Embedded Files
MULTICULTURAL
Grades K-1 (24-25)
THE CHINESE NEW YEAR HELPER
THE CHINESE NEW YEAR HELPER
Ying Chang Compestine
Summary: Any kid who has been told they’re too young to do something will relate to this book. Jia wants to help her family get ready for the Chinese New Year, but is continually told she’s too little: too little to help with the food, the dishes, and hanging the lanterns and decorations. Maybe the dragon could use some help, though?
These traditions are accessible to young readers, and the message is relatable.
Curricular use: holidays, community, culture, identity, traditions, Chinese New Year, helping
A MALETA FULL OF TREASURES
A MALETA FULL OF TREASURES
Natalia Sylvester
Summary: A story about Dulce, who is excitedly awaiting her abuela’s (grandmother’s) visit, and not just because of la maleta (the suitcase) that comes packed to the brim with presents and surprises from abuela’s country. Dulce loves all the special treats and smells that remind her of Peru even though she’s never been there. The end of the visit comes too soon, but Dulce has fun filling la maleta again, but this time with presents from her country and for her relatives and friends back in Peru.
Curricular use: community, culture, identity, traditions, immigration, family, multigenerational
MULTICULTURAL
Grades 2-3 (24-25)
A MAP FOR FALASTEEN
A MAP FOR FALASTEEN
Maysa Odeh
Summary: A young girl, Falasteen, is learning about countries in school but is puzzled when she can’t find her family’s country of Palestine on the map. When she asks her teacher why it’s not there, her teacher says, “I think there is no such place.” Falasteen doesn’t understand how this can be so she goes to her loving intergenerational family to find the answer. Through their words and stories, Falasteen begins to understand her place in a country she’s never visited, but has heard so much about. From Kirkus Reviews, “A haunting, powerful, and crucial tale of culture and identity.” Please don’t skip the author’s note at the end.
Curricular use: maps, countries, identity, geography, identity, multigenerational, culture, traditions, family
UP, UP, EVER UP! JUNKO TABEI: A LIFE IN THE MOUNTAINS
UP, UP, EVER UP! JUNKO TABEI: A LIFE IN THE MOUNTAINS
Anita Yusuda
Summary: A young girl, Falasteen, is learning about countries in school but is puzzled when she can’t find her family’s country of Palestine on the map. When she asks her teacher why it’s not there, her teacher says, “I think there is no such place.” Falasteen doesn’t understand how this can be so she goes to her loving intergenerational family to find the answer. Through their words and stories, Falasteen begins to understand her place in a country she’s never visited, but has heard so much about. From Kirkus Reviews, “A haunting, powerful, and crucial tale of culture and identity.” Please don’t skip the author’s note at the end.
Curricular use: maps, countries, identity, geography, identity, multigenerational, culture, traditions, family
MULTICULTURAL
Grades 4-5 (24-25)
UPROOTED
Ruth Chan
UPROOTED
Ruth Chan
Summary:
A graphic novel memoir for 4th grade +.
Summary: Ruth has lived in Toronto, Canada for most of her life. It’s home to her. But her Dad found a good job in Hong Kong so she and her parents are moving. Her mom is ecstatic because she considers Hong Kong her home, but Ruth is very hesitant. She understands Cantonese, but speaking it is a whole different ball game. She’s terrified to leave her BFFs, and scared about getting used to a new city, starting a new school, and making new friends. But with the help of her and her Dad’s almost nightly ritual of the “Talk to Talk” before bed, Ruth realizes that all families have gone through challenging and hard times, and those experiences help us be more resilient when we come through on the other side. My favorite parts were Ruth becoming comfortable speaking Cantonese, conquering Hong Kong’s public transportation, and her large extended family each trying to pay the restaurant bill.
