Culture

1. Hot City by Barbara Joosse It’s a hot summer day in the city and Joe and Mimi try to cool down. Their ice cream melts so fast they can’t even eat it. The children talk different out of school than they do in school. They use a different slang but it good to use this book to teach children how to separate how they talk in school from how they talk at home. Corn Is Maize by Aliki This book talks about Native Americans and how they farmed corn and called it maize. It describes how corn makes Popcorn, corn on the cob, cornbread, tacos, tamales, and tortillas. Corn was an important part of Indian and Native American’s lives. Culture Knots on a Counting Rope by Bill Martin Jr. It’s about a little boy who is blind and asks his grandfather to tell him the story of his own life. The grandfather keeps a rope in his pocket and every time he tells the boy his own story he ties a knot in it, once the rope is full the boy will know his own story. Jalapeno Bagels by Natasha Wing The son of a Jewish baker and his Mexican wife try to decide what to bring to school for international day. Pablo wants to bring in something that reflects cultures from both of his parents. When Pablo helps with Sunday morning baking he comes up with the perfect choice. The Bracelet by Yoshiko Uchida Emi and her family was living in U.S. but because she was Japanese during WWII they had to relocate into prison camps. On the day Emi had to leave, her best friend Laurie came to her to say goodbye and to give her a golden bracelet in remembrance of her. The Bravest Flute by Ann Grifalconi This story is about a young Mayan boy who struggles through exhaustion to play his flute in a parade. He is rewarded with a better flute and his accomplishment shows that he can support a family. Exploring Chinatown: A Children's Guide to Chinese Culture by Carol Stepanchuk This book takes you through the Chinatown in San Francisco while showing you many different things about their culture. There are Sections on food, health, religion, art and more are included.

2. Am I a Color Too by Heidi Cole and Nancy Vogol A young boy wonders why people are labeled by the color of their skin. He describes how everyone is the same and people should be more than just black and white. He wants to know if he is a color too. I Love My Hair! by Natasha Tarpley A young African- American girl describes the nightly ritual that her and her mother do, which is combing her hair. When the little girl cries because it hurts the mother tells her how lucky she is to have such beautiful hair. She prefers her hair to be free in pony tails, in the last picture of the book it is. Race The Watsons Go To Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis Byron Watson is the bane of his younger brother Kenny's existence, who is constantly in trouble. His mom and dad send him to the south where he will spend the summer with his tiny grandmother. This book blends an African- American family with factual events of the summer of 1963. The Girl With the Brown Crayon by Vivian Gussin Paley This book is written by a long time kindergarten teacher who in her last year focused on a black 5 year old girl in a class of Asians. This girl fits in but she makes herself, she always uses this brown crayon because it’s the same color as her. There is no marker that matches her skin color. Elmer by David McKee All the other elephants in the jungle are gray except for Elmer. He is a patchwork of many different colors and is tired of being different, and tired of being the “clown” to make the others laugh. He then tries to fit into the herd of the other elephants but realizes it is better being himself. The Color Of Us by Karen Katz Lena who is in 2nd grade discovers that her and her neighbors are all different shades of brown. She describes everyone as colors of different foods.

3. Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting It’s a story of a little boy and his father who live in an airport and the boy doesn’t have a mother because she passed away. It goes into detail of what they have to do to survive in the airport without being notice. At the end of the book the little boy gets hope because he sees a bird get free from the airport so he knows there is a way. Two Homes by Claire Masurel Alex’s parents are divorced and he spends time with both of them. He has two of everything, one at each parent’s house. He is still loved despite his living arrangements. Social Economic Status More Than Anything Else by Marie Bradby A young boy named Booker T. Washington lives in West Virginia settlement after he has been emancipated. He travels by lantern light to the salt works, and his only desire is to read. He first learns how to write his name then learns from that point on. Cups Held Out by Judith Roth A young girl talks about what she thinks as her and her father visit Mexico. She says they didn’t go there on a cruise like most people and she talks about how they can help others. Four Feet, Two Sandals by Karen Lynn Williams Relief workers bring clothing to the refugee camps and the children run and go through them. Ten year old Lina grabs a sandal and sees that another girl has the match. Her and Feroza meet and decide that it is best if they share the shoes instead of just wearing one.

