Olivia Forsberg

T&L 307: Survey of Children’s Literature

Dr. Barbra Ward

Notable Books of Global Society

April 8, 2019
Introduction:

Throughout this project I will be analyzing eight different varieties of multicultural books that were given

the Notable Books for a Global Society award. I will be writing a short summary of each book. I read four

chapter books and four picture books. After each summary I will describe how each book met the criteria

of both parts for the Notable Books in a Global Society award. Throughout completing this project, I will

learn more about multicultural books and I will learn how to analyze the different books and be able to

understand the criteria of the award. I will be able to see how the different books meet the certain criteria

that is important for this particular award. I will then also be able to understand how I can use these

different books in my own classroom one day. This project will help me understand different cultures that

some of my students might be a part of so I can understand their heritage on a deeper level. I will also be

able to learn how to teach these different cultures to my future students because I have spent time

analyzing them and understanding them on a deeper level.

Purpose:

The purpose of this project is to become more knowledgeable of multicultural books as well as know how

to properly evaluate them. When I have to read and then evaluate these books it will open my eyes and

mind to many different cultures and circumstances that people have gone through and possibly still go

through today. As a future teacher it is very critical that I know how to pick out and evaluate proper

multicultural books. The books that I pick out to have in my classroom one day or to read aloud may be

the only source of information about different cultures that my students will introduced to. It is very

important to help students see and understand other cultures in a positive light. But also, it is very

important for children who may be reading a story about their culture that is not talked about a lot

throughout school. It is important because this give those students the chance to read about their culture

and know that their culture doesn’t go unrecognized and they can feel just as seen as all their other

classmates.
Steps made to complete assignment:

When starting this project, I just looked up the different books for each year and I read through the

different lists. I didn’t really have a specific subject in mind for the different books. I would look up some

of the titles I saw on the lists, and I would google what those books were about. Once I found the eight

books that sounded really interesting to me, I made sure the library that I was checking them out from had

all of the books and then I checked them out. I chose to read four chapter books and four picture books. I

read the chapter books first because I knew those would take me the longest to read and then I moved on

to the picture books. After each book I would type up a short summary of the story right after I finished it

when it was still fresh in my mind. After I read all the books I went back and typed up the criteria part of

the project. After I had read all of the books and wrote the criteria, I went ahead and chose my award

winner and two honor books. I then wrote why I chose those particular books and how I would use that

book in my future classroom.

Multicultural/Global Literature:

Before this assignment I would have said that my definition of multicultural literature is literature about

races and cultural groups other than Caucasian/white. But after this assignment I learned that

multicultural literature can be about any race/ethnicity. Multicultural can really be about anybody in any

situation that they have to go though in life. It is important in order to be considered a multicultural book

to make sure the literature includes the basic parts of literature such as setting, language, plot, design,

characters, and style. But the aspect that makes it different than just any other literature is that it includes

a different look on life about a specific situation and/or lifestyle. Multicultural literature is real life

situations and lifestyles that people are currently going through or have gone through in the past. These

are the perfect types of books to have in the classroom because they seem like just any other story in a

classroom library, but the students are not only getting a good story out of it, they are also learning

important information. Multicultural literature will help open the eyes of the teachers and the students to

the different lifestyles that are out there.

Chains – written by Laurie Halse Anderson

Anderson, L. (2008). Chains. New York, USA: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

This story follows the life of a slave who is 13-year-old named Isabel through the time period of

the Revolutionary War. Isabel was told she would be set free once her owner died, but when her owner

died, she didn’t get what she was told. Once the owner died, all the property was given to his nephew.

Isabel and her sister, Ruth, also came along with the property. The nephew then sold the sisters to a

couple that lives in New York, the Locktons. Eventually Isabel finds herself spying on her owners to get

some information on the British Invasion. Even though she was terrified she decides to risk it all in order

to gain the freedom for her and her sister in return.

How the story met Notable Books for Global Society Criteria

Part 1 – Provide in-depth treatment of cultural details.

