El Coqui In the City

 

Coqui in the City 

Written and Illustrated by Nomar Perez

Written for grades Prek-2

Where to find the book 

    

Short Summary: 

            This story is a powerful book that can be relatable to many students of                                                                         different ethnicities. It is a book that shows the experience of a child named Miguel who moves from their home in Puerto Rico, the place that is all they know, to move to New York. During this move the child is sad about leaving his beloved abuelos, his pet frog coqui who he did everything with, not being able to get quesitos. 

            Upon moving to this new city, Miguel was overwhelmed by the new atmosphere, the sounds, the people, all the what ifs about being a new person in a new place until his mama and him go exploring. While exploring they find things that seem familiar to him that remind him of home, Spanish words, music, the sound of a frog that reminded him of coqui, a baseball field that reminded him of the signed baseball by Roberto Clemente that his abuelo gave him, and his dad found a place that sold quesitos and surprised him after work. 

                What had seemed so unfamiliar started turning into things that were familiar to him that made him feel like he belonged, in an atmosphere that was similar to him. The story ends with Miguel feeling at peace with the sounds of the Spanish music that reminded him of home, and helped him drift into sleep as like the sound of his coquis helped him sleep back home. He discovered then that being somewhere new wasn’t so bad after all. 

Element 2: Respect for Others

Like many children who migrate to a new place at such a young age with their families to have a better future, Miguel came from Puerto Rico to New York, left behind all that he knew, to start fresh and new in  place unknown to him. This book falls under Element 2: Respect for Others because he endured similar things that many other children in the United States endured before moving to somewhere unknown, starting somewhere new where you sometimes feel like you don’t belong. The respect aspect of this Element is giving the ability to allow students to share their cultural background like Miguel did with his pet coqui, the baseball his Abuelo gave him that was signed by a Puerto Rican baseball player, his favorite snacks, the things that make him feel at home while respecting the diversity of where he is from, and teaching other that he is like them in many ways, and each persons culture is just as beautiful.

Classroom Activities:

                   Show a read aloud video if you don’t have access to the book. Here is a link to it.

                   Create a T Chart on intimidating things when moving to a new place and things to make the move smoother. 

                    Create a T chart on how you felt, or your peer thinks you felt or would feel if and when you first made the move, versus how you felt once you got to know the community. Did anything make you feel at home, or remind you of home, do you wish you could go back home, or stay at your new home and why? 

                    Draw and color a picture that shows a time Miguel started warming up to his new home.

                    Other lessons available in this link 

Resources

                    Resources with more information on the book, the author, lessons, book readings, etc

 

A Day with No Words

 

Author: Tiffany Hammond

Illustrator: Kate Cosgrove

Genre: Fiction

Grade level: K-4

Reading age: 4-8 yrs old

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English audiobook

Summary:

The story follows a mother and her son, Adian, as they go through their day. They use an assistive device, a tablet, to communicate with one another and others as they head to a park and restaurant. It shares the perspective of a Black neurodivergent non-verbal mother and son using colorful illustrations and detailed language. This book speaks to the ableism and discrimination occurring in the neurodivergent, non-verbal, and communities in between. Mama endures much discrimination for her son's “odd” behaviors but she stands up for her son with every ounce of love and support. 

Element 2: Respect for others:

The book shows respect for others particularly when Mama and Aidan are at the park and hear families making comments. When the Mama hears this she informs them that Aidan may not speak but he can still hear. She speaks to the stereotypes and judgments that people were making. Mama then proceeds by getting Aidan ready to play too (barefoot in the wet grass). The cashier is a prime example as the illustrator shows facial expressions of patience and acceptance to Mama and Aidan as they place their order.  The story embraces differences and addresses respecting others for those differences as they aren’t much different from your own.

What Would I do:

After reading this book, I would want students to look through the book and notice the picture particularly paying attention to the part where the illustrator paints the different sounds Adian hears. I want the students to paint a picture of their favorite sound to hear. I want to see the sound they choose and how it makes them feel. I would potentially ask for a sound that they enjoy hearing and a sound that they don't like. 

