Comments for Worlds of Words

Comment on Behind The Mountains by WOW Currents » Living Between Two Cultures: A Digital Literature Discussion of Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 07:33:41 +0000

[...] Examples include A Step from Heaven by An Na (2001), Tangled Threads by Pegi Deitz Shea (2003) or Behind the Mountains by Edwidge Danticat [...]

Comment on The Best Eid Ever by Ann Parker

Ann Parker — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:17:57 +0000

This is a simple story that conveys a great deal of information about Muslim culture and experiences. The author’s note explains the meaning of Eid, one of the two main Muslim holidays. What I found most interesting is how the illustrator has shown the wide variety of people who make up the Muslim culture. I think children of all nationalities will appreciate the story of sacrificing for another and will take away at least a little better understanding of a religion different from their own.

Comment on I Love Saturdays Y Domingos (Americas Award For Children’s And Young Adult Literature. Commended (Awards)) by Ann Parker

Ann Parker — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:14:58 +0000

This is the book I’ve been meaning to write, one where children who don’t speak Spanish can easily understand the Spanish words used, and where Spanish speaking children can enjoy reading a book with words in their language. Alma Flor Ada cleverly juxtaposes the little girl’s visits to her two sets of grandmothers so children learn that everybody can enjoy being with their grandparents, no matter what language they speak.

Comment on Boy Dumplings by Ann Parker

Ann Parker — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:11:43 +0000

A play on the old “stone soup” story, a hungry ghost gets directions from a young boy about how to turn him into dumplings. In the author’s note, Compestine explains the Chinese holiday called the Ghosts Festival, which sounds similar to the Dias de los Muertos festival in Mexico. I think children will enjoy seeing how the boy tricks the ghost in the end. This book could be used in a set of trickster tales from different countries.

Comment on Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party by Ann Parker

Ann Parker — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:08:44 +0000

It’s often the case that books of historical fiction necessarily portray difficult – even horrific – experiences of children, families, cultures, and societies. Certainly books about the Chinese Cultural Revolution fall into this category of books that can be difficult to read, and this book is no exception. I think young adult readers will appreciate Ling’s strength and the fact that she stays true to herself and her family, but it is paintful to read about what happens to her, her family, friends and neighbors as China’s cultural revolution winds down. How do teachers approach these kinds of difficult books with their students? Do students ever choose to read these books on their own?

Comment on The Shepherd’s Granddaughter by Holly Johnson

Holly Johnson — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:59:36 +0000

That’s a question I think we must consider each time we select books where groups of people/cultures may be in conflict. I am thinking about a book I am reading right now on the Civil Rights movement and Birmingham in 1963, which could make African Americans and European Americans uncomfortable depending on the context. I also just finished Bog Child (Dowd, 2008) about Northern Ireland during the Troubles of the 1970s/1980s with the religious issues involved. Both have the potential to make readers uncomfortable. In my own teaching, I made a point of making it explicit that what happens in a book gives readers the opportunity to think through the issues and to consider–from a distance–how we might respond to the issues. I would also assess the climate of my classroom so as to make sure not to insult the young people with whom I worked. Ultimately, we need to select books that engage our students, cause them to think, and to bring about greater understanding of the human condition. We do that, however, with a conscious effort to maintain the dignity of not only the groups represented in the texts, but the students with whom we work. Thus, I would always want to select texts that would benefit students’ thinking and well-being. I can’t know that, however, without knowing my students, talking with them about some of these issues, and then, perhaps, selecting with them and, if developmentally and culturally appropriate, their parents.

Comment on WOW Review: Reading Across Cultures by Latino North American Authors « Diversify Your Reading

Latino North American Authors « Diversify Your Reading — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 01:08:11 +0000

[...] DeLucio-Brock, Anita (Illustrator, Mexican American, Illustrator Site) Grandma and Me and the Flea/Los meros meros remateros (picture book): Reviewed at World of Words [...]

Comment on WOW Review: Reading Across Cultures by Latino North American Authors « Diversify Your Reading

Latino North American Authors « Diversify Your Reading — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 01:07:48 +0000

[...] Calcines, Eduardo F. (Cuban American, Publisher Site) Leaving Glorytown: One Boy’s Struggle under Castro (children’s book): Reviewed at World of Words [...]

Comment on The Killer’s Tears by Melissa B Wilson

Melissa B Wilson — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:42:16 +0000

The Killer’s Tears challenges the reader, in this case an adult, to reconstruct what is meant by childhood. Paolo’s existance is not innocent nor is it idyllic. The text pushes the boundaries of childhood and children’s lit to the limit, where the dystopian can mean more than the utopian, while at the same time, the idea of love redeeming the worst sins and sinners is explored in a nauanced, hope-giving way. Read on!

Comment on Listen to the Wind: The Story of Dr. Greg and Three Cups of Tea by T.H. Fields

T.H. Fields — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 23:50:13 +0000

I loved the original book, Three Cups of Tea, and I’m very glad to see that there is now a version for children. I think this is a story that would really appeal to children and can help them think about the value of education in other cultures. It is also nice to see a counter story to the war news that shows the cultures involved in the headlines.