital to try to grow hair. Finally, she has her interview with the doctor. Her family comes in support and hopes that she will be able to join them. She is given the stamp of approval to live in America and is able to join her family. The whole story she is telling of her journey to her cousin, Tovah.
Response: This book made me laugh, cry, hate America for the way they treat people, then love America because of how good it is to people. I love reading books that are in letter or journal form because I think they are much easier to read and comprehend. Karen Hesse does a wonderful job with this style of writing. The linking of cultures was something that really stood out for me from the book. I knew about the difficult life the Jewish people had while in the country they were trying to flee, but I never knew it was so bad in other countries or at the access point to come to America. I read the author's note before I started the book so I knew Rifka made it to America, but it still made me mad the way she was treated before they let her join her family. This was such a touching book. I loved every word and would definitely read it again!
Teaching Ideas: This would be a wonderful book to use for mapping different countries. This would show location and distance between several countries. Start off using the countries named in the book and then after the students have read the book have them label the countries around the ones from the story. Labeling will allow them to become familiar with the places that Rifka is talking about throughout the story. This is a good way to incorporate social studies and the lesson on locating different countries around the world in relation to the United States.
Author: Karen Hesse
Publisher & Publication Date: Henry Holt & Company, 1992
Genre: Historical fiction, Multicultural, novel
Grade Level: 4-6
Summary: Rifka is a young, Jewish girl that does not look like other Jews. She has blond hair and blue eyes. This allows her to help her family escape the harsh Russian treatment of the Jews. Her father, mother, two brothers and her hide on a train. She is used as the deploy so they can escape successfully. She already has two brothers in America, which is where they are trying to go. They go through many horrific and humiliating situations. She is even separated from her family on the way. She has to stay with a "foster" family until she is treated for ringworm. Once she is better she is sent to America and is told that she is not going to be allowed to join her family because of her condition. Her condition that they speak of is the fact that she doesn't have any hair. They think she will not be able to marry and have a life because no man will find her attractive enough. She pleads her case and stays at the hospital to try to grow hair. Finally, she has her interview with the doctor. Her family comes in support and hopes that she will be able to join them. She is given the stamp of approval to live in America and is able to join her family. The whole story she is telling of her journey to her cousin, Tovah.
Response: This book made me laugh, cry, hate America for the way they treat people, then love America because of how good it is to people. I love reading books that are in letter or journal form because I think they are much easier to read and comprehend. Karen Hesse does a wonderful job with this style of writing. The linking of cultures was something that really stood out for me from the book. I knew about the difficult life the Jewish people had while in the country they were trying to flee, but I never knew it was so bad in other countries or at the access point to come to America. I read the author's note before I started the book so I knew Rifka made it to America, but it still made me mad the way she was treated before they let her join her family. This was such a touching book. I loved every word and would definitely read it again!
Teaching Ideas: This would be a wonderful book to use for mapping different countries. This would show location and distance between several countries. Start off using the countries named in the book and then after the students have read the book have them label the countries around the ones from the story. Labeling will allow them to become familiar with the places that Rifka is talking about throughout the story. This is a good way to incorporate social studies and the lesson on locating different countries around the world in relation to the United States.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Dragon of the Red Dawn
Title: Dragon of the Red Dawn (Magic Tree House #37 A Merlin Mission)
Author: Mary Pope Osborne
Illustrator: Sal Murdocca
Publisher & Publication Date: Random House Inc., 2007
Genre: Fantasy, Multicultural, Historical fiction
Grade Level: 3-5
Summary: In this magical story Jack and Annie are sent on a mission to help save the life of Merlin, the magician who has given the a magic wand to help them if they need it. They are sent to Japan to find one of the secrets of happiness. They being their journey by landing in the Imperial Garden. They are then faced with Samurai asking for passports and then meet Basho. Basho is a famous poet in Japan and is known by everyone. He provides safety for Jack and Annie because they do not have passports to travel alone. He lets the children stay with him. They wake in the middle of the night with the sounding of bells in the distance. They learn that the town is on fire and they use their magic to save the city. They go back to their home and realize they didn't find the secret of happiness they were looking for, but then think about the things that made them happy while they were in Japan. They realize that just taking time and listening and noticing nature is a secret to true happiness. They learned that from Basho.