Other ideas for the classroom: 

High School Lesson Plan

Elementary School Lesson Plan

Pre-k - 3 Lesson Plan

Our Skin

 

Author: Megan Madison, Jessica Ralli, & Isabel Roxas

Illustrator: Isabel Roxas

Genre: Children's literature

Grade: Pre-K - 3rd Grade 

Summary:

Our Skin is a magnificent reading to start a conversation about skin color with our children. This book uses scientific terms that can be introduce to children at any age.  Additionally, we can utilize the book Our Skin as an example in our classroom to represent skin color with a proper name. Many scholars  pointed at  this book as great conversation starter for skin color in our classrooms.   Overall, the book our skin can easily initiate  a clear view of race, gender, social justice, body positivity, respect to others and the ways that racism operates in our surroundings. 

Element 2:  Respect to others

The idea of respect to others should be taught to children as soon as they recognize differences in people's skin color.  By doing so, we educate  and start creating a positive learning environment where every one is treated with respect.   This book shows us that respect is not just being polite in fact, respect  teaches us  a positive approach to race.  The early conversation about skin color in a meaningful  way,  can  help us interrupt  the  negative narrative that the children of color  experience at a very young age. The children must understand  that the negative things that people say about race are not scientifically proven. People's skin color does not determine whose race is better than the other.  

Activity: 

 Following the reading of the book students  will color garland of people representing each one of them. 

• With support the student will glue a picture of their faces on each paper  garland,
• The children will use colors and paint to color each one of them.
•  With support, the children will write their name on the character that they represented.
•   The garlands will hang on our multicultural wall.

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Same, Same but Different

Author: Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw

Genre: Children's Literature, Fiction 

Grade Level: Pre-K - 2nd 

Summary: 

Same, Same but Different is about to two boy who are in two different parts of the world. Elliot is an American boy who lives is the City and Kailash lives in India. The two boys become pen pals, they write letters to one another and send each other pictures about interesting facts about themselves. They both share what their world looks like, they both like to climb trees, they have a family, they love animals and share many similarities. The boys also share characteristics about their worlds and realize they have many similarities but they are different. 

Element Two: Respect For Others
This book teaches children that everyone is different, but we are all the same and have a lot in common. The book teaches students that people all over the world belong to different races and cultures. It teaches children that we must accept others for who they are, and also teaches students that we must respect other cultures and welcome them into our world. Learning from another culture allows children to respect and learn from that culture and race. All races and cultures are ultimately different, but we are all the same and have a lot in common.

Activity:

This book can be used in  social justice curriculum where we ask students to share where they are from and pair them with a partner that is from different race. The students would become pen pals where they share facts about their world. They must share where they are from and what are some of the things they love to do and find similarities in their letters. Having students share facts abut one another for a we can lead to group project where the students create a poster using images to share some of the similarities they found on their letters. This project will teach students that they come from different backgrounds and have a lot in common and will teach them to respect one another. 

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All Are Welcome

 

Author: Alexandra Penfold

Illustrator: Suzanne Kaufman

Grade Level: Preschool- Third Grade

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Resources for Teachers:

 All Are Welcome Literature Guide

All Are Welcome Classroom Activities

Summary:

All Are Welcome celebrates diversity and the safe community school is. The story goes through all the activities children do in school such as play, make art, lunch time, nap, reading books, and celebrating holidays. No matter how anyone does any of these activities everyone is welcome to be themselves. The children in this book represent many different cultures where they all play along side each other. The book embraces strength in diversity and community no matter anyone's background. It shows children with hijabs, yarmulkes, and impairments which are often not represented in any literature, let alone one book. All Are Welcome shows children that no matter where they are from, what they celebrate, how they look, what they eat, they all have a safe place to be themselves and are welcomed at school.

Element Two: Respect For Others

All Are Welcome shows children from all different backgrounds in which their culture is accepted and shared in school. Having respect for others means we must learn from each other's culture and identity that helps deconstruct stereotypes built around that culture or identity. When students learn from their friends diversity they realize they have similar values and are able to show empathy and kindness for others. This book shows marginalized groups sharing their culture in school and everyone being accepting of it. It also says how having diversity in school makes the community stronger and more resilient. Students learn to have respect for diversity and each other.

