LS 5653 - Culture 6-IN OUR MOTHERS' HOUSE

BIBLOGRAPHY

Polacco, Patricia. 2009. IN OUR MOTHERS' HOUSE.New York: Phiomel Books. ISBN: 978-0-399-25076-7.

PLOT SUMMARY

This is a story about two women partners, Meema and Marmee, who adopt three children. The story is narrated by the eldest daughter who is African American. Her siblings are Will, oriental, and Millie, white with red hair. Meema is a doctor of Italian descent and loves to sew. Marmee is a paramedic and keeps the house organized and loves to clean. The story talks about how they play old records, slide down the banister, make memories in front of the clinker brick fireplace, learn to cook Gnocci with Nonno who is Meema’s father. The story also includes the character of Mrs. Lockner who does not like their family relationship and is very vocal about it especially at the neighborhood block party. The narrator describes the situation as that the children do not understand what the problem is all about. The story finishes with all three children marrying into a heterosexual relationship with someone who has similar skin tones and features. The narrator tells of the passing of Meema and Marmee and how Will now lives in the house and is raising his family.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This text covers a controversial subject matter with same sex parenting. The author does an excellent job at simply explaining everyday life with only a few incidents of less tolerant neighbors. It is positive that even the extended family is included in the story and the children have good memories of them. The story’s ending is interesting that all of the children marry and one of them moves into the house with his family. It is one way to show that same sex parents did not influence their children’s relationship decisions.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

Children’s Literature – “The family "in our mothers' house" is like many others, filled with love and fun, clearly seen in the smiling characters on the jacket. It is unusual only in that there are two mothers.”

School Library Journal- “This gem of a book illustrates how love makes a family, even if it's not a traditional one. The narrator, a black girl, describes how her two Caucasian mothers, Marmee and Meema, adopted her, her Asian brother, and her red-headed sister. She tells about the wonderful times they have growing up in Berkeley, CA.”

CONNECTIONS

This book touches on controversial subject matter. As a teacher I would not bring this topic up on my own. If a student asked then a discussion about different types of families could follow.

Website - http://lesbianfamily.org/
Website - http://www.prideandjoyfamilies.org/
Website – P.F.L.A.G.- http://community.pflag.org/Page.aspx?pid=194&srcid=-2
Kaeser, Gigi and Gillespie, Peggy. LOVE MAKES A FAMILY:PORTRIATS OF LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER PARENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES. ISBN: 1558491619.

Book cover image from Barnes & Noble.

LS 5653-Culture 6 - JOEY PIGZA SWALLOWED THE KEY

BIBLOGRAPHY

Gantos, Jack. 1998. JOEY PIGZA SWALLOWED THE KEY. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN: 0-374-33664-4.

PLOT SUMMARY

Joey Pigza is a delightful young boy who has an attention problem. He tries to attend regular school and varying events cause him to visit the Special Education room downstairs. He tries to calm down and his mother had taken him to the doctor for medication. Sometime after he was born his father and mother left him with his paternal grandmother. She asked him to do many things which sometimes scared him and sometimes made him happy. His mother finally returned and the grandmother left. The mother tries hard to teach Joey and help him but his attention disorder is a huge problem. There is a very bad accident at school and Joey is suspended to the Special Education Building downtown. Joey is scared but then sees many students who are “more messed up” then he is on his worst day. They try and help him at the center and he gets to see a different doctor who gets him different medication that seems to work better. After six weeks he is able to return to a mainstream classroom with visits to the Special Education room in the building. Joey and his Mother learn a lot from each other through the story.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Joey is a young man who has the diagnoses of Attention Deficit Disorder or ADD. The text relays that Joey’s mother and father leave him and his grandmother cared for him. However, as the text unfolds you see Joey’s grandmother portrayed as sometimes cruel and not knowing how to help Joey and resorts to unconventional efforts. When Joey’s mother returns the grandmother up and leaves one day. Joey’s mother tells Joey that when he takes his medicine she will take hers (an alcoholic drink). Joey’s behavior is expertly conveyed in the text. As you read you can almost see the whirlwind of a child in front of you going through all of the motions. The new doctor at the Special Education Center really tries to help Joey and gets him some different medicine. This seems to help and Joey is excited and scared to return to his mainstream school. This book allows a glimpse into the life of a child and his family dealing with ADD. Until you have lived and worked with a child with this disability you will not truly understand the day to day struggles they encounter.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

American Library Association Notable Children's BooksCalifornia Young Reader MedalNational Book Awards - FinalistSchool Library Journal Best Books of the Year
(accessed from http://www.jackgantos.com/joeypigzaswallowedkey.html)

Horn Book Review, Starred – “In this rollercoaster of a ride, ingenuously and breathlessly narrated by Joey himself, readers are treated to an up-close and personal introduction to life with attention deficit disorder.”
Publisher’s Weekly, Starred –“In a starred review, PW called this National Book Award finalist "an accurate, compassionate and humorous appraisal of a boy with attention-deficit disorder."

