*Where characters experience undergo a change of some kind and in turn grow as a person.

*A shift in perspective or scenery that leads to growth

*The process a character goes through that results in them having a new perspective/experience.

*The path a character and or characters take to gain a deeper knowledge of themselves and their surroundings.

*Leaving the comfort a character is in to expand or change themselves

*Characters going from one place to another

Lots of books have themes of journey. By purposefully looking at books through this lens, we get a deeper understanding of them and learn to read other books with this new perspective.

2.) How does diversity impact the journey?

3.) What is the significance of the guiding characters and the family structures?

Theres lots of variants and ways that race is shown in books. It can be shown within drawings, clothing, foods, people, etc. Keepunumuk Weeachumuns Thanksgiving Story fits the criteria but isn't the best story when it comes to talking about native stories. The day you begin was a powerful book that helped show that children are curious and that they will learn that not everyone is the same. It's a great book to represent that people come from different backgrounds and not everyone is the same. Mama Shamsi at The Bazaar is a book about a grandmother's chador and giving a connection for others who grew up with family from Iran. It shows the beauty of the chador and elements of Iran, and an experience more than one child went through. The illustrations are the biggest representation of the people.

Did racial identity affect the journey~

Thanksgiving- It gave a different perspective and side of the story of what thanksgiving is. The day you begin- When others were learning about what each other did over the summer and the food that they eat was showing their differences and that its okay to have different experiences.

Personal~ Dalias Wonderous Hiar, Cannonball, The Day you Begin, The Oldest Student, Mama Shamsi At The Bazaar, Before the Ships, When Lola Visits

Cultural~ An American Story but also has connections to When Lola Visits, Before the Ships, And Mama Shamsi, Keepunumuk, and To the other side

You're never too old to learn

Explore this world and learn what's around you

Listen to your heart, to your mind, to the pull inside

Holding history in one hand and clenching hope in the other

Like diamonds under pressure, we are precious and resilient

And the last sweet bits of summer

Changed both our lives and theirs forever

At last, we are free to cross to the other side