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I chose the book “That’s Not My Name!” by Anoosha Syed (2022) because I think that it really relates to all the people who have come to Canada from a different place and have an uncommon name. Mirhra struggles with having a name that is unlike the people in her area, her classmates and sometimes even her teachers would pronounce her name incorrectly. Mirha almost gives in and wants to change her name to something easier to pronounce so that she can fit in. However, when she confided with her Mama, Mama assured her that her name is beautiful, has meaning and is something she should be proud of. This gave Mirha the confidence to explain the correct pronunciation to whoever struggled to say her name. In the story Hayden, the child who pronounced her name incorrectly apologized to Mirha after she explained to him that her name is not Maya. She was worried that she wouldn’t make any friends, but Hayden was the one who asked if she could play with him. This book reminds us that some names may be different but if we take the time to understand and take care in pronouncing it correctly, we create an environment where children feel welcomed as they are without feeling the need to change their names to fit in.

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I chose the book “It is OK to be Different” by Sharon Purtill because not only does it celebrate diversity, but also encourages children to be respectful and kind to everyone who is different from themselves. The book lists examples to present possible differences that children will commonly relate to, such as hobbies, favourite things, appearances, talents/abilities, and even mobility aids. Not only does the book give great examples, but also the drawing style of the book is unique. In my opinion, the illustrations are the ones that stood out, it is not fancy or cute, but attractive. The drawings of every example in the book include children from different race (white, black, Asian and more) and gender, demonstrating how every individual are equal and have the right to do what they like. Also, there are some illustrations that go against our ‘normal’ knowledge and beliefs about gender. For example, a boy who is colouring pink; two girls playing with blocks, and a boy dancing ballet with a girl. This book reminds me of the video in class, where children see each other as equals, not to mention how their appearances or ethnic backgrounds are different, and how they are still friends. This is the book's moral: “It’s OK to be different. It’s OK to be you! You were made to be different. You are made to be you.” We as educators should promote kindness and respect for children to create a healthy and safe environment for every child.

Visual Audio:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yqr7Eniiajk&pp=ygUdaXQgaXMgb2sgdG8gYmUgZGlmZmVyZW50IGJvb2s%3D

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It's OK to be Different by Sharon Purtill. Children's audiobook about diversity and kindness 💕

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“My Two Homes” by Claudia Harrington (2015) brings awareness of different household dynamics. Lenny is the photographer in charge of exploring the student of the week, Skye’s life. Lenny learns that Skye has two homes, one with her dad and one with her mom and stepdad. Through her short explanation of who she learned how to throw a baseball from, we learn that all three of her parents take part in educating Skye. Even though her parents are separated, the relationship she has with them could and still is the same as you would in a “regular” family. Many children who have not been exposed to these situations often do not know that they even exist. Through sharing the perspective of having two homes, children can learn to understand those differences. Children could have homes with two moms, two dads, one parent, two parents, or even two sets of parents. Even though the dynamic of our homes may be different, there are also many similarities that occur between them. When exposed to all the different possibilities, we can normalize and accept the diversity of these homes.

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The Boy Who Illustrated Happiness by Victor D.O. Santos

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The Boy Who Illustrated Happiness Ben is a boy who really loves drawing. Everywhere he goes, he draws. It's his a way of showing how he feels. When he is happy or sad, he draws. But most times, he likes to draw happy things. This is because his drawings make people smile, and makes him feel good. One day, Ben gets a big idea. He thinks, "Why not start a club where everyone tries to make others happy?" So, he create the "Happiness Club." In this club, people do kind things for each other. It's like a chain of happiness. One person does something nice, then another person does something nice, and it keeps going. The club becomes very popular. People from different places join in. It's amazing to see how a small act of kindness can spread so much joy. But life is not always happy. Ben faces a sad day when his pet fish, Jerry, dies. He feels really sad. But something special happens. His parents draw a picture of Jerry. This drawing helps Ben feel a bit better. It shows that even in tough times, there are ways to find some happiness. I think this story is very touching. It's simple but has a big message. It tells us that happiness can be found in small things. A drawing, a kind act, even a smile can make someone's day better. I feel in today's world, we sometimes forget this. We get busy and miss out on simple joys. Ben's "Happiness Club" is a reminder we should take time to be kind to others. The part about Jerry, the fish, made me a bit sad. It shows that life has happiness and sad. But Ben's parents helped him happy. It made me think about how important family and friends are. They support us in bad times. Overall, this story gives a positive message. It encourages us to spread happiness and be there for each other. I believe that if more people thought like Ben, the world would be a happier place.

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The Boy Who Illustrated Happiness by Victor D.O. Santos

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Being You: A First Conversation About Gender

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Being You: A First Conversation About Gender

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“Being You: A First Conversation About Gender” by Megan Madison and Jessica Ralli is a book that introduces the concepts of gender identity to young children. The book starts by introducing how everybody is similar but different at the same time, having only one you in the world, but similar bodies compared with other individuals. Then, it talks about the same or different body parts that boys and girls have, and gradually introduces the concept of people growing into more than just “girls” or “boys”. The girls in the illustration say they either identify themselves as girls, trans, or in-betweener; and the adult women identify themselves as either women or “today I feel like a boy”. The topic then moves to talking about their pronouns: he/him, she/her, they/them, or just use their names. After that the book discusses gender expression and play in children; a brief history of feminism and patriarchy; and the empowerment and activism that are still occurring today. In every topic or section, there will be a question below to ask the audience, which is an opportunity for children and adults to discuss about, if they feel comfortable. Even though the book mainly discusses gender, it gives the audience the awareness of gender minorities that exist and struggle in society. Maybe there will be a group where they disagree with the concept of more than two genders, but for people who are living in a multi-diverse society, it is important to acknowledge their existence and learn to be respectful and equal to everyone from a young age.