4. The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf Ferdinand is a little bull who lives in Spain, who was different from the other bulls because instead of running around he would rather sit by the tree and smell the flowers. He was picked for the bullfight in Madrid but he did not care to go. They thought he was the largest strongest bull but he was not. The Paper Bag Princess by Robert N Munsch This story is about a princess who loses her clothes and realizes she doesn’t need her clothes to be a pretty princess. She emerges stronger, more independent, and wielding a new vision of femininity that serves her well as she battles dragons, close-minded boyfriends, and the wedding industry. Gender 10,000 Dresses by Marcus Ewert Bailey (a young boy) has dreams about all kinds of different dresses. When he wakes up no one wants to hear about his dreams because he is a boy. His mom and dad tells him he’s a boy and shouldn’t even be thinking about dresses. Pinky and Rex and the Bully by James Howe Pinky is a boy and his favorite color is pink. He is forced into an identity crisis due to his name and favorite color. With his friend Rex by his side (who is a girl) he confronts his tormentor. Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman A little girl named Grace was in a class where they were to act out Peter Pan. Grace knew she would be a great Peter Pan but her class said she couldn’t because she was a girl, and Peter Pan was a boy and she is black. When try-outs came she tried out for Peter Pan and she was the best by far! Anna Banana and Me by Lenore Blegvad Anna Banana is stereotyped as a boy because she is fearless, tells stories about goblins and believes in magic. She has a friend who is a small timid boy and has the characteristics she “should” have.

5. Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco This book is interesting because Patricia Polacco is writing this book about her struggle with reading through school. When she would try to read all the letters and numbers would all get jumbled together. Then she got this teacher who did everything possible to help her read. Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos Joey Pigza has ADHD, he can’t sit still, he can’t pay attention, and he can’t follow the rules. And whether he's wreaking havoc on a class trip or swallowing his house key, Joey's problems are getting worse. In fact, his behavior is so off the wall that his teachers are threatening to send him to the special-ed center downtown. Special People Special Ways by Arlene Maguire Explains how everyone is different in many ways. Based on their color, physical and mental ability, and culture but they all have the same understanding of love and have the same needs. Disabilities Skyla, the One- Legged Seagull by Deborah Bowman Skyla has been suffering from “oh me’s” ever since she lost one of her legs to a nearsighted sea turtle. Because she is now different she feels left out and lonely. A crab leads her in a direction where she meets new friends and is happy again. Don’t Call Me Special by Pat Thomas This book is a question and answer book where is talks about different disabilities. It explains how you can deal with them disabilities and how they can live a happy life just like everyone else. Be Good To Eddie Lee by Virginia Fleming A little girl finds a friendship with her neighbor who has Down Syndrome. Eddie Lee uninvited follows Chrity and her friend and they were surprised at how well the day turned out with him.

6. Penny From Heaven by Jennifer Holm An 11 year old girl Penny lives with her mother and grandparents but also visits her father’s family often. Her father died years ago from a sickness, and she wants to bring her families back together. Momma Do you Love Me? by Barbara Joosse This story takes place in Alaska where a young girl tests the limits of her mother’s love. The mother then tells her daughter I love you more than the raven loves his treasure, more than the dog loves his tail, more than the whale loves his spout." Diverse Families And Tango Makes Three by Richardson & P. Parnell Based on a true story Silo and Roy two male penguins who form a couple at the New York Zoo to take care of a baby penguin. The two male penguins do a great job at hatching their beautiful daughter Tango. The Family Book by Todd Parr The book is about all different kinds of families. Some that are big, some that are small, some families adopt children, some families have two moms or two dads, and it goes on. This book is great to talk about the diverse types of families. My Family’s Changing by Pat Thomas Addresses divorce and how to deal with it as a child. Who’s In a Family? by Robert Skutch Beginning with a traditional nuclear family and ending with blank spaces in which the child reader is instructed to "draw a picture of your family." It talks about those with single parents, lesbian and gay parents, mixed-race couples, grandparents and divorced parents.

7. Abuelo and the Three Bears/Abuelo y Los TresOsos by Jerry Tello This book gives a twist to Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The book is written in English and Spanish but gives Hispanic flavor to the original story. It's Okay to Be Different by Todd Parr The book talks about physical differences as well as many problems children face on a day to day basis. It explains how it’s okay to have emotions but how you handle them is important. The Big Orange Splot by Daniel Pinkwater The theme of the entire book is “its okay to be different.” Mr. Plumbean’s house was very different from the rest of the houses on the block. Once they saw his was different they all saw it was okay to be different and changed their houses. Generic (it’s okay to Be different) Charlie the Caterpillar by Dom Deluise Charlie is an ugly caterpillar and no one wants to play with him. Winter comes around so he spins himself into a cocoon. When spring comes he turns into a beautiful butterfly and isn’t ugly anymore. Billy Back to Front by Sam McCullen Billy has always been different and all he wants to do is fit in. Everything about him is backwards and everyone laughs at him. Am I Really Different? by Evelien van Dort A ladybug with only one spot is bullied because she is different. But it explains how no two ladybirds are the same so is she really different?