Mansa Musa by Khephra Burns. Ages 10 and up. I found some of the parts in this book confusing and at times got names of people are places mixed up. The book was long for a picture book and would work best as an independent read. The character Kankan gets taken from his home and travels on a long journey of self discovery to figure out who he is. The reader follows Kankan in his journey through the desert until he eventually finds his way home and shares his discoveries with his people.
Home Now by Lesley Beake. Ages 4 and up. A young African girl loses her mother and father due to sickness. Sieta learns to adjust to her new life with her aunt by forming a bond with an orphan elephant at the elephant park. I think that this book is good for a child who may be coping with the loss of a family member. Sieta realizes that she is not the only one who has lost parents because the elephant has as well.
Halmoni's Day by Edna Coe Bercaw. Ages 5 and up. Jennifer's grandmother, Halmoni visits her in America from Korea. Halmoni attends Jennifer's school for Grandparents Day. Jennifer is worried about what story Halmoni might share with the class because she doesn't speak any English and the other students' grandparents are from America. Halmoni tells a heartwarming story of her life in Korea with Jennifer's mother translating. The students are entranced by Halmoni's story and Jennifer is proud to have her as her grandmother. The pictures in this book were very life like and kept me absorbed in the story.
The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco. Ages 4 and up. This story is about the traditions of a Jewish family that came to America from Russia. The narrator is the author telling her own life and her memories of a quilt that has been passed on from generation to generation in her family. I like how the author talked about how family traditions changed some as a new generation came along. However, the use of the quilt as a blanket, tablecloth or a "huppa" to get married under remained the same as it was passed along from one family member to the next.
The Stars in my Geddoh's Sky by Claire Sidhom Matze. Ages 4 and up. Alex's "geddoh" which means grandfather in Arabic, comes to visit him in America. Alex learns about his grandfather's life in Arabia and the culture that his grandfather is used to. Alex teaches his grandfather how to play baseball with him and how to speak some English. I think that this book could be used in an Elementary class to discuss different cultures and the differences between them.
Love as Strong as Ginger by Lenore Look. Ages 4 and up. This story looks at Katie's grandmothers life working at a cannery cracking crabs. Katie goes to the cannery with her grandmother and realizes how demanding the job is. Cracking crabs was the only job her grandmother could get because she didn't speak English. Katie's grandmother is Chinese. This book looks at the hardship of her grandmother working just to make a small amount of money and the conditions she has to work in.
Peacebound Trains by Haemi Balgassi. Ages 8 and up. The pictures in this book are very bold and life like making you feel as if you are in the story with the characters. The scenes with snow or water shows it blowing around giving the reader a glimpse of what it must have felt like to be enduring the conditions that the characters faced. I felt that the ending to this story was sad because Sumi is sitting with her grandmother or "harmuny" in Korean waiting and wondering if her mother is going to come back from the army to her.
Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say. Ages 4 and up. The author narrators the story of his own grandfather's life and journey back and forth from Japan to California. I thought that the story was sad because the author like his grandfather found himself homesick for either Japan or California when he was staying at the opposite place. It seemed as if him and his grandfather were lost and torn between being able to be content in one place. The pictures in this story show a beautiful depiction of the author's travels.
Mrs. Katz and Tush by Patricia Polacco. Ages 4 and up. This book shows the true meaning of friendship between a black boy and an old Jewish woman. Larnel visits Mrs. Katz often and keeps her company since her husband past away. He learns about her Jewish traditions and spends Passover with her. He also gives Mrs. Katz a cat and the two of them bond with the cat. This story can be used when discussing friendship in a classroom and how friendships can be formed no matter how old or young a person is.
Tea with Milk by Allen Say. Ages 5 and up. I found the beginning of this story upsetting because May lived in the United States and was happy. Her parents then moved with her to Japan and she couldn't get used to the differences in the two lifestyles. May seemed lost and confused in Japan. However, at the end of the story May was able to join both worlds together when she married a man who spoke English. She was finally happy. I liked how May still held onto her American ways, but was able to invite new Japanese ways into her life as well.
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia. Ages 9 and up. I felt bad for Delphine and her sisters throughout this story because no matter how much they tried to get attention from their mother she ignored their tries. I felt that Delphine was a strong willed character and she put her sisters before herself in every situation. Delphine even cut down her bath time because she knew she would have to get back to her sisters so that they wouldnt fit. However, I also found it sad that Delphine was missing out on being a child herself because she is only eleven and can't take the weight of the world on her shoulders all the time. I think that Delphine's character is a good role model of someone who is selfless and determined to pull together a family even though pieces are missing.
No comments:
Post a Comment