Curricular use: change, family, culture, moving, immigration, resilience, community
ONE BIG OPEN SKY
Lesa Cline-Ransome
ONE BIG OPEN SKY
Lesa Cline-Ransome
Summary: One Big Open Sky is a Newbery Honor and a Coretta Scott King Author Honor winner. It is also a novel in verse meaning a hybrid form of writing that combines the narrative structure of a novel with the lyrical and poetic elements of poetry (Wikipedia).
Lettie is eleven years old. She enjoys writing and reading. She has two younger brothers. She is nervous but excited when she’s told her family will be leaving Mississippi to travel northwest to Nebraska for their chance at owning land. One Big Open Sky is about all that Lettie, her mom, and a fellow traveler learn during the trip, about others and about themselves. There is a big feminist slant in the book, which I loved imagining was really there during this time period.
(Just FYI, the dog does NOT die.)
Curricular use: identity, westward expansion, U.S. history, pioneers, trailblazers, social structures, freedom, autonomy
KAREEM BETWEEN
Shifa Saltagi Safadi
KAREEM BETWEEN
Shifa Saltagi Safadi
Summary: This book is a novel in verse. I wonder if there are more books for kids being written in this style because there are less words on the page and the book isn’t as overwhelming. I think it would be great for 4th grade + and kids who love football would especially like it. The flow of the words would make it a great read aloud for a classroom.
The story is about Kareem in 2017, a Syrian American boy who loves the Chicago Bears and has a special place in his heart for the 1985 team. He wants to be his middle school team’s quarterback and is willing to do anything to get it, even if that means going against what he believes in and how he was raised. Things come into important perspective for Kareem, though, when Executive Order 13769 (nicknamed the Muslim Ban) directly effects his family, his friends, and his neighbors. As readers we see how Kareem’s love and understanding of football strengthens his convictions.
Curricular use: immigration, refugees, identity, culture, social awareness, resiliency
MULTICULTURAL
Grades K-2 (23-24)
LOLO'S SARI SARI STORE
LOLO'S SARI SARI STORE
Sophia N. Lee
Summary: Set in the Philippines, a girl loves spending time with her grandfather in his sari-sari store, a shop that sells a variety of things. The girl loves the customers, all of the baked goods or icy treats the shop sells, the kindness her grandfather shows and the help he gives everyday as a leader in the community. The girl moves to America to be with her mother, but misses her grandfather and the shop. Eventually, even though it's hard, she begins to see that America has people who need and give kindness and help, just like her grandfather.
Curricular use: diversity, kindness, cultural competency, social studies (community and neighborhoods), idea of home, homesickness
PAPA'S MAGICAL WATER-JUG CLOCK
PAPA'S MAGICAL WATER-JUG CLOCK
Jesús Trejo
Summary: A boy is excited to help his papá in the family landscaping business. Trying to make the workday fun, the father tells the boy he is in charge of the magical water jug clock and when it’s empty, it’s time to go home! The boy takes these words a little too literally.
Curricular use: diversity, fathers and sons, social studies (community and neighborhoods and jobs), cultural competency, perseverance, National Hispanic Heritage Month, responsibility, conservation of water
MULTICULTURAL
Grades 3-4 (23-24)
JOJO MAKOONS: SNOW DAY
Dawn Quigley
Summary: The Jo Jo Makoon book series is about a young fictional Native American character, Jo Jo, who lives on a fictional Ojibwe reservation with her family and community. I love this series. The books are realistic, funny, and seamlessly incorporate important aspects of the Indigenous culture. In Jo Jo Makoons: Snow Day, Jo Jo has been learning about being healthy and on an unexpected snow day, she and her friends check on the Elders in their neighborhood to be sure they’re braving the storm and being healthy.
Curricular use: Indigenous culture, cultural competency, social studies (community and neighborhoods), health, multi-generations, read aloud
JUST LIKE GRANDMA
Kim Rogers
Summary: While this is a simple story about the love between a grandma and granddaughter, it is embedded with aspects of Indigenous culture, including but not limited to an appreciation for Elders.
