Choi, Y. (2001). The name jar. New York, New York: Dell Dragonfly Books.
Summary:
A young Korean immigrant girl tries to fit in. Other children make fun of her name, and she is ashamed. When she arrives in her classroom and is asked her name, she does not tell them her name and instead tells them she does not know what she wants the kids to call her. Her classmates try helping her by adding names on slips of paper to a jar. She considers whether she should choose an American name or keep her given Korean name. The story ends with the girl making her decision about her name and making a friend.
Cheng, A. (2012). The year of the book. New York, New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Summary: This is a chapter book about a Chinese American girl named Anna. She was born in America and does not know Chinese. Her mother insists upon Anna going to a Chinese school on weekends. She realizes how complicated friendships can be and has a hard time making friends with other children. She often finds comfort in reading books. Reading books gives her insight into different things she encounters on a day to day basis. One thing that books fail to tell her is how to find a true friend. This is a fun, lighthearted story sure to gain the interest of many young readers.
Wells, R. Yoko Hyperion Books New York, New York 2009 Summary: Yoko is a book about the first day of school for Yoko. Her mother sends her to school with a specially packed lunch, full of some of Yoko's favorite foods. The other children in her class have all brought various sandwiches and more typical American lunch foods, except for Yoko. Yoko is teased for the sushi lunch she has brought to school and feels embarrassed. To help build multicultural awareness and end the teasing, the teacher holds a special food day and everyone tries different foods that classmates have brought in to share. There are several sequels to Yoko. Awards:
None known for this book (will update if I learn of any).
As an author, Rosemary Wells has been awarded Golden Kite Award for Forest of Dreams, an International Reading Association Children’s Choices citation for Max’s Chocolate Chicken; Edgar Allan Poe Special Award, Mystery Writers of America, 1981, for When No One Was Looking; many of her books have been named among the best books of the year by School Library Journal or received American Library Association Notable Book citations or American Bookseller “Pick of the Lists” citations.
Say, A. (1993). Grandfather’s
journey. New York, New York: Houghton Mifflin.
Summary:
Grandfather’s
Journey is a historical fiction picture book about a
Japanese American man reminiscing about his grandfather and his own life and
their experiences living in Japan and America prior to, during, and after World
War II. The settings include Japan, the Pacific
Ocean, and then various locations throughout America. While in Japan, a village setting is shown
along with an urban setting. A variety
of settings are depicted throughout America.
The narrator starts off sharing the story of his grandfather’s journey
to America when he was a young man. The
grandfather has new experiences, sees new sites, and sees people of different
ethnicities. The grandfather eventually
returns to Japan and gets married. The
couple moves back to America, and they have a daughter. The grandfather longs to be back in Japan,
and eventually his family returns to Japan.
This time, his family lives in a city.
His daughter grows up and gets married.
The couple has one child, and that child is the narrator of this
story. The narrator fondly remembers his
visits with his grandfather. The
grandfather misses California and plans a trip to return there. The war prevents him from going back to
America. During the war, their home is
destroyed. The family moves back to the
village where the grandfather grew up.
His grandfather never ends up being able to see America again. Eventually, the narrator moves to California
and shares many experiences similar to his grandfather’s experiences. He marries, and they have one daughter. The narrator, like his grandfather, misses
his homeland. The narrator feels as if
he truly knows his grandfather since the two of them have shared similar
experiences and have similar feelings about their experiences. They both felt torn between loving and
longing for both countries.
Awards:
Bulletin Blue Ribbon
Caldecott Medal Book
ALA Notable Book
Booklist Editors' Choice
Boston Globe/Horn Book Award
Horn Book Fanfare Selection
School Library Journal Best Books of the Year
New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books of the Year
Look, L. (2006). Ruby Lu, empress of everything. New York, New York: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division. Ruby Lu, Empress of Everything is a chapter book and the sequel to Ruby Lu, Brave and True.
Ruby's cousin's family emigrates from China and lives with her family.