VOYA-“There are plenty of Joeys in schools today, and it is good to have one of their stories told with such skill and sympathy.”

Children’s Literature-“Gantos takes the reader into the fractured world of the child with what we today call ADHD. Whose road to what we might call normalcy is rocky beyond imagining. The reader follows that road in this story, with Joey's direct, edgy, matter-of-fact voice as guide. Gritty, often disturbing, yet ending with a glimpse of the awesome resilience of this young protagonist.”
School Library Journal, Starred-“Joey Pigza is wired. His prescription "meds" are no match for his mood swings. His mom's been warned that if he keeps acting up he could be transferred to the downtown special-ed center for problem kids.”
Kirkus Reviews-“Gantos takes readers right inside a human whirlwind where the ride is bumpy and often frightening, especially for Joey. But a river of compassion for the characters runs through the pages, not only for Joey but for his overextended mom and his usually patient, always worried (if only for their safety) teachers. Mature readers will find this harsh tale softened by unusual empathy and leavened by genuinely funny events.”
CONNECTIONS

This book touches on a child with a disability. This is an opportunity to discuss other disabilities that children in the school or area may have. Some children may be reluctant to share private information and should not be forced to share.

ADD/ADHD Parenting tips - http://helpguide.org/mental/adhd_add_parenting_strategies.htm
ADD/ADHD Teaching tips - http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content2/add.html
C.H.A.D.D. (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder)- http://www.chadd.org/


Book cover image from Barnes & Noble.

LS 5653 - Culture 6- HABIBI

BIBLOGRAPHY

Nye, Naomi Shihab. 1997. HABIBI. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN: 0-689-80149-1.

PLOT SUMMARY

Liyana is a young girl with one brother Rafik and her parents, Kamal and Susan. Her father is a doctor in the United States but grew up in Jerusalem. Liyana is doing just fine with her life and visiting with Peachy Helen, her maternal grandmother, when her father announces that they are all moving to Jerusalem. Liyana and Rafik and not pleased about leaving all of their friends and home and moving half way across the world. Dr. Abboud tells the family that he wanted to move back sooner but the “unrest” in the area was too great and not safe. It is now safe to move back. Upon arriving in Jerusalem Liyana is confused with meeting all of her father’s relatives and especially the appearance of Setti, her paternal grandmother, with her tattoos and shrill noise making. Rafik takes to the new surroundings better than Liyana. She does befriend a young boy named Omer. Omer happens to live on the other side of Jerusalem and is Jewish. This goes against the religious practices of her father’s family. Liyana grows and discovers many new things in her new world – a kiss, unrest, an unjust world, cruelty, and lack of acceptance.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This book was very interesting to read. I felt like I had to keep reading. There are no illustrations in the book except on the cover. You have to use your imagination from the text to create your own mental image of the landscapes, clothing and cities. This book tells the story of a young girl and her family relocating in to a politically charged city. Liyana is young and does not seem to understand the thousands of years of history of the city and how certain peoples do not get along. This would be a challenging text for young people as it does not just tell a story of a young girl but the political and militant state in which she lives. There is one interesting part when Omer comes with Liyana’s family to meet her Setti. Omer makes a comment that he didn’t know the land was so beautiful. It showed that even Omer had been told things that were not true of the city and its surroundings. The title of the story is translated as dear one or loved one or darling.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

Jane Addams Children’s Book Award

Publisher’s Weekly-“This soul-stirring novel about the Abbouds, an Arab American family, puts faces and names to the victims of violence and persecution in Jerusalem today. Believing the unstable situation in that conflict-ridden city has improved, 14-year-old Liyana's family moves from St. Louis, Mo., to her father's homeland. However, from the moment the Abbouds are stopped by Jewish customs agents at the airport, they face racial prejudice and discord.”

Children’s Literature-“In this first novel by poet Naomi Shihab Nye, the conflict between Arabs and Jews is vividly depicted through characters whom readers will admire and come to care about.”

VOYA – “This story is told mainly from sensitive, introspective Liyanna's point of view, with a few disrupting shifts to those of her parents, Rafik, and her grandmother.”