Curricular use: Indigenous culture, cultural knowledge, beadwork, pow wows, writing activity about Elders, read aloud
TOKOYO NIGHT PARADE
J. P. Takahashi
Summary: Yōkai are the supernatural creatures of Japanese folklore, which could have possibly influenced modern Pokémon characters. And it is these yōkai characters that Eka parades with around Tokyo before moving to New York City.
Every culture has its monsters, “Are you all good spirits?”
“Are you all good humans?”
Curricular use: Japanese folklore, high engagement with Pokémon, immigrants, geography, read aloud
SALAT IN SECRET
Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
Summary: After watching his father pray five times a day, and after receiving his own prayer rug for his birthday, Muhammad gathers his courage to ask his teacher, “Mrs. Baker, I’m a Muslim, and I need somewhere to pray.”
Curricular use: community, family, acceptance, Muslim religion, fear, growth, self-acceptance, rituals, cultural competency, diversity, read aloud
MULTICULTURAL
Grades 5-6 (23-24)
MEXIKID
MEXIKID
Pedro Martín
Summary: Mexikid is a laugh out loud graphic novel memoir about Pedro Martín’s family trip to Mexico in a Winnebago motorhome. All 11 family members are making the journey because they have to go get their abuelito, or grandpa, who is getting older and bring him back to the United States to live with them. Pedro starts the trip by pretty much ignoring the adult conversations around him, but eventually starts listening and begins to learn more about his Mexican heritage.
Curricular use: National Hispanic Heritage Month, memoirs, narratives, identity, fitting in, intergenerational stories, cultural competency
YOU ARE HERE: CONNECTING FLIGHTS
YOU ARE HERE: CONNECTING FLIGHTS
Ellen Oh
Summary: You are Here: Connecting Flights, edited by Ellen Oh, is a book centered around a couple of hours in a crowded Chicago airport before, during, and after an incident at a security checkpoint. The incident is told from the point of view of different yet reappearing Asian American characters who are each in the airport for various reasons. Each chapter is written by a different author who brings their own real experiences of culture and identity into the story. The book is filled with both microaggressions and more in-your-face racism as well as Southeast and East Asian characters who refuse to accept the model-minority myth.
Curricular use: SEL, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, microaggressions, cultural competency, short stories, prejudice, racism, model minority myth
MULTICULTURAL
Grades K-2 (22-23)
THE LITTLE HOUSE OF HOPE
Terry Catasús Jennings
A story of a Cuban family immigrating to the United States, into a little house, una casita. The family works to make it a home. This does mean scrubbing, painting, and decorating, but it also means welcoming and sharing the space with others who need a place to stay until they’re on their feet. (Kindergarten +)
community, houses and homes, budgeting, needs and wants, refugees, history (older kids)
I AM GOLDEN
Eva Chen
A culture filled manifesto for Chinese-American self-love, but also one about the reality of trying to fit into two worlds. (Kindergarten +)
SEL, identity, tradition, community, culture, immigrant experience
AMERICAN DESI
Jyoti Rajan Gopal
A poetic story about Desi fitting into both the Indian world and the American world with parts of both cultures embedded throughout. (Kindergarten +)
culture, cultural identity, tradition, compare and contrast, individuality
MAGIC: ONCE UPON A FARAWAY LAND
Mirelle Ortega
A beautiful biographical picture book about a young girl who grows up on a pineapple farm in Mexico. She celebrates the magic of the people and their hard work, their culture, and the changes that happen in nature, both good and bad. (Kindergarten +)
community, farming and agriculture, culture, farm workers, natural disasters