Visual Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z-s1Qw_ZFE

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Being You | Kids Read Aloud Books| Classroom Read Alouds | Tough Conversations Book

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The choice of material I chose for this discussion is a book called “The Name Jar” by Yangsook Choi (2001). In this story, a student from Korea named Unhei attends a new school in America. She grows to find out that her name is considered “different” and difficult to say as the children mispronounce her name several times. The children, in an attempt to introduce themselves, say Unhei’s name as “you-hey” or “hey-you” instead of “yoon-hi” which is the phonetically correct way to pronounce it. After that first interaction with the children on the bus, Unhei felt embarrassed and self-conscious of her name. She requests an American name from her mother and Unhei’s mother reassures that her differences should be celebrated and not covered with shame, despite the feelings of difficulty belonging. Furthermore, she expresses that “Just because we’ve moved to Korea, doesn’t mean we stop eating Korean food” (Choi, 2001 p. 11). As they pass through the new community and find a Korean mart with the Korean owner Mr.Kim, he engages with Unhei and compliments her Korean name for its beauty and profound meaning. Unhei’s mom emphasizes the importance of honouring their Korean heritage by comforting and encouraging Unhei and showing her a Korean store to convey a feeling of inclusivity and familiarity. Another important figure in this story is Unhei’s grandmother, who stayed behind in Korea but remains close to Unhei by heart. She provided Unhei a token of remembrance: A name stamp, with an ink pad that has Unhei’s Korean name engraved on it. Her grandmother reminded her that no matter how different Korea and America are, she will always be Unhei to her, showing positive encouragement that Unhei’s name holds important value because it embodies her identity and the relationship ties to her family. Slowly Unhei learns to accept her Korean name, she reclaims it by taking pride in her difference amidst all the adversity she faced. Her courage and culture was cultivated in the supportive relationships with her mother, grandmother, Mr.Kim the grocery store man, and Joey, her friend in the classroom that had open curiosity to learn about Unhei and evidently encouraged her to accept her own Korean name, and relic in its beautiful meaning “grace.”

Link to the PDF doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qpCl0XpV1i5KHiUnvCtR0nRtiuRXZ874hVnYZ3Is5_4/edit?usp=sharing

Link to The Name Jar Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiEoJbId9pU

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The second choice of material I chose for this analysis is a book called “Something Happened in Our Town” by Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, and Ann Hazzard (2018). In this story, we follow the narrative of a White family and a Black family as they talk about a police shooting of a Black man. In the White family, the child Emma raises important questions of curiosity about the incident. Her family informs her of the history of “African Americans” and that racial biases and injustices are deeply embedded in a system when “slavery” existed, and still persists today. Emma’s mom also acknowledges that their ancestry participated in slavery, during a time when the ownership of Black people meant that they had no human rights and were alienated from the rest of society, even after slavery ended. Her parents create open dialogue in a way that Emma will understand complex topics of racism and discrimination. Moreover, they encourage and empower Emma to remain compassionate and foster empathy through acknowledging differences and privileges in conversation. In the black family, Josh’s family educates him that there are good cops in power and also bad cops in power no matter the racial differences, and the justice system protects them all in positions of power. Discriminatory actions are not exclusive to the colour of your skin; what remains constant is that black people are continually subjected to prejudices and therefore, suffer the consequences. Despite the anger and racial injustice Josh’s family feels, they emphasize the importance of fair treatment with historical figures such as “Nelson Mandela” and “Martin Luther King” as examples for resisting prejudices and exclusion, and instead honour diversity by not being complicit. They reaffirm Josh’s sense of power by inviting him to include others when witnessing unjust treatment. In the end, Josh and Emma applied their understanding of inclusivity, equity, and privilege to their classmate Omad, a new immigrant student feeling left out during a soccer group activity, and stood up for him against the other classmates that carried a prejudiced belief. When people of all ethnic and racial backgrounds implement multidimensional views, instead of an “all or nothing” perception, as well as focus on hope for change, and acceptance of diverse cultures, it provides messages of empowerment and creates positive community support in an imperfect world.

Link to PDF doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ik_qpNWZOFeWk944Px169digb4IsMPQ1lxr16YfTepQ/edit?usp=sharing

Link to Something Happened in Our Town Visual Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcOhOFGcWm8&t=78s

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Once, a young boy asked his grandma, "What is love?" She told him to explore the world for the answer. On his journey, he met many people with different views on love: A fisherman said love is like a fish you catch and then let go. An actor felt love was like the cheers from an audience. A cat hinted that love is like the night but was chased away by a dog before explaining. A carpenter compared love to building a house with care. Others had their own ideas: a seed, a blade, a horse, and even small things like a pebble. A poet tried to give a long list of what love could be, but the boy didn't wait to hear it all. After traveling and hearing so many answers, the boy returned home. His house felt warm and welcoming. His grandma asked if he found out what love is. Remembering all he learned and feeling the comfort of home, the boy hugged his grandma and said he understood love now. This summary captures the essence of the video, highlighting the boy's journey to understand love and the various interpretations he encountered.