Hunter Gwyn

Multicultural Text Set

1) “Lucy’s Family Tree” by Karen Schreck

 Description – Lucy is assigned to create a family tree as a school project, but
wishes to be excused from the project because she feels her family is too
“different,” as she was adopted from Mexico. However, after finding out that
no two families are the “same,” Lucy creates a family tree that celebrates her
heritage and her adopted family. This book is appropriate for a 1st -2nd grade
classroom, and three key words that would describe its themes are
“Adoption,” “Family,” and “Diversity”

 Evaluation – This book promotes inclusiveness in the classroom because it

emphasizes the fact that no family structure is the same, and while they are
all different, they are all equally valuable in and of themselves.

 Recommended use – This book could be read in conjunction with a family

structure activity where the students draw and label the people that live in
their household. This would promote acceptance of family diversity, and
illuminate the fact that not every child will have a traditional family
structure, which is okay.

 SOL’s

o Family Life Education

 1.4) The student will develop an understanding of the
importance of a family and of different family patterns.

 1.5) The student will identify family members and their

responsibilities in contributing to the successful functioning of
the family.

 2.1) The student will recognize that everyone has strengths

and weaknesses and that all persons need to be accepted and
appreciated as worthwhile.

 2.2) The student will realize that adults other than parents
also provide care and support for children.

2) “It’s Okay to Be Different” by Todd Parr

 Description – The book discusses the many different traits, personalities and
backgrounds that people possess, and that these differences are okay and
make us unique. This book is appropriate for Pre-K - Kindergarten and three
 key words that describe its themes are “Acceptance,” “Difference,” and
“Individuality.”

 Evaluation – This book does not have a traditional plot or main character,
and would likely be uninteresting to children older than 4 or 5. However, the
illustrations are colorful and prominent, which would draw young readers’
attention. It also does a good job of recognizing many possible differences
found in people across the world, such as race, disability and gender, and
addresses these differences in a way that promotes acceptance.

 Recommended use – This book could be read in order to introduce the

concept of diversity to preschoolers, especially in a class that has a great deal
of ethnic diversity. The students could be placed in small groups and
instructed to find differences amongst each other in order to reinforce that
everybody is different, but this is what makes them unique.

 Foundation Blocks and SOL’s

o Family Life Education

 K.1) The student will experience success and positive feelings
about self.

 K.2) The student will experience respect from and for others.

 K.4) The student will recognize that everyone is a member of a

family and that families come in many forms.

o Virginia History and Social Science Foundation Block 1

 A) Recognize ways in which people are alike and different

 B) Describe his/her own unique characteristics and those of

others

 C) Make the connection that he/she is both a member of a

family and a member of a classroom community

3) “The Family Book” by Todd Parr

 Description – This book addresses the many different possible family
structures that can be found all over the world, and that all of these families
are special in their own ways. This book would be appropriate for
preschoolers and three key words that describe its themes are “Family,”
“Love,” and “Structures.”

 Evaluation – Much like the other Todd Parr book, this piece of writing does
not have a plot or main characters, making it more of a beginning reader’s
 book. The illustrations are also bold and appealing to young readers. The
book also does a good job of addressing many family structures such as
adopted families, families of low socioeconomic status, and families that have
experienced loss.

 Recommended use – This book could also be used in conjunction with a type
of family structure activity where students draw and/or write about their
families, but not restricting it to their immediate household structure.

 Foundation Blocks

o Family Life Education

 K.4) The student will recognize that everyone is a member of a
family and that families come in many forms.

 K.5) The student will develop an awareness of positive ways in

which family members show love, affection, respect, and
appreciation for each other.

o Virginia History and Social Science Foundation Block 1

 A) Recognize ways in which people are alike and different

 B) Describe his/her own unique characteristics and those of

others

 C) Make the connection that he/she is both a member of a

family and a member of a classroom community

4) “Mango, Abuela, and Me” by Med Medina

 Description – A young girl named Mia is living in the city when her Grandma
from a far away country comes to live with her and her parents. The
grandmother speaks only Spanish, and Mia can only speak English, leading to
communication issues between the two. However, the two eventually teach
other their primary languages once they bond over a pet parrot named
Mango. This book would be appropriate for first grade and three key terms
that describe its themes are “Multicultural,” “Bilingual,” and “Language.”