MULTICULTURAL
Grades 3-4 (22-23)
TIA FORTUNA'S NEW HOME: A JEWISH CUBAN JOURNEY
Ruth Behar
TIA FORTUNA'S NEW HOME: A JEWISH CUBAN JOURNEY
Ruth Behar
Estrella is immersed in a celebration of the Jewish and Cuban culture as she helps her TÍa move away from her longtime apartment to an assisted living community. Some bilingual text. (4th grade +)
family, tradition, culture, history of Sephardic Jews, Cuban heritage, life’s transitions
BLUE: A HISTORY OF THE COLOR AS DEEP AS THE SEA AND AS WIDE AS THE SKY
Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond
BLUE: A HISTORY OF THE COLOR AS DEEP AS THE SEA AND AS WIDE AS THE SKY
Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond
A nonfiction book about different culture’s use of the color blue, including the history of the color. Do not miss the Author’s Note and “A Few More Blue Facts” at the end. (4th grade +)
history, timelines, ancient cultures, SEL feelings around the colors, poetry
NANA, NENEK & NINA
Liza Ferneyhough
NANA, NENEK & NINA
Liza Ferneyhough
Living in San Francisco, this is a story about a young girl’s experiences visiting her grandmothers. One lives in England, and one lives in Malaysia. This book would work for a younger grades read aloud, but if you want to have an in-depth talk about it, it would be better. (3rd grade +)
compare and contrast, geography, traditions
ABLAZE WITH COLOR: A STORY OF PAINTER ALMA THOMAS
Jeanne Walker Harvey
ABLAZE WITH COLOR: A STORY OF PAINTER ALMA THOMAS
Jeanne Walker Harvey
With a strong sense of southern culture, this narrative paints a picture of Alma Thomas as the smart, community-minded, nature loving, and hard working creative teacher she was. It was interesting that she didn’t really start her own art career until she was 70. (3rd grade +)
art, art history, diversity in art, history, five senses, women teachers, natural world, poems
FRIZZY
Claribel A. Ortega
FRIZZY
Claribel A. Ortega
Marlene has to go with her mom every weekend to the salon to get her hair straightened. It takes forever, and it hurts, and Marlene doesn’t want to go anymore. After spending a weekend with her Tía Ruby, Marlene is ready to confront her mom about her Dominican culture’s standards for beauty that she was raised with.
cultural representation, compare and contrast, bias
MULTICULTURAL
Grades 5-6 (22-23)
FREEWATER
Amina Luqman-Dawson
I was not aware that some enslaved people “found refuge deep in the swamps and forests of the American South and even began secret communities. Research and historical literature refer to these secret communities as ‘maroon communities’ and the people who resided in them as ‘maroons.’”
Freewater is a story in which Luqman-Dawson imagined one of these communities. The book is centered around Homer and Ada who did escape their plantation to find Freewater, but their mom was held back. Homer and Ada, along with some new friends, want to go back to Southerland to find their mom and help her escape.
The topic of slavery is always heavy, and there were some tough parts in the book, but I do think Luqman-Dawson ultimately wanted her characters to feel powerful and hopeful so there are these feelings, too. Newbery and Coretta Scott King Author winners. (5th grade +)
compare and contrast, history, community, culture, names and meanings, POV
MISS QUINCES
Kat Fajardo
A graphic novel about Suyapa, who really wants the freedom to do what she wants to do- like read books, make comics and daydream, go to camp with her friends, and do the kind of nerdy things she loves. But her Honduran mother is overprotective and wants Suyapa to want the same things she does- like a big pink quinceanera with high heels and dancing and all the extroverted things a party requires of the birthday girl. To make everything tougher, Suyapa’s family is going to Honduras for a month during the summer, causing her to miss out on fun things with her friends.
