Yuyi Morales has illustrated a new book – My Abuelita, just released last month. Her illustrations are so lovely. She has such an art for capturing people. Her new book was written by Tony Johnston. It’s a fun-loving story about a grandmother, and her influence on a grandchild – adoring the person she has become.
My abuelita is round. Robust, she says, like a calabaza. A pumpkin. She doesn’t mind. She likes pumpkins. “Being round gives me a good round voice,” she tells me. “Just the voice for my work.”
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Wednesday, September 23, 2009 Posted in Cutures
The book The Lost Boys of Sudan takes the experience of thousands of Sudanese refugees in the 1980’s and tells it through the voice of an eight year old boy.
From Booklist:
Since 2000 the U.S. has taken in about 3,000 “Lost Boys of Sudan,” orphaned by the ethnic and religious wars that have left two million dead. Through the fictionalized first-person account of one boy, Garang, this moving picture book tells the big story of children at war. Driven from his village home by the soldiers, Garang treks with other boys nearly 1,000 miles across the border, first to Ethiopia, and later to Kenya. He finds shelter in refugee camps, but many other refugees die along the way.
The pictures alone tell this moving story – it was awarded the Coretta Scott King honor book award for its illustrations by R. Gregory Christie.
Monday, September 14, 2009 Posted in Cutures
I came across the book Making It Home: Real-Life Stories from Children Forced to Flee – it seems to be a good companion to Applegate’s book, Home of the Brave. The book shares narratives by children as young as 6 years old and up to age 17 who left their homelands because of war. Included are voices from from Kosovo, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Congo, Liberia, Sudan, and Burundi.
From School Library Journal:
“Beverley Naidoos introduction states that more than 20 million children and their families have been forced to leave their homes to escape from the effects of war in recent years…. The pain of their experiences is raw; losing a parent or siblings changes their view of the world, and yet, despite it all, the universal feeling is one of hope for the future.”
Sunday, September 13, 2009 Posted in Cutures
Home of the Brave, by Katherine Applegate is a story of a young refugee from Sudan who comes to live with his aunt’s family in Minnesota. He adjusts to his new life as he wrestles with memories from his home country. It’s told in first-person narrative in verse form. His descriptions of new experiences are delightful to read.
On the day with the name of Saturday,
Hannah and I wait by the road
for the bus to come.
It’s even bigger than the school bus,
with the sour breath and slow growl
of a starving animal.
The door squeals open and
I follow Hannah up the stairs.
She pours quarters into my glove.
Here, she says. Do like I do.
Her money clatters into a box by the driver.
But -
I shake my head.
The school bus is free.
This one you pay for, she says.
C’mon, hurry up.
The content is appropriate for middle-school readers. ELL students will appreciate how Kek adapts to his new surroundings.
Bernard Wolf offers a real look look at what it’s like for a child dealing with homelessness. In his book, Wolf follows an eight-year-old boy and his family living temporarily at the Henry Street Settlement Urban Family Center in New York City. The color photographs and Mikey’s narrative describe daily life such as going to school, making friends, and celebrating the holidays. Mikey also tells about his mom passing her GED exam and how she wishes to go back to school someday. Homeless confronts stereotypes by showing a real family’s struggle with poverty. Unfortunately, this book is out-of-print but I had no problem finding it in my local library. It’s worth reading.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009 Posted in Cutures
I just finished reading My Antonia, by Willa Cather. Since I put the book down, I’ve been thinking about immigration, specifically what it must feel like for immigrants today forging a new life for themselves. In the St. Paul school district in Minnesota, 40% of students receive ELL services.
I really like Eve Bunting. She has written many books that encourage children to think and talk about topics such as racism, homelessness and in this book – immigration. In One Green Apple, a Muslim girl visits an apple orchard on a class trip on her second day in the her new school and new country. When she puts a green apple into the cider press her classmates protest. However, they learn that all their apples mixed creates a delicious taste. This book can be used to talk about issues ELL students face when they first come to their new schools.
Thursday, August 6, 2009 Posted in Authors
Ezra Jack Keats did a beautiful job creating books that show close-knit friendships in multi-ethnic urban settings. It was interesting to learn that Keats created the main character, Peter, in 1962 because he “wanted a book with a black kid as hero”. In 1968 The Snowy Day was awarded the Caldecott Award. In fact it was the first full color picture book to feature a black child as the main character. Peter appears in many of Keat’s books including Pet Show, Whistle for Willie, Peter’s Chair, and A Letter to Amy, to name a few. My six year old son Sam is drawn to these books. The simple yet brightly-colored collage illustrations are striking. But I think what really hooks him is how these stories give a sense of living in a strong neighborhood community – something all children long for.
Monday, August 3, 2009 Posted in Cutures
It’s difficult to find books with Somali characters, or touch on Somalian culture. Where I live there is a large population of Somali children in our schools. I really like the book, My Friend Jamal. It’s told from a young boy’s point of view. He talks about his friendship with Jamal, a boy whose family immigrated to the United States from Somalia. Joseph tells of the similarities the two boys share – they both like to play superheroes and play basketball; he also mentions their differences – Jamal’s family reads the Koran and Joseph’s family reads the Bible. I appreciate the honesty in the book. Joseph says, “Jamal’s mom and dad were born in Somalia, in Africa—but a lot of fighting started and people were getting killed. It was very dangerous, so they had to escape. They came here because there’s no fighting.” Anna McQuinn also wrote a similar story called, My Friend Mei Jing.
Out of all the rooms in a person’s home, there is something intriguing about sneaking a glance in the kitchen. Have you heard of this book? It’s sure to spark discussions about standard of living and equity. What the World Eats is a fascinating book that shows 25 families in 21 countries around the world. Each family is photographed with a week’s worth of food and groceries. The book includes profiles about each family with recipes, maps, and facts about population, currency, income, and more. The text is written for older readers, but the photographs can be enjoyed by all ages. Says author Faith D’Aluisio and photographer Peter Menzel:
“It’s interesting to watch children with this book in their hands. It doesn’t require being read from front to back and they don’t approach it in that manner anyway; they’re drawn in by the food portraits and begin immediately to compare themselves to what they see. Afterward they go back to fill in information.What the World Eats is meant to get kids thinking about the world around them, but also about the food on their own plates.”
Friday, July 24, 2009 Posted in Latino
While on the ALA (American Library Association) website browsing for books for older readers, I came upon this one, Mexican White Boy. It’s on their 2009 Top 10 Ten List. It’s about a biracial boy who struggles to fit in. Danny is an outsider with his Mexican father’s family, where he spends his summer struggling to find his place. Several different events cause Danny to deal with his battles. It is sure to resonate with teens, especially boys.
by Melissa
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