Response: I loved this story. I had really enjoyed the other Magic Tree House book that I read in class, but I really liked this one. It was about finding happiness and I love to be happy so it was great! It made me happy while I was reading it. I was a little scared at times because I didn't know the dragon was a good thing. I thought something bad was going to happen and the story wasn't going to have a happy ending. It was an easy read and once again I escaped into my own fantasy world. I also learned things from the story. I did not know that much of the Japanese culture, but now I know a little bit more. There were a few illustrations in the book and they were eye-catching. They looked like they were produced with a pencil. They were basic looking, but had a great amount of detail. They were mainly single-page spread illustrations, but there was one amazing double-page spread. Overall, this was a wonderful story. I would like to read more of the Magic Tree House series.
Teaching Ideas: The Magic Tree House series is an excellent series to use for connections to history. The passport idea from the books is a great idea to use in the classroom. This book would be a good one to use with a unit on Japan. It is an adventure so the students will love finding out new things about the culture and seeing what is going to happen next in the story. You could read the book over a couple of days or a week then let the students access the passport website to update their passports. This would also be a good book to use for the term of happiness. You could ask what happiness means to the students, and then have them journal about the things that make them happy. Then they could make drawings of the one thing that makes them happier than any other and share with the class. Another idea would be to use the Haiku form of poetry. The book tells what a haiku is so you could tell your students and have them make their own haiku. A great way to integrate poetry, Japanese culture and happiness all with one book!
Author: Mary Pope Osborne
Illustrator: Sal Murdocca
Publisher & Publication Date: Random House Inc., 2007
Genre: Fantasy, Multicultural, Historical fiction
Grade Level: 3-5
Summary: In this magical story Jack and Annie are sent on a mission to help save the life of Merlin, the magician who has given the a magic wand to help them if they need it. They are sent to Japan to find one of the secrets of happiness. They being their journey by landing in the Imperial Garden. They are then faced with Samurai asking for passports and then meet Basho. Basho is a famous poet in Japan and is known by everyone. He provides safety for Jack and Annie because they do not have passports to travel alone. He lets the children stay with him. They wake in the middle of the night with the sounding of bells in the distance. They learn that the town is on fire and they use their magic to save the city. They go back to their home and realize they didn't find the secret of happiness they were looking for, but then think about the things that made them happy while they were in Japan. They realize that just taking time and listening and noticing nature is a secret to true happiness. They learned that from Basho.
Response: I loved this story. I had really enjoyed the other Magic Tree House book that I read in class, but I really liked this one. It was about finding happiness and I love to be happy so it was great! It made me happy while I was reading it. I was a little scared at times because I didn't know the dragon was a good thing. I thought something bad was going to happen and the story wasn't going to have a happy ending. It was an easy read and once again I escaped into my own fantasy world. I also learned things from the story. I did not know that much of the Japanese culture, but now I know a little bit more. There were a few illustrations in the book and they were eye-catching. They looked like they were produced with a pencil. They were basic looking, but had a great amount of detail. They were mainly single-page spread illustrations, but there was one amazing double-page spread. Overall, this was a wonderful story. I would like to read more of the Magic Tree House series.
Teaching Ideas: The Magic Tree House series is an excellent series to use for connections to history. The passport idea from the books is a great idea to use in the classroom. This book would be a good one to use with a unit on Japan. It is an adventure so the students will love finding out new things about the culture and seeing what is going to happen next in the story. You could read the book over a couple of days or a week then let the students access the passport website to update their passports. This would also be a good book to use for the term of happiness. You could ask what happiness means to the students, and then have them journal about the things that make them happy. Then they could make drawings of the one thing that makes them happier than any other and share with the class. Another idea would be to use the Haiku form of poetry. The book tells what a haiku is so you could tell your students and have them make their own haiku. A great way to integrate poetry, Japanese culture and happiness all with one book!
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Lon Po Po
Title: Lon Po Po (Caldecott Award Winner)
Author: Ed Young
Illustrator: Ed Young
Publisher & Publication Date: Philomel Books, 1989
Genre: Multicultural, Picture book, Traditional Literature
Grade Level: 2-4
Summary: This story is about a wolf that comes to the house that three young children are staying at while their mother went to visit their grandmother. He comes to the door and acts like he is their grandmother, and gets the children to let him in the house. One of the children figures out that he is wolf and gets the other two to help her get rid of him. They climb up a tree and get the wolf to climb up it too, but every time they start to pull him up they drop the basket he is sitting in. They end up killing to wolf and their mother comes home and they tell her all about their adventure with the wolf.