School Library Journal- “An important first novel from a distinguished anthologist and poet. When Liyana's doctor father, a native Palestinian, decides to move his contemporary Arab-American family back to Jerusalem from St. Louis, 14-year-old Liyana is unenthusiastic.”

Kirkus Reviews – “In the process, some of the passages become quite ponderous while the human story—Liyana's emotional adjustments in the later chapters and her American mother's reactions overall—fall away from the plot. However, Liyana's romance with an Israeli boy develops warmly, and readers are left with hope for change and peace as Liyana makes the city her very own.”

CONNECTIONS

This book contains so many different topics that can be drawn out into lessons: Jerusalem, religion, political unrest, youth, growing up, cultural differences, discovering new lands and foods and trying to conform. I would recommend this title for middle school and above. The political unrest in the novel may be advanced for younger readers.

Book cover image from Barnes & Noble.

LS 5653-Culture 5- THE BOY OF THE THREE-YEAR NAP

BIBLOGRAPHY

Snyder, Dianne and Say, Allen. 1988. THE BOY OF THE THREE-YEAR NAP. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN: 0-395-44090-4.

PLOT SUMMARY

This story is set in a fishing village of Japan. The main character, Taro, a young boy who just eats and sleeps all day and is very lazy is the opposite of his mother who toils at making fine clothes for the wealthy to wear. Taro comes up with a plan after a wealthy merchant comes to the village. Taro gets his mother to sew him a priest’s outfit and ambushes the merchant into thinking he is a “ujigami” or spirit. Taro then demands that the merchant’s daughter marry Taro or she will become a clay pot. The merchant is very distressed over the situation and goes to Taro’s mother. She then begins to create a plan to have her home fixed up by the merchant since she is not able to provide for the daughter as she should properly. After the home is fixed the merchant asks Taro’s mother again for consent to the marriage and the mother arranges for Taro to work for the merchant to provide for the daughter. In the end Taro ends up doing a good job of working for his father-in-law and they all live happily.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The illustrations in the book really make you think that you are in the little village seeing the story unfold before your eyes. The rice paper screen doors, kimonos, other clothing, cooking pots, gardens, shrines, houses, even the custom of taking off ones shoes before entering the home is illustrated. This story takes place in the past before technology or motorized vehicles. The characters are drawn with black hair and almond shaped eyes. The men wear pants with a tunic style top and sometimes a robe. The ladies are in kimonos or long skirts with work shirt style tunics. The women have their hair in a bun style on top of their heads.
The story itself could have happened in any culture but the addition of the customs and other dialogue make the story authentic to the place and time. The culture in the book is Japanese. The mannerisms and voice of the characters tends to make you think of that culture. The only religious practice is the mentioning of the shrines and when Taro plays the trick on the merchant. Shrines are still popular in Japan today and many people visit them and pay money to get a “fortune”.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

Caldecott Honor Book
Boston Globe-Horn book award
ALA Notable Children’s book

Publisher’s Weekly – “Say's art, with stylized Oriental touches, comically animates the sprightly tale, perfectly matching the abundant wit of Snyder's adaptation.”

Children’s Literature – “This humorous Japanese folktale follows a young man "as lazy as a rich man's cat." While he's snoozing, though, the quick-witted mother hatches a plan that gains him wife, job-and very limited nap time.”

School Library Journal –“The accuracy of the visualized Japanese landscape and architecture help considerably in casting this retold folktale into an Oriental mold.”

CONNECTIONS

This resource is one that would be another good choice to include in a study about folktales from other cultures.
Ed Young – LON PO PO. ISBN-9780399216190
Byrd Baylor – THE TABLE WHERE RICH PEOPLE SAT. ISBN-9780689820083
One could also include this story in a study about obeying your parents, being lazy, how to provide for yourself and consequences of your actions.

Book cover image by Barnes and Noble.

LS 5653-Culture 5-THE YEAR OF THE DOG

BIBLOGRAPHY

Lin, Grace. 2006. THE YEAR OF THE DOG. New York: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN: 0-316-06000-3