à This book gives the reader an inside look into the lives of two sisters going through the

hardships and struggles of being a slave. This books really helps the reader understand

the struggles that slaves face. Personally, it is hard for me to wrap my mind around not

owning anything at all, but for slaves that was their life. People in that time didn’t think

that slaves were worth having the right to own any belongs at all. This book helps the

reader, at least I know it did for me, understand the hard and horrific life that slaves had

to endear.

Part 2 – Invite reflection, critical analysis, and response.

à This story shows how devastating and inhumane slavery is and being able to read about it

coming from the perspective of someone who was sold and then they had to really fight

for their life, even though they were terrified. Reading about someone having to spy on

their owners to be able to escape and have an actual life of their own. It makes the readers

think about how crazy it is that all of the slaves didn’t own anything, didn’t have a life of
 their own. This gives the reader a chance to think about how maybe they have had an

easier life than what other people had to go through, and it puts it all into perspective. Or

maybe the reader may be African American and be able to relate to the story and it will

give them courage to get through a situation they find themselves in.

Let it Shine: Three Favorite Spirituals – written and illustrated by Ashley Bryan

Bryan, A. (2007). Let it shine. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing Devision.

This story is a picture book that is both captivating and insightful. This story introduces to the

reader three different songs that are considered spiritual songs. The three songs include, “This Little Light

of Mine”, “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands”, and “Oh, When the Saints Go Marching In”.

Although the book is just these songs it still keeps you so intrigued by the pictures on every page. The

detail and color keep the reader wanting to read more and look at the pictures more. I have never seen a

picture book like this one before and it definitely blew me out of the water.

Criteria for Notable Books of a Global Society

Part 1 – Honor and celebrate diversity as well as common bonds of “humanity”.

à This story honors the diversity of other cultures very well in many ways. It celebrates

different cultures not only through the different spiritual songs but also through the

illustrations. The different colors and style that the illustrations are drawn in show the

richness of different colors and all of the cultural details throughout the book. I

personally have known these songs throughout my whole life and I also know the people

around me have as well. These three spiritual songs have bonded different cultures

together since long before I have been around and will most likely continue the tradition

of doing so for many more years to come.

Part 2 – Have an appealing format and be of enduring quality.

à I definitely think that this book shows a very appealing format throughout the story. The

illustrations are made with very vibrate colors that catch the reader’s attention right away.

When I first opened up the book, before I even got to the very first page of the story, I

had already seen a few pages filled with every color of the rainbow. There is not one page

in the book that does have at least a couple bright colors. I found this to be super

appealing. The quality is also amazing. The people in the story are all drawn as

silhouettes and then everything else has detail. I loved this aspect because it really lets

you focus on the story, songs, and the colors rather than being caught up on the people

when that wasn’t what the author wanted the reader to be paying the most attention to.

à Demonstrate uniqueness in the use of language or style.

à The idea of a book that includes three very well know spiritual songs that shows different

cultures as well as including illustrations to show another type of culture is very unique.

The illustrations of the people being only silhouettes is also unique and not something

people see in most children picture books. Even though the book is all lyrics to three

songs it still has the words types as it was telling a story instead of making it seem like a

song. The book doesn’t show the lyrics along with music notes until the very end in the

last few pages. This concept of writing a book with the words only being song lyrics

without it making it look like lyrics is very unique.

What the World Eats – written by Faith D’Aluisio and photographed by Peter Menzel

D'Aluisio, F. (2008). What the world eats. Berkeley, CA: Tricycle Press.

This story is a picture book but with actual pictures and not illustrations. Theses photographs

show the different lives of 25 families. These families are spread out between 21 different countries. This

book is all about keeping track of what these different families eat and what a “typical” family in that
particular country or in their different cultures. The book shows a whole week of their eating patterns.

