A Place For Grace

A Place For Grace

This is a loving story about a mixed pup that has big dreams of becoming a 'Seeing Eye Dog' for the blind. She goes to the school for 'Seeing Eye' dogs and soon finds out she does not fit the criteria. Dejected and alone, this dog begins walking. She sees a boy run into the road after a ball and safes his life by pushing him to the curb. A man sees what this dog has done and rushes out of a café to find her. Before he can find her, the pound catches her and puts her in the pound. This man, Charlie, rushes to the 'Hearing Dog Program' and tells the director, Mrs. Lombardi, he has found the right dog for him. With much skepticism, she goes to the pound to rescue this dog. Charlie names the mutt, Grace, and soon they are fast friends. Through many bloopers and adjustments, Grace tries to become a 'Hearing Dog' for Charlie who is deaf.

A Place For Grace by Jean Davies Okimoto, is a great book to introduce children and adults to deaf people and Deaf culture. Through a loving story about a dog trying to find his place in the world, this book explains accommodations deaf people might need in their daily lives, like technology and a dog that is trained to hear for them. Charlie, however, gets along very well and is a positive image of a deaf man. This book does not focus on deafness as disability; rather it focuses on the accommodations needed in order to 'hear'. Otherwise, Charlie is characterized as a well-adjusted man who lives independently and successfully; and communicates using sign language and a TTD (TTY).

I read this book to a 4th grade classroom in Flint, MI. Before we read the book, we did a picture walk. The students seen the fingerspelling on the front cover and predicted right away that the book would be about sign language. During the picture walk, students predicted all sorts of things; the pictures were great in helping us understand what would happen. In one picture, they seen Charlie's hands flying and realized he was a deaf man. After reading the book, students had all sorts of questions and were excited to know that there were 'Hearing' dogs as well as 'Seeing Eye' dogs. We discussed the accommodations needed that they never thought about, like hearing someone knocking on a door. I told them about flashing lights and other new technologies that make communication so much easier now. We ended our discussion about A Place For Grace, by learning a few sign words and fingerspelling. Since this book generated so much enthusiasm and awareness about deafness and sign language, I would use this book again in my classroom.

A Place For Grace by Jean Davies Okimoto, Illustrated by Doug Keith. Sasquatch Books 1993

Public Post: "Freedom River" by Doreen Rappaport

Rappaport, Doreen. Freedom River. 1st ed. New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 2000.

Doreen Rappaport is the author of numerous nonfiction and historical fiction books for children which attempt to convey American and world history to children ages four to seventeen. As a young woman Rappaport was a music and reading teacher, first in the ethnically diverse New York City and New Rochelle public schools, and later in a Southern "freedom school" for African-American students. Teaching in the Freedom School in McComb, Mississippi, was what first inspired Rappaport to write about history. The African-Americans she met in Mississippi "were heroic" in their struggle to secure their rights thus inspiring her work, "Freedom River," which won a Coretta Scott King Honor Award.

"Freedom River" is a picture book that relates the true story of John Parker, an African-American businessman who bought his own freedom and helped others to gain theirs via the Underground Railroad. Rappaport writes on just one of many incidents in which Parker helped families escape from Kentucky, a slave state, across the river to freedom in Ohio. In one of Parker's journeys he helped an African American couple escape with their baby from the slave state of Kentucky to the free state of Ohio. The white owner knew the slave parents would never leave their child behind, so he had the baby sleep at the foot of his bed; but Parker stole the baby, tricked the master, and led the family across the river to freedom. Rappaport frames the incident with a biography of Parker, who may have helped as many as 900 African Americans. This biography and notes at the beginning and the historical note at the end strengthen the story's impact.

Because John Parker's dangerous journeys demanded courage, self-sacrifice, and careful planning the story has the ability to uplift the African American race. Freedom River tells how John Parker risked his life to rescue a couple and their baby in the fight for freedom. It is a story of courage and determination , while also being a story about the power of prayer!

Children's Literature and the Holocaust - Article Review and Questions

Kremer, S. Lillian. Children's Literature and the Holocaust
Children's Literature Volume 32 (2004), 252-263.
Accessed VIA Project MUSE at Michigan State University, April 2008.
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/childrens_literature/v032/32.1kremer.html

This article is actually a review of the works by two Holocaust literary critics "well versed in children's literature" (252), Hamida Bosmajian and Adrienne Kertzer. These critics, as well as Kremer, take issue with the lack of true Holocaust knowledge gained after reading literature intended for children. The article describes how both Bosmajian and Kertzer focus on multiple genres and topics related to the Holocaust in their critical collections which are intended to "influence educators to think more critically about contextualizing Holocaust readings available for young readers and should influence authors of children's Holocaust literature to produce better texts for young readers" (262-263).

This article discusses how German children's authors reconstruct their view of the events World War II and omit "the lures of Nazism that attracted prewar and wartime young Germans" (253) in an effort to keep Nazism taboo and depict the Hitler Youth as 'alienated, diminished' victims of the propagandist pull of the constructors of the atrocities of the war. The article also describes the differences between East German and West German focus in literature when the theme is surrounding World War II and the Holocaust. However, German writers were and still are not the only ones reconstructing this history or memory. Writers focusing on Jewish victims of the Holocaust tend to exclude the horrors and emphasize heroic survivals and ingenuity. This leads to "misleading emphases in narratives focusing on Christian rescue and Jewish escape and heroism" (254).

I found this review to be extremely thought provoking and very well-written. Although, I have not read the main texts being reviewed, I intend to find them. Kremer provided a very detailed look at multiple sides to the critical stances on Holocaust literature, particularly children's Holocaust literature from around the world with focus on American, German, Jewish, and Christian perspectives and authorship.

Though I did not come across this article until after selecting my texts, when I was reading the books for the TE488 final project collection, I was curious if the focus of the Jewish-American children's literature pieces pertaining to the Holocaust had the most appropriate focus in regards to the intended audience. How biased are these texts and do they really provide the most positive addition to a Jewish-American child's mental library and internalization with historical identity? Yes, I agree fully that the human will and survival is an important theme in helping to develop identity, particularly in contemporary generations of Jewish-American children, but how much so if what was being faced is a sugar-coated gloss over of the true events? How do we teach children the full truth "about the Holocaust without frightening them" (257)? How do we provide hope for the future but avoid the atypical depictions of the Holocaust in children's literature?

The overarching critiques presented in this article were that of the idea that "absent from Holocaust literature produced for young readers are pervasive virulent antisemitic propaganda, behavior of the perpetrators, and the concentrationary universe" (256). I would like to know what my colleagues and others think of this. Is this true? If so, what can we as future teachers and educated persons of multicultural and diverse literature do about this?

Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold

"Anyone can fly. All you need is somewhere to go that you can't get to any other way. The next thing you know, you're flying among the stars."

-Cassie Louise Lightfoot

This quote from the book, Tar Beach, represents the dream of a young girl from New York City. The book is a story about a Cassie Louise Lightfoot, a young African American girl, who falls asleep on Tar Beach, a.k.a. the roof of her apartment building, and dreams that she’s flying around New York City. In her young, innocent mind she imagines that anything she flies over she comes to own. When she flies over the George Washington Bridge she says that it’s now hers, and she wears the lights as a diamond necklace. After she flies over the bridge she flies above the Union building and takes claim of that as well. She wants to own the Union building so that her father can join the Labor Union, which at the time of the story he couldn’t because of his African American and Indian heritage and because his grandfathers were not members so therefore he could not be either. Next, she flies over the ice cream factory so that her and her family can have ice cream for dessert every night. It is the sweet, innocent thoughts like this that make Tar Beach a great read.

I found the illustrations to be inspiring, the story captivating and the book overall was just fantastic. There were no problems with stereotypes or negative portrayals of characters; the book was very racially, culturally and historically sensitive. The book explores historical issues through the eyes of children which make it easier for children and adults alike to understand and relate to. Tar Beach is so well received it won the 1992 Caldecott Honor Book, Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration , Reading Rainbow Feature Selection , A New York Times Best Illustrated Book, Parents' Choice Gold Award. I, as well as many other people, highly recommend this book.

