Cultural Diversity
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. -Martin Luther King Jr.
Thank you to all the teachers who contributed to this list of books: The Dreamkeepers Book Talk Class and Wilson Hill Teachers!
Each title is connected to Amazon.com if you wish to gather more information about the book or purchase it directly. Just click on the book title and you will be at the book within Amazon.Com. The books are listed with the following categories for your convenience:
= Parent's and Teacher's Books
= Preschool through 2nd Grade
= 3rd Grade through 6th Grade
Parent's and Teacher's Books
The
Dreamkeepers : Successful Teachers of African American Children.
by Gloria Ladson-Billings
Black
Books Galore: Great African American Children's Books.
by Donna Rand and Toni Trent Parker
These are exciting times for African American children's literature. Never before have there been so many titles available. Now the three mothers who founded Black Books Galore! —the nation's leading organizer of festivals of African American children's books —share their expert advice on how to find and choose the best. This fully annotated guide opens the door to a wonderful world of reading for the children in your life. Here are the most positive, the best-written, and the most acclaimed books in every category, including board books, story and picture books, fiction, nonfiction, poetry, history, biography, fables, and more.
Black
Books Galore: More Great African American Children's Books.
by Donna Rand and Toni Trent Parker
Black Books Galore! Guide to More Great African American Children's Books includes the latest reviews along with other exciting new materials. This easy-to-use, illustrated reference guide features the best-written, most positive books starring African Americans, including quick and lively descriptions of over 400 titles, plus 200 additional recommendations, a calendar of great books to match the holidays and seasons, age-specific guidelines for encouraging your young readers–from babies to sixth graders, comprehensive indexes by title, topic, author, and illustrator, profiles and reflections of selected authors and illustrators, and listings of award winners and Reading Rainbow Books.
Boys
into Men: Raising Our African American Teenage Sons.
by Nancy Boyd-Franklin, Ph.D., and A.J. Franklin, Ph.D., with Pamela Toussaint
The odds seem to be stacked against African American boys, who are too often the targets of racism, prejudice, and discrimination. Wife and husband psychologists Drs. Nancy Boyd-Franklin and A.J. Franklin write about the challenges of combating the overwhelming influences that can negatively affect African American teenage boys.
Tomorrow's
Children: A Blueprint for Partnership Education in the 21st Century.
by Riane Tennenhaus Eisler, Nel Noddings
In "Tomorrow's Children," the author of "The Chalice & the Blade" applies her concept of a gender-equal, multicultural, environmentally sensitive world to the modern education system, advocating a kinder, gentler curriculum in which aggressive "dominator" cultures are contrasted with "partnership" cultures. Students, she argues, must be taught beliefs, stories, and values that support the latter type of culture as the correct one.
40
Ways to Raise a Nonracist Child.
by Barbara Mathias, Mary Ann French (Contributor)
Thirty years after the civil rights movement, America is still imbued with the spirit of racism. Despite the best intentions of a generation, children today are still learning the dangerous lessons of prejudice, hate, and bigotry. This book offers the perfect aid to parents who wish to teach their children that color is not an indication of a person's worth, providing specific advice addressing the unique concerns of both white parents and parents of color.
by Karin Evans
The Lost Daughters of China is that rare book that can be many things to different people. Part memoir, part travelogue, part East-West cultural commentary, and part adoption how-to, Karin Evans's book is greater than the sum of its parts. Evans weaves together her experience of adopting a Chinese infant with observations about Chinese women's history and that country's restrictive, if unevenly enforced, reproductive policies. She and her husband adopted Kelly Xiao Yu in 1997, and anyone curious about adopting from a Chinese orphanage--which houses girls and disabled boys--will learn about the mechanics and the emotional freight of the two-year process. Borrowing an image from Chinese folklore, Evans conveys herself, her husband, and their daughter as tethered by a red string that yoked them across an ocean and an equally awesome cultural divide.
The elegant prose is spiced with bits of ironic cultural dissonance. A discount shopper, Evans "felt more than a little strange buying China-made [baby] clothes with which to bundle up a tiny baby, one of China's own, and bring her home." On a bus tour through southern China, she is one of a "bunch of Americans with Chinese infants singing 'Que Sera Sera' in the middle of a sea of traffic. Will she be happy? Will she be rich?" To suddenly hear Doris Day over the horns of a Kowloon traffic jam is heady stuff indeed.
by Marguerite A. Wright
"This superb, rational, and highly readable volume answers a deeply felt need. Marguerite Wright handles sensitive issues with consummate clarity, practicality, and hope. Here we have an indispensable guide that will doubtless prove a classic." -- Edward Zigler, Sterling professor of psychology and director, Yale University Bush Center in Child Development and Social Policy.