The book includes annual meat consumption and annual dairy consumption in the different countries. The

author also chose to include the different prices of the food items, facts about the particular country, there

is even information about how much a family typically spends on food every week according to what

month it is.

How the story met Notable Books for Global Society Criteria

Part 1 – Be rich in cultural details.

à This book was crazy detailed about the different cultures that it included. The author

chose to include 25 different families that are from 21 different countries. That includes

so many different cultures and she provided lots of detail for each one. Starting off with

the pictures, that helps visualize the different cultures on a whole different level. It is a lot

easier for the reader to understand more about the information they are reading when they

have so many colored, real, pictures on every page. The author included on every

beginning page of a new family and place not only a picture of the family but also

information about the family such as their names and ages that made the book a lot more

personal. Then there was always a grocery list separated by category, amount, and price

for each category. Then there was a grand total of the food shown in that countries money

and then converted to U.S. dollars. This alone is very factual and rich in cultural details.

There are also recipes included that are personal to the families. I personally loved the

included recipes because that is very cultural and probably recipes that have been passed

down through the family.

à Honor and celebrate diversity as well as common bonds in humanity.

à This book honors the diversity by showing all of the different foods and traditions that

are being cooked and eaten daily all around the world. It shows how the world lives every
 day and opens the eyes of the people that have no idea at all what other cultures have to

spend or what is even available to them. I also think that it honors the different cultures

that don’t have it as “good” as other families. It shows how hard people work to keep

food on the table for their family. It shows everything that goes into preparation for

getting the food and then cooking it. But it overall shows the common bonds in humanity

because everyone has to eat to survive. Everyone works for their food or for the ability to

have food in one way or another. It shows that even though everyone around the world is

very different and even though everyone lives in different countries and may speak a

different language, everyone works hard to keep food on the table for the people they

care about. This is an aspect of humanity that has always been there and probably always

will.

Part 2 – Demonstrate unique language or style.

I thought that the style of this book was very unique. Even though the pictures may make

it seem just like another picture book that everyone has read in their life, it really isn’t.

The different information about the families and information about what they eat all

down to how much the food costs by ounce is very unique. The way everything is laid out

is very pleasing to read and look like. I also thought it was unique that it doesn’t just

include random photos of people from a particular culture, it shows them in their element,

throughout an entire week. Staying around 25 different families for a week at a time to

include very detailed information about their food and how much it costs or how they get

their food in unique compared to any other picture book I have read.

Copper Sun – written by Sharon Draper

Draper, S. (2006). Copper sun. New York, NY: Antheneum Books for Young Readers.

This story is about an African girl named Amari who is captured from her village when people

decided to come visit her people’s village. The village let them come in because they assumed, they were
visitors wanting to come in and celebrate their culture. But sadly, they were very wrong. Amari was

beaten, captured, and brought onto a slave ship. She is then sold to a plantation worker. Along the way

she builds an unbreakable bond with an American indentured servant named Polly. They help each other

get through an unimaginable circumstance that they find themselves in by being there and helping them

reach freedom.

How the story met Notable Books for Global Society Criteria

Part 1 – Provide in-depth treatment of cultural issues.

à This story includes a lot of in-depth treatment of slavery and how abusive slave owners

were toward their slaves and servants. The story talks about how Amari was beaten and

branded before she even reached the slave ship. Slavery was and still is a horrific cultural

issue. The author did an amazing job of including information that made the readers feel

emotionally connect to the characters and hurt for them. The author did not hold any

information back, which made the story even that more impactful. This shows the painful

truth that both slaves and indentured servants had to go through when on a plantation

farm.

Part 2 – Invite reflection, critical analysis, and response.

à Since the book is such an in-depth look at how slaves lived and were treated, anyone who

reads this will feel the heaviness and sadness that the characters were feeling throughout

the story. As the readers go through the story, they will be left no other choice but to be

left with the thoughts and questions that this book opens up. Many students, especially

now days, may not get a lot of information about slavery or how people treated the

African Americans. This book opens the minds of people to have the conversation about

slavery and the affect it made permanently on worlds history.