An activity centered around this book would be to research one's one bread. In the book there was an important part in the lunch room where everyone shares the bread from their culture and everyone is fed. I would make students research a traditional bread made or eaten regularly in their culture. Find significance and the importance of that bread. Students would share their findings with a picture and description of the bread alongside it. This allows students to learn something new about themselves while also teaching something new about their culture to others. Food is key for bringing people of all races and backgrounds together and this would be amazing to see students have pride in theirs.

All Are Welcome

All Are Welcome

Author: Alexandra Penfold

Illustrator: Suzanne Kaufman

Grades: Preschool-3

Summary:
This is a book about acceptance of others. The book is based in a classroom where students represent many cultures, ethnicities, religions, abilities, family structures and interests. The book repeats the saying, "All are welcome" while celebrating everyone and encouraging everyone to share/learn about each other. There are several visuals of uniqueness and the world map, inferring that the world is made up of differences but all are important. A major theme is community-that everyone brings something to the classroom and that there's so much to learn from each other. This book aligns with the second element of social justice education because it goes beyond sending the message of inclusivity by repeatedly stating that we can learn and grow from each other.

Element 2:
This book is a great representation of Element 2: Respect for Others because it exhibits students from all kinds of backgrounds and explicitly describes how we can learn from and about each other. The illustrations in this book promote pride in ones self and the representation of typically marginalized groups (POC, people with disabilities, non western cultures, etc).

Activities:
This is a great welcome back to school book for a read aloud during the first week of school. Activities for students to do after doing the read aloud could be: class bingo (find someone who: has siblings), get to know your classmates: write down something about each of your classmates, pass the ball (and answer the question your hands touch on the ball). These are all activities for students to get to know their classmates better. For classroom activities to promote respecting each other click here.


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Words Are Not for Hurting

Element 2: Respect For Others

Book Title: Words Are Not for Hurting

Author: Elizabeth Verdick

Illustrator: Marieka Heinlen

Age: 4-8 years of age

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Summary

Words are not for hurting takes the reader on a journey of the very important purpose of letters. The author explains how we use the English alphabet with 26 letters to create millions of words. The creation of words is essentially in the hands of the beholder. With all of this power, why not use it for  something good? Through her writing the author offers self-reflective moments for students to digest the material and relate to her story. The text in this book is large, and easy to read. Additionally, Verdick uses a plethora of sight words making this book an ideal purchase for a P-2 classroom setting.

Action Plan

 Discussions

Have a discussion with your students about communication. Explain the different ways in which we communicate: body language, words, facial expressions. Have students offer up the different ways they communicate to different people: caregivers, family, teachers, waitress/waitor, mailperson. After having this discussion you can then move into how you show respect to these people and what respect looks like to them. **Do NOT push your own image of respect onto the children**

Activity

This activity should be a follow up after the discussion. Have students choose from: skit or poster. Students will create a scenario depicting respect. It can be an encounter with a friend, teacher, parent. They will have full creative power to show respect through their eyes by utilizing action as a means of expresssing this word. For the poster students will draw a scenario of a visual representation of respect. It can be a collage, drawing, words, anything that gets their point across- one student can be the artist and one can be the presenter but all students must work collaboratively.

Element 2

Respect looks different to each of us, and the word "kind" is very subjective. What is "kind" to one, may not register as "kind" in another mind. Element two focuses on respect for others. This book can be used as a way to get students to think about the ways in which they show respect, and what they identify to be respectful actions. Here, we want students to understand that kindness and respect comes in all shapes and sizes. One way we can show respect for one another is by using our words.

Dreamers

Author: Yuyi Morales
Grade level: Pre-k-2

                                             
                         
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Summary:
 Dreamers is the story of a mother and child who left where they lived and traveled to a new place only bringing a backpack with them.  The mother and son pair traveled for a long time arriving in awe of their new home as immigrants.  As migrants to this new land the mother and son are welcomed by word that they are not used to.  They did not understand the new land and were afraid to speak.  A lot of mistakes were made.  As they wandered through the new land they came upon a place that was inviting and surprising.  The duo became very comfortable in this new place because they didn't need to speak.  They found a library!  Here books became their new language, new home, and new lives.  The mother and son learned to read, write, and speak together.  They found a way to make their voices heard in this new land.  A way to become something they haven't even dreamed of yet.