Moses Sees a Play

Moses, a young deaf boy attends a special school where his classmates and teacher, Mr. Samuels, are also either deaf or hard of hearing. They all use American Sign Language, ASL, as their preferred mode of communication. One day, Ms. Morgan and her class from a different school, come for a visit. Although Ms. Morgan and her students are not deaf, Ms. Morgan knows ASL and has been teaching her class. All the children are excited to see the play the Little Theatre of the Deaf is going to put on after lunch! The children spend the morning getting to know each other. Moses meets Manuel who has just come to the United States and does not yet know English or sign language. Throughout the rest of the day, the two boys communicate using gestures.

After lunch, the production of Cinderella begins! The Little Theatre of the Deaf includes four actors who perform in ASL and spoken English. When the play is over, the children are eager to work on their own classroom productions that they will share with each other. At the very end of the story, Moses tells his Mom all about his exciting day and talks to his grandparents on his TTY.

Moses Sees a Play seamlessly incorporates ASL and English in a positive and enlightening way. Both languages are recognized as important and necessary to Moses and his classmates. The very beginning of the book includes an author’s note which gives a brief explanation of ASL as well as instructions on how to read the arrows and symbols featured throughout the book. In his note, Millman shares his inspiration for his most recent Moses book. After seeing a production put on by the Little Theatre of the Deaf, Millman knew he wanted Moses and his classmates to experience the same thing. Millman got the idea to include a group of hearing students after visiting “47” The American Sign Language and English School for the Deaf in New York City. There, he saw both deaf and hearing children interact using ASL. In his note, Millman also thanks two Deaf teachers, Dorothy Cohler and Joel Goldfarb, who teach at “47.” The two advised Millman while illustrating the featured sign language diagrams.

While the majority of the text is in English, most of the pages include a sentence or phrase in ASL. At the end of the book, there is a full-page spread completely in ASL with English glosses underneath the diagrams of the Moses signing. These pages accurately portray the proper facial expression, handshape, movement and syntax of ASL. The very last page depicts Moses using a TTY, a Teletype device used by the deaf to communicate over the telephone.

Moses Sees a Play is just one book in Millman’s Moses series. Other books include, Moses Goes to a Concert and Moses Goes to the Circus. Overall, Moses is a dynamic deaf character who positively portrays deaf people as capable and independent. Not only may deaf children relate to Moses and his classmates, but hearing children are given the opportunity to learn about another culture, Deaf culture.

Millman, Isaac. Moses Sees a Play. New York: Frances Foster Books, 2004.

Dad, Jackie and Me

It was the summer of 1947 and all of Brooklyn just knew this was the year the Dodgers were going to win! Their rookie player, Jackie Robinson, promised an exciting and successful season as the first Black player in the major leagues. For one young boy, sharing his love of baseball with his deaf father made that memorable summer even more special. For the first time, his father showed an interest in the game his son so dearly loved. The two of them went to games at Ebbets Field, played catch on the street, started a baseball scrapbook and even caught a ball tossed by Jackie Robinson himself!

Dad, Jackie and Me shares the story of not only a deaf father and his hearing son, but also a glimpse at the racial prejudice experienced by the first Black baseball player of the major leagues. At the baseball diamond, the young boy felt embarrassed the first time his father yelled Jackie’s name because it sounds more like, “AH-GHEEE, AH-GHEE, AH-GHEE!” At first the crowd stared, but soon enough no one even seemed to notice. The young boy also witnessed prejudice towards Robinson, hearing the Giants call him horrible names and seeing a St. Louis Cardinal spike him on purpose. This beautifully illustrated picture book goes beyond simply focusing on one multicultural issue. It is not just a story about a deaf father and his son, nor is it only about Jackie Robinson as the first Black major league baseball player. The story naturally weaves together issues of both disability and race in a realistic manner that furthers the reader’s experience with both topics.

Inspired by his own childhood experiences, Myron Uhlberg further explains the parallels between his own deaf father and Jackie Robinson in his author’s note at the end of the story. Uhlberg points out how his father experienced prejudice similar to Robinson based on his hearing loss. Uhlberg is a child of deaf adults, also known as a CODA. He has a very personal and close connection with the Deaf Community and Deaf culture. Uhlberg also wrote The Printer which draws on similar childhood experiences of growing up as a CODA and his father’s trade as a printer for The New York Daily News. Dad, Jackie and Me is a quality piece of children’s literature that depicts deafness in a respectful and positive manner.

Uhlberg, Myron. Dad, Jackie and Me. Atlanta: Peachtree Publishers, 2005.

Book Review- Stuck in Neutral

Trueman, Terry. “Stuck in Neutral.” New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 2000.

This book was written by Terry Trueman a father of a son with cerebral palsy. In this unique story Trueman introduces readers to Shawn McDaniel who has cerebral palsy and is unable to control his bodily functions, movement or speech. What makes this story so interesting is that the story is told through the thoughts of Shawn. That’s right, a boy dismissed by doctors as being an unintelligible human vegetable seems to be the smartest one around. Through Shawn we learn that while he is unable to control the many functions of his body; he is more than capable of thinking, in fact he is highly intelligent. Throughout the book, readers are able to view Shawn’s frustration with his family for not knowing his true capabilities. This book also brings up issues of euthanasia, which makes this book more appropriate for more mature audiences. . On Terry Trueman’s website (http://www.terrytrueman.com/) he goes on to further discuss that he wrote this book from the perspective of Shawn because he often wonders about his son’s thought process. He’s been told by some doctors that because his son has such a severe case of cerebral palsy that he’s basically a human vegetable and by others that while he is unable to communicate, he may be able to understand the world around him. (1). Trueman does a great job of balancing Shawn’s traits as a teenage boy and as a boy who has cerebral palsy. Readers here Shawn discuss the girls he finds attractive and entertaining commentary about sports, as well as, realistic times of stress and defeat when he fears that no one will ever understand him.

Initially I was concerned that writing a book from the perspective of a person with disability and especially one that has little documented data from an actual person with the disability, but Trueman’s writing makes readers stand back and take a look at how people with disabilities in our society are treated. It makes you want to be compassionate without being condescending and to think before you shun or gawk at a person with a disability. I will definitely include this piece of literature within my library

Book Review- Rules

Lord, Cynthia. “Rules.” New York: Scholastic Press, 2006.

Rules is a contemporary realistic fiction novel for young adults that walks through the life of Catherine, a twelve year old girl dealing with the ups and downs of living with her brother, David who has autism. Getting through to David has not always been easy, so Catherine takes it upon herself to create rules for David to try to eliminate as many embarrassing moments (for herself more than anything) as possible. For instance, “do not chew with your mouth open”, “sometimes people are laughing at you and other times with you”, and “when in public keep your pants on”. The book takes an interesting twist however when Catherine is forced to spend her entire summer attending David’s weekly physical therapy sessions. Here she meets Jason, a young boy whose disability is not referenced, but who must use a wheelchair and is unable to speak and therefore must communicate through a communication board. The two become good friends and in the end are faced with dealing with the reactions that people outside of the clinic have when they see the two together.

The story conveys messages of acceptance towards children with disabilities. In my opinion it was very important for the book to come from Catherine’s point of view because it shows how a disability affects an entire family unit, not simply the person with the disability. Catherine’s family needed her to be responsible for David at an early age and in doing so she learned compassion for all people. An element that I appreciated from the story is that there was a great deal of focus on the frustration that accompanies people’s negative reactions towards David and Catherine and Jason’s developing friendship and not so much frustration with David and Jason due to their disabilities.

This book was written by Cynthia Lord, who has first hand experience dealing with issues surrounding autism as she is a mother of a young son who has autism. She says, “I wrote Rules to explore some of my own questions about living with someone who sees the world so differently than I do, but also to show a full experience of family life with a child with autism: the happy moments, the heartbreaking ones, the ones that make me laugh” (back cover jacket). I would definitely recommend this book to other and it definitely has its place within my library.

