When I Am Old with You by Angela Johnson

This story described all of the activities a young boy wants to do with his grandaddy. Each page is a new activity the child wants to participate in with his grandaddy. The activites range from fishing to playing cards, and from eating bacon on the front porch to roasting corn  on a big fire. You can see the admiration this boy has for his grandfather and the love they share in every day activities. I liked this book because it shows us the issue of age. The events described in this book seem to be what the child assumes older aged adults enjoy doing. The reader can infer that the grandchild observes his grandaddy taking part in similar activities. The diversity issue to embrace in this story is that although we interact with much older or much younger people, we can still enjoy their company. It is fun to spend time with friends or family who are different ages. After reading this book you could discuss grandparents. Discussion topics should also include the the knowledge gained from spending time with older adults and also the fun you can have with them. Not all students will have grandparents or older adult interaction, so that will be important for you to remember. It will be nice to have other students share stories about their grandparents so that these students understand the relationship there. I have not had relationships with any of my grandparents and I was always curious about this type of relationship. Informing students who do not have this relationship is important. Another idea is to have a grandparent as a guest speaker after reading this book to convey this information. Age difference should never be frowned upon and I think this book shows us all of the fun things we can do with older adults.

Book cover copied from http://www.eduplace.com/kids/tnc/gr1/gr1_th9_sel1.html

Mice and Beans by Pam Munoz Ryan



This fun picturebook is a great way to introduce the Hispanic culture and encourage diversity. The story takes place at the home of Rosa Maria. She is preparing to host a birthday party for her youngest grandchild, Little Catalina. The entire week is filled with prepping for this special day. Rosa Maria finds items that are missing each day.She decides to set up mouse traps just in case it is a sneaky mouse that is taking her materials and food. However, in the end the mice have been helping her all along. Throughout the book are many small glimpses into the traditions and culture of the Hispanic population. Most of the food mentioned in the book along with traditional party favors, like a pinata, show a little piece of the culture. The importance of family is also evident in the story. It would be wonderful to compare and contrast different cultures after reading this book. This book is a fun and colorful story that I believe your students will love to be a part of.

Book Cover Copied from http://www.tower.com/mice-beans-pam-munoz-ryan-hardcover/wapi/100172746

Long-Long's New Year by Catherine Gower



This picture book takes place in a village in China during Spring Festival. Their New Year is almost here and they have been waiting a long time to celebrate. Long-Long heads to market with Grandpa to sell cabbage in order to raise money for their Spring Festival celebrations. Throughout their day at market, they run into trouble. Their bicycle's tire goes flat and no one will buy their cabbage. Fortunately, Long-Long takes their bicycle to a repair shop and helps the repair man work. He makes a little bit of money and gets their tire fixed. He then finds out there is a lady selling dirty, old cabbage before the buyers can reach his and Grandpa's stand. Long-Long goes to a nearby restaurant that needs cabbage and pretty soon the whole village is buying cabbage from Grandpa. They raise enough money for Spring Festival! This book provides good insight into the Chinese culture. it describes their transportation, food, and celebrations. This would be a good culture to compare to our own and discuss the positive differences. One good discussion might be the differences and commanalities of our festivals. Parades, fireworks, rides, food and other topics are good ideas for this discussion. After the story, the author has included a note that describes the first Chinese Spring Festival. That would be a good page to read and discuss also. It explains why they practice certain traditions on this holiday and why they celebrate this specific time. Overall, I believe this is a good representation of a different culture that will promote discussion and reflection about different cultures.

Book Cover Copied from http://i43.tower.com/images/mm100330967/long-longs-new-year-story-about-chinese-spring-catherine-gower-hardcover-cover-art.jpg