Element 2:
Dreamers allows students to connect with a person who is migrating to a new place.  Walking with the mother and child we see the struggles of learning a new way of life through the authors words and beautiful illustrations.  The library becomes a haven for the pair as they are learning to read and write in the language of the new land.  Students can empathize with learning how to read and write as they are on a similar journey.

Activity:
Dreamers is a story that can be used to introduce the topic of immigration.  Students will be able to see that when people move to a new place it is very difficult to understand things.  Some of these things include language and customs.  Discuss with students ways that they could help a family that is new to their town after reading Dreamers.  To bring the story to student's family's send home an assignment to have students draw and describe one thing that makes their family unique.  Then have students share their picture and story to see that many people are different even with in our own class community and how important it is to learn and share with each other.

Strictly No Elephants

Title: Strictly No Elephants
Author: Lisa Mantchev
Illustrator: Taeeun Yoo
Grade level: Pre-K to 2nd grade

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Resources












Short summary:

This is the story of a little boy who wants to participate in Pet Club Day, but he is excluded because his pet is an elephant and the club members say no elephants allowed! When he meets another little girl that has been excluded from Pet Club Day because of her skunk, they decide to start their own club, where everyone is included. Together, they prove that friends come in all shapes and sizes!

Element #2: Respect for Others:

Social Justice Element #2 talks about respecting the differences in others and respecting each others cultural backgrounds. This book showed one little boy who had respect for everyone no matter what animal they had as a pet. Once he opened up his clubhouse to all pet owners regardless of their pet, everyone was able to play together. The book also shows us that friends come in all shapes and sizes and if you leave someone out based on prejudices you may have than you might be missing out. The little boy was left out because of his elephant but once everyone got to know the both of them, they all played together.

Activities:

This book is really great to promote kindness and respect. I would start a lesson with a read-aloud of the book and have a whole-class discussion about these principles. Furthermore, I might have the students invent their own animals. They would draw their animals and color them. We would then share their creations trying to emphasize that each of our animals is accepted and needed in our classroom.

We're Different, We're the Same

Title: We're Different, We're the Same

Author: Bobbi Jane Kates

Illustrator: Joe Mathieu

Publisher: Random House Books For Young Readers

Grade Level: P-2

Age Level: 3-7

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incorporate this book into your classroom!

Summary - We're Different, We're the Same is a book about different people, animals, and characters from Sesame Street who have physical differences, but are all the same in their own unique way. The characters in the book are all different shapes, sizes, some tall, some short, with different hair types, skin colors, and feelings however, through illustration we see that though they are different they are all the same in their own way. For example, the books shows that the characters have different noses that are all different shapes and sizes, but they are all the same, "they breathe and sniff and sneeze and whip." After showing the characters differences and similarities, the book goes on to show pictures of the characters in familiar places such the park and the beach utilizing their similarities in different ways. For instance, in the illustration for the noses, you see the characters sniffing flowers, sneezing, smelling different foods, and stinky things. The book is full of very fun and colorful pictures portraying the characters doing different things with their same body parts. The author also rhymes when writing making it really fun for the younger kids to follow along.

Element #2 - Respect for Others - We're Different, We're the Same introduces children to all kinds of diversity and teaches respect. This fits right in with Element Two: Respect for Others as it could be perfectly incorporated into the classroom that though we might look different, though we might come from different parts of the world, have different skin colors, we still use those differences in the same matter. Element two encourages respect, love, and acceptance and that's exactly what this book is doing. The illustrations perfectly show all the differences and shows a world were people use those differences to have fun, respect one another, and include anyone no matter how they look on the outside. Element Two goes beyond loving yourself, but also loving your neighbor for who they are and respecting them for that. The characters in the book can clearly be shown celebrating one another and being proud of not only themselves, but of each other looks, talents, and preferences.