 Evaluation – This book has an interesting and engaging plot, though it could
be hard for non-Hispanic students or students from solely English speaking
families to relate. This book also does a good job recognizing cultural
differences of people from other countries, and the challenges they face
moving from their homes.
  Recommended use – If learning Spanish is a part of a school’s early child
curriculum, this book could be used in conjunction with learning family
names and roles in Spanish.

 SOL’s

o Family Life Education

 1.4) The student will develop an understanding of the
importance of a family and of different family patterns.

 1.5) The student will identify family members and their

responsibilities in contributing to the successful functioning of
the family.

o Spanish I
 SI.3 The student will understand simple spoken and written
Spanish presented through a variety of media and based on
familiar topics.

5) “In My Heart” by Molly Bang

 Description – The parents of a young boy describe how their son is always in
their heart, and a part of who they are, no matter how far away they, or the
child may be. This book is appropriate for Pre-K - Kindergarten and three key
words that describe its themes are “Separation,” “Love,” and “Security.”

 Evaluation – This book has creative and large illustrations, and does well in
reminding young children of the connection they have with their caregivers
and the security that comes along with this. However, it could be
inappropriate to read in class if a student does not have permanent
caregivers, or a turbulent home life.

 Recommended use – After being read this book, the students could draw or
be given a picture of heart, within which the student would draw all of the
people they love or consider family.

 Foundation Blocks and SOL’s

o Family Life Education

 K.1) The student will experience success and positive feelings
about self.

 K.2) The student will experience respect from and for others.
  K.6) The student will develop an awareness of positive ways in
which family members show love, affection, respect, and
appreciation for each other.

o Virginia History and Social Science Foundation Block 1

 C) Make the connection that he/she is both a member of a
family and a member of a classroom community

6) “Daddy’s Roommate” by Michael Willhoite

 Description – After a young boy’s mother and father get divorced, his father
begins a relationship with another man. The main character regularly sees
his father and his boyfriend and describes how their relationship is no
different one between a man and woman. This book is appropriate for 2nd
graders and three key words that describe its themes are “Acceptance,”
“Tolerance,” and “Upbringing.”

 Evaluation – This book does well in describing how the non-traditional

family structure of two fathers can provide the same love and support as a
traditional mother- father family structure. However, the illustrations of the
gay couple can be very stereotypical at points, and further pigeonhole how a
homosexual couple is supposed to look.

 Recommended use – This book could be one of many in part of a family

diversity project in which students explore different family structures
through books and reading.

 SOL’s

o Family Life Education

 2.1) The student will recognize that everyone has strengths
and weaknesses and that all persons need to be accepted and
appreciated as worthwhile.

 2.2) The student will realize that adults other than parents also
provide care and support for children.

 2.6) The student will realize that physical affection can be an

expression of friendship, of celebration, or of a loving family.

7) “On the Day His Daddy Left” by Eric J. Adams & Kathleen Adams
 Description – Danny’s parents are getting a divorce and on the day his father
left home for good, he wondered if it was his fault. He asked his teacher,
mother and father this question, and even though they all said “no,” it did not
make him feel much better. It ultimately took time and support from his
parents to make Danny feel better again, though he knew things would
 always be different. This book is appropriate for 1st - 2nd graders and three
key words that describe its themes are “Guilt,” “Blame,” and “Support.”

 Evaluation – This book has life-like illustrations that make the story seem
real and relatable, though not very attractive for a child looking for a book to
read. The content, however, does a good job describing the difficult situation
a child is put in by divorce, and emphasizes that divorce is never the fault of
the child.

 Recommended use – This book could be read for the purpose of teaching
students how to cope with negative emotions, and that feeling these types of
emotions is okay and is a normal part of life.