Response: I thought this was a great version of Little Red Riding Hood. It was different, but still good. The illustrations were a little scary, so this might not be the best book to red before bedtime to a small child. The illustrations were boxed-in and I think pastels were used to produce the images. Many of the image were dark, but some were a bit brighter. I felt many emotions while reading this story; scared, worried, concerned, and happy. Overall this was a wonderful little story. It relates to the Little Red Riding Hood I read when I was little, because it is a Red Riding Hood story.
Teaching Ideas: I would use the book to talk about different versions of well-known children's stories. You could talk about the other Red Riding Hood, then read it and talk about it some more. After that you could read this story and talk about it and how it is related to the other story. Then to finish up the activity have your students create their own Red Riding Hood story, as a whole class. Write the story they come up with on the board or on a big piece of paper. Then discuss how all three stories are different from each other.
Author: Ed Young
Illustrator: Ed Young
Publisher & Publication Date: Philomel Books, 1989
Genre: Multicultural, Picture book, Traditional Literature
Grade Level: 2-4
Summary: This story is about a wolf that comes to the house that three young children are staying at while their mother went to visit their grandmother. He comes to the door and acts like he is their grandmother, and gets the children to let him in the house. One of the children figures out that he is wolf and gets the other two to help her get rid of him. They climb up a tree and get the wolf to climb up it too, but every time they start to pull him up they drop the basket he is sitting in. They end up killing to wolf and their mother comes home and they tell her all about their adventure with the wolf.
Response: I thought this was a great version of Little Red Riding Hood. It was different, but still good. The illustrations were a little scary, so this might not be the best book to red before bedtime to a small child. The illustrations were boxed-in and I think pastels were used to produce the images. Many of the image were dark, but some were a bit brighter. I felt many emotions while reading this story; scared, worried, concerned, and happy. Overall this was a wonderful little story. It relates to the Little Red Riding Hood I read when I was little, because it is a Red Riding Hood story.
Teaching Ideas: I would use the book to talk about different versions of well-known children's stories. You could talk about the other Red Riding Hood, then read it and talk about it some more. After that you could read this story and talk about it and how it is related to the other story. Then to finish up the activity have your students create their own Red Riding Hood story, as a whole class. Write the story they come up with on the board or on a big piece of paper. Then discuss how all three stories are different from each other.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Josefina
Title: Josefina
Author: Jeanette Winter
Illustrator: Jeanette Winter
Publisher & Publication Date: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1996
Genre: Picture book, Multicultural, Counting book, Biographical, Bilingual
Age Range: K-1
Summary: This book was inspired by the Mexican folk artist Josefina Aguilar. The story is about a woman who loved to use clay to make art. She had nine children and still made artwork. She starts with one sun and then goes up to the number ten using different objects. The words are in Spanish at the top of the illustrations.
Response: I thought this was an interesting book. I liked that it was an unusual counting book. It used two languages and talked about the Mexican culture. It was actually about a real Mexican folk artist. The illustrations were done in acrylics. All of the illustrations were single-page spreads, except the one where all of the counting objects and pulled together, it is a double-page spread. This is a simple, happy book. It is also a little informational because of the Spanish that is used in it. It reminded me of the simple counting books I read to my nephews when they were learning their numbers.
Teaching Ideas: This is a good book to use for students that are having trouble with their numbers. It would also be a good book to use with a link to Spanish class, or a Spanish unit. Read the book out loud to the class and then have the students repeat the Spanish words so they can practice them. After reading it have the students make their own counting books with any objects they wish to use. Then have them read it out loud to the class.
Author: Jeanette Winter
Illustrator: Jeanette Winter
Publisher & Publication Date: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1996
Genre: Picture book, Multicultural, Counting book, Biographical, Bilingual
Age Range: K-1
Summary: This book was inspired by the Mexican folk artist Josefina Aguilar. The story is about a woman who loved to use clay to make art. She had nine children and still made artwork. She starts with one sun and then goes up to the number ten using different objects. The words are in Spanish at the top of the illustrations.
Response: I thought this was an interesting book. I liked that it was an unusual counting book. It used two languages and talked about the Mexican culture. It was actually about a real Mexican folk artist. The illustrations were done in acrylics. All of the illustrations were single-page spreads, except the one where all of the counting objects and pulled together, it is a double-page spread. This is a simple, happy book. It is also a little informational because of the Spanish that is used in it. It reminded me of the simple counting books I read to my nephews when they were learning their numbers.
Teaching Ideas: This is a good book to use for students that are having trouble with their numbers. It would also be a good book to use with a link to Spanish class, or a Spanish unit. Read the book out loud to the class and then have the students repeat the Spanish words so they can practice them. After reading it have the students make their own counting books with any objects they wish to use. Then have them read it out loud to the class.