Classroom Activity - We're Different, We're the Same can be used as an ice breaker in the beginning of the school year so that teachers can already establish a sense of respect for others in their classroom. The book can be read and followed by a class discussion of what makes everyone different but alike at the same time. It can also be a great tool to establish respect and understanding in an inclusive classrooms. The activity that could follow after the class discussion is that each child can take pictures of what makes them different yet the same from their classmates, create a book, and share it with their class. This can be done in several steps, and can also be worked so that eventually the class creates one big book just like Kates' book. The book that the classroom creates can be used year round to be read to any new students that come in the classroom in the middle of the year, to show any visitors, and to be read to on sporadic basis to keep reinstating the fact that it's so important to respect each others differences.

Little Humans

Title: Little Humans
Author: Brandon Stanton 
Grade Level: P-1 (ages 2-6)
Publisher:  Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

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Summary: Little Humans is a picture book containing captivating images of a diverse range of children.  The pictures are taken by the book's author, Brandon Stanton, creator of the best-selling blog and book, Humans of New York.  Each page simply has a few words and a picture of a child or children.  The children in the pictures come from a range of diverse backgrounds.  The text underneath each picture provides a quick glance into the lives of the children in the photo, and what makes them different.  Stanton notes that some children are tall, short, tough, and some children can bend and twirl.  Although his words are simple, Stanton conveys the critical message that diversity should be valued.

Element 2: Respect for Others
Little Humans highlights the differences in every child and how they make them who they are.  However, it successfully gives children readers a chance to relate to the children in the photos as they are doing everyday things.  Stanton is subtle in his book, never outwardly mentioning the word "different".  This omission allows readers to view diversity as a natural construct with which they can empathize.  This book has the power to generate thoughts where students see similarities in their differences.

Classroom Use: Teachers can use Little Humans as an introductory read-aloud before delving into an "All About Me" exercise  where students share and discover each other's unique characters.  After (or during) the story, students can describe how they relate to the children in the book.  Teachers can also ask the students to explain ways in which they were different from the children in the book.  The value of this book lies in the fact that there are no "loaded words" suggesting readers to think one thing or another.  It is an organic display of diversity that allows students to formulate their own opinions.

Ambrosia

Title: Ambrosia  

Author: Dan Manalang 

Illustrator: Nichole Wong 

Grade Level:  P-3 

Publisher: Flip Publishing

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Resource for advocating respect of cultures in the classroom!

Summary: 

Ambrosia is a children's picture book about a coconut that suddenly appears among other fruit in the fruit section of a grocery store. None of the other fruit know what the coconut is or where it came from and are uneasy in his presence. The coconut explains that he is a fruit just like them, and goes onto explain what makes him so sweet. Once the other fruits learn about the coconut they celebrate their diversity and they encompass the book's title of an "Ambrosia" salad, better known as a fruit salad. The book is full of colorful, vivid pictures as well as fun rhymes and references to the author's Filipino culture. Ambrosia navigates the importance of diversity, appreciating other cultures and nurturing positive self-esteem.   

Element #2- Respect for Others:  

Ambrosia encompasses the criteria for an Element 2 book as it explores respect for diversity and other cultures. Even before the coconut arrives amongst the fruit, there are already different types of fruit but the lack of exposure to the coconut is what sparks the curiosity of the unknown. The coconut explains to his new friends that they are all fruits, including itself, despite how different he may appear on the outside. Coconut also talks about where it comes from, and takes pride in its home country, the Philippines. When coconut is challenged by the grape for its external appearance it shows its internal contents, revealing it to be similar to other fruits but still remaining unique to the kind of fruit that it is. After coconut's lesson on what makes him a fruit just like every other fruit, they are all able to celebrate how sweet, different and special each and every fruit is. Element 2 encourages a climate of respect as shown by the very distinct take-away lesson in Ambrosia: Never judge someone/something by the color of its skin, where it came from or where it has been because what truly matters always comes from what is within.  

Use in the Classroom: 

This book can be used to facilitate a conversation about what makes friends in the classroom similar and unique (physical, personal characteristics, hobbies etc.) by use of a picture drawing, or possibly introducing the use of a venn diagram for older grades. A fun way to follow the initial activity and facilitate the theme of Ambrosia would be to bring in different prepared fruits and allow each student to make their own bowl of ambrosia/fruit salad. Some bowls will be filled with different fruits, but each bowl will be a unique ambrosia salad.  