PLOT SUMMARY

Pacy is a young girl living in the United States and has the culture of Taiwan or China from her parents. She has two sisters, Ki-Ki and Lissy. The story begins with a Chinese New Year celebration and goes through Pacy’s adventures at school and trying to understand how she fits into the world having two cultures, American and Taiwanese/Chinese. Pacy meets another girl at her school Melody who is just like her. Their mothers met at a grocery store and the girls become fast friends. Throughout the story are mini-stories about her parents and family in Taiwan/China. The family seems to have a good time together and there is lots of laughter in the book.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This story is set in modern times except for the “rememberings” of family member’s stories. Pacy does describe herself in the way she looks and comments that the other children in school do not look like her until she meets Melody. The cafeteria worker will almost not give Pacy her lunch confusing her with Melody. Pacy does identify with Chinese/Taiwanese culture, food and practices throughout the book. Pacy does explain to friends about her name. She uses a different name at school then at home because the teachers at school had difficulty pronouncing her name. The family celebrates Chinese New Year with a feast of authentic food and red envelopes with money. They also go to celebrate a birth in the family and the baby receives red envelopes with money for good luck. There are minimal illustrations in the book and they are black pencil drawings on the paper the text in printed on. So, in essence the background is a manila color. They do show the dark hair and facial features of almond shaped eyes.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

2006 Fall Publisher's Pick

• Starred Booklist Review

• 2006 ALA Children's Notable

• 2006 National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA) GOLD Winner

• 2007-2008 Texas Bluebonnet Award Masterlist

• 2007 Nene Awards Recommended List (Hawaii's Book Award Chosen by Children Grades 4-6)•

2007 Cochecho Readers' Award List (sponsored by the Children's Librarians of Dover, New Hampshire)

• NYPL 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing 2006

• Kirkus Best Early Chapter Books 2006

•2006 Booklist Editors' Choice for Middle Readers

•Cooperative Children's Book Center Choice 2007•Boston Authors Club Recommended Book

•2007-2008 Great Lakes Great Books Award nominee

•2007-2008 North Carolina Children's Book Award nominee

•2007-2008 West Virginia Children's Book Award nominee

•2009 Beverly Cleary Children's Choice Award (OR) nominee

•2009 Pacific Northwest Young Readers Choice Award (WA, OR, ID)nominee
(accessed from http://www.gracelin.com/content.php?page=book_yeardog&display=awards_reviews)

Publisher’s Weekly – “The book's inviting design suggests a journal, and features childlike spot illustrations and a typeface with a hand- lettered quality. Girls everywhere, but especially those in the Asian-American community, will find much to embrace here.”

Booklist – “Lin does a remarkable job capturing the soul and the spirit of books like those of Hayward or Maud Hart Lovelace, reimagining them through the lens of her own story, and transforming their special qualities into something new for today's young readers.”

5th grade student -“This is a good book. It gives an idea of how someone from another culture keeps their traditions and also makes new friends.”

CONNECTIONS

This story would be a good introduction to how we are all different and how we get along in America. It also introduces the custom of Chinese New Year. Presented properly this holiday is very interesting to students.

Marx, David F. CHINESE NEW YEAR. ISBN: 9780516273754

Gleasen, Carrie. CHINESE NEW YEAR. ISBN: 9780778742982

MacMillian, Dianne M. CHINESE NEW YEAR: ISBN: 9780766030381

Book cover image from Barnes and Noble.

LS 5653 - Culture 5 - SEESAW GIRL

BIBLOGRAPHY

Park, Linda Sue and Tseng, Jean and Tseng, Mou-sien. 1999. SEESAW GIRL. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN: 0-395-91514-7

PLOT SUMMARY

Jade Blossom is a very spirited young girl in Korea in a time where well off women were not allowed outside the home. She longed to go on trips with her father, a counselor to the king, and her brother, Tiger Heart, to see beyond the walls of her home. Jade Blossom likes to create mischief within the household but her world is turned upside down when her Aunt, Willow, is married and moves out of the family home to live with her husband’s family. Jade Blossom even escapes the confines of her home to try and visit Willow who refuses to see her. Jade Blossom experiences many things on this adventure beyond the walls and is fueled by her desires to know more of the outside world.
There is an Author’s note at the end as well as a bibliography of references regarding the prisoner’s mentioned in story.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This story takes place in past before motorized transportation. There are very few illustrations in the book which are in grayscale. They show the people with a different eye shape and black hair. The women mostly have their hair high up on their heads. The females are wearing a kimono style clothing. The men have pants with a tunic style shirt. The housing is shown with rice paper doors, shoes being left outside, screens, and low furniture. The culture represented is Korean. Jade Blossom learns how to do embroidery on silk and longs to have educational lessons like her brother. She does not seem to like the rules imposed on her simply for being a girl. Jade Blossom also has difficulty accepting without questioning.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

School Library Journal Best Books, 2001
ALA Booklist Editors' Choice, 2001
New York Public Library, "100 Titles for Reading and Sharing", 2001
Parents' Choice Memorable New Title, Fall 2001
(accessed from http://www.lindasuepark.com/books/seesawgirl/seesawrev.html)
Children’s Literature – “In this historical look at Korea, readers are taken to the third century of the Choson Period (1300-1880), when upper class females were not allowed to leave the inner court of their family compound. Young Jade Blossom feels so confined by this and other confining traditions that she plays pranks on the boys, escapes to the outside world for a brief time, and even dabbles in the male art of painting.”