Book Review: The Illustrator's Notebook by Mohieddin Ellabad

The Illustrator's Notebook, written and illustrated by Moheiddin Ellabad is a composite of many short writings accompanied by elaborate photographs and illustrations. The brief essays on each page describe the many thoughts and experiences of the author. Each page reveals a part of the author that is personal and cultural. I believe this book to be one of the most authentic pieces of Middle Eastern literature I have come across. The book opens and reads from right to left, traditional to Middle Eastern culture. There are also peek holes through the writing that give the reader an idea of what it is like to live in the Middle East. Ellabbad was born in Cairo, Egypt, and speaks of his experiences there and other places such as the Perfume Coast and the United Arab Emirates. This book provides information about the past and present, Arabic script, food, animals, personal experience, government, henna, and many other aspects of the Middle Eastern culture. Ellabbad also attempts to compare Arab culture to European culture when he addresses the differences in skin color and reading and writing styles. The book could also be considered somewhat biographical, because it explains the different thoughts, ideas, and steps Ellabbad took towards becoming a successful illustrator and author. The last page is a brief autobiography of Ellabbad accompanied with a photo of him drawn by his son. While I was reading this book, I imagined it was somewhat representative of our modern blogs. Each page containing a new "blog post" about the author's ideas for the day. The book was very enjoyable to read and relate to, while also teaching some interesting cultural values, places, ideas, and activities native to the Arabic culture.

Book Info: Ellabbad, Mohieddin. The Illustrator's Notebook, Groundwood Books, 2006. Originally published in Arabic in 1999 by Editions Mango Jeunesse.

Reviewed by Nichole Humitz

The Year of the Dog

Lin, Grace. The Year of the Dog. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2006.

Grace Lin’s The Year of the Dog follows Pacy Lin, a spirited Taiwanese-American girl, throughout a year of the Chinese Lunar Calendar. When Pacy’s mom tells her that the Year of the Dog is said to be the year that people find both friends and themselves, Pacy is determined to follow this through. The latter proves to be the more difficult task, as she is unsure of exactly where she fits into society as a Taiwanese-American. At one point, Pacy declares, “It’s not fair. To Americans, I’m too Chinese, and to Chinese people, I’m too American. So which one am I supposed to be?" (Lin 105). She questions issues of identity in a simple, at times humorous way. Chinese traditions and values are very present throughout the novel. Pacy's family holds their heritage very dear, while embracing American culture as well. Scattered throughout the book are small illustrations that appear as if Pacy drew them herself. This, added to the fact that the book is in Pacy’s voice, makes the novel seem like we’re reading Pacy’s journal throughout the year.

The Year of the Dog is based on Grace Lin’s own family and childhood. In the author’s note, Lin states that she wrote The Year of the Dog because “it was the book I wished I had had when I was growing up” (136). She writes about issues that she had dealt with as a child, many of which are common to Asian-American children, and some that are common to all children, regardless of cultural identity. Issues of Pacy's identity conflict and confusion are laced throughout the novel, along with matters of family life, school projects, and crushes. The Year of the Dog is a great piece of multicultural literature, as Lin wrote it to be a mirror for children who feel the way she did as a child. The book also serves as a window into the culture of Taiwanese-American culture, positively depicting a family who treasures their heritage while incorporating elements of the culture that surrounds them.

My Buddy by Audrey Osofsky

Osofsky, Audrey. My Buddy. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1992.

Set in a contemporary American town, My Buddy takes readers on an eye opening adventure into the life of a boy and his service dog, Buddy. The unnamed main character is a young boy who has muscular dystrophy. The boy is a strong willed and independent minded person who wants nothing more than to be able to do things for himself. Although he is not ashamed of the help he receives from his friends and family, he knows that other people cannot be expected to help him every minute and he has the desire to take his life into his own hands. The boy meets Buddy for the first time at a camp where puppies are trained to become service dogs for people who need them. Buddy was at the top of his class in puppy school and continued his training with the boy at his side. Although the training was difficult and sometimes made the boy feel as if he wanted to give up, he knew that Buddy was worth the hard work and that in the end they would be the perfect pair. The boy and Buddy eventually made it through their training and Buddy became the service dog the boy always knew he could be. At first the other kids in school would point and talk about Buddy as he helped the boy with everyday activities such as retrieving books from high shelves, throwing away trash at lunch and even picking up dropped pencils. After a while the other kids in class stopped looking at Buddy as a pet and began to accept him as worker as the boy’s arms and legs. This courageous story of companionship is emphasized by the wonderful water color illustrations that accompany the text. The illustrations alone could tell the story and they also work to highlight emotions and details that cannot be read from the text alone. Although the text may be advanced for beginning readers, the illustrations are vivid enough to grasp a listener’s attention during a read aloud.

The author of My Buddy, Audrey Osofsky received her inspiration for this book from a young boy in her neighborhood who had muscular dystrophy and his dog. Seeing the interaction between the two friends made her want to learn more. Before beginning the book, Audrey Osofsky interviewed the boy from her neighborhood, his parents and also the North Central regional director for Canine Companions for Independence. Following her interviews she also spent time at her local library researching muscular dystrophy and its effects. Although Audrey Osofsky did not have muscular dystrophy, she is considered an informed, insider author because of her dedication to the research needed to accurately portray the character who had the disability. Audrey Osofsky’s illustrator, Ted Rand was inspired by a newspaper article he read about a boy and his service dog and also researched the topic of muscular dystrophy in order to depict the characters with the utmost accuracy. Along with having a informed, insider author, this book also had an informed, insider illustrator.

The fact that the boy in the story has muscular dystrophy is clearly stated in the beginning pages of the book which allows readers to understand what they are reading about. The boy in the story is not ashamed of his disability but is instead portrayed as confronting his disability in a “matter of fact” way. The book is written from the first person perspective of the boy and there are several times throughout the book that he addresses that he can not do all of the things that other kids without muscular dystrophy can do. He explains how Buddy helps him by carrying out tasks the boy cannot do alone. However, although the boy is portrayed as needing help from his service dog, he is not portrayed as helpless. He is never seen as being upset by his disability nor do his explanations of the way he functions with the help of Buddy leave the reading feeling sorry for him. The book shows living with a disability in a positive light and can be inspirational to those effected the same or similar disability. This book helps readers accept the fact that persons with disabilities can do the things that kids without disabilities can do, but they do them in different ways. The fact that the book points out the “can do’s” and “can not’s” makes My Buddy a positive and accurate representation of a piece of multicultural literature portraying persons with the disability muscular dystrophy.

Reviewed by Shalyne Love

the curious incident of the dog in the night-time

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon is a story about a fifteen year old boy with Asperger’s Syndrome who wants to discover who killed his neighbor’s dog, but ends up finding out about his family during the investigations. The novel is appropriate for teenagers as well as adults. The story, told from the point of view from Christopher Boone, is very informative and gives the reader an idea of what is going on inside of Christopher’s head. The book is a good representation of diverse literature because Christopher and his characteristics of autism are shown in a positive light. The book gives the reader a sense of what it would be like to have autism and the book does not say that there is anything wrong with this. We never feel that Christopher wishes he was someone else, does not like who he is because of his autism. We begin to understand that Christopher is simply different and the book explains why and what Chris struggles with, giving us an interesting perspective on Aspergers. Some things that give us a better sense of what life is like for Christopher who has autism are these. He takes things very literally, which is shown through his observations and thoughts. He says, “This will not be a funny book. I cannot tell jokes because I do not understand them.” He also does not like the colors yellow or brown, which is why he has red food coloring so he does not have to eat food that are these colors. He also does not like people touching him or lying. He hits people and screams when they touch him and while others may not understand why he does this, the reader gets a sense of why he does this because the book is told from his point of view. He does math problems in his head to calm him down and he groans to drown out the noise of others. He cannot understand emotions, facial expressions, or what is going on inside other people’s minds outside of what his teacher has taught him. He can only make sense of the world around him by having things in order, such as time tables for the day, and by making patterns out of things. “Four red cars in a row make it a good day. Four yellow cars in a row makes it a Black Day, which is a day when I don’t speak to anyone and sit on my own reading books and don’t eat my lunch and take no risks.” When he goes to find his mother, he is able to overcome many of his fears, showing that this book does not portray Christopher’s autism to be hopeless or tragic. He is able to grow and change throughout the novel despite his fears. He also ends up being a great detective and the first one in his school to pass his A levels. The author, Mark Haddon, is an insider to this topic. He has worked with people with autism during his lifetime, which is how he became knowledgeable about the topic.
Haddon, Mark. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. New York, New York: Vintage by Random House , 2003.

