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(Angie Nelson)
In this story, a young Asian girl learns to grow vegetables with her mom in their garden.  She soon realizes that her vegetables are different than the flowers that everyone else in her neighborhood are growing.  In her eyes, the vegetables are ugly compared to everyone else's flowers.  She wishes she had planted flowers instead.  At the end, the young girl realizes that those vegetables are truly amazing and everyone in her neighborhood wants to have some of the delicious-smelling soup that is made from those vegetables.  The next year, the neighbors plant those same vegetables and flowers, so does the girl and her mom.  It is a beautiful tale of how we can learn from each other and  how we all have something wonderful to offer to those around us.

(By the way, this story is written by the author who spoke in the TED Talk video that we watched.)

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The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashely Spires

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The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashely Spires

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(Shelley Leavitt)

This story is about a little girl and her dog.  She has a big plan that isn't revealed until the end.  In the beginning she is excited to get started on her invention but her plan doen't work out as perfecty as she has planned.  Throughout the story she goes through many emotions, but in the end she finds a way to persevere.  She was finally able to make her plan work.

The students love the suspense in the book and are able to make many connections to feeling they have had when trying new things.  This is a great book for our first graders at Monarch.  Since our school is project based and we ask our students to do a lot of exploring and planing many times their first idea or attempt doesn't work.  First  graders can have a hard time understanding that it is okay for things not to work out the first time and to learn that many times their second attempt may turn out better than expected.
https://www.amazon.com/Most-Magnificent-Thing-Ashley-Spires/dp/1554537045

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The Sandwich Swap by Queen Rania Al-Abdullah and Kelly DiPucchio

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The Sandwich Swap by Queen Rania Al-Abdullah and Kelly DiPucchio

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(Keeley Crowley)

This story is about two school girls who eat lunch together everyday, one eating hummus and one eating peanut butter and jelly.  One day, they start to make comments about each other's lunches being gross, and a cafeteria food fight starts.  Eventually, they try each other's lunches and like them, prompting them to organize a school picnic where they try each other's food and learn about different cultures.
This book could be a window for students who need positive exposure to others' cultures and differences, but also a mirror for a student who may not be open and respectful to others' differences and cultures.

https://www.amazon.com/Sandwich-Queen-Rania-Jordan-Abdullah/dp/1423124847

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(Carrie Fussell)

“Everybody is smart in different ways. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its life believing it is stupid.”

I love this book that is written for older students who struggle with dyslexia. It serves as a mirror and helps them to understand that they aren't dumb or alone and that everyone is good at different things. So many of my students spend many of their school years feeling like an outsider because they don't learn as easily or do as well in school as their friends, but this book helps them to identify with a character who shows them that they aren't alone and they can overcome their difficulties.

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This is a beautiful book by Gary Soto. It tells the story of a family sharing in a tradition of making tamales. Maria is borrows her mother's diamond ring, and accidentally loses it...in the tamales. This funny story is both a window and a mirror. For our students whose families value the tradition of making tamales together, this will be a mirror, a way to show them that their culture is valued in the classroom. For our other children, this book will be a window, a look into another culture through an engaging and warm story.

Too Many Tamales

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holidays & celebrations - christmas & advent

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children's / teenage fiction: general fiction

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children's / teenage fiction & true stories

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juvenile fiction / holidays & celebrations / christmas & advent

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juvenile fiction / people & places / united states / hispanic & latino

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juvenile fiction / social themes / emotions & feelings

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juvenile fiction/people & places - united states - hispanic & latino

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people & places - united states - hispanic & latino

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Christmas Eve started out so perfectly for Maria. Snow had fallen and the streets glittered. Maria's favorite cousins were coming over and she got to help make the tamales for Christmas dinner. It was almost too good to be true when her mother left the kitchen for a moment and Maria got to try on...

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The Junkyard Wonders by Patricia Polacco

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The Junkyard Wonders by Patricia Polacco

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(Michelle Richardson)
A young Trisha moves to a new state and starts a new school.  She's hoping she's not in a special class like her old school.  But she is disappointed to find out she is in the class known as the "Junkyard."  Mrs. Peterson, the teacher, quickly instills in her students that there is something wonderful in everyone and helps them see their inner worth.

