Diverse Children's Book

"Last Stop on Market Street"

Written by Matt De Le Pena, illustrated by Christian Robinson

Published by Penguin Books, 2015

Picture book, diverse literature

Sundays for CJ consist of church with his grandma and then riding the bus across town. Today, CJ wonders why he even has to ride the bus. CJ wonders why he cant just ride a car like his friends. He asks why he doesn't have an iPod like some boys he sees on the bus. He asks his grandma why they have to walk through a "dirty" part of town. Every question has a valid answer from his grandma. She shows him positivity and how to see and appreciate beauty around him. So follow CJ and his grandma to see what is really on the last stop of Market Street.

Robinson's illustration are made with acrylic painting. He uses with simple shapes and lines for the pictures in the story. The colors used show the cityscape beautifully. The best part of the illustrations to me is all the diversity we see in the characters. From a man in a wheelchair, to a blind man, this book has it all.

You could easily use this book in a Kindergarten social studies class. You could be discuss the schedules and routines that the children have outside of school. You can talk about what CJ's Sunday looked like and ask your students to illustrate and explain what they do on a Sunday. 

Gone to Grandma's. Be Back Soon!

International Children’s Literature

“I Really Want to See You, Grandma”

Written and illustrated by Taro Gomi

Published by Chronicle Books, originally written in Japanese

International Lit

Have you ever wanted to see someone so bad that you felt like you had to go see them as soon as possible? Well, this is exactly how Yumi and her grandma feel. They both have a sudden urge to see each other at the same time! They both set out for each other’s houses but of course they aren’t there when they arrive. Yumi goes back and forth from her house to her grandma’s, and Grandma goes back and forth from her house to Yumi’s, but they just keep missing each other. Coincidentally they keep passing each other without even realizing it. Will Yumi and her grandma ever figure out how to see each other?

The simple book has plenty of space for the wide landscape illustrations. The watercolors are very saturated and have very earthy tones to the colors with pops or pink and orange. The illustrator uses mostly simple lines as you can see in the drawing of the house at the beginning of the story. The drawings are very simple but portray the plot and characters very well.

I chose Social Studies for 1^st grade. I would use this while teaching about the map. We could point out the different hills and roads that we see in the book, then we could talk about different landforms that we see in real life. It would also be neat to incorporate a discussion about distance and how we can travel faster and more efficiently than we could long ago.

Picture Book Blog

A Dance Like Starlight

Author:Kristy Dempsey Illustrator: Floyd Cooper

Philomel Books, 2014

Picture Book

In fairy tales you can always count on a star to grant you your wildest desires, but that doesn't quite apply to African Americans living in Harlem during the 1950's. This story follows a young girl who dreams of attending the best ballet school and leaping among the best of the best. The young girl's mother is there to show her that dreams don't work unless you do, and there is no need for wishing on stars when you have hope in your heart. With hard work and dedication she finds her dream coming true, one leap and turn at a time. She even wonders, "Could a colored girl like me ever become a prima ballerina?" Will this young dreamer find the inspiration that she needs to keep her hope alive?

Floyd Cooper's illustrations seems so realistic and alive. The hues used are pink and brown tones. The illustrations show so much emotion and really make you feel any meaning the author is conveying. The paintings really bring the story of this little ballerina's dream to life. 

This story could be perfect in a Social Studies lesson in a 4th grade classroom. This story took place during the Civil Rights Movement in America. This story showcases the life of an African American whose skin color did not hold her back from chasing her dreams. The advantage of using this book for a lesson on Civil Rights is getting the children to see a different perspective. This book can also lead into a discussion of other important figures that inspired integration and equality for African Americans in America. After reading this to my class, I could have them write about famous figures that inspire them to chase their dreams.