Who says black or biracial kids are doomed to have poor self-esteem? At what age do they start being aware of their color? What are the warning signs that a child is being adversely affected by race? And how can adults make sure that kids grow up feeling good about themselves and being black?
Using her years of research and practice, Marguerite Wright offers clear, supportive advice on these and other practical concerns. She teaches us how young children perceive skin color as magical even changeable and are incapable of understanding adult prejudice surrounding race. She also explains that children's early color-blindness can, and must, be taken advantage of in order to guide the positive development of their self-esteem.
I'm Chocolate, You're Vanilla is filled with practical, positive, and creative ideas for handling common situations, such as what to do when your child says she wants a white doll, how to monitor television and handle classroom conflicts, and how to reinforce positive self-images at each stage of a child's development.
Children’s Books from Other Countries.
Book Description
Every child is entranced by the magic of
story, regardless of national boundaries. Many of the most memorable childhood
stories have their origins in other countries. Exposing children to this
multi-national body of literature introduces them to the great diversity of
people and cultures that populate the world at a young age, enabling them to
become more thoughtful and generous individuals. "Children's Books from Other
Countries" is a complete and current guide to international children's
literature. The concept of a bibliography of international children's literature
is not new. In the past, many books have accomplished this task. The last two
decades, however, have not yet produced a current reference source devoted to
international children's books. "Children's Books from Other Countries"
wonderfully rectifies this lack of attention. An introductory essay provides an
overview of the field including a discussion on the rationale of sharing
international books with children, a brief history of the children's literature
movement, related books and awards, and basic information about the
International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) and its American branch,
the United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY). An annotated
bibliography contains over 700 titles from 29 different countries printed
between 1950 and 1996. All titles are available in English; many have been
translated and others have originated in other English-speaking countries. The
titles are organized by genre and have been selected for their high quality.
They are primarily targeted for children ages 0-14, although a few outstanding
young adult titles are included. Winners of the Mildred Batchelder Award and the
Hans Christian Andersen Medal are listed in the appendix. Indexes include
Author-Title Index, Country of Origin Index, and Subject Index. Affordable and
readable, this timely resource is certainly a "must" for librarians and
teachers, and other professionals working with children.
Interracial Children's Books
by Norma Simon, Dora Leder (Illustrator)
Some people can't eat chocolate, and some are good at whistling. Some people are tall, some are short. People want different things for their birthdays. If we were all the same, it would be like seeing everything in gray--boring. "Each page simply and sensitively explores some of the aspects of human existence that make each person special."--Interracial Books for Children's Bulletin.
African American Children's Books
by Peter Golenbock and Paul Bacon (Illustrator)
This is the moving story of how Jackie Robinson became the first black player on a major league baseball team and how on a fateful day in Cincinnati, PeeWee Reese took a stand and declared Jackie his teammate.
by Leo Dillon (Illustrator) and Diane Dillon (Author)
This simple book for young children tells the life story of a ground-breaking African-American tap dancer. Bill "Bojangles" Robinson was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1920s-30s. People said he "talked with his feet," and in the Dillon's graceful paintings of old New York, he dances from page to page to the tune of a toe-tapping rhyme.
by Rebecca Kai Dotlich and Jan Spivey Gilchrist (Illustrator)
From Booklist:
Gilchrist's bright, sturdy acrylics work well with these
child-friendly poems, simple but graced with the occasional fabulous image:
sunflowers as "garden kings / with chocolate eyes" or a firefly as a
"Rhinestone in / a jelly jar." Some poems on walking barefoot,
dragonflies and bumblebees, and selling lemonade might be more accessible to
country children than to city ones, but the joys of jump rope and jacks seem to
be universal. The racially diverse cast of children who inhabit these sidewalks
and meadows have individual charm; some, such as the titian-haired moppet who
peers from behind a sunflower, could be portraits.