Lots of the family drama in the book, loved Suyapa’s strong-willed abuelita, and Fajardo’s desire to help the reader understand the main character’s desire to fit into both the American culture and her Honduran household, but also feeling like she belongs to neither group. And of course, I liked learning about the cultural importance of the quinceanera. (5th grade +)
compare and contrast, POV, culture, traditions, geography, family relationships, multigenerational families, SEL, individuality
CHOOSING BRAVE: HOW MAMIE TILL-MOBLEY AND EMMETT TILL SPARKED THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
Angela Joy
An informational picture book about the Till-Mobley family, a family filled with a culture of love and bravery. (6th grade +)
history, social studies, time lines, community, courage, SEL, compare and contrast history books with this picture book
SEEN AND UNSEEN: WHAT DOROTHEA LANGE, TOTO MIYATAKE AND ANSEL ADAM'S PHOTOGRAPHS REVEAL ABOUT THE JAPANEST AMERICAN INCARCERATION
Elizabeth Partridge
SEEN AND UNSEEN: WHAT DOROTHEA LANGE, TOTO MIYATAKE AND ANSEL ADAM'S PHOTOGRAPHS REVEAL ABOUT THE JAPANEST AMERICAN INCARCERATION
Elizabeth Partridge
Siebert Award winner: chosen as the most distinguished informational book for kids. Seen and Unseen is about 120 pages and feels like a mix of a picture book, a nonfiction book, and a graphic novel. It is filled with primary sources, including but not limited to photographs.
The book looks at three different photographers and the photos they chose to shoot and were allowed to share from being at the Japanese American internment camps during World War II. (6th grade +)
POV, historical context, creative copyright, power dynamics, cultural representation, model minority
THE TRYOUT: MAKING THE SQUAD MEANS RISKING IT ALL
Christine Soontornvat
THE TRYOUT: MAKING THE SQUAD MEANS RISKING IT ALL
Christine Soontornvat
An autobiographical graphic novel written by Christina Soontornvant, a Thai American, about when she was in middle school and trying out for the cheerleading team with her best friend, an Iranian American, in a setting that didn’t quite welcome either girl wholeheartedly. Included is a little bit about Thai culture, fitting in, microaggressions, and what it means to have a really great friend. This is also a great book for growth mindset, but that growth mindset attitude wasn’t all neat and tidy- I appreciate that realistic take on life.
(4th grade +)
culture, tradition, compare and contrast, cultural representation, risk-taking, friendships
A LAND OF BOOKS: DREAM OF YOUNG MEXIHCAH WORD PAINTERS
Duncan Tonatiuh
A LAND OF BOOKS: DREAM OF YOUNG MEXIHCAH WORD PAINTERS
Duncan Tonatiuh
An important book that talks about the history of Aztec manuscripts and culture.
(6th grade +)
history of Aztec culture, paper making and book making, social studies (ancient cultures), pictograms (similar to emojis today), conquests, importance of technology in saving ancient artifacts
MAIZY CHEN'S LAST CHANCE
Lisa Yee
MAIZY CHEN'S LAST CHANCE
Lisa Yee
Maizy and her mom leave Los Angeles for the summer to spend time in Last Chance, Minnesota because Maizy’s grandfather, her Opa, is sick. She helps out at the family restaurant, the Golden Palace, and learns about its history, along with some of her own. This book would make a fantastic and timely read-aloud. Newbery Honor
Family relationships, grandparents, family lore, stories within stories, friendship, Chinese immigration, Chinese Exclusion Act, paper sons and daughters, Chinese Americans, poker, cooking, loss.
history, social studies, community, compare and contrast, immigration, character development, family relationships, classroom read-aloud
EVERYBODY BOOKS (2021-22)
I IS FOR IMMIGRANTS
Selina Alko
A beautiful ABC celebratory book of immigrants and all that has been brought to the United States to make our country a better place. In the Author’s Note, Alko points out, “America isn’t any one thing; it’s many, and each family has its own distinct experience.”
social studies, art, cultural competency
FRED GETS DRESSED
Peter Brown
The boy loves to be naked. He romps around his house naked and wild and free. Until he romps into his parents' closet and is inspired to get dressed. When he's discovered by his mother and father, the whole family (including the dog ) get in on the fun, and they all get dressed together. (From the publisher)
gender stereotypes, health, cultural competency
MILO IMAGINES THE WORLD
Matt de la Pena
Milo is feeling anxious as he and his sister ride on the subway towards a destination. To take his mind off his anxieties, he looks around at his fellow passengers and draws pictures of where he thinks they’re going. Milo rethinks his drawings, though, when he realizes that we can’t really know someone by just looking at them. This book is a great reminder that we can all leave our assumptions at the door. This book is thought provoking and will be a great conversation starter.