The Devil's Arithmetic Katie I's Post

The Devil’s Arithmetic begins with Passover Seder in which Hannah is upset she must leave her best friends Easter dinner. On the ride over to her grandparents she tells her mother she had forgotten it was Passover and would rather stay at her friends. Her mother asks her how she could forget something that was so important to their family. This remembering becomes an important them of the story. Once she is at her grandparents they begin the Seder dinner and she begins to tell the reader what her grandparents what they experienced during the Holocaust and how much she is embarrassed by the way her grandfather acts when something triggers his memory. When Hannah opens the door during the Seder to let in the prophet Elijah she is transported to a small village in Poland in 1944. Once in this village she is soon captured to the Nazis and transported to a death camp. Once at this death camp she meets and befriends a young girl Rivka. When Rivka is selected to go to the death chamber Hannah goes in her place and as the gas chamber closes she is transported back to her family right when and where she left them. Hannah can remember both the past and the present and now had a greater understanding for the need to remember the Holocaust.

Yolen, as an insider author has a way of bring the Seder to life without leaving readers who are not Jewish confused. This book also brings in the use of some Yiddish which makes the story more authentic. There are numerous books out today about the holocaust and just as many about children today who have grandparents who survived the holocaust. This book however presents these two stories in completely original way. It shows the reader a connection they could have made but it is done in a thoughtful way. This book shows positive Jewish content in both the past and the present as talked about in the Silver article. This is a new and different way to present the story of the holocaust and an extremely powerful one.

Danielle B's Post

Collier, Bryan. Uptown. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2000.

Uptown, by Bryan Collier, is a story about Harlem, as told through a young boy’s eyes. Throughout the story the boy describes things that are special about Harlem and that all combined, make a special and unique place. He begins by talking about some of the special food, like chicken and waffles. Next he talks about the buildings and the streets and the activities of the weekend. Then the narrator talks about the some of the artistic things that are part of Uptown including the Apollo Theatre, Jazz, and Van Der Zee photographs. Then he talks about the people that live there and their activities. As he talks about each of these, he makes a personal connection to his life and how he relates and sees each of these things. At the end of the book, he says that Uptown is his home. The pictures in the book are collages of pictures, paper, fabric, and other objects such as chocolate bars. These help to demonstrate the authenticity of the book as some of the pictures show real places in the area, or representations of them.

Collier uses pictures and examples from Harlem to make the book very authentic and diverse. Due to the specific places, buildings, streets, and themes that he shows, Collier makes this book a positive representation of the area and all of the special characteristics that it is known for. He displays the culture of the area and the things that are important to the people living in Harlem, something that a resident of the area could easily relate to. African-Americans and those who live in the Uptown area will be able to relate to having visited some of the places, heard some of the jazz, or seen some of the types of people that are demonstrated in the book. Students reading this book will be able to understand that there is a unique culture in this area that many of the people living here are very proud of. The story expresses the narrator’s pride of living in this area. Uptown is a positive representation of African-American culture that makes this a good choice for diverse literature.

Book Review: Arctic Son by Jean Craighead George Paintings by Wendell Minor

George, Jean Craighead. Arctic Son. New York: Hyperion, 1997. 

This is the story of a little boy, who the reader is to assume is not Inuit, named Luke who is born in the arctic and is given the Eskimo name, Kupaaq, by an Inuit man who is friend of Luke's parents when he is born. This man mentors Luke as he grows up and teaches him about the Inuit language, traditions, and culture. As Luke learns about the Inuit culture and the land of the arctic, the reader learns along with him. From the northern lights to dog sledding, ice fishing and whale hunting and celebrations Luke learns about the traditions of the people of his home. As Luke grows up we hardly realize that he is not Inuit himself because he is such a part of the culture. The story has a strong focus on nature and animals as well as Inuit traditions. The character of Luke is inspired by the author's grandson. The message sent to readers here is that understanding and appreciation of a culture is something that all people of all backgrounds can be a part of. 

While both the author and the illustrator are outsiders, Jean Craighead George and Wendell Minor both flew to Barrow, Alaska to research for this book. They traveled by dog sled, searched for whales, and visited a man named Aalak, an Inuit village leader who is featured in this book and is the same man who gave the Eskimo name Kupaaq to her grandson Luke. This book is definitely a quality piece of diverse literature in that it covers so many different aspects of Inuit people both historically and currently as well as the arctic itself. It discusses everything from climate to patterns of the sun to animals, language, geographic location, names, landscape, traditions, hunting, nature, celebrations, and a reference to the practices and traditions of "old Eskimos". The Inuit language is integrated very well into the text without using double talk or over explaining the meaning of the words. Instead hints are given in the text around the word to help readers understand the meaning. The author also uses analogies and expressions such as "like a lost caribou calf" or "not more than a polar bear's trot away" that incorporate elements that most students would be unfamiliar with but would be able to connect to. 

At first I found it disappointing that the main character of this story was not Eskimo. In fact the only Eskimo person we meet is Aalak who we don't learn much about. We learn about the Inuit people through the view of Luke, an outsider. However, after consideration I felt that the fact that the main character is an outsider who is learning to assimilate to another culture is positive for students to connect to. It demonstrates that it is possible to know, understand, and respect more than one culture and set of traditions. Additionally, this book incorporated ideas from both current and "old" Inuit people. For example, the people in the illustrations are wearing fur lined parkas and boots but some are wearing sunglasses. Luke lives in a house with electricity and a pickup truck in the driveway and a dogsled in the back yard. Luke celebrates Nalukataq, the celebration to honor the whale after a kill where they danced Eskimo dances and sang Inupiat songs. Luke learns that in the arctic people have two names, an Eskimo one and an English one. This combination of cultures allows more students to connect personally with the text and promotes understanding of people whose backgrounds are a combination of more than one culture, language, and set of traditions. 

Lastly, I believe that this book is a quality piece of diverse literature because there is an emphasis on themes that play an important part in the culture of Inuit people. These themes include appreciation of nature and animals as well as learning from and respecting elders. From age three Kupaaq, or Luke, is walking with Aalak learning about the sky, the northern lights, and the north star. He learns to drive a dogsled and how to ice fish. He learns about the polar bears and their habits and the dangers related to them. During the whale hunt Luke learns to respect and honor the whale. No part of the whale is wasted or sold. The whale is apologized to for being killed and thanked for giving life. Luke learns the valuable lesson that describes Inuit values: "All nature shares, and we are nature". 

Mirandy and Brother Wind

Title: Mirandy and Brother Wind

Author: Patricia C. McKissack

Illustrator: Jerry Pinkney

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc

Date of Publication: 1988

This is the story of a young girl, Mirandy, and her quest to win the local cakewalk.  She knows the best chance she has for winning is if she can catch Brother Wind.  With Brother Wind as her partner no one stands a chance against her.  Mirandy is full of life and energy. She attempts to catch the wind in various ways, each time she turns up unsuccessful she keeps up her determination and spirit to try again.  The illustrations are full of color, detail and the spirit of the text.  All of the illustrations are full page and follow the content of the text.

