Pinkalicious By Victoria & Elizabeth Kann

Video Booktalk

View my book review at bn.com.

Upside Down and Backwards By: Diane Bertrand

Upside Down and Backwards is a very comical, yet short read. It if broken up into different short stories and different characters in each one. I think children would enjoy this book because if you don't like one story there is another you can read. I think that is very unique how the author made this book bilingual. It gives you a chance to read the book in either English or Spanish with neither one being the dominate language.

When I Heard the learn'd astronomer By: Walt Whitman

The only thing that I like about the book is the illustrations, I think that the words are to hard to follow. When the book starts out the boy seems so excited to be there, until he enters the lecture hall. The little boy probably couldn't follow what the astronomer was saying. He wanted to explore the stars on his own. The illustration are so beautiful in this story, I think that it would be neat to just show students the pictures and let them make up their own story.

Los Gotos Black on Halloween By Marisa Montes

I think that there are some great things in the book that could be used in the classroom, as long as you are not "stepping on any one's toes", which could be possible. I think that it would be very important to talk to the parents before reading any type of topic that might be controversial. The illustration in this book are very detailed and original. I love the use of Spanish and English put in the story where a child could figure out the words using context clues. This is a great way to incorporate another language that would help make it more fun for the children. It would just be very important for the teacher to remind the students that this book in not real so that none of the student are scared, kinda like I was the first time I read it.

I Love Saturdays y domingos by Alma Flor Ada

This is a great story about a little girl and her diverse families. This story would be useful in the classroom today because there are so many children from different cultural background. With our country becoming so much more diverse this book could help children who may be having a hard time or educated the children that do not know as much about different cultures. I love how it tells about her grandparents parents and where they came from. This story will really encourage students to research their own cultural backgrounds and help students be proud of where they came from.

My Name is Maria Isabel By Alma Flor Ada

I think this book would be very useful in the classroom to help students recognize the importance of someones name. This book would also be very good for teachers to read. Teacher's have to remember that every child in their classroom is an individual. I like how Maria is able to relate to the book she is reading, Charlotte's Web, to help her with her own feelings. Not only is Maria at a new school but she is given a new name which is the only thing that she still has from her past. Finally, when Maria builds the courage to write about how much her name means to her and her family all of her wishes come true.

The Name Jar By Yangsook Choi

I think that at a young age it is very important to learn about all of the different cultures. In the story, The Name Jar, Unhei is embarrassed of her name because it is so different from all of the other children. I love the story because the students were all willing to help her find a name that she wants, although most of all she wanted her real name. I think that it is a great book to share with children so that they can see how important it is to consider others feeling. Also, it is a great lesson on accepting others and yourself and being proud of who you are as an individual.