cultural-competency, social studies (communities and neighborhoods), read-aloud, morning meetings about friendship and tolerance
EYES THAT KISS IN THE CORNERS
Joanna Ho
A young Asian girl notices that her eyes look different from her peers'. TShe realizes that her eyes are like her mother's, her grandmother's, and her little sister's. Drawing from the strength of these powerful women in her life, she recognizes her own beauty and discovers a path to self love and empowerment. (From the publisher)
SEL, relationship skills, Morning Meetings
BRIGHT STAR
Yuyi Morales
This book reminds us about the beauty, innocence, and awe experienced at a new life being brought into the world. The reader is initially shown a fawn as it moves through the desert landscape with beautifully illustrated saguaro cacti and other plants and flowers and animals. The end of the book is hopeful as we all realize we are not alone and in this world together. This is a love letter to children everywhere. As always, don’t miss the Author’s Note because like a reviewer shares, it is an invitation to learn more.
social studies (borders), science (plants, interdependence of living things)
WE ARE STILL HERE!: NATIVE AMERICAN TRUTHS EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW
Traci Sorell
Lessac’s trademark colorful, folk-art–style illustrations show a Native American community school with a classroom of diverse students preparing for presentations at the Indigenous People’s Day assembly. Spread by spread, each child speaks, featuring words and terms that highlight the journey Native Nations have taken to reclaim their land and rights. (Kirkus Review)
social studies, cultural competency
WATERCRESS
Andrea Wang
We don’t know other people’s stories, and sometimes those people are right in our own immediate family. Sharing them can be hard but important. Based on Wang’s Author’s Note, this is a mostly autobiographical story of her feelings about digging for watercress at the side of a road in the muddy ditch in Ohio with her brother and parents, immigrants from China. “This story is both an apology and a love letter to my parents. It’s also an encouragement to all children who feel different and to families with difficult pasts- share your memories. Tell your stories. They are essential.”
writing, social studies, science (plants), cultural competency
IN MY MOSQUE
M.O. Yuksel
Yuksel follows a young boy as he goes to his mosque on Friday, the holy day for Muslims. The perspective remains that of a child. Pair this with David Macaulay's Mosque for a detailed, architectural look at these spaces. (From School Library Journal)
social studies, cultural competency
GRAPHIC NOVELS (2021-22)
SPACE JAM: A NEW LEGACY
SPACE JAM: A NEW LEGACY
Ivan Cohen
LeBron James wants his son to follow his footsteps and be a great basketball player, but his son has no interest and loves to create video games. When they are both trapped in a digital setting, separate from each other, LeBron has to rely on Looney Tunes characters for his basketball dream team to win his son back. This is based on the movie of the same name.
THE LEGEND OF AUNTIE PO
THE LEGEND OF AUNTIE PO
Shing Yin Khor
Mei is a Chinese American girl living in a logging camp in the 1880s after the Chinese Exclusion Act. She helps her dad in the camp kitchen, has some more than friendship feelings for her childhood friend Bee, and loves to reimagine and tell stories about Auntie Po, a giant Chinese matriarch, rather than Paul Bunyan. Ultimately, Mei is trying to stake her place in American society as a queer Chinese American girl. I loved the friendships, loyalties, and political actions put forth in this story. The idea of who gets to own a myth was also something the author Shing Yin Khor wanted us to think about. Don’t miss the Author’s Note at the end.
myths, US History, social studies, LGBTQIA
ALLERGIC
ALLERGIC
Megan Wagner Lloyd
Maggie is looking forward to her 10th birthday when she get to pick out a puppy at the animal shelter. Unfortunately she discovers she is severely allergic to dogs, and cats, and anything with fur. She’s got a lot going on with a new school, twin younger brothers, parents who are expecting a baby and a new best friend, Claire, who has a father who gives her whatever she asks for. When Claire brings home a dog, Maggie feels betrayed. Through honest conversations and a new friend, Sebastian, who also has allergies, Maggie finds confidence and discovers her placement with friends and family.