School Library Journal – “Her mother recognizes Jade's longings and shows her that it is possible to be content with her life. Like Jade's stand-up seesaw, Park's novel offers readers a brief but enticing glimpse at another time.”

Kirkus Reviews-“Park's afterword tells of a Dutch ship that ran aground in Korea near the time of the story, and what happened to the prisoners Jade's father defended. The evocative descriptions and Jade's intensity in creating new ways to learn will capture and hold readers.”

CONNECTIONS

The book could be used as a way to show how the Korean culture has changed throughout the years. It can also be used to compare and contrast how women were and are viewed in various cultures in the world.

Kristof, Nicholas D. and WuDunn, Sheryl. HALF THE SKY: TURNING OPPRESSION INTO OPPORTUNITY FOR WOMEN WORLDWIDE. ISBN: 9780307387097

Thomsen, Natasha. WOMEN’S RIGHTS. ISBN: 9780816068098

Alter, Judy. WOMEN’S RIGHTS.ISBN: 9781602791336

Book cover image from Barnes & Noble.

LS 5653 - Culture 4 - THE STORY OF THE MILKY WAY

BIBLOGRAPHY

Bruchac, Joseph and Ross, Gayle and Stroud, Virginia A. 1995. THE STORY OF THE MILKY WAY: A CHEROKEE TALE. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 0-8037-1737-7.

PLOT SUMMARY

This story is a Cherokee folktale that has been passed down through the generations. It describes how most of the stars got into the sky. The story starts in the past when the Cherokee’s gathered large amounts of corn to sustain themselves through the winter. One morning an elderly couple discovers the lid of a basket knocked off and some of the corn meal had been taken. They are very upset and their grandson decides to wait in the forest that night and keep a vigil. What is sees startles him as it is an eerie light in the shape of a dog eating the cornmeal. He tells his family about the incident and they all go to the Beloved Woman, a leader in the tribe. She was wise and developed a plan. The entire town waited that night in the forest with their drums and rattles. When the spirit dog came to eat they made loud noises and chased him off. He leapt into the sky and everywhere the cornmeal landed became a star in the sky. The Cherokee call it” the place where the dog ran”. And that was the beginning of the Milky Way.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This story exhibits a concept that has been used for many years. The art of storytelling for the purpose of explanation. Many cultures have come up with stories to explain events that happened in nature or the world around them. The Native American culture has been known of treasuring Mother Earth and her blessings.
The clothing displayed in the illustrations is not what one would consider typical of Native American clothing. The people wore what looked like loomed cloth in many colors and patterns that had been cut and sewn together to make long dresses, pants, robes and turban looking hats for the men. Their hair was long on the women and short on the men with no braids. The text exhibited a storyline that I would consider a folktale passed along through time. It contained references to the wise woman and a spirit like dog. Their interactions along with the people of the village explain how so many stars got into the sky. The story was short and to the point without a lot of extra events that clouded the main purpose of the text.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

Publisher’s Weekly – “With lyric simplicity this retelling of a Cherokee folktale posits an explanation for the origin of the Milky Way, at the same time stressing the merits of communal labor.”

Children’s Literature – “Great things can be accomplished when a community works together. This is the timeless message conveyed in this traditional Cherokee legend.”

School Library Journal – “Bruchac and Ross retell a Cherokee tale with simplicity and respect.”

Booklist – “Beautifully illustrated in Cherokee-Creek artist Stroud's signature style, this charming retelling of a traditional Cherokee legend will appeal to listeners young and old. Source notes and a brief history of the forced removal of the Cherokees, known as the Trail of Tears, are included.”

CONNECTIONS

Joseph Bruchac has written over seventy books for children and adults including fiction, poetry and folktales. This would be an excellent addition for an author study. Another choice would be to include this work with other folktales from different cultures.
Nelson Mandela –NELSON MANDELA’S FAVORITE AFRICAN FOLKTALES. ISBN-9780393329902
Jane Yolen- FAVORITE FOLKTALES FROM AROUND THE WORLD. ISBN-9780394751887
Peninnah Schram –THE HUNGRY CLOTHES AND OTHER JEWISH FOLKTALES. ISBN-9781402726514

Book cover image from Barnes and Noble website.