GraceAnne A. DeCandido
by Eloise Greenfield and Jan Spivey Gilchrist (Illustrator)
To one young narrator, it's the simple things that mean the most, like sharing laughter with a friend, taking family rides in the country, and kissing her mama's arm.
When this poem was first published in 1978 in Honey, I Love and Other Love Poems, Eloise Greenfield reminded us that love can be found just about anywhere. Now, twenty-five years later, she and celebrated children's book artist Jan Spivey Gilchrist present a stunning, newly illustrated anniversary edition that invites readers to celebrate the simple joys of loving and living.
by James Berry
By Ingram:
A thought-provoking, original Anancy Spiderman story by a
master storyteller and a gifted artist. Anancy is determined to win the king's
reward for creating the world's first palm trees. He separately tries to bribe
the Spirits into creating the trees and splitting the reward with him alone. But
each Spirit insists it needs the help of the others in this tale of cooperation.
Full color Ages 5 and up.
by Walter Dean-Myers and Christopher Myers (Illustrator)
By Ingram:
Depicts the rich character of Harlem through poetry and
illustrations in which the author and his son paint a picture that connects
readers to the spirit of Harlem in music, art, literature, and everyday life.
Ages 6-12.
by Willie Perdomo
A wonderful picture book introduction to a legendary
American writer. "Today, I'm going to wear my favorite pink blouse. I'm
going with my daddy to visit Langston's house." It's a special day when
a little girl and her father go to visit the house where the great poet Langston
Hughes lived-especially when the little girl is a poet herself! This rhythmic
tale is a wonderful introduction to the work and world of Langston Hughes, who
was a central figure of the Harlem Renaissance and an American cultural hero.
Grades 2-4.
by Belinda Rochelle
Amazon.com:
Brother Eagle, Sister Sky: A Message From Chief Seattle.
By Chief Seattle, Susan Jeffers (Illustrator)
In this marvelous collection, the words in Pulitzer
Prize-winning poet Rita Dove's "Primer" find wings in Jacob Lawrence's
stylized painting, "The Library." Elizabeth Catlett's stunning print,
"The Sharecropper," brings eveddren's Book Award winner.
Parents' "Best Book of the Year". American Bookseller "Pick of
the Lists". Full-color illustrations.
Nickommoh: A Thanksgiving Celebration.
By Jackie French Koller, Marica Sewall (Illustrator)
by George Littlechild
Book Description
In his own words and paintings, acclaimed Native American
artist George Littlechild takes young readers back in time to the first meeting
between his Plains Cree ancestors and the first European settlers in North
America. Through inspiring autobiographical stories accompanied by vivid,
dramatic paintings, he recounts the history of his people and their relationship
to the land, relating their struggles and triumphs with sensitivity, irony, and
humor. Littlechild expresses his wish to use his art to portray the wonders of
his heritage and to heal the pain of his people's history and offers hope and
guidance from the Native American perspective. This Land is My Land is a winner
of the Jane Addams Picture Book Award and the National Parenting Publications
Gold Medal.
by Adwoa Badoe
Book Description
by Judy Moreillon et. al.
From School Library
Journal
Gr 2-5--Written as a choral reading for eight parts, this rhyming text
describes the Saguaro Wine Ceremony, an important celebration of the Tohono
O'odham tribe of the Sonoran desert. This ceremony is integrally related to the
hope for rain, calling it down from the sky. Inevitably, the book will be
compared to Verna Aardema's Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain (Dial, 1981).
While the latter is superior both in text and illustrations, it complements
Moreillon's book. Aardema's story is a porquoi tale, while this is a celebration
of a culture's traditions. The opportunity presented for cross-cultural
comparison is fertile indeed. Used with Brenda Guiberson's Cactus Hotel (Holt,
1991), it could also be used to help explain the human role in desert ecology
while focusing on that most amazing of desert plants, the Saguaro cactus. A
pairing with Ekkehart Malotki's The Magic Hummingbird (Kiva, 1996) serves to
reinforce the importance of rain to the Native cultures of the Southwest. Chiago
makes expert use of black line to delineate his human figures, but the real
strength of his watercolor illustrations lies in his treatment of the skies. His
use of deep tones and cottonball clouds is reminiscent of Barbara Cooney's art.