SEBH, relationships, family, friendships
FICTION BOOKS (2021-22)
MAYA AND THE ROBOT
Eve L. Ewing
This book is set in Chicago and tells the story of a young girl who enjoys everything science. When helping at her neighborhood corner store, Maya discovers and is gifted a robot who was created by the store owner’s son. While learning about the robot and working on her science fair project AND trying to deal with her best friends not being in her class, Maya learns what it means to be a part of a helpful and caring community.
STEM, community, read-aloud
GET A GRIP, VIVY COHEN!
Sarah Kapit
For readers who love baseball and heartwarming realistic fiction, this new title from Kapit is a standout. Vivy is a girl with a passion for baseball; she wants to be a pitcher more than anything else. Her life changes when a baseball coach scouts her at the park playing with her brother. But Vivy's mother is concerned about her joining the team, mainly because she will be the only child with autism and the only girl. The unique storytelling format of letters and emails will have even the most reluctant of readers turning the pages quickly. (From School Library Journal)
SEBH, collection development
BLACK BOY JOY
Kwame Mbalia
This book is filled with short stories by seventeen really fantastic Black authors. Actually, they aren’t all short stories, some are poems or drawings. And while it’s always hard to love all the short stories in a collection, most are enjoyable. What I really did love was that each piece of writing, in whatever form it took, was really about the joy lived by Black families: whether it’s the joy of cooking, talking about the ultimate superhero, looking perfectly fly for the first day of school, or having the ability to see legendary creatures, like a jab from Trinidad, a chickcharney from the Bahamas, or the moko jumbie from West Africa and the Caribbean.
social studies, writing, read-aloud
JOJO MAKOONS: THE USED TO BE FRIENDS
JOJO MAKOONS: THE USED TO BE FRIENDS
Dawn Quigley
Move over, Junie B. Jones. There’s a new girl in town. Jo Jo Makoons had the same silly feelings as JBJ and frustrates the people around her in a similarly funny way. The difference is Jo Jo is a full-of-life Ojibwe girl rather than a white one. The author is a citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe.
read-aloud, Native American Heritage Month, cultural competency
CECE RIOS AND THE DESERT OF SOULS
CECE RIOS AND THE DESERT OF SOULS
Kaela Rivera
Twelve-year-old Cece Rios has long known that she’s different from the other residents of Tierra del Sol, and that difference couldn’t be made more clear than it is in the contrast between herself and her beloved older sister, Juana. Juana is fierce and courageous, happily taking part in the town’s rituals to protect itself from the terrifying criaturas that have haunted the residents for centuries. On the other hand, Cece is gentle and merciful, and the other residents have looked upon her with suspicion ever since she helped a misunderstood criatura escape their wrath. Rivera’s spellbinding debut offers a thrilling introduction to the world of Mexican American legends while easily weaving Spanish phrases and vocabulary into the vibrant text. (Booklist)
collection development
ANCESTOR APPROVED: INTERTRIBAL STORIES FOR KIDS
ANCESTOR APPROVED: INTERTRIBAL STORIES FOR KIDS
Cynthia Leitich Smith
I thought this was going to be a heavy and sad book. While there was a short mention of residential schools, racism, and intergenerational trauma, the stories were hopeful, filled with all kinds of families, and had a strong sense of community. The book is about Native American people from all over the country, including Canada, traveling to Ann Arbor, Michigan for the Dance for Mother Earth Powwow. It would be a great read aloud for a teacher or to read together as a family. Music teachers could use the book for its music and drumming, Art teachers could use it for the beadwork, learning about the feather regalia, and other designs. There is so much opportunity to learn about the different tribes and their languages. It’s a quick read!