Every Little Thing

Title: Every Little Thing

Author: Cedella Marley

Illustrator: Vanessa Brantley-Newton

Publisher: Chronicle Books (September 12, 2012)

Age Range: 3 - 6

Grade Level: Preschool - 1

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Summary: Every Little Thing is a picture book for young children with the words from the book being based off of the popular Bob Marley song "Three Little Birds." The main character, who is unnamed, encounters some small struggles throughout his day, but with the help of three birds, he does not let these struggles storm over his happiness. Instead he focuses on spreading kindness to those around him. The main message of this wonderful story is if you share and promote kindness with those around you, even through hardships, we don't have to worry about a thing, cause every little thing is gonna be all right.

Element#2: Respect for Others: Every Little Thing serves as a foundation for teaching respect for not only others but for one's self. This story both in words and pictures embodies kindness, empathy, and acceptance. Not only can you see this families culture psychically with the representations of colors and pictures, but also socially in the main character's actions towards others. Throughout the story we can see the main character face "little" difficulties but instead of letting this affect him, he shares his love and respect with others. Overall you can see through the beautiful illustrations that cultural diversity is embraced and celebrated by not only the main character but also his parents and friends; and to think, all of this was made possible with the help of three little birds. 

Classroom Use: There are a variety of valuable aspects to this book, making is a great resource for teachers. The way in which the book is written allows the teacher to utilize it either for an individual subject area or as an interdisciplinary lesson. Students love music, and teaching about kindness, respect, and empathy can, with use of this book, be taught in Language Arts or Social Studies in a fun and creative way. Reinforcing the ideology presented in this book, I would have students critically think about what these powerful words mean to them and have them create their own picture books similar to the organization of Marley's book. Another idea, that would truly benefit an early childhood teacher who is just beginning to introduce the notions of kindness and respect would be to first do a read aloud using this book and then creating a whole-class list of rules that focus on kindness and respect. The word usage, repetitiveness, and related pictures will make it a great first reading book for students.

My Friend Has Down Syndrome

 

My Friend Has Down Syndrome

Author: Jennifer Moore-Mallinos

Illustrator: Marta Fabrega

Reading level: Age 6-9

Publisher: Barron's Educational Series, Inc.

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Educational tools from NDSS (National Down Syndrome Society)

Summary: 

My Friend Has Down Syndrome is a children's picture book written in first person. The narrator is chosen at her summer camp to be the new girl, Tammy's, special buddy. At first, the narrator was excited to hold this special responsibility. When Ms. Theresa, her camp counselor, reveals that Tammy has Down syndrome, all the campers got scared because they did not what Down syndrome was. The book addresses the fear children may have by explaining the science and traits that are typical of those with Down syndrome. When the narrator meets Tammy, she realizes what a wonderful person and friend she is, and all the things she can do despite her differences.

Element #2: Respect for Others

My Friend Has Down Syndrome does not enforce the notion that "we are all the same despite our differences." Instead, it addresses that a child with Down syndrome is different. It explains the chromosomal difference for a child and the typical look of a child with Down syndrome. My Friend Has Down Syndrome promotes respect for others by giving children information about the disability, rather than ignoring it and only talking about the abilities or disabilities of a child with Down syndrome. In the end, the narrator realizes how even though Tammy may be slow at races, she is amazing at arts and crafts, playing guitar, and instilling confidence in others. This book promotes respect for others within children is by addressing and talking about differences, rather than pretending that the noticeable differences do not exist. The book gives children knowledge and understanding that are the building blocks towards respect for others. 

Use in the Classroom:

As inclusion is become common practice in education, students can use this book to learn about other students who are now in their general education classroom. This book can be used as a read aloud for not only learning about respecting others, but for an introduction to genetics. This book addresses chromosomes and how a difference in one causes Down syndrome. Multidisciplinary lessons are always a win for teachers trying to fulfill Common Core Standards! As a class, the teacher can make a chart and ask what things Tammy is good at, and what things Tammy finds difficult. Afterwards, students can make their own charts on what they are good at and what they find difficult. The lesson drives home that all people have things they are good at and things that need assistance with.