This is a versatile title that serves as both a social studies and language-arts
extension.Ann Welton, Terminal Park Elementary School, Auburn, WA
Copyright 1998 Cahners Business Information, Inc. by Sara Haagland Hunter and Julia Miner (Illustrator)
By the Editors of Time-Life Books From Geronimo to Sitting Bull, they were the men whose
eloquence, loyalty, piety, and strength inspired their people, even in the
tragic face of the 19th and 20th century challenges. Here is a dramatic
retelling of their lives, accompanied by rare photos, maps of tribal
territories, and a chronology of government- Indian relations.
One of the major figures in African folklore is the
round-bellied trickster-spider Ananse, who outwits enemies large and small. With
The Pot of Wisdom, a wider audience can enjoy these delightful tales. Adwoa
Badoe's witty retellings and Baba Wague Diakite's colorful images bring Ananse
and his amusing -- and instructive -- adventures to life.
by Joseph Bruchac and Susan Roth (Illustrator)
by Joseph Bruchac and Murv Jacob (Illustrator)
From Booklist:
Gr. 1^-5. Readers hungry for more material with roots in
traditional Native American songs and prayers may want to give thanks for this
book. Bruchac has created 13 brief, original poems, "based in part on
traditional Native American songs and prayers," that can function as
chants, prayers, or songs (although no musical notation is included). Native
American groups, ranging from the Mohawk of the eastern woodlands and the
Kwakiutl of the Northwest Coast to the Osage of the Great Plains are
represented. Jacob's illustrations are reminiscent of those he created for Gayle
Ross' How Rabbit Tricked Otter (1994). Here, the text is placed in small
boxed insets on double-page spreads, with the pictures revealing much of
cultural significance. More about each group's culture is provided in appended
notes, and sources are acknowledged. Karen Morgan
by Joseph Bruchac, Dan Andreasen (Illustrator)
From Booklist
Gr. 2^-4. With so many Native American stories set in the
misty past, it's great to read a children's book about an Iroquois boy who lives
in the city now. Not that Danny Bigtree likes living in Brooklyn, New York: the
other kids in his fourth-grade class taunt him and tell him to go "home to
his teepee," and he does miss the place where he didn't feel like an
outsider. But there is pollution and unemployment on the reservation, and
Danny's parents have come to the city to work. Bruchac weaves together the
traditional and the realistic as Danny's ironworker father tells stories of his
people's history and heroes, stories that give Danny courage to confront his
schoolyard enemies and make friends with them. The purposive information and
message are lightened by family jokes that mock solemn Hollywood stereotypes
("Help me, my son") and show the loving intimacy between people who
can tease each other and laugh together. Dan Andreasen's occasional full-page
charcoal illustrations reinforce the sense of a sturdy school kid in the
playground and at home, in touch with his roots. Hazel Rochman
by Joseph Bruchac
Book Description by Sherman Alexie
Author Sherman Alexie write poetically about the Native American culture in
this book. This new document authenticates the cultural nobility and meaning of
the Native American people. His poetry gives importance to the information and
ideologies that it portrays. By William Katz and Paula Franklin From
Booklist Hispanic American Books
Gracias- The Thanksgiving Turkey. By Jay Cowely By Tomie De Paulo By Arthur Dorros
by Kristyn Rehling Estes, Claire
Cotts (Illustrator) By Johanna Hurwitz "The excitement of the new shoes and the formidable
task of waiting to grow into them are both conveyed beautifully through the
story and the art....Watercolors fill each page with the details of life in
Silvia's home and small village....Hurwitz perfectly captures the pleasure
of a special gifted the difficulty of waiting."--Horn Book
Trust your dreams. Both my parents said that. That's our old
way, our Mohawk way. The way of our ancestors. Trust the little voice that
speaks to you. That is your speaking. But when those feelings, those dreams,
those voices are so confusing, what do you do then? "Help," I whisper.
"Help." I'm not sure who I'm talking to when I say that, but I hope
they're listening. Ever since Molly woke up one morning and discovered that her parents vanished, she
has had to depend on herself to survive-- and find the reason for their
disappearance. Social Services has turned her over to the care of a great-uncle, a mysterious man
Molly has never met before. Then Molly starts having dreams about the Skeleton
Man from a spooky old Mohawk tale her father used to tell her...dreams that are
trying to tell her something...dreams that might save her, if only she can
understand them.
