Welcome to Wish List Wednesday!
I have been reading the articles that were assigned to us for our 3rd blog post this week, books addressing diversity.
Some of the books that are mentioned in the articles titled
“Here I Am” http://www.cbcdiversity.com/post/100506934058/here-i-am and
“How Cross-Racial Scenes in Picture Books Build Acceptance” http://www.slj.com/2014/05/diversity/how-cross-racial-scenes-in-picture-books-build-acceptance/ a few books mention in the articles have made it to my wish list.
I work with a diverse group of students each weeks so this topic hits home for me. I enjoy learning about how children can learn to accept and mix with each other from the stories they have access to as well as playing on the playground with each other. Also, like Pinkney the author of “Where am I?” (the article mentioned above) I have always felt like I could not find myself in the stories I read because of ethnicity and the color of my skin.
I have enjoyed the children’s books focused on diversity that I have read this week and hope my fellow Lit. Mates have as well?
I will share more of the books that I have read this week with you next Monday, but for now these are on my wish list because they are not yet available at my local library.
Yo! Yes? (Yo!)
by Chris Raschka
Literary Awards
Caldecott Honor (1994)
A book appropriate for 1-4th grade intended to motivate diverse readers to befriend each other. Tolerance and richness of interracial friendship seem to be the two themes of this book.
This is child’s book of less than 40 words so I am intrigued to see how the pictures bring to life the budding friendship between an African American boy and his cohort a White boy.
My Friend Jamal
by Anna McQuinn (Goodreads Author), Ben Frey (Illustrator)
Front and center on this children’s book is a White boy and Black boy both are the same age and in sharp contrast to each other. We readers are told that the two are born a few days apart and happen to be best friends. This book shows young readers some of difference in the two boys.
Religion is one difference the boys have. One of the boys is a Muslim and when he visits the home of his friend, his friends mother shows respect by serving him only foods that his religion accepts. One boy has a health impairment that is potentially fatal and even with this challenge the story shares with us is value as a friend.
I want to read this book so that I can see how similarities can bring cultures together rather than focusing on cultural differences.
Jojo’s Flying Side Kick
by Brian Pinkney
This story stars a little girl (who happens to be Black American) who has her heart set on getting her yellow belt in Tae Kwon Do. She needs to face her fears and find a way to help herself to achieve her goals. I think this will be light read with a powerful message.
Raising Awareness about Human Trafficking 
That was a great idea to include these books in your wishlist!
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I thought so and am very thankful that we a have week to focus on diversity.
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I think all of your books look like great reads! I love that you incorporated the theme that we have in this week into your wish list. I believe that diversity is extremely important and that we need to teach our children to be loving and accepting to all human beings. Great post, it was very informative and organized!
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I read Yo! Yes! at the beginning of the semester when we were being instructed to read books that had won specific medals and I thought it was pretty great! It’s wonderful that they make books where two people can communicate without complete spoken language and sentences, which is what I love about this book!
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Now I have a greater desire to get my hands on this book. Thank you!
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