A Place Where Sunflowers Grow – written by Amy Lee-Tai and illustrated by Felicia Hoshino

Lee-Tai, A. (2006). A Place Where Sunflowers Grow. Children’s Book Press.

This story is about a little girl named Mari who lives with her mother, father, and brother. During

this time Mari and her family are interned along with many more Japanese Americans during World War

II. Mari is feeling quite down about having to live in Topaz, Utah until the war is over. They have to stay

inside these walls which are guarded by men that carry guns at all times. The thing Mari misses the most

about their home is their backyard. She wishes the ground in Utah would let her sunflowers grow just like

their home in California. By the end of the story Mari makes a friend that she met at art school and she is

able to see the happy side of things. And to make it all better, her sunflowers finally start to grow.

How the story met Notable Books for Global Society Criteria

Part 1 – Are rich in cultural details.

à This story is very rich in cultural details throughout the entire story. It gives details about

how these children felt and what the Japanese American people were having to deal with

throughout being interned during the war. Through the book there are several little

comments made about big men that carry guns while they walk around and watch the

people. I can’t even imagine having to see that as a child. Another detail that was brought

up was there were no stall doors or shower doors in the bathroom/shower room.

Everyone had to just go to the bathroom and wash themselves with everyone else being

able to watch them. The author did not hold anything back while writing this book and I

absolutely love that aspect of the story. This story shows the pain and sadness of families

that had to go through being part of the 120,000 Japanese Americans held in the

internment during World War II.

Part 2 – Demonstrate uniqueness in the use of language or style.

à The author Amy Lee-Tai decided to do something incredibly unique with her story.

Everything in her story, the actual words of the story, the title, the names of the author

and illustrator, are all also written in Japanese. I loved being able to read the story or read

the title and then also see it written in Japanese. I personally have no idea at all how to

speak or write Japanese, but I love to just look at the writing because it is so beautiful and

so different from English. I don’t think I have ever seen a book written this way, so it was

a very pleasant surprise for me throughout the story.

- Have an appealing format and be of enduring quality.

à The unique style of the book wasn’t the only thing that stuck out to me visually

throughout the story. The illustrations were also very appealing and satisfying to look at.

The illustrations are very simplistic but also detailed at the same time. In other words, the

people and objects don’t have teeny tiny details dawn on but when the reader looks at the

different characters it is very easy to understand how they are feeling. Another thing that

I noticed is that for the beginning part of the story the main character, Mari, was feeling

very sad and couldn’t find anything that she enjoyed about Topaz, Utah. During that part

of the story the pictures tend to have a “dark” feeling to them. A combination of the

colors used and how the illustrator chose to draw the setting made the pages have a sad

feeling. Towards the end of the story Mari was finally happy about her flowers and

having a friend to experience everything with. These pages had brighter, happier colors.

It was easy to understand as a reader that the characters were happy versus when the

characters were sad based off of the illustrations and I found that to be a very enduring

quality about the story.

Porch Lies: Tales of Slickters, Tricksters, and Other Wily Characters – written by Patricia C. McKissack

McKissack, P. (2006). Porch lies. New York: Schwartz and Wade Books.

This book is filled with 10 short stories that have reminded the author, Patricia McKissack, of her

childhood when she would sit on the porch and listen to stories that were very much so exaggerated. The

different stories included in this book are the authors own little exaggerated spin on some original stories.

The different stories are stories that are all in the African American culture. The author writes these

different stories with lots of humor and she writes them from the perspective that she remembers hearing

them being told to her as a child.

How the story met Notable Books for Global Society Criteria

Part 1 – Portray cultural accuracy and authenticity of characters in terms of social and economic status.

à This story shows the lives of many African Americans and what situations they have

gone through. Although the stories are more exaggerated then most, there is still lots of

viable, important cultural information. These stories show how African American people

would talk and how they were seen by people in an upper social class. It shows how

White people thought they could outsmart the African American people just because of

their social and economic status but in reality, they were the ones being tricked. These

different stories show that even though they may have not had everything that upper class

white people were able to have, they were still very smart and able to accomplish things

in life.