Baseball Saved Us
Title: Baseball Saved Us
Author: Ken Mochizuki
Illustrator: Dom Lee
Publisher & Publication Date: Lee & Low Books, 1993
Genre: Picture book, Historical fiction, Multicultural
Age Range: K-3
Summary: This book is about the Japanese Americans that were in an internment camp. The little boy was made fun of at school and then he was taken from his home. He was not allowed to have any of his belongings. His dad finally came up with something that saved them from going insane while at the camp. He made a baseball field out of the open dirt. The little boy wasn't very good at the sport, but ended up doing okay and helping his team win. He even played on the baseball team at his school when he got out of the camp, he ended up hitting the winning run for his team.
Response: I enjoyed this book. I think it would be a good book to read to younger children who sometimes feel out of place. It shows that even a small child can overcome being different. It was moving the way the Japanese family managed to leave the camp and still have hope. It made me think of the books Grandfather's Journey and Weedflower. I read the information about the illustrations and it says that they were acquired by using beeswax on paper, and then scratching out the images, and then using oil paints for color. Most of the illustrations were single-page spreads, but some of them stretched over to be almost complete double-page spreads. It also said that some of the illustrations were inspired by actually photographs of the internment camps. I thought the illustrations were really well done.
Teaching Ideas: This book could be used to follow up with the Japanese unit. You could start a World War II unit and end the Japanese unit with this book. It would be a good resource to use for an alternative look at WWII. After you read the story you could have the students write down things they would want to take with them if they were all of a sudden force-relocated. Then have them make a tough decision of the one thing they would want to take with them, only one item. Ask them how they would feel and have them draw pictures to go along with what they talked about and wrote down.
Author: Ken Mochizuki
Illustrator: Dom Lee
Publisher & Publication Date: Lee & Low Books, 1993
Genre: Picture book, Historical fiction, Multicultural
Age Range: K-3
Summary: This book is about the Japanese Americans that were in an internment camp. The little boy was made fun of at school and then he was taken from his home. He was not allowed to have any of his belongings. His dad finally came up with something that saved them from going insane while at the camp. He made a baseball field out of the open dirt. The little boy wasn't very good at the sport, but ended up doing okay and helping his team win. He even played on the baseball team at his school when he got out of the camp, he ended up hitting the winning run for his team.
Response: I enjoyed this book. I think it would be a good book to read to younger children who sometimes feel out of place. It shows that even a small child can overcome being different. It was moving the way the Japanese family managed to leave the camp and still have hope. It made me think of the books Grandfather's Journey and Weedflower. I read the information about the illustrations and it says that they were acquired by using beeswax on paper, and then scratching out the images, and then using oil paints for color. Most of the illustrations were single-page spreads, but some of them stretched over to be almost complete double-page spreads. It also said that some of the illustrations were inspired by actually photographs of the internment camps. I thought the illustrations were really well done.
Teaching Ideas: This book could be used to follow up with the Japanese unit. You could start a World War II unit and end the Japanese unit with this book. It would be a good resource to use for an alternative look at WWII. After you read the story you could have the students write down things they would want to take with them if they were all of a sudden force-relocated. Then have them make a tough decision of the one thing they would want to take with them, only one item. Ask them how they would feel and have them draw pictures to go along with what they talked about and wrote down.
Family
Title: Family
Author: Isabell Monk
Illustrator: Janice Lee Porter
Publisher & Publication Date: Carolrhoda Books, 2001
Genre: Picture book, Multicultural
Age Range: K-3
Summary: Hope a little African American girl has been invited to her family's traditional, potluck, get-together. She is excited and wants to bring a surprise. She makes "Hope's sweet and sour pickles." She has them brought out with the desserts and then has everyone try them. She is nervous, but in the end everyone loves them.
Response: I thought this was a nice, multicultural story. It introduces new foods from her African American culture to the readers. I like how at the end of the book the recipes for the mentioned food items were given. It added a nice touch to the story. There was a combination of single and double-page spreads in the book. The illustrations were paintings. The illustrations of the people were sort of funky. They were oddly shaped and more cartoon like than actual looking people. The story made me think of the family gatherings I have been to. I am a very picky eater, so I don't usually try new things when I go to family gatherings. I definitely would not have tried the sweet and sour pickles in the story. The story made me laugh, but it made me a little sick because I am such a picky eater and those foods just did not sound appetizing to me.