This book is a great piece of multicultural literature.  The history of how the cakewalk came to be is included in the author’s note at the forefront of the book.  The dialect in the text is very authentic and gives the reader a feel for the time and location in which this story takes place.  African American culture is represented through the tradition of dance and the use of language.  Children will be able to relate to this story by connecting modern day cakewalks to the history of the dance.  With the use of AAL the author provides a connection for those students who speak AAL or have a family member that does.  

Book Review: Jingle Dancer

Smith, Cynthia. Jingle Dancer. New York: Morrow Junior Books, 2000

Jingle Dancer, written by Cynthia Leitich Smith is a great book written for children. It gives the story of a young Muscogee-Ojibway girl who wants to participate in a powwow by performing a jingle dance like her grandmother once did. In order to do this dance, she must collect enough jingles to make rows on her dress. Jenna goes to different members of her family in order to collect enough jingles for the dress. Jenna’s grandma helps her put the dress together and practice the dance. When Jenna finally performs the dance she is very proud to represent different members of her family and do a wonderful dance.

This book is free of the stereotypes that are sometimes associated with Native Americans. Jenna watches a dance on a video, visits a friend in a duplex and visits her aunt who is a lawyer. The clothing is all contemporary as well as the neighborhood which Jenna and her relatives live in. Jenna is seen as a modern girl living in a modern home. She is not depicted as a Native American who lives in a teepee and wears feathers, which is how many Native Americans are depicted in literature. This book has wonderful illustrations which seem to focus a great deal on Jenna and her family. She looks very happy in all of the illustrations and Native Americans are seen in a very positive light. Jenna’s aunt and grandmother are seen as very modern as well. It is not until the end of the book where we see Jenna dressed in her jingle dress, dancing at the regalia. This goes to show how Jenna’s life is just like anyone else’s. Jingle Dancer teaches the reader about Native American customs as well as traditions of the culture.

The author of this book, Cynthia Leitich Smith is a mixed-blood member of the Muscogee Creek Nation. At the end of the book there is an authors note and glossary. These are two wonderful things to include in a book like this one. Many times readers don’t understand words or traditions and it’s helpful to have a further explanation. Jingle Dancer is Cynthia Leitich Smith’s first book and what a wonderful job she did with it. This book could easily be read by any audience.

Book Review: Sami and the Time of the Trouble

Heide, Florence, and Gilliland, Judith. Sami and the Time of the Troubles. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1992.

Sami and the Time of the Troubles tells the story of a ten year old Lebanese boy named Sami who is living in “the time of the troubles” in Beirut, Lebanon. The book is written by Parry Heide and insider author Judith Heide Gilliland who lived in the Middle East and has a master’s degree in Near Eastern languages and literature. This story does an excellent job of depicting what life was like during the time of the Lebanese Civil War which lasted from 1975-1990.
Sami along with his mother, sister and grandfather hides in the basement of his uncle’s house, sometimes for days or weeks at a time when it is not safe to be outside due to “guns and bombs.” On quiet days, or days with no fighting, people can go about their normal lives of work, school and going to the market. On the days when it is not quiet, the family hides in the basement and the reader experiences both the physical and emotional terrors that people of all ages go through in wartime. Sami’s grandfather tells stories of how it used to be peaceful, and how there was not always fighting. The grandfather also tells about the day the children marched in the streets to protest the fighting, and at the end of the story Sami is left with the feeling that if the children march in the streets again, it might help the fighting to stop. At the end of the story the family listens to the radio once again on a bad night, reminding the reader of the harsh reality of the war.
The full bleed illustrations in the novel do an excellent job of complementing the text and telling Sami’s story. On the days with no fighting, the illustrations are bright and uplifting, whereas on the days when there is fighting, the illustrations are set on a black background and are very somber. The illustrations also do an excellent job of giving the reader a glimpse into the Arab culture through the small details. For example, the small illustrations of food in the background show traditional Arabic dishes and the buildings show the same kind of architecture that you would actually see in Beirut. Also, some of the characters are dressed in a way that many Christians would dress in the Middle East, and some are dressed in a way that many Muslims would dress, which depicts an accurate description of the cultural differences within this part of the world.
I found this to be a great piece of diverse literature. Although it is about wartime and includes the fact that there is fighting in the Middle East, it does so in a way that represents Arabs positively. The common thought that there is always fighting in the Middle East can lead to many stereotypes about Arab people, but this story tells about how there was not always fighting, which can help to break stereotypes. The story shows a loving family who wants to see the fighting stop, and disregards any religious or political ideas that could easily be misconstrued though literature. I found the focus of this story to be on the harsh reality of war, and how the human spirit, no matter what age, can be affected by it.

To go along with my review, I thought I would add some personal insight into this story. After reading this story, I thought that it was a historically correct representation of what people went through during the Lebanese Civil War. To confirm this, I called my cousin and read him the story to get his personal take on what he thought about it. The text does not actually say anything about Lebanon, or when the story takes place except for in “the time of the troubles.” However, the copyright page informs the reader that this story takes place in Lebanon during the Civil War. My cousin, now 29, grew up just north of Beirut in the middle of the war. He said that his experiences were very similar to those of Sami. This confirmed to me that the text is accurate and represents a true depiction of many Arab people. He said that there were times when they would be in hiding for days at a time and come out to find buildings destroyed and lives lost. However, like the story says, on the quiet days people did go about life as “normally” as they could. The story is also historically correct in the context of the grandfather who says that life was peaceful before the times of the troubles. Someone old enough to remember life before 1975 in Lebanon would remember very peaceful times in a beautiful country. The experiences and emotions of the fictional character Sami are very typical of the real life experiences of many people Arab people, and this story would be a great one to discuss with students!

My Colors, My World/ Mis Colores, Mi Mundo

By: Kelly Mason

Gonzalez, Maya. My Colors, My World/ Mis Colores, Mi Mundo San Francisco: Children's Book Press, 2007.

My Colors, My World/ Mis Colores, Mi Mundo is the story of a girl named Maya in her search to find colors in the world around her. Maya takes you through her world as she searches and finds colors everywhere. For example, she finds a green cactus that is next to her house and went swinging on her red swing. Through Maya the reader is taken on a search of vibrant colors and challenges the reader to see what colors surround them.
The main themes of this book focus on learning bilingual colors and appreciating the world around you. This book encourages readers to look around and see what beautiful colors you can find. The author in the back of the book encourages read to look inside as well as outside for beauty and vibrant colors. Maya wrote and illustrated this text displaying her use of colors to display the beautiful world as she sees it.

Maya Gonzalez set this book up using half Spanish and half English. The text is written in English on one page and the following page is in Spanish. The focus of this text is on the colors. The colors are highlighted and colored in the text for both English and Spanish. This allows the reader to easily see the English word for a color and the Spanish word. In addition, there is a bilingual color glossary in the back of the text.

Book Review: Cory Stories

Post by: Jennifer Metz

Kraus, Jeanne. Cory Stories, A Kid’s Book About Living with ADHD. Washington, D.C.: Magination Press, 2005.

Cory Stories is about a young boy named Cory who struggles with ADHD. It wasn’t until he met with a doctor who diagnosed him with ADHD when he realized why he was feeling and behaving the way he was. Then with the help of the medications, the “talking doctor” and especially the help from his parents, Cory’s life becomes not so complicated and made a turn for the best.

Jeanne Kraus is an insider to disabilities because not only does her son have ADHD (who inspired her to write this book) but she is an educational specialist with expertise in ADHD. She is a frequent speaker at conferences and workshops where she discusses topics such as organizational and study skills, parenting and classroom management tips. Her goal is to make people more aware of ADHD and how to become familiar with ways to coop with the disability. Cory Stories provides an insider look at the life of a child with ADHD, Cory being Jeanne’s son. She writes about accurate first hand experiences she sees her son going through on an everyday basis. The only some-what negative aspect of this book is that Jeanne Kraus makes generalizations throughout her book as she is explaining some of the experiences her son faces that may not be true for all people with ADHD. For example, she writes, “I have trouble making friends” and “writing neatly is impossible. My pencil doesn’t work right.” These instances may be true for her son but not necessarily for all people with AHDH which is why these are generalizations.

