Amelia's Road by: Linda Altman (realistic fiction)

This book gives a realistic portrayal of the child in a migrant worker family. It begins with a young girl lamenting about her disdain for roads (los caminos). These roads take her away from familiarity and to fields where her family works in fields all day. These roads take her to new places and new people where people do not know her. She struggles to find a place she can call home. One day, she stumbles upon an old tree where its permanence inspires her to bury some of her most cherished treasures.

While the nation's population consists of about 3-5 million migrant workers (many from Carribean, Mexico, South America--- many US born citizens), this is a great book to introduce children to different families currently living in the US. As there are three primary streams of migrant workers (west, central, east), American geography could be incorporated throughout the reading. I would give each student a map where we could track Amelia's story as a class. Individually, students could research other topics associated with migrant work and add to their map appropriately. It would also be very easy to lead an accountable talk during the read-aloud because the content is very empathetically accessible (lonlieness, cherished items, feeling of "home").

I Once Was a Monkey: Stories Buddha Told by: Jeanne Lee (folk literature)

This book contains six Jatakas (stories) that give lessons of honesty, wisdom, and truth. Similar to "Aesop's Fables" (focus on philosophy of morality), these stories are through the perspective of Buddha that are especially popular in India. Each story begins with Buddha's reincarnation into a new organism (monkey, tree, golden antelope, ect). The stories' were ones that were said Buddha told his disciples in his teachings. While the stories' themes are central for children of all ages, the text and illustrations also give informational insight into religions outside of Christianity.

I would use this book after I have introduced and read several folk tales with the class. I would read one Jataka from this book aloud to the whole class and discuss the author's message. Students will share the stories relate to their life, while analyzing the characters' conflict, motives, and solution. I would then make copies of the remaining 5 Jatakas and allow students to choose which they would like to read independently (students could work in pairs). To emphasize conceptual and structural understanding, I would then ask students to create a venn-diagram of how to compare and contrast the stories between "Aesop's Fables" and the Jatakas found in "I Once was a Monkey".

Listen to the Wind by: Greg Mortenson (non-fiction)

This unique 'picture' book retells the story of Greg Mortenson, an American humanitarian who has built over 130 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. This is the children's picture book version of the novel, "Three Cups of Tea".

The story begins with Dr. Greg arriving in the small village of Korphe, tired and sick from 70 days of mountain climbing. He was shocked at the poor state of education in the village and became inspired to help. After one year in the states, he returned to the village, and with the help of the local Korphe people, built the new school.

The illustrations are particularly unique in this book. Rather than simple drawings or paintings, the pages look more like collages, made from various materials. Mortenson's method creates an three dimensional affect that is eye-catching to the reader. The author notes that in his original creation of the book, he in fact did create collages from raw materials. His inspiration was the Pakistani people; they did not waste a thing. He attempted to mimic this approach and diverged from his routine to draw on his expensive, clean-white paper. Instead, he used scrap materials he found around him.

The story's final section includes real photographs that were taken during the construction of the school. The "scrapbook" shows maps, photographs of the Korphe students, Korphe teacher (Hussein), and the new school where boys and girls are learning.

This book conveys how one person with determination and passion can change the world. It will inspire children to show compassion to those less fortunate. As a followup activity of reading this book aloud to my students, students may create their own inspirational scrapbook. Topics could include anything associated in the book. For example, students could research the countries of Pakistan or Afghanistan, create a terrain map of the area (mountains, rivers, ect), invent their own idea to help those they feel compassion towards, ect. This allows students to choose a subject/topic of interest, while exercising their creativity simultaneously.

The Year of the Dog by: Gracie Lin (multicultural)

Prezi Presentation

The Little Match Girl by: Jerry Pinkney (folk literature)

This picture book is a variant of the traditional Hans Christian Andersen's folk tale, The Little Match Girl. The plot remains the same as its original: a little girl is sent out on the streets to sell matches. No one will buy any from her and she begins to light the matches. One by one, the matches become her only source of warmth and enlighten the girls most cherished wishes. The last match reveals a vision of her deceased grandmother who takes the girl with her, only to leave the girl's body for others to find the next morning. In Pinkney's version, the little girl is of some different race (does not directly state, however, illustrations show a girl of darker complexion). The setting is not in rural Europe, but rather in an urban downtown America during the early twentieth century.