Teaching Ideas: You could use this book to tie in with the family and cultural sections of social studies that lower elementary school teachers have to incorporate into their lessons. This would be a good book to introduce the topic of different cultures having different food choices and traditions. After you have read the book out loud to your class, have the students make a graphic organizer of their family compared to the family in the story. It is a good way to show similarities and differences among individuals.
Author: Isabell Monk
Illustrator: Janice Lee Porter
Publisher & Publication Date: Carolrhoda Books, 2001
Genre: Picture book, Multicultural
Age Range: K-3
Summary: Hope a little African American girl has been invited to her family's traditional, potluck, get-together. She is excited and wants to bring a surprise. She makes "Hope's sweet and sour pickles." She has them brought out with the desserts and then has everyone try them. She is nervous, but in the end everyone loves them.
Response: I thought this was a nice, multicultural story. It introduces new foods from her African American culture to the readers. I like how at the end of the book the recipes for the mentioned food items were given. It added a nice touch to the story. There was a combination of single and double-page spreads in the book. The illustrations were paintings. The illustrations of the people were sort of funky. They were oddly shaped and more cartoon like than actual looking people. The story made me think of the family gatherings I have been to. I am a very picky eater, so I don't usually try new things when I go to family gatherings. I definitely would not have tried the sweet and sour pickles in the story. The story made me laugh, but it made me a little sick because I am such a picky eater and those foods just did not sound appetizing to me.
Teaching Ideas: You could use this book to tie in with the family and cultural sections of social studies that lower elementary school teachers have to incorporate into their lessons. This would be a good book to introduce the topic of different cultures having different food choices and traditions. After you have read the book out loud to your class, have the students make a graphic organizer of their family compared to the family in the story. It is a good way to show similarities and differences among individuals.
Grandfather's Journey
Title: Grandfather's Journey
Author: Allen Say
Illustrator: Allen Say
Publisher & Publication Date: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1993
Genre: Multicultural, Picture book, Historical fiction
Age Range: K-2
Summary: This lovely picture is about the life of a young man's grandfather. The young man is actually the author/illustrator. He tells the story of how his grandfather came to America and then became homesick for Japan, so he went back to visit. Throughout the story the man travels back and forth from Japan to America (California). It also talks briefly about the bombing from World War II.
Response: I think this was a great picture book. It tied in the life of a real person and real events that happened in history. The pages were single spread illustrations and they were numbered. The illustrations were paintings and I would guess he used only paint to produce the beautiful images. I think I read this story when I was younger, because it seemed familiar after I started reading it. It made me think of the stories my grandpa used to tell me about his experiences traveling. This was a touching, yet simple picture book. It can be used to introduce the Japanese culture and WWII. It is similar to Baseball Saved Us and the other chapter books we have read in the world literature for children class.
Teaching Ideas: Read this book before you read the books about the Japanese in the internment camps. This would be a great book to use as a opening to a Japanese unit. Read the story and then just have an open discussion with the class about things they might have heard of their grandparents. It could be an open story time for the students. After you have read this book go on into the history of the way the Japanese Americans were treated during WWII and use Baseball Saved Us to introduce that topic.
Author: Allen Say
Illustrator: Allen Say
Publisher & Publication Date: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1993
Genre: Multicultural, Picture book, Historical fiction
Age Range: K-2
Summary: This lovely picture is about the life of a young man's grandfather. The young man is actually the author/illustrator. He tells the story of how his grandfather came to America and then became homesick for Japan, so he went back to visit. Throughout the story the man travels back and forth from Japan to America (California). It also talks briefly about the bombing from World War II.
Response: I think this was a great picture book. It tied in the life of a real person and real events that happened in history. The pages were single spread illustrations and they were numbered. The illustrations were paintings and I would guess he used only paint to produce the beautiful images. I think I read this story when I was younger, because it seemed familiar after I started reading it. It made me think of the stories my grandpa used to tell me about his experiences traveling. This was a touching, yet simple picture book. It can be used to introduce the Japanese culture and WWII. It is similar to Baseball Saved Us and the other chapter books we have read in the world literature for children class.
Teaching Ideas: Read this book before you read the books about the Japanese in the internment camps. This would be a great book to use as a opening to a Japanese unit. Read the story and then just have an open discussion with the class about things they might have heard of their grandparents. It could be an open story time for the students. After you have read this book go on into the history of the way the Japanese Americans were treated during WWII and use Baseball Saved Us to introduce that topic.
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