Part 2 – Have an appealing format and be of enduring quality.

à This book has a very different and appealing format to it. Each chapter is a different short

story that was told to the author when she was little. She starts each story with italicized

writing that tells the story how the author remembers hearing it being told. Then there is a

little separation and the story begins. Each story also starts off with a dedication and each
 story is dedicated to someone else. I found these aspects of the book to be very appealing

and it made the book even more enjoyable to read.

Planting the Trees of Kenya: The Story of Wangari Maathai – written and illustrated by Claire A. Nivola

Nivola, Claire A. (2008) Planting the Trees of Kenya: The Story of Wangari Maathai. New York: Farrar,

Straus, and Giroux. Print.

This story is about a young girl named Wangari Maathai who grew up in Kenya surrounded by

rich lands covered in green. It was full of many different kinds of trees and the streams were filled with

fish. When Wangari reached the age to go to college she left to attend school in America. When she

returned home after she is all done with school, she was shocked in the worst way possible. Almost every

tree was no longer there, and the land was dry. Her people are struggling to keep themselves alive and

healthy because there is no more healthy drinking water or wood to cook food with. Wangari decides to

help her people by taking seeds from trees and planting them. It was a long hard road, but everyone was

determined to succeed, and eventually they did. By the end of the story Wangari has helped her people

and her land overcome their drought and have a healthy life again.

How the story met Notable Books for Global Society Criteria

Part 1 – Are rich in cultural details.

à This story does a really good job of explaining the importance and significance of the

different trees to this particular culture. In the beginning of the story it talks about the fig

tree that was sacred to the people of Kenya. The people knew not to disturb the tree or to

even carry its fallen branches home to use for firewood. I liked how the story focuses on

the importance of the trees and other plants to the people Kenya not only for survival

purposes but also because it is simply part of their culture. This was one of the only

details this story went into about culture, but I found it to be very important.
 - Portray cultural accuracy and authenticity of characters in terms of intellectual abilities,

problem-solving capabilities, leadership, and cooperative dimensions.

à This story shows this aspect a lot throughout the whole story. Wangari shows her

intellectual abilities and problem-solving capabilities as well as her leadership skills and

cooperative dimensions. Wangari comes home from college and sees the bad shape that

her people and home are in and immediately starts thinking about what she can do to

help. She is proud and honored to take control and lead her people through the process of

planting the trees again to help the land. She uses her problem-thinking skills to come up

with a plan that no one else had thought of or executed yet. All of her power and love

went into making sure her people were going to be ok and to bring back the importance

that the trees and streams once meant to all of her people.

Part 2 – Invite reflection, critical analysis, and response.

à This story invites reflection because in this story all of the trees once meant so much to

the people of Kenya but eventually all of the land and animals died, and the water dried

up. The things that once meant so much and what made Kenya such a special place to its

people, was now not there. When Wangari was able to come home she knew she had to

do something to bring back that part of her land to help not only her but her people. This

might spark something in students to help them realize that maybe some things that used

to mean so much to them and their families have died out over time but all it takes is

determination and the help of friends and family to bring it back. This could also open a

discussion about what are things in life that mean to them what the trees meant to the

people of Kenya.
Little Audrey – written by Ruth White

White, R. (2008). Little Audrey. New York, USA: Farrar Straus Giroux.

This is the story told from the perspective of Audrey, an 11-year-old girl who lives in Jewell

Valley, VA. This town was a little different because it was the location of a coal mining camp for people

who are family members of the coal miners. Audrey was young but she had already experienced a lot in

her 11 years of living. She had just survived scarlet fever and that caused her body to be really weak and

skinny. As the story progresses the reader finds out more about Audrey’s mother, father, and sisters. The

reader learns about the hardships the family is facing and how life really was like for families in the coal

mining family.