The theme also aligns with its original. Because the ideas in this book are so heavy, I would probably reserve this book for older elementary grades. I would use this as a book for whole-class discussion. Throughout each of the pages I would ask students how they thought the girl was thinking and feeling. I would ask them to take the perspectives of the other people who passed her by. At the end of the read-aloud I would ask students what message they thought the author was trying to give us. The whole focus of this story is to bring compassion and charity into the spotlight. We often think of our lives as not ideal and are always pursuing how to make it better. When our juxtaposed with this girl's story, we are all considered fortunate.

Storyteller by: Patricia Giff (historical fiction)

This novel is just over 150 pages and alternates between chapters headed by eighteenth century or twenty first century, following the stories of Elizabeth and Zee, two girls of different time periods. The book begins with the story of Elizabeth, a girl who has to move in with her Aunt Libby, because her father is working overseas. Elizabeth finds an old drawing of one of her ancestors, Zee and begins to investigate her past, with the help of her Uncle Harry.

The chapters accounting the eighteenth century story are narrated by Zee, a young woman who struggles to survive during the Revolutionary War. The author includes details that help structure a basic schema of the time period.

While the two girls obviously have different life experiences, common themes can be traced through their stories that help connect the two. I would consider using this book as a read-aloud for older elementary grades because of the historical context, as well as the structure of the book. The chapters are only a few pages each and would keep the students engaged in this quick-moving novel. I would also recommend for my students to read this independently. I would hand out a worksheet that had "talk back to the book" phrases so students would actively reflect on the text. This is a great book to draw contrasts and comparisons from, as well as personal connections.

Indian Shoes by: Cynthia Smith (multicultural)

This story follows the relationship of Ray Halfmoon and his grandfather through various heartwarming and humorous events. This realistic fiction story describes common experiences of any current young boy living in the city. The grandfather conveys his love and generosity towards Ray Halfmoon as he is always there to lend a helping hand.

The two characters in this book are of Seminole-Cherokee heritage. Most books portraying experiences of Native Americans focus on the traditional aspects of Indian culture. This book is a nice alternative because the context and setting is current and relatable. The grandfather frequently interjects throughout the story, giving the reader information about Native American culture.

If you are trying to ensure to incorporate books that portray different cultural experiences, I think this book is fantastic choice. It gives authentic details of indian tradition and in addition, it allows readers to understand that "multicultural" really is not anything too foreign or different that we cannot relate.

This is a great book for an emerging independent reader because it includes illustrations to complement the text. While the book maintains a central theme, the six short stories allow it to be read in small portions. I would use this book as a read-aloud when there is spare time in class. For example, if there is a transition period where there is a lapse of time, I would use this book as a read-aloud. Since the chapters are only about ten pages in length (pictures and large text), this is a realistic possibility. It is also a great choice for recreational read-aloud literature because the plot is lighthearted and comical. This will keep students interested and engaged.

The Lion and the Mouse by: Jerry Pinkney (traditional/folk)

This rendition of the traditional Aesop's fable is set in the heart of the Serengeti forest. The fable is the well-known story of a mighty lion and a meek mouse. However, obviously as the story progresses, the lion and mouse realize they need each other for survival. The lion is not too mighty to benefit from those smaller, and similarly, the mouse is not too meek to make a big difference.

This particular alternative to Aesop's fable is one that it is truly unique because it is almost entirely wordless. The story progresses through the author's vibrant illustrations. I would use this book as a way for students to predict the main ideas or events in a story. Just as when students go through a "book walk", students can use the pictures to brainstorm and predict the future events in the book. This will help children learn to use all features of the book to aid in comprehension, instead of relying only on the text to tell the story.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by: Brian Selznick (historical fiction-graphic novel)

This chapter book tells a mystery story about an orphaned boy who lives and works in a train station in Paris during the twentieth century. The narration is uniqe because the story is told through both text and illustrations. This graphic novel presents an alternative way to use visuals in a story. They are not simply used to complement or support what the text says, but is actually responsible for telling certain aspects of the story- seperate from the text.

The illustrations in this book are truly captivating. I would use sections of this book to my students and ask them to use the pictures as a source for context clues to predict or infer what is happening in the story. I could also have children write their own stories in this style: what portions of the book would be best told through writing? What portions of the text will be best portrayed through images? I think this will give students the opportunity to have a more creative approach to comprehension and story writing.