 SOL’s

o Family Life Education

 1.8) The student will express his or her feelings of happiness,
sadness, and anger to the teacher.

 1.9) The student will become aware of appropriate behavior to

use in dealing with his or her feelings.

 2.2) The student will realize that adults other than parents also
provide care and support for children.

 2.5) The student will demonstrate appropriate ways of dealing

with feelings.

8) “What a Family!” by Rachel Isadora

 Description – Ollie, a kindergartener, learns how he acquired all of his
physical traits, like red hair, freckles and dimples, from his family. He also
comes to recognize all the similarities and differences that are present in his
family. This book is appropriate for Pre-K – Kindergarten and three key
words that describe its themes are “Traits,” “Characteristics,” and
“Genealogy.”

 Evaluation – This book has large and bold illustrations that would appeal to
young children, though the plot is a little tough to follow for younger readers.
Despite this, the story successfully describes how people acquire their
physical characteristics from their genetic families, and does so in a way that
promotes diversity and acceptance. However, it may be inappropriate to read
this book to adopted students who do no share physically characteristics
with their adopted family.
  Recommended use – This story could be read in conjunction with an activity
where students draw themselves and their families, along with the similar
characteristics that they share with their families. The students could also
recognize similar characteristics they have with their peers.

 Foundation Blocks and SOL’s

o Virginia History and Social Science Foundation Block 1

 a) Recognize ways in which people are alike and different.

 b) Describe his/her own unique characteristics and those of

others.

 c) Make the connection that he/she is both a member of a

family and a member of a classroom community.

o Family Life Education

 K.4) The student will recognize that everyone is a member of a
family and that families come in many forms.

 K.5) The student will identify members of his or her own

family.

9) “My Brother Charlie” by Holly and Ryan Peete

 Description – Charlie and Callie are identical twins, but Charlie has autism
and struggles to express himself to his sister and parents. Despite this, Callie
knows that Charlie loves her, even though he can’t always explicitly say it.
This book is appropriate for 1st – 2nd grade and three key words that describe
its themes are “Togetherness,” “Hope,” and “Love.”

 Evaluation – This book promotes autism awareness, as well as acceptance of

those with mental disabilities. It describes the disorder in an accurate and
relatable way so that young readers can get an accurate idea of how autism
affects individuals. The story also highlights family diversity through using a
minority group its main characters.

 Recommended use – This story could be read to students on April 2nd, which
is Autism Awareness Day, in order to educate them about the disability and
those who live with it. This would also be very beneficial if there are students
in the school that have the disability.

 SOL’s

o Family Life Education

  1.2) The student will experience continuing respect from
others.

 1.4) The student will develop an understanding of the

importance of a family and of different family patterns.

 2.1) The student will recognize that everyone has strengths

and weaknesses and that all persons need to be accepted and
appreciated as worthwhile.

10) “Who’s In My Family? By Robie Harris

 Description – Nellie and Gus, along with their parents, take a trip to the zoo
to see the all the different families of animals on display. Along the way, they
learn about what makes up a family, the many different types of families
there could be, and that all families ultimately love each other. This book is
appropriate for 1st – 2nd grade and three key words that describe its themes
are “Structure,” “Difference,” and “Support.”

 Evaluation – This book does a good job of describing how families come in all
different shapes, sizes, colors, and species through vibrant and detailed
illustrations, as well as with a coherent and easy to follow story line. There
were, however, no mentions or illustrations of families with members who
have disabilities, which promotes ableism and does not represent the special
needs population.

 Recommended use – This book could be read before a discussion of family

structure where the teacher and students talk about different kinds of animal
families and compare them to reveal what is common among different
animal families and human families. (fathers, mothers, children, pets, etc.)

 SOL’s

o Family Life Education

 1.4) The student will develop an understanding of the
importance of a family and of different family patterns.
 1.5) The student will identify family members and their
responsibilities in contributing to the successful functioning of
the family.
 2.2) The student will realize that adults other than parents also
provide care and support for children.