Gr. 4-7. This unusual collection of brief
biographies highlights the considerable achievements of people of mixed Native
American and African ancestry. From sculptor to rodeo star to U.S.
representative, these portraits of people of color who had to overcome many
obstacles are entertaining as well as informative. The quirky, innovative Bill
Pickett comes alive as his rodeo act is described in a 1904 Denver newspaper
that claimed that "the Texas Negro cowboy . . . twice threw unaided a wild steer
with his teeth . . . ." The black-and-white photos and drawings are a bonus and
fit right in with the anecdotal style of the narrative. The bibliography should
prove helpful to those who would like to know more about these talented
pioneers. Denia Hester
by Francisco Jiménez (Author), Simón Silva (Illustrator),
Uno, Dos, Tres: One, Two, Three.
by Pat Mora, Barbara Lavalee (Illustrator)
By Pat Mora
By Pat Mora
By Gary Sotos
Amazon.com
Maria is feeling so grown-up, wearing her
mother's apron and helping to knead the masa for the Christmas corn
tamales. Her mother even let Maria wear some perfume and lipstick for the big
family celebration that evening. When her mother takes off her diamond ring so
it won't become coated with the messy masa, Maria decides that life would be
perfect if she could wear the ring, too. Trouble begins when she sneakily slips
the sparkly ring on her thumb and resumes her kneading. Uh oh. It is not until
later that night, after all the tamales have been cooked and after all her
cousins and relatives have arrived, that Maria suddenly realizes what must have
happened to the precious ring. Ed Martinez's warm oil paintings celebrate the
riches of South American Christmas colors--adobe reds, dusty gold, lacey whites,
and rain-forest greens. Martinez also has a gift for capturing children's
animated expressions, especially when Maria begs her cousins to help her find
the missing ring by secretly eating the enormous stack of steaming tamales! Gary
Soto's delightful Christmas-spirit closure will relieve young readers who
empathize with the negligent Maria. Grown-ups, too, will appreciate this playful
reminder about the virtues of forgiveness and family togetherness. (Ages 4 and
older) --Gail Hudson --This text refers to the
School & Library Binding edition.
By Gary Soto
Book
Description
In his first novel for young adults, Gary
Soto paints a moving portrait of two sweet, ambitious Mexican American brothers
who hope junior college will help them escape their heritage of tedious physical
labor. Their struggles are humorous, true to life, and deeply affecting, and
young adults will sympathize with them as they work through their problems and
eventually come to terms with what is possible in an imperfect world. “Readers
looking for a finely written, contemplative narrative will appreciate this
work.”--School Library Journal --This text refers to the
School & Library Binding edition.
By Cynthia Rylant
Here are twelve deeply moving short stories from the perceptive pen of Cynthia Rylant. Each captures the moment when someone's life changes -- when an animal causes a human being to see things in a different way, and, perhaps, changes his life.
My Name is Jorge: On Both Sides Of The River.
By Jane Medina
Asian American and Pacific American Books
Buzz.
By Janet Wong
By Janet Wong
Buzz
By Janet Wong
By
By Mark Rosen
Amazon.com
A child's vision of religious tolerance
is exquisitely played out in this story about an elderly Christian barber and a
Jewish child who befriends him. As a hobby, the African American barber makes
elaborate woodcarvings--many of which refer to events or characters in the
Bible. Michael, a 9-year-old Jewish boy, often visits the barbershop just to
admire old Elijah's carvings, especially that of Noah's Ark--a story that
belongs to Jewish as well as Christian teachings. One day when Hanukkah and
Christmas coincidentally overlap, Elijah gives Michael a special gift, a carved
guardian angel. Immediately Michael is filled with a jumble of
feelings--gratitude for such a beautiful gift, concern that his parents might
disapprove, and an even greater fear that God may frown upon a Christmas angel,
"a graven image," in Michael's home. The
thick sweeps of paint, the heavy uses of wood-tones, and
primitive images make the settings and characters look as though Elijah carved
them himself. When Michael finally reveals the carved angel to his parents, they
help the young boy understand how expressions of friendship, love, and
protection can be carried into any home, regardless of the household's religion.
Michael J. Rosen based this story on the real-life Elijah Pierce (1892-1984), a
lay minister, barber, and woodcarver from Columbus, Ohio, whose award-winning
woodcarvings are now owned by the Columbus Museum of Art. (Ages 5 and older)
--Gail Hudson
By David Williams
By Peggy Goldstein
Grump
By Ja
Elijah’