Multicultural Text Project

Kelsey OConnor
1. Summary: The Red Blanket by Eliza Thomas is about a woman who
longs for a child and then describes her journey to China to adopt.
They baby had a hard time adjusting to her but when she used the red
blanket it brought the two together to be mother and child. This story
is a good representation of the adoption process.
Grade Level: 1st to 3rd grade
Three key words: adoption, symbolism, and emotions.
Evaluation: This is a good book for the classroom because there is a
fair amount adopted kids who can relate. There are good illustrations
and not too many words on each page so it is easy to follow along. This
book does a good job promoting and describing the emotional process
of adoption and it lets kids that are adopted know that it isnt
uncommon.
Recommendation: I recommend this book for a read aloud because it
is easy to follow along and you dont read too many books about
adoption so it is good to educate the students on this process. Since a
big part of this book is the red blanket and how it symbolizes the love
and bond the mother and daughter have a good lesson would be about
symbolism. Not only does this introduce the idea of adoption but it can
be an English lesson about symbolism as well.
SOL: K.2c Use words to describe/name people, places, and things.
2. Summary: I Love You, Dad by Iris Hiskey Arno is about kids from all
different backgrounds that appreciate their Dads and the activities
they do with them.
Grade Level: preschool-2nd grade
Three key words: relatable, Fathers, and involvement.
Evaluation: This is a good book for children to read because especially
younger kids might miss their parents at school, so this can help them
get over that separation anxiety. It also shows how different families do
different activities with their dads and that is OK. The pictures show a
lot of different races making it even more relatable to all types of
students.
Recommendation: I wouldnt recommend this book for a read aloud
because some children might be going through difficult times with their
parents or might not even have a Dad and that could become
problematic. But it is good to have in your library so that if students
want to read it themselves they can. It could be used in small groups if
you know the home situation is good and then maybe the students can
write about and draw a picture of what they do with their Dads.
SOL: K.9b- The student will demonstrate comprehension of fictional
texts. Relate previous experiences to what is read.

3. Summary: Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain by Verna Aardema is a

rhyming story about how Ki-Pat brought rain to the Kapiti plains, which
was in a drought. It is a series of events that occur to build the
childrens suspense until the very end of the story.
Grade Level: Kindergarten to 3rd grade.
Three key words: nature, suspense, and drought.
Evaluation: This book does a good job describing a totally different
area and culture. The pictures help to paint an image of what
otherwise might be hard to relate to. The main character is a minority
race from a different culture so it helps the students to accept that
other people might live another way of life but it doesnt make it any
better or worse than how we live our lives.
Recommendation: A lesson to correlate with this book is a science
lesson that talks about the relationships between humans, plants,
animals, and water. It could also lead to talking about the water cycle
since the Kapiti plains were in a drought but then eventually got rain.
SOL: 3.9 The student will investigate and understand the water cycle
and its relationship to life on Earth
4. Summary: Marisol McDonald Doesnt Match by Monica Brown is about
a girl with red hair and mismatched clothes gets made fun of at school
even though she doesnt understand that how she looks or acts is
different. She realizes in the end that she has to be true to herself in
order for her to be happy. She also gets a puppy that is different
looking as well to help her feel better.
Grade Level: Kindergarten to 3rd graders.
Three words: unique, acceptance, and creative.
Evaluation: This book does a great job discussing how its OK to look
or act differently than other children. Marisol is mixed ethnicities and
also likes to wear unique clothing so a lot of children who are the same
way can relate. It is an empowering book because it promotes kids to
stand up for themselves when theyre being bullied because of the way
they look.
Recommendation: I definitely recommend this book because the
students can learn about the Spanish culture as well since some of her
words are in Spanish because that is part of her ethnicity. You can also
look to see where Spain is located and introduce the idea of maps.
SOL: 3.5c the students will develop map skills by locating the countries
Spain, England and France
5. Summary: Faraway Home by Jane Kurtz is about a little girl whos
Father has to leave to go take care of his sick mother in Ethiopia,
where he is from. He tries to tell the little girl about his homeland but
she has a hard time understanding that way of life. The more she
learns the more she realizes the similarities and differences between
American and Ethiopia.