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A heartwarming story of friendship and celebrating our differences--and the teachers who help us shine--from master storyteller Patricia Polacco, author of Thank You, Mr. Falker .
In this story based on the author-illustrator's own childhood, Patricia Polacco once again celebrates the power teachers have to help us discover the potential we each hold.

Young Trisha is devastated when she finds out that her class at her new school is known as the junkyard. It is a special class, and she had moved from where she used to live so she wouldn't be in a special class anymore! But then she meets her teacher, the amazing Mrs. Peterson, and her classmates, an oddly brilliant group of misfit kids, whom the other kids in school call the junkyard kids. Much to her own surprise, it is here in the junkyard that Trisha discovers the true meaning of genius, and that this group of misfits are, in fact, Junkyard Wonders, each and every one of them.

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The Junkyard Wonders [Polacco, Patricia, Polacco, Patricia] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Junkyard Wonders

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by Andrew Clements
(Martha Reed)
I substituted for 3 years before getting back into teaching after  raising my children.  I always carried this book as a filler because of the wonderful lesson it taught.  Big Al was a scary looking fish and because he was different, no one wanted to hang out with him.  One day though, he risks his life to save many others by rescuing them from a net.  That's when the other fish realize what's on the outside doesn't matter, but the inside.

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Something Beautiful by Sharon Dennis Wyeth 

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Something Beautiful by Sharon Dennis Wyeth 

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(Lori Wright)

This story is about a little girl who lives in a run down apartment building in a run down neighborhood. At school, her teacher writes the word "beautiful" on the board. From that moment, the little girl goes on a journey to look for something beatuiful in her life. She talks to people in her neighborhood about what beautiful means to them. As she goes on this journey, she discovers that she has the power to make something beautiful.
This book serves as a window that teaches empathy for others and encourages readers to look for the beautiful in their lives no matter their circumstances.

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(Paula Hodnett)

This is a story that is a window into the world of Autism.  This story is written about Zane the Zebra and he feels very different in the classroom.  He feels that his differences make him stand out.  It points out his difficulty to interact with others as well as his sensitivity to sound as well as touch.  His mother has him look in the mirror and notice all of his stripes.  Not only does he have an Autism strip, but she points out his caring stripe, his curiosity stripe, and his honesty stripe.   This shows him that he is unique but also beautiful.

https://www.amazon.com/All-My-Stripes-Shaina-Rudolph-ebook/dp/B00VGDYLT6/ref=cm_sw_em_r_d_dp_w_dc_uzk-zbT5F0WWF_tt#

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(Callie Sammons)

This story teaches children that every moment matters. The story introduces the concept that each of us has an invisible bucket. When our bucket is full, we feel happy. When it’s empty, we can feel sad or mad. The main character is introduced to the bucket concept and begins to see how every interaction in a day either fills or empties his bucket. He then realizes that everything he says or does to other people fills or empties their buckets as well. The book teaches children to be "Bucket Fillers" and exactly how to do so. My classroom has a week long literacy focus on this book at the beginning of the school year. It is great for building a sense of community and empathy for others. In the end, students understand how to be a great bucket filler and discover that filling someone else’s bucket also fills their own. This book serves as both a mirror and a window because it allows for self-reflection and opens up the classroom for conversations about others lives and feelings.
https://www.amazon.com/How-Full-Your-Bucket-Kids/dp/1595620273

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(Sandra Brown)
This is a story of a little girl who spends time with her grandmother(Abuela) in the park.  They allow themselves to be taken through their imaginations for a flight around the city by a group of birds.
It combines Spanish and English terms for authenticity.  It is a warm feel good story about the love given to and received from a child to a grandmother.

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(Rachael Tatarinchik)

This book by Eve Bunting could be a window into a family Christmas tradition.  For most Christian families, a tree is either purchased from a tree lot or an artificial tree is bought to be placed inside their house to decorate with ornaments. This family has chosen year after year to keep their Christmas Tree growing deep in the forest. Rather than cutting it down, they bring food for the animals and decorate the tree with those things instead. This book could show students a family tradition that is different than most Christian families at Christmas.

