Indian Shoes

Book: Smith, C.L. (2002). Indian Shoes. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.

Summary:             This funny collection of short stories is about a Native American boy and his loving grandpa, who’s raising him. Grandpa and grandson enjoy baseball, pets and friends and life in Chicago together.

Impression:             I really enjoyed these heartwarming stories of a boy and his grandpa. The short story collection is easy to read and easy to share with listeners. The stories are funny and sweet and have little surprise endings. I think kids will relate to the misadventures of the haircut, lost pants and “real Indian shoes”. I think the stories are timeless and funny. The charcoal and pencil illustrations enhance the stories and show funny scenes, like Ray wearing his grandpa’s pants at the wedding.             The cultural touch are the Native American names and references to growing up in Oklahoma. It would be interesting to ask students to pick up on the cultural references, like moccasins, long hair, Cherokee quilts and love of animals. The references are very general and vague. Since the characters are not living in Indian territory in Oklahoma anymore, the references aren’t fresh, they’re memories. The author is trying to explore one culture, when the characters are living in another culture. This may show the feelings of many Native Americans in the US today.

Library Use:            This book could be used with elementary or middle school students. I would approach these stories like little funny mysteries and use them as a story starter activity. I would read Indian Shoes and leave off the surprise ending. Then students could describe orally, what they think happens at the end. I think they’ll like the surprise ending. The next story I would read is Team Colors. I would leave off the end and let them write a few sentences about their endings. I would ask students to share with each other. Then I would share the real funny ending. I think short stories are great for leading short writing prompts.

March Book One

Book: Lewis, J., Aydin, A., & Powell, N. (2013). March book One. Marietta, GA: Top Shelf Productions.

Summary:            This is John Lewis’ story about his childhood and his path to college and becoming an activist. He met Martin Luther King, Jr. and participated in non-violent protests and helped form the SNCC movement.

Impression:             I like the graphic format for this historical story. The book gives a biographical account of John Lewis’ participation in the Civil Rights movement. It provides interesting information about his childhood on the farm and his tenderness for the chickens under his care. He shares this value of education and love of learning with the two fictional boy visitors. Along the way he had help from many mentors and he credits their influence with his success today.             The illustrations are pen and ink drawings and printed in black and white. The black and white element gives a historical feel to the story. The dialog contains strong language, but I think it’s necessary to show the racist and violent danger that the young people faced. Some of the font is really small and hard to read and it takes away from the story. I think one improvement is to increase all the font sizes, so that the reader can read all the words.

Library Use:             I would use this book with middle or high school students for a comparison activity. Graphic novels get a bad rap from some educators, but I want students to judge this challenge for themselves. I would have students locate non-fiction resources about the history of the SNCC movement, sit-ins and information about John Lewis. Then I would have students compare the information in the graphic novel to the textbook or encyclopedias. They could create a quick comparison chart and share their results.

Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match

Book: Brown, M. (2011). Marisol McDonald doesn’t match. San Francisco, CA. Children’s Book Press.

Summary:            This picture book is about young Marisol, who comes from a Peruvian-American home. She enjoys the food, culture and languages of both cultures and creates her own mish-mash of interests. Some friends want Marisol to choose one or the other, but Marisol finds a way to value her bi-cultural heritage.

Impression:            This is a cute story about a young American girl, who is trying to figure out who she is. Is she Peruvian or Scottish? Does she like American food or Latino food? Marisol has bright red hair and looks Scottish, but speaks fluent Spanish like her Peruvian mother. Her mixed name honors both cultures and she doesn’t want to be held to one culture. She has her own tastes in art, fashion and games and that makes her stand out as different. After trying to be “normal” and feeling miserable, her teacher encourages her to be her own unique self. This is a good message for kids, to value their own interests and ideas and don’t try to be like “everyone else”. Also, kids can recognize the importance of accepting others for who they are, too.              The bi-lingual text in the book is a nice touch. The story can be shared with many students. The Spanish words in the English text offer a good way for English speakers to learn a few Spanish words. Also, the English words in the Spanish text offer a good way for Spanish speakers to learn a few Spanish words.

Library Use:             It would be fun to use this in a story hour to be read with two native speakers of English and Spanish. I would begin the lesson with teaching a few words in Spanish. Then, I would partner with a Spanish speaking student or teacher, who could read the Spanish text. We could alternate between Spanish and English, so that the kids can hear the languages. After reading I would have a discussion with the kids about how does Marisol enjoy both cultures? I would finish with having students draw a picture showing symbols from American and another culture that they enjoy, like baseball, foods, music, clothes, etc.