Grade Level: Kindergarten to 3rd grade

Three key words: to describe it are immigration, homeland, and
separation.
Evaluation: This book does a great job introducing children to
immigration and the idea that some kids parents didnt grow up in the
same country as they did. The illustrations are very realistic making it
relatable. Even if kids didnt have immigrant parents, it is a good way
to ask parents questions about their childhood or even where their
ancestors are from.
Recommendation: A lesson that can be used from this book is one
about the kids ancestors. They can look up or ask their parents where
they are originally from and then they could do a class activity where
they can visually see all of the places that the students are from and
how everyone is different.
SOL: 1.6 The student will describe how the location of his/her
community, climate, and physical surroundings affect the way people
live, including their food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and
recreation
6. Summary: Dear Juno by Soyung Pak is about a Korean-American boy
who gets a letter from his Grandma from Korea. However, she writes in
Korean so it is hard for Juno to understand but by her pictures he is
able to make out what is happening in her life. Juno responds by
drawing pictures. Even though they have different ways of
communicating they are still able to keep up with each others lives.
Grade Level: Preschool to 2nd grade.
Three key words: relatives, communication, and family.
Evaluation: This book does a good job showing how kids who have
relatives in other areas can keep up with their loved ones. It shows that
even if there is a language barrier it doesnt have to stop them from
keeping in contact with them. Dear Juno successfully introduces the
role of elders in a family as well as the culture differences and
similarities between someone living in America and someone living in
Korea.
Recommendation: As an activity I would have the students write a
letter to one of their relatives that they dont often see because they
live far. They can write about what they do in their daily lives and then
see how that is different from their relative.
SOL: 2.12 the student will write stories, letters, and simple
explanations.
7. Summary: Mollys Pilgrim by Barbara Cohen is about a girl named
Molly who is made fun of at school because of her accent and unAmerican ways. However when the teacher makes a Thanksgiving
assignment for the students to make a pilgrim doll Molly makes hers as
a small Russian Immigrant. The students make fun of her doll but the

teacher explains that hers is the most appropriate of them all, even
better Molly is a real pilgrim herself.
Grade Level: Kindergarten to 5th grade
Three key words: Thanksgiving, Pilgrim, and immigrant.
Evaluation: This book does a good job showing how people that dress
differently or look different still have feelings. The reader can see how
much pain Molly is going through and a child reading it can see how
mean words can do that to someone. All kids want is to be accepted by
their peers.
Recommendation: This is a good book to read around Thanksgiving
time and can lead to discussion about pilgrims. All of the kids can even
draw what they think a pilgrim would look like and talk about how not
all of them have to look the same just like Mollys pilgrim didnt look
like everyone elses but that doesnt necessarily mean its wrong.
SOL: K.1 b identifying the people and events honored by the holidays
of Thanksgiving
8. Summary: The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi is about a girl named Unhei
who has just moved to America from Korea. She is scared that
American kids wont like her so instead of introducing herself to the
class she says that she will pick her American name by the end of the
week. Her classmates are fascinated by this no name girl so they
decide to help her pick by filling up a jar of names for her to choose
from. She practices having different names but a student comes to her
house and discovers her real name and meaning. On the last day the
jar goes missing and Unhei announces that she is going to go by her
Korean name and helps everyone pronounce it.
Grade Level: preschool to 2nd grade.
Three key words: name, heritage, and accepted.
Evaluation: This book is really great because a lot of students can
relate to it. A lot of students might feel self-conscious about their
names especially if it is different or not known in America. This book
shows that youre name is a part of who you are so you shouldnt be
ashamed of it. At the end the students are supportive of her choice to
keep her Korean name, which encourages students that if they are
proud of their name their classmates will be too.
Recommendation: An activity that really young kids could do is have
a worksheet that says my name is special and then they could
practice writing their name and drawing a picture of themselves to go
with it. This gets them to practice writing their name correctly.
SOL: K.11b Print his/her first and last names
9. Summary: Mixed Blessing by Marsha Cosman is about a young son
who is confused because he has a different skin color than both of his
parents. His dad is white and his mom is African American. His parents

show him why by bringing him to the zoo and explaining through the
animals.
Grade Level: preschool to 2nd grade.
Three words to describe it are biracial, self-image, and family.
Evaluation: This book does a good job explaining the first time
parents talk to their child about why he/she looks different from either
of them. By using animals it helps the children to relate and
understand better.
Recommendation: This is a sensitive subject but this book handles
the topic in an appropriate way that doesnt make the child feel
different. Since animals are mentioned in this book that could lead to a
lesson about how animals can be in the same species but come in all
different colors and sizes just like people do. This could even lead to a
field trip to the zoo to see it first hand.
SOL: 1.5b animals, including humans, have many different physical
characteristics
10.
Summary: Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts is about a boy who
really wants those shoes that everyone has at school. However he
cant afford them so when his shoes fall apart he has to go to the
guidance counselor to pick out new ones. He does find those coveted
shoes at a thrift store but they are too small and hurt his feet. So he
ends up giving them to a boy in class that really needs them and
actually fits into them.
Grade Level: Kindergarten to 3rd grade.
Three key words: empathy, generosity, and compassion.
Evaluation: This book does a good job showing that you cant always
get what you want and that you cant take things for granted. A pair of
shoes may not seem like a big deal for some children, but for others
they cant afford it. This story teaches kids in a respectful way to put
yourself in other kids shoes and to help those kids out who really need
it. Put your wants aside to help those who need it.
Recommendation: A lesson that can be taught out of this is teaching
the word empathy. You can have the students identify different facial
expressions of various students and have the students guess how they
are feeling and how they can help by putting themselves in their own
shoes. This could also be an economics lesson about how and why you
cant always have everything that you want.
SOL: K.7a The student will demonstrate that being a good citizen
involves practicing honesty, self-control, and kindness to others
K.7a The student will a) recognize that people make choices because
they cannot have everything they want