music, art, social studies (Native American tribes), POV
NONFICTION (2021-22)
UNSPEAKABLE: THE TULSA RACE MASSACRE
UNSPEAKABLE: THE TULSA RACE MASSACRE
Carole Boston Weatherford
In 1921, over the course of sixteen hours, the Black community of Greenwood, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was all but destroyed, with most of its residents left homeless, injured, or dead. In picture-book form, Weatherford and Cooper skillfully present this history to young people. The author's and illustrator's notes provide additional information, including their individual connections to the topic. (From Horn Book)
social studies, U.S. History, racial discrimination
EVERYBODY BOOKS
NANA AKUA GOES TO SCHOOL
Tricia Elam Walker
It’s Grandparents Day at school and all of the kids are excited for their most special visitors. But Zura is afraid that her school community won’t understand her Nana’s traditional West African tribal marks.
YOUR NAME IS A SONG
Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
A young girl had a difficult first day of school because no one could say her name correctly. Her mom says to sing every name like it is a song.
¡VAMOS! LET'S GO EAT
Raul the Third
A love letter to the foods of Mexico. Little Lobo and his friends are asked to deliver lunch to lucha libre (or professional wrestling) stars, but because they all want different foods, Little Lobo and crew must make stops at all the different food trucks and specialty shops.
JULIÀN AT THE WEDDING
Jessica Love
Julián, from the fantastic book Julián is a Mermaid, returns, this time as part of a wedding.
GRAPHIC NOVELS
SNAPDRAGON
Kat Leyh
Besides being about witches and ghosts and magic, Snapdragon is also about love and friendship, individuality, and gender identity. I loved that Kat Leyh’s artwork showed all sorts of body shapes, skin colors, and hair types. There were very strong characters and lots of inclusive adults.
TWINS
Varian Johnson
Starting middle school, outgoing Francine is fine with it, but soft-spoken Maureen is filled with anxiety. When both girls decide to run for sixth grade class president, they are faced with sorting out decisions that could force them apart or grow them closer.
WHEN STARS ARE SCATTERED
Victoria Jamieson & Omar Mohamed
Through Omar’s journey, and those of his friends and family members, readers get a close, powerful view of the trauma and uncertainty refugees may experience as well as the faith, love, and support from the unexpected.
FICTION
THE DERBY DAREDEVILS: KENZIE KICKSTARTS A TEAM
Kit Rosewater
Fifth graders Kenzie and Shelley are two derby-obsessed best friends who call themselves the Dynamic Duo. When they find out there will be a junior league, they set out to recruit three other girls for their squad. These three, along with the other characters in the story, present as a diverse group.
THE BOYS IN THE BACKROW
Mike Jung
The message about toxic masculinity is an important one, and I think the book did a good job with it. A lot of boys feel the pressure to be rough and tumble, but underneath it’s really not how they want to be.
EFRÉN DIVIDED
Ernesto Cisneros
In a matter-of-fact voice, we learn about the tenuous situation immigrant families might face, the heartbreaking impact of deportations, and the helpful and resilient nature of the close-knit Mexican American community.
THE BLACKBIRD GIRLS
Anne Blankman
Despite their dislike for the other person, two girls are forced to flee Pripyat together after the Chernobyl nuclear explosion. (historical fiction)
PRAIRIE LOTUS
Linda Sue Park
Historical fiction set in the Dakota Territory in 1880. Hanna’s father is white, and her mother was Chinese. Because of her appearance, Hanna is treated differently in LaForge, a town in the Dakota Territory.
NONFICTION
GOODNIGHT STORIES FOR REBEL GIRLS: 100 IMMIGRANT WOMEN WHO CHANGED THE WORLD
Elena Favilli
This collective biography was one I loved from cover to cover. Each two-page spread includes a short narrative that tells the woman’s accomplishments, the obstacles they face(d) and some personal details. A perfect jumping off book for more learning.
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