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by Mem Fox
(Kristen Cloninger)
This story is about how all children around the world do similar things like playing or sleeping, but just do it a little differently. It shows that children may not look exactly alike or speak the same language, but on the inside we are so much alike. The story goes around the world and shows different cultures and different generations. This book teaches the idea of acceptance, rejoicing in our differences, and acknowledges our similarities. This story allows us a window into looking at and accepting others' cultures and finding the similarities in both of our cultures.

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(Sarah Tighe)

This story is about a Korean girl who just moved to America with her family. When she arrived here, students on the bus made fun of her name, Unhei. She became ashamed of her name. When she arrived at school she told her new class that she didn't have a name and would let them know her name in a week. The next day she arrived at school to find a glass jar on her desk. In the jar were a bunch of different names on pieces of paper that her classmates had written down for her. They wanted to help her choose a name. At the end she decides to keep her Korean name and learns to be proud of who she is and her culture.

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(Adrienne Sipe)

This story is about a little girl named Tuyet. After days of "Turkey Day" talk and crafts at school, she heads home for Thanksgiving break disappointed. Her Vietnamese American family eats duck for their Thanksgiving meal, and throughout the day, she's disappointed and ashamed that her family doesn't have the traditional Thanksgiving turkey. But when she returns back to school on Monday, she's in for a surprise! Her family isn't the only one that doesn't eat turkey for Thanksgiving!
This book serves as a window to show students that although families may have different traditions and customs, the celebration of family is the same.

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(Tora Burton)
This is a story about an Asian American girl. This story is not typical of Asian culture. She is just a typical girl going through daily obstacles. She has to figure out who she is, but still keep in mind her families' expectations. Students from all backgrounds can identify with Lucy. She is just a typical young girl. Asian American s can relate because it is probably  how many of them feel. People from other cultures can see how high the Asian cultures expectations are.

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(Leasa Dacus)

This is a story about a little girl, Vashti, who thinks she is not creative.  Her teacher encourages her just to make a dot on her paper, so Vashti angrily jabs a dot on her paper.  This leads Vashti to explore and express her uniqueness with many dots and encourage others to do so also. This book inspired the creation of International Dot Day in which students and adults around the world create their own unique dots to express themselves and make their mark on the world.  My class participates in International Dot Day, which serves as both mirrors and windows as we share our dots with each other.
http://www.peterhreynolds.com/dot/
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dot-reynolds/1100831327#/

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(Abbie Marsh)

This story is about a box of crayons that just can't get along. Each crayon has differing opinions and don't see value in each other until a little girl purchases them.  She works quietly on a picture and teaches them through her artwork that things get better when we work together and everyone has value.  This book is essential in my classroom before we begin our projects and discussing collaboration. At Monarch we have tend to have some very unique cultures and backgrounds represented. This book helps students to see that we are all unique, have special gifts and talents, and when we collaborate we become something amazingly beautiful.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_8?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=the+crayon+box+that+talked&sprefix=The+Cray%2Cstripbooks%2C176&crid=2YP0ZMF479BS

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(Brittany Willis)

This is a story about a little Inuit child asking her mother how much she loves her. The mother tells her how much she loves her in extravagant ways. This story can be a window into the Inuit culture. Within the book the mother uses Inuit vocabulary and the illustration show different aspects of Inuit life. It can be a mirror for all children, because they always want to know how much their mother loves them. This is a great story to show that even though cultures are different we are all the same. Our team loves to integrate this story into our Arctic unit.

https://www.amazon.com/Mama-Do-You-Love-Me/dp/0811821315?SubscriptionId=AKIAJ2F6RDUSIYCWQMFQ&tag=sa-b2c-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=0811821315

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Boats and boating--Equipment and supplies

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(Anna Panning)

This story is about a new girl, Maya, who comes to school and is different from the other children.  She seems to be at a socioeconomic disadvantage compared to the other students in the class; her clothes, experiences, and toys are different from those of her classmates.  The story is told from the point of view of a particular classmate, Chloe, who views Maya as weird and will not play with her.  It is not until after Maya leaves the school that Chloe gets a lesson in kindness and regrets her behavior.  This book could be a mirror for students who have a hard time being inclusive of those who are different.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/each-kindness-jacqueline-woodson/1109324628#productInfoTabs