How the story met Notable Books for Global Society Criteria

Part 1 – Provide in-depth treatment of cultural issues.

à This story goes into detail about the cultural issues on coal mining and what problems the

families end up having to deal with. The dad, the coal miner, had a drinking problem.

That problem most likely occurred because of the stressful and terrible business that the

coal mining industry was back then. The story also talked about how Audrey got sick

with scarlet fever and the different things that the illness did to her young body. Scarlet

fever was a huge thing back when this story was taken place and it took the lives or it

damaged many bodies. That was a huge cultural issue back then and having the book

come from the perspective of the girl that had scarlet fever made a huge impact and

helped the readers see into that cultural issue on another level.

Part 2 – Have an appealing format and be of enduring quality.

à The book was written from the perspective of 11-year-old Audrey and because she talks

about such serious topics but from a child’s point of view, it is more relatable and easier

to understand. This could help the reader relate to the character especially if the reader is
 a student who is around Audrey’s age. This could help the student relate to what it is like

to have a parent that drinks away their pain and the family has to deal with the pain of not

having that patient be fully there. The reader could also relate to being the oldest sibling

of a family that struggles to support themselves and having to grow up faster and deal

with hard issues that children normally shouldn’t have to deal with.

Award Winner
Chains - written by Laurie Halse Anderson

Anderson, L. (2008). Chains. New York, USA: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

I chose Chains written by Laurie Halse Anderson as my Award Winner because of the

book’s strong support of criteria for the Notable Books in a Global Society award. The main idea

of this book was to give an inside look on the life of slaves. I learned so much from reading this

story. The story really shows the reader how slaves were not treated as people whatsoever.

Slaves could be sold to anyone to wanted them no matter how terrible the people were. Slaves

could not own anything because they weren’t even seen as “people”. They were seen as objects.

The book really gives information about the Civil War and how life really was around that era.

Personally, I have never liked history or reading big history books. I would always get distracted

while reading history books and I wouldn’t end up learning anything. Books like Chains tell

stories that are so real and important because they hold so much valuable history of America.

This is a perfect book to use in a school classroom and I could definitely see myself having in

my future classroom. This could be a book that students choose to read alone or a book that I
could read aloud maybe a chapter a day. This book is a perfect book to help start conversation

sin the classroom about slavery and how terrible it was. Newer and newer generations are sadly

learning less and less information about slavery and everything that Black people had to go

through and still have to go through today. Also, this story is told from the perspective of a

young teenager which could also help spark interest in students. Since the story is told from a

child’s point of view, students would be able to put themselves in her shoes and they would be

able to better understand how she might be feeling throughout the situation she finds herself in.

They would also be able to understand how scared the child in the book would be when she finds

herself having to spy on her owners to be able to escape and have an actual life. I know when I

was reading the book, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and I found myself being

anxious for her because I don’t even know what I would do when put in her situation. Students

will be opened up to the opportunity to talk about the subject of slavery that isn’t talked about in

schools much anymore. This could help break the new cycle of not talking about sensitive

subjects to children.

Honor Award Winner

Little Audrey – written by Ruth White

White, R. (2008). Little Audrey. New York, USA: Farrar Straus Giroux.

I chose Little Audrey by Ruth White as my first Honor Award Winner because while I

was reading the story, I couldn’t put it down. Ruth White included so many accurate and in-

depth facts about the mining camp in 1948. The author wrote the story through Audrey’s

perspective which set the mood for the whole story. The author also did an amazing job of
describing the people she saw, the way she felt, and the situations she had to go through. Because

of the amount of detail that was included it makes it easy for the reader to better visualize what

Audrey was seeing and better understand how she was feeling. It is hard for people now days,

especially newer generations, to fully understand what a lot of people had to go through when

America had rough years. Some kids grow up without any education on certain topics such as

what people went through while America was going through years of war and other hardships.