Cory Stories is a great representation of a diverse piece of children’s literature because it turns all of the negative characteristics that a person with ADHD can face into positive characteristics. It proves to the reader that with not only the help of medications, but with the help of a psychiatrist and most importantly with the help from parents, a child with ADHD can look at their life in a positive way. Kraus avoided uses stereotypes throughout this book but instead described accurate examples of behaviors and feelings a child with ADHD can experience. This story shows that Cory can still do normal everyday things like making friends, doing homework, paying attention in school, etc. without his ADHD getting in the way.

Eagle Song

By: Joseph Bruchac

Bruchac, Joseph. Eagle Song. Dial Books for Young Readers. New York, 1997.

This book tells the story of a young Native American boy, Daniel Bigtree. Daniel and his family moved to Brooklyn from their Indian reservation. They have been living in Brooklyn for two months and Daniel is having trouble making friends because people aren’t treating him fairly at school. He is being bullied because he is Native American. This is an obstacle for Daniel to face. He not only had to move from his comfortable life on the Indian reservation, he is being alienated by his peers. Daniel’s dad, Richard Bigtree, works a lot and is not able to spend a lot of time with his family. When Daniel does have the time to be with his dad, he tells his dad the problems that he is facing at school. Richard Bigtree suggests to Daniel that he come into his classroom and talk with his classmates about their heritage and how important it is to them. Richard hopes that this will show the students that it is important to embrace different cultures and heritages. However, it took some time for the students to accept Daniel. One of Daniel’s bullies, Tyrone, threw a basketball at his face while everyone was outside for recess. This took Daniel by surprise because he thought it was going to be better for him at school. After the incident happened, Tyrone apologized to Daniel and said that it was an accident. Daniel told him that he wanted to not be enemies and make peace between the two of them. Tyrone agreed and they set aside their differences.

This book was very interesting and engaging. The author has written many other books, all written very well. The issues that the author addressed in this book would be helpful to address in a classroom because many children would be able to relate to Daniel’s problems. The issue of Daniel feeling alienated from his peers is very relatable by students. They are able to see that it is not just them that suffer from this certain problem. It also lets the student have a personal connection to the character in the book, and when this happens it makes reading much more engaging. The text does a great job at informing the reader of Native American culture and heritage and how unique it is. This book would be a good to read to a class during a social studies unit on Native Americans because it tells the story of Aionwahta. This is a great story to read because it gives background information about the start of the Iroquois Indians. Another aspect of the book that was great was the sporadic use of Native American language. This is interesting for the reader because it lets them step into the world of Native Americans. There was a glossary and pronunciation guide in the back of the book for the reader to look up the words and see how they are supposed to be pronounced.

Keeping Up With Roo by Sharlee Glenn

Glen, Sharlee. Keeping Up With Roo: G.P Putnam’s Sons, 2004.

Keeping Up With Roo is a children’s book about a young girl, Gracie, and her best friend and developmentally disabled aunt “Roo.” The two always have fun together, especially when they play school on the farm and teach one another different things. Even though Roo is a grown-up, she has the mind and heart of a child. However, things between them change once Gracie starts school. Now it is difficult for Gracie to find time for Roo because she made new friends and takes piano lessons. She also does not want to play with Roo anymore because she has grown older and recognizes Roo as someone who is “different.” Therefore, she is embarrassed of her. Later on in the story, Gracie accepts her aunt after realizing all Roo has added to her life.

Even though this story never mentions specifically that Roo has a mental disability, I believe that this book still has a very positive portrayal of people with disabilities. First of all, the author of this book, Sharlee Glen, is an insider who based her story on her own experiences. She also grew up on a farm, but had twin aunts, Martha and Mildred, who were both mentally challenged. Just like the story, Sharlee was taught how to read by Martha and still remembers playing school with her. Since Sharlee has a lot of experience with family members who are disabled, she better understands their emotions, actions, and physical appearances.

With this, the illustrations were also very accurate. The illustrations show how Roo’s face may look a little different from the other characters, but Roo is also able to accomplish many other everyday activities, just like anyone else. The illustrations clearly show how much fun Gracie and Roo have together, as well as learning from each other even when things get hard. There is a picture of them on the ground laughing then playing school where Roo is the teacher and Gracie is sitting down on a bucket like a listening student would. Since I have also been lucky enough to have people with disabilities be a part of my life (my sister who is mentally and physically handicap, and children I have worked with who have a variety of disabilities), I do not see any misconceptions of Roo through the illustrations. I think that because the disability was never mentioned in the book, it allows more freedom for teachers or parents to educate their students or children about different disabilities without focusing on one specific one, since that could cause controversy in the future.

The text in this book also displays different aspects about people with disabilities in a positive way. For instance the story says, “When Gracie was a baby, Roo was the only one who could calm her when she got into a crying fit” (2). Another positive description of someone with disabilities is how Roo taught Gracie how to count to eight as well as the ABC’s (10). In both of these examples, the author shows how Roo can be an adult role model to a child, even with her disabilities. Even when Gracie no longer wants to play with Roo because of the way she looks and acts in front of her friend, the author never states this specifically. The reader can tell by the illustrations and text. This allows the reader to make his or her own realizations that Gracie is embarrassed by the disability that Roo has. Even though this was an upsetting part in the story, readers can learn that no matter who your friends are, there can be times of distance or hardship. In the end, friendships continue to grow because of the mistakes that are learned.

This book also received the Dolly Gray Award for Children’s Literature in Developmental Disabilities. This award recognizes authors, illustrators, and publishers of high quality fictional children’s book that appropriately portray individuals with disabilities (Special Needs Project). This accomplishment is recognized in an article I found at Desert News.

Review from the Desert News

Hancock, Laura. “Disabled aunts were author’s inspiration.” Published 3/17/2007.

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In this article, Laura Hancock suggests how Keeping Up With Roo is a positive portrayal of people with disabilities based on the award winning author, the author’s background, and reviews from professionals. Hancock begins by explaining how the author was inspired to write this book based on her happy childhood with her two aunts who were mentally disabled. Because of her real experiences with people with disabilities, she received an award by the Council for Exceptional Children's Division on Developmental Disabilities. The Dolly Award that I previously mentioned was given to the author because of its positive yet realistic portrayals of individuals with disabilities. Hancock then goes on with her review by summarizing the story about Gracie and Roo’s friendship, and the acceptance of Roo’s disability at the end. Furthermore, the message of the story is critiqued by Tina Dyches, a Brigham Young University education professor and chairman of the Dolly Gray Children’s Literature Award committee. (Note: she said this upcoming statement without knowing the Dolly Gray Award was already given to the author). Dyches states, "I would say the message is everyone has something to contribute. People with disabilities don't always have to be the recipients of care, but they have something to offer as well." Therefore, when other people can see similarities between themselves and disabled people, they are no longer seen as “different,” but as someone they can relate to. One of my questions that I previously mentioned in my argument was also answered in this article- why did the author never mention the disability in the story? The article states that, “Glenn chose not to use words in the story such as ‘developmentally disabled’ to describe Roo, hoping that the illustrations would explain it” (Hancock). The author also explained that when she was a child, her aunts’ disability was not clear. She did become aware of the differences as she continued to grow, and was then embarrassed as Gracie was. I would then say again, that the illustration of Roo was an excellent interpretation of someone with a disability by being realistic and authentic. On a last note, “We do a disservice to children if we condescend, patronize and spell everything out,” Sharlee Glenn, author of Keeping Up With Roo.

Esperanza Rising

Ryan, Pam Munoz. Esperanza Rising. New York: Scholastic. 2000.