Crow Boy by Taro Yashima



Crow Boy is a story that takes place in a small village in Japan. It is about a small boy who grows up an outcast. None of the children speak to him or play with him. Grown-ups are convinced he cannot learn and should be ignored. "Chibi" is his nickname which means "tiny boy". Chibi is definitely a loner and spends most of his class time staring out the window or crossing his eyes so he doesn't have to see the classroom. Sixth grade is their last school year and finally they have a teacher who appreciates Chibi's many talents. Their new teacher, Mr. Isobe, likes that Chibi knows about flowers and plants, and he also likes his black and white drawings. He encourages Chibi more than anyone has before. At the talent show, Chibi climbs up onto the stage to perform. He is called "stupid" by some. Chibi's talent is making different crow noises. After his performance, Mr. Isobe explains that Chibi has walked to school every day, from very far away, for six years, and has learned these sounds. He is the only one who had perfect attendance for all six years. In the end, everyone cries because of the way they have treated him and they change his nickhame to "Crow Boy". This Caldecott Honor book is a story of accepting those who might be different. Chibi was timid and kept to himself, but in the end he was appreciated because of his differences. After reading this book, you should explain that we should accept all people no matter how different they act or look. It would also be a great time to talk about Japan and their rich culture. The book mentions that Chibi would take a "rice ball wrapped in a radish leaf" every day for lunch. It also says he wore a "raincoat made from dried zebra grass". Their schooling lasts only six years unlike the American culture of atleast thirteen. These are all discussion topics that would help your child embrace the Japanese culture and the child who might be an outsider.

Book cover copied from http://i43.tower.com/images/mm100894569/crow-boy-taro-yashima-hardcover-cover-art.jpg

Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles

Freedom Summer is a wonderful book about friendship, regardless of color. It takes place in the early 1960's when the Civil Rights Act was passed. This book is fiction, but it is based on real events in Deborah Wiles' life. She remembers her local pool was opened to everyone after the Act was passed, but instead of allowing African-Americans to swim there, they simply filled it with cement. It is a story of true comradarie. The innocence of the children is so special and they are best friends no matter what they look like. Unfortunately the boys soon find that although everyone has been declared equal with equal rights in all public places, the prejudice still exists. This book shows the sadness, frustration, and hurt that comes with prejudice feeling. It would be a good book to discuss with your child or children to emphasize that we do not want to make others feel these feelings. We should welcome and support all people. I enjoyed this book because it is real. It does not sugar coat or sweep anything under the rug. It shows what really happened and will hopefully prevent future prejudice or negative feeling towards peers because of their color. This book has been honored many times, because of this authentic characteristic, I think. The awards are for both the written story and for the beautiful illustrations. A few of the book's most prestigious awards are the Coretta Scott King Award and the Ezra Jack Keats Award.

The book cover was copied from http://covers.openlibrary.org/b/id/435491-L.jpg

The Day of Ahmed's Secret by Florence Parry Heide & Judith Heide Gilliland



This story is about a boy named Ahmed who lives in Cairo. He has a secret to share with his family but works all day long and must wait to share it with them. This book gives a great depiction of what a boy in Cairo does; he works. He rides a donkey cart up crowded streets making deliveries. He describes the sights and sounds and it gives you a feeling of what it might be like to live in Cairo. Ahmed finally reaches home and shares his secret. The secret is that Ahmed knows how to write his name. The cultural discussion that can be made after reading  this picture book should include the children's role in the home. For example, in Ahmed's culture, he works all day and practices writing his name at home after work. In the reader's culture, the children might practice writing their name at school where they are all day. It is a little of a role reversal. After reading, it would also be beneficial to look through the pictures and compare the cities. Ahmeds' city of Cairo looks to have an open market on the street and still utilizes a donkey for transportation. It is also very close to the desert and the climate there might be different from the reader's hometown. This book gives a lot of insight into the life a child in Cairo.

Book cover copied from http://www.harpercollinschildrens.com/harperchildrensImages/isbn/large/6/9780688140236.jpg

I Lost My Tooth in Africa by Penda Diakite



This story is about a young girl who loses a tooth while visiting her father's family in Mali. She then places it under a calabash amd receives a hen and rooster from the African Tooth Fairy. This book is very enjoyable. The story captures the audience with rich tradition. African tradition is displayed throughout the book. The book includes interesting facts about the culture in the types of food, where and how the family eats, types of furniture like her "bamboo bed", hobbies, and so much more. The illustrations are beautiful. The illustrator used vibrant ceramic-tile illustrations that earned this book the Coretta Scott King Honor Book award. This story would be a great story to share with your student if you want to share a culture that is very beautiful, rich, warm, and full of new ideas and words. After reading this story to your student, you might show the map at the beginning of the book and discuss how sometimes families live on different continents or you could talk about how people who live on different continents might have different traditions than we do. Another topic might be the food theme. There are plenty of different types of food and cooking methods mentioned in this book along with table seating arrangements and habits. There are plenty of different discussions that could take place, these are just a few that might begin to trigger topics of conversation. This book is a great multi-cultural book that is a great pick if you are wanting to share cultures with your student.

Book Cover Copied from http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/i-lost-my-tooth-in-africa-penda-diakite/1006334162