Little Audrey included every part of the Notable Books in a Global Society criteria perfectly.

This is a great book for students to read because of the amount of important information that is

included but also because it is from a child’s perspective. Due to the perspective being from

Audrey’s point of view, a student will be able to relate to the story more and understand the

language that is being used. Students seem to like and relate to stories more when they are being

told from the perspective from someone they can relate to in some way.

I could see myself using this book in my future classroom. A story about the life of a

child that survived scarlet fever but also had to deal with the hardships of living a coal miners’

life and a dysfunctional family isn’t something found in a typical classroom library. I want my

students to be aware of the different cultures that were part of society a while ago. I love reading

stories like this particular one and I know some of my future students would too.

Honor Award Winner

What the World Eats – written by Faith D’Aluisio and photographed by Peter Menzel

D'Aluisio, F. (2008). What the world eats. Berkeley, CA: Tricycle Press
 I chose What the World Eats by Faith D’Aluisio and photographed by Peter Menzel as

my other Honor Award Winner because of how in depth the cultural details were throughout the

whole book. I could definitely see myself using this book in my future classroom because I know

it would be a book that would keep students interested but also teach them about other cultures. I

loved how the book included actual pictures of the families that the book was following around.

It helped me and I know it would help students understand the story on a deeper level because of

being able to see the people and see their lifestyle. This helps the reader to really understand

what the book is about. This book included many cultures from several different families. There

is a really good chance that the reader could relate or find their own culture somewhere in the

book. Being able to relate to a certain family in the book would make it helpful to understand the

comparison to the other cultures. This book could help students be able to realize how other

cultures get their food if they can’t just go to the grocery store like many of people in America

are able to. Lots of students may not even realize that other cultures get their groceries or how

they get their income may be completely different than how their family does. It is easy for

students to not be aware of everything going on throughout the rest of the world if they don’t

necessarily search for it. What the World Eats will educate students on the different foods that

are available around the world and how some people have to go pick their own food. The book

also provides recipes and actual prices of the food that is bought by the different families.

Younger students may not find that information very interesting but older students might. Older

students or students that love to cook might find the recipes interesting and could even try them

at home. This will give the students the opportunity to bring a part of a different culture into their

own home and help themselves and their family become more culturally aware.
Conclusion –

Throughout completing this project, I learned a lot. I learned information about different cultures

that I didn’t know about before. I learned a lot of cultural details that I probably wouldn’t have

learned if I didn’t sit down and read these eight different books for this assignment. I learned the

definition of multicultural literature on a whole different level and how much of these stories are

facts about real people and situations they went through. I learned what the criteria is for Notable

Books in a Global Society and how to see if the books I was reading were reaching that criteria

and how they were exactly reaching it or maybe didn’t reach it in my eyes. It is very important to

include multicultural literature in classrooms especially in a society like today’s where it all

seems to be getting lost. This project helped me realize how much information I can learn by just

reading these eight books. I can’t imagine how much information I could learn about different

cultures if I read several more books. Even when I read two different books about the same

subject, I still I learned something new each time because every book is different. This

assignment showed me the importance to keep reading multicultural books and to not just stop

because this assignment is done. The more multicultural books that everyone reads, the more

culturally aware society we will have.

 Resources

Anderson, L. (2008). Chains. New York, USA: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Bryan, A. (2007). Let it shine. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing Devision.

D'Aluisio, F. (2008). What the world eats. Berkeley, CA: Tricycle Press

Draper, S. (2006). Copper sun. New York, NY: Antheneum Books for Young Readers.

Lee-Tai, A. (2006). A Place Where Sunflowers Grow. Children’s Book Press.

McKissack, P. (2006). Porch lies. New York: Schwartz and Wade Books

Nivola, Claire A. (2008) Planting the Trees of Kenya: The Story of Wangari Maathai. New York: Farrar,

Straus, and Giroux. Print.

White, R. (2008). Little Audrey. New York, USA: Farrar Straus Giroux.