Esperanza Rising is the story of 13-year-old Esperanza Ortega. She is the daughter of a wealthy family in Mexico and is accustomed to being spoiled by servants and family. Suddenly her father is killed and her home is burned. She and her mother and a few close servants escape to California to a Mexican farm labor camp. Esperanza struggles with her adjustment to a new life of poverty and hard work. She must cope with her mother falling ill and other workers threatening to strike and how that affects their lives.
Ryan takes the experiences of her maternal grandmother and weaves them creatively into a beautiful story of a girl developing into a young woman. She won the Pura Belpré award for narrative fiction in 2002.
Esperanza is forced to change from a dependant child into a young woman who focuses on the needs of her and her family. Readers get an accurate portrayal of life first as a privileged child in Mexico and second as a poor laborer in California during the depression. Ryan incorporates Spanish language throughout her novel for the English reader to acquire knowledge. In addition she authored a Spanish version of the novel.

Book Review: Don't Call Me Special

Thomas, Pat. “Don’t Call Me Special: A First Look at Disability.” China: Barron’s. 2000.

This book discusses the differences children with disabilities face, but how they are still capable of accomplishing the same tasks as others. This book expresses how labeling students with mental or physical impairments as being “special” is outdated and not right. It discusses ways in which people with impairments adapt their lives to have long fulfilling lives just like you and me.

I personally felt this was an excellent book. It was simple in its explanations, but informative enough to where young readers are able to understand knowing that calling a person with a mental or physical impairment ‘special’ is creating a barrier that makes them seem so much more different than 'normal' people. The book ends with a positive message that reads, “We all need to work and play together. And with a little extra help, children with disabilities can learn and grow and do the things they want to – just like everybody else” (27).

Another great thing about this book is that it provides some ways to use this book (found at the end of the book). It portrays different scenarios that can make the book more helpful for students. There is a glossary also found at the end of the book as well as further resources to use to inform students about disabilities.

I would definitely use this book in my classroom because it helps students understand how everyone is different and that does not mean that they should be treated differently by being labeled ‘special.’ Everybody has their own strengths and weaknesses and this book emphasizes this point very well. I feel this book would be beneficial to read to the students to help them see this point… that everyone is valuable and important.

Book Review: "The Chanukkah Guest" by Eric A. Kimmel

Book Review: "The Chanukkah Guest" by Eric A. Kimmel
Kimmel, Eric A. The Chanukkah Guest. New York: Scholastic Inc. 1988.

This cheery book is about an old woman, Bubba Brayna, who lives in the woods is cooking for Chanukkah and all the guests that are coming over including the Rabbi. Her cooking, including latkes, enticed a bear's sense of smell so he headed towards her house. Bubba Brayna, however, doesn't have a very good ability to hear or see so when the bear shows up to her house she just assumes the bear is the Rabbi and is a bit early. Every time she talked to the "Rabbi" the bear would respond with a grunt, but since she can't hear very well she heard real words. They light the menorah together, play Chanukkah games, and eat all the latkes. After this the bear gets sleepy and Bubba gives him a scarf and sends him on his way wishing him a Happy Chanukkah! A few moments later all the guests show up and the real Rabbi, Bubba is very surprised and told everyone there were no more latkes because the Rabbi ate them all. They explained that it couldn't have been him because he was at the synagogue with the rest. The guests saw all the bear paw prints and figured out what really happened. They had a good laugh and helped Bubba Brayna make more potato latkes!

I though this story was very cute and funny! "The Chanukkah Guest" is a great book and great representative of Jewish literature. It was very authentic and within the text it talked about the certain things that Jewish people take part in during the Chanukkah holiday. Eric Kimmel is an insider author and wrote a great and informative picture book. I think he fit a lot of knowledge withing his pages of work. I also really liked that in the front of the book he included a small glossary of terms that he used in the book to help outsiders understand what he was writing about and what the characters were taking part in. I thought that Bubba Brayna was a very warm and loving character that helped convey the message that everyone deserves a nice Chanukkah!

The Realm of Possiblity by David Levithan

Sometimes books stand out from the crowd; this book seems to be on a new level. Not many teen novels today are written in prose, poems, and songs. This book appeals differently in that not all students will enjoy it, to teach it in a class it might be easier to treat the novel like short stories and not cover the whole book. AS a personal read this book is introspective, and at the same time inter-spective giving a great glimpse into the way another teen looks at the world. This book follows multiple characters by giving a glimpse of their thoughts, feelings, and hearing a story or two that they have to tell. This novel not only is a great tool for getting more student interested in poetry but also for reaching out to students who don’t always seem to connect to traditional poetry but have a lot of potential of their own. The stories I found to be very realistic and cover a lot of issues that teens do face today from relationships, to peer pressure, teasing, bullying, and eating disorders. A book that confronts these issues head on like this becomes a great mirror and window for students to look at themselves and their peers. As a teacher or mentor or friend providing a student who faces one of these issues with this book could provide them a bridge to start dealing with their own problems.
Embedded in all of the social issues are the blurred gender roles in relationships that exist for teens in all relationships but also we see examples of boys with girls, boys with boys, and girls with crushes on the girl the boy got. Showing the spectrum of sexuality in this way matches the progressive view that a lot of people are taking today in knowing that people cannot always fit in one category or another and with the stepping forward and bravery people have had in the LBGTQ community it has allowed all people to recognize their preferences. Scientists and researchers realize that not all people will always pick men over women or have completely equal feelings for both, these stories showed that ambiguity. For a person, especially a teen facing their adulthood, pressures, and sexuality all while balancing school and family and friends this novel can really feel real. The novel never seems to make race a specific story focus but it can be seen through a diversity of names (not everyone is Jane Smith) and personalities lends to students picturing the characters however they best relate to them.
This book would be a great addition to libraries and recommended reading lists for all teens, no matter their gender or sexual desires. The realism of the subjects and the amount of LBGTQ content would make this book controversial to many people. I feel it is important to understand that many parents would worry that such content could “suggest” negative ideas to the students. I find its equally important to point out that aware of it or not many things go on in high schools across the country that are not perfect and parent friendly, if a book can show kids that it relates to that on a real level they can actually find their own issues on that same real level. All of this diversity, artistic beauty, uniqueness, and realism make this an excellent addition to diverse library collections.

Levithan, David. The Realm of Possiblity. New York city: Alfred A. Knopf, 2004.

Book Review: The Sissy Duckling

The book Sissy Duckling by Harvey Fierstein is a story about a boy duckling that is considered ‘special’ by all the other ducklings. He enjoys doing more stereotypical feminine things such as cooking, doing puppet shows, being the halftime show entertainment, and wearing things that are the color pink. The other ducklings, including his own father, call him a sissy and are embarrassed by his lifestyle. Elmer, the special duckling, is described as being the only boy duckling who didn’t like to do anything like the other boy ducklings. Elmer runs away from home to be by himself. Through many obstacles, he ends up realizing that he is just like the other ducklings and will always remain special.

Fierstein, Harvey. The Sissy Duckling. New York: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division, 2002.

This book may relate to families that have a hard time accepting a person who is gay or has feminine tendencies. Elmer stands for what he believes in and does not let anyone make him think different. Even if his own father does not accept him, he still remains ‘special’. The book uses the words ‘special’ and ‘sissy’, which may influence the children reading it to use these words when encountering people that are homosexual. These terms can be very offensive to a gay person.

The illustrations in the book are cartoon-like, but are colorful and help children interpret and understand the story better. There is one picture where the decorations in his room are more feminine. The pictures included females and flowers. This picture could make the readers form a stereotype of what gay people might like. This diverse piece of literature has some stereotypical references, but would also allow readers to better understand how gay people may feel.

Latin American Childeren's Literature- Book Review: Mice and Beans by Pam Munoz Ryan

Ryan, Pam Munoz. Illustrated by Joe Cepeda. Mice and Beans. New York: Scholastic Press, 2001.