Ruby enjoys having a new best friend (her cousin), but she faces some
challenges as well such as no one speaking English at home and strange
new foods to eat at dinner. Ruby's cousin, Flying Duck, is deaf, and that alone
presents itself with challenges of communicating with each other. Ruby
also is challenged with swimming lessons, attending summer school,
taking care of a stray dog, among other adventures. Ruby Lu, Empress of Everything is
a fun, upbeat story that weaves in major issues including immigration
and emigration, extended family living together, unemployment, language
barriers, special needs, and assimilation to a new culture. The text is respectful and authentic. Awards:
dePaola, T. (2002). Adelita. New York, New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons.
Summary:
Adelita is a Mexican version of the classic Cinderella story. The Cinderella in this story is named Adelita and she is a humble maiden who is orphaned and then forced to work as a servant to her stepmother and two stepsisters. Adelita asks to come to the fiesta, but she is told she is not allowed to attend such an event. Adelita is helped by her nanny, Esperanza, who previously was banished from the family home by her stepmother.. Esperanza helps Adelita get ready for the ball by showing Adelita her mother's trunk. The trunk contains a beautiful dress, and Adelita wears that dress to the ball. Esperanza helps Adelita style her hair and sends her off in a cart she borrowed. Adelita dances with Javier at the fiesta, but no one at the fiesta knows who the mysterious maiden is. When Javier goes off in search for the maiden, he recognizes her with the help of her dress and rebozo. They marry and live happily ever after. Adelita incorporates various
elements throughout the tale indicative of Latino values such as strong family
ties, respect for elders, and personal characteristics. The food, clothing, and setting displayed in
the illustrations; and the use of the Spanish language are evidence of Latino
culture. The text in Adelita incorporates
Spanish words throughout the story. At
the end of the book, a list translations is provided.
Awards:
None known for this book (will update if I learn of any).
Author Tomie dePaola has received numerous awards for other books including Caldecott Honor, Newbery Honor, and the New Hampshire Governor's Arts Award of Living Treasure.
Soto, G. (1993). Too many tamales. New
York, New York: Putnam.
Summary: Too
Many Tamales is
a picture book about a Latino family gathering to celebrate Christmas together. Maria helps her mother make tamales. When Maria’s mother steps away, Maria tries
on her mother’s ring. Not long after,
Maria believes she has lost her mother’s ring in the masa, and persuades her
cousins to help her eat all the tamales so she can find the missing ring. After Maria and her cousins finish the last
of the tamales, they realize they have not found the ring. Maria is convinced her cousin, Danny, ate
it. Maria decides she must confess to
her mother about what happened. Maria’s
mother has already found the ring, and the whole family laughs at the situation
and helps to prepare a second batch of tamales. Awards:
None known for this book (will update if I learn of any).
The author has received several awards for other books including being a finalist for Los Angeles Times Book Award, being a finalist for National Book Award, Bess Hokin Prize, Levinson Award, NMC's Person-of-the-Week, Literature Award from the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, Author-Illustrator Civil Rights Award from the National Education Association, and PEN Center West Book Award
McDermott, G. (1993). Raven a trickster tale from the pacific northwest. Orlando, Florida: Harcourt.
Summary:
Raven
is a trickster tale that starts off with the world being dark and cold. The raven feels bad for the people and wants
to bring them light and warmth. He finds
a bit of light near the house of the Sky Chief.
The raven sees the Sky Chief’s daughter and decides upon a plan to trick
her. He morphs from a raven into a small
pine needle and puts himself into the water she is drinking. She drinks the pine needle, and eventually gives
birth to a son. The son is a raven boy,
and he eventually tricks his mother into showing him the source of the
light. Once he is able to, he changes
back into the raven and steals the light away.
He places the light high in the sky so that all people can enjoy its
light and warmth. We learn the reason
that people feed the raven as the story ends; it is to thank the raven for
bringing them light.
The raven is a trickster commonly
found in Native American folktales.
There are
many variations of raven tales told in
traditional Native American folklore, and in most versions the raven transforms
the world in some way such as creating land, bringing the
light,
or
bringing fire. Many tribes tell raven tales. The Tlingit tribe of southwest Alaska
traditionally tell the tale of the raven bringing light to the people, as is
the tale retold by the author of Raven
A Trickster Tale from the Pacific Northwest.
Choi, Y. (2001). The name jar. New York, New York: Dell Dragonfly Books.