The children's book, Mice and Beans by Pam Munoz Ryan is about an elderly lady with a big heart named Rosa Maria. The story begins with Rosa Maria planning a party for her granddaughter's birthday celebration. Rosa Maria has a small house and a large family but was not concerned about them all fitting because she believed something her mother used to say, "When there's room in the heart, there's room in the house, EXCEPT for a mouse." She has one week before the party will take place and each day leading up to the party Rosa Maria does something different to prepare for it. Rosa Maria also sets a mouse trap each night before she goes to bed to prevent her home from getting mice. However, the next day something she needs to prepare for the party is missing and the mouse trap is gone. Rosa Maria dismisses the missing items and says they are not important. She thinks that she forgot to put the mouse trap out due to her old age. She then sets a new mouse trap and goes to bed. Items and the mouse traps go missing every day for the rest of the week. Finally, on the day of the party, the pinata that Rosa Maria bought for her grandchildren was hanging up and about to be swung at. Rosa Maria suddenly realized that she forgot to fill it with candy. However, by the time she tried to say something it was too late. The pinata had been swung at and it cracked open. Much to Rosa Maria's surprise, candy fell out of the pinata! This seemed mysterious and odd to her but she was pleased it made her granddaughter so happy. After the party ended Rosa Maria noticed a mess in the cupboard and realized that she must indeed have mice. She wondered if perhaps they were the cause for the missing things as well as the helpful hands who filled the pinata. She suddenly realized that she had her mothers saying wrong this whole time. She remembered that it actually was, "When there's room in the heart, there's room in the house, EVEN for a mouse." Rosa Maria was grateful for the helpful mice and never set a mouse trap again.

This book is written by an insider author and is an excellent piece of Latin American multicultural literature for children. Ryan's inspiration for this book was based off of her own memories of her aunts, uncles, parents, siblings, and 23 first cousins all being packed into her grandmothers small house. Food common to Mexican American culture is represented in the story such as enchiladas, rice, and beans. Other food that is not specific to this culture is also mentioned adding to the story the realistic idea that Mexican Americans eat food that is not only specific to their culture. Ryan portrays a large close-knit family in this story that is accurate to her own experiences as well as is something that is commonly valued in the culture. Spanish words are mixed in with the English text throughout the story. Sometimes the meaning of the word is given. For instance when Rosa Maria realizes she forgot something she says, "Que boba soy! Silly me, I must have forgotten." This clearly allows readers to see that "que boba soy" means "silly me" in English, however it does not take away from the flow of the text. Some words are introduced one time and then repeated without explanation. This does not make the text difficult to read but instead adds to the authentic portrayal of the culture. The added Spanish words also gives the sense that although living in America, the traditional language of the culture is still valued. The illustrations are also done by an insider to this culture. Joe Cepeda creates lively and colorful illustrations. He portrays the characters positively by making them look happy and healthy. The pictures of the food and the many photos of various family members on the wall add to the books authentic portrayal of the culture.

Book Review- Barrio: Jose’s Neighborhood

Ancona, George. Barrio: Jose’s Neighborhood. New York: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1998

The first book I read is called Barrio: Jose’s Neighborhood. Jose is a young boy living in a Latino neighborhood in San Francisco. The neighborhood is full of immigrants from Mexico and they refer to their neighborhood as El barrio. The text discusses Jose’s everyday life and the customs and traditions that live on in his neighborhood. This book gives children an insight on neighborhoods that are, perhaps, quite different from theirs. They learn about Jose’s family and his school routine. They learn about his town and the food that the Latino people eat. It is a picture book full of real pictures and real insight into a Latino community. The author of this text followed Jose around in order to write his story and he is a resident of Santa Fe, New Mexico. I believe that this is a very beneficial book to share with children because it narrates the everyday life of a boy living in a Latino community.

The House on Mango Street Review

Book Information: Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. New York: Vintage Books, 1984.

This book was inspired from different childhood experiences that was made visible to Cisneros through one of her graduate classes that she took. She was told to write about the house that she grew up in. She thought to herself, and realized that she has never lived in a house. Her family never really owned a house or stayed in one for too long. This is the inspiration of the book. Sandra realized that most people in her class were white, middle-upper class people who all had a childhood house that they grew up in. Cisneros did not, and so is the inspiration for the book, which is a unique form of vignettes in which the book can be seen as a mix of short, progressive stories, poetic nuances, and intense imagery. Each short story can be viewed as a larger "chapter" in this book which each have poetic literary qualities.

The House on Mango Street is about a young girl named Esperanza, who lives in a worn-down red house on Mango Street. Each story tells about something particular in Esperanza's life, and all of these short stories, or chapters, are put together gives the reader a sense of Esperanza's identity. Throughout the book Esperanza's friends, family, and neighbors wander in and out of her stories; through them all Esperanza sees, learns, loves, and dreams of the house she will someday have, her own house, not on Mango Street. At the same time, she grows up and starts to leave her childhood, while learning about the fears and dangers of the world she never knew of before. Becoming an adult turns out to be a hard challenge. The first vignette called "House On Mango Street" is meant to describe the setting. The second "Hairs" describes the looks and characteristics of the characters. The third called "Boys and Girls" tells the difference between genders, which is important because the story deals with men and women. The following vignette called "My Name" paints the image of self and the feelings of hope and the future. This format follows throughout the book. Therefore, these vignettes are not mere collections of random thoughts and uneducated language, but a poetic story with a well drawn setting, characterization, and tone.

My particular favorite vignette, which conveniently describes Esperanza's situation, is Four Skinny Trees. In this vignette, Esperanza describes four trees that were planted despite the conditions. The trees beat all odds as they grow down through the soil, and become rooted to where they are from, while at the same time growing up to the sky, where literally the sky is the limit. This observation of Esperanza inspires her, "When I am too sad and too skinny to keep keeping, when I am a tiny thing against so many bricks, than it is I look at trees. When there is nothing left to look at on this street. Four who grew despite concrete. Four who reach and do not forget to reach. Four whose only reason is to be and be" (75). I think the trees serve as a metaphor for Esperanza in the fact that despite how much Esperanza wants to grow up and have a house of her own, she knows that her past will always be with her and a part of her. By the end of the book, Esperanza realizes that her dreams are hard, but possible, and that rather than shun and despise her roots and where she is from, to embrace it and make it a part of herself.

Sandra Cisneros is an insider author.

A Mango-Shaped Space

Mass, Wendy. A Mango-Shaped Space. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2003.

“A Mango-Shaped Space”. Wendy Mass. 2008. Wendy Mass. 14 April 2008.

A Mango-Shaped Space vividly depicts a young girl dealing with Synesthesia. Synesthesia is a disorder in which ones cognitive pathway crosses with the other and leads to involuntary responses. Mia is diagnosed with the most common type called color Synesthesia. Mia sees letters, numbers, and names in specific colors. At the beginning of the novel she keeps these visions to herself, unaware that there is a term for her disability. Mia was worried after prior events in elementary school that she would have been made fun of and called a “freak” if someone discovered that she saw different colors (Mass). Mia’s cat named Mango is where the title of the book comes from. Although her cat was grey, the sounds he made were mango colored.

This novel not only educates students on synesthesia but also on being true to ones self. Once Mia puts trust in her family, and talks about the colors she’s been experiencing, she was able to get help and support from those around her. Children are able to relate to this book in many ways. Mia suffers two losses throughout the book, as well as troubles with family and friends. At one point of the novel a tragic event results in Mia losing her color. This novel also helps those out who are dealing with this disability and unaware they have Synestheisa.

A Mango-Shaped Space received numerous amounts of awards. The novel won the Schneider Family Book Award from the American Library Association in 2004. The book was also awarded the 2005 Great Lakes Great Book Award as well as named one of the top 40 Young Adult novels in 2004 by the Pennsylvania School Librarian Association. Wendy Mass does not have synesthsia however in order to have a more “insider” perspective she went to great lengths to research the subject. For months Mass interviewed Synesthetes as well as many researchers from the American Synesthesia Association. She was also in an international correspondence group for researchers and Synesthetes. Mass would read what the group members wrote and compare the differences in their stories. The author also made sure to diagnose her main character with the most common form of Synesthesia. This way, the book was more authentic because Mia’s diagnosis was considered to be more realistic (“A Mango”).