Teaching Cultural Compassion

If you've read my blog for a while, you know I love twists on Little Red Riding Hood, but I've never read one quite like Werewolf? There Wolf! by Kyle Sullivan and  Meg Hunt.  We should expect a good monster story from Kyle Sullivan who has written even board books about some of our favorite monster friends!

If you're looking for a book about a beginning monster hunter, protecting her parents (who just want sleep), then Poesy the Monster Slayer is the book for you.  Through the words of Cory Doctorow, you'll follow Poesy through her study of monsters and how to get them to go away--imaginitively illustrated by  Matt Rockefeller, who is known for his monsters.  It's good fun and perfect for this time of year.

Lastly, I want to include a great SEL book from Tom Percival's Big Bright Feelings series.  Milo's Monster is about that "green-eyed monster" so many of us have faced.  When Milo's best friend seems to find a new best friend, Milo learns about jealousy the hard way.  But, just like in all of the other Big Bright Feelings books, the author takes us through the full story to learn how to work with our feelings at the end.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I did and that you have a happy and SAFE Halloween!

Just a reminder that any books purchased through the links above will give a small commission back to the work of Teaching Cultural Compassion.

Kids also certainly understand the love of animals, as beautifully illustrated by Claire Keane in Love is by Diane Adams.  Knowing that love can be caring for something you know isn’t yours and will someday have to leave is an integral part of growing up.  This book says it perfectly.

Kids also love other people without asking too many questions-- My Best Friend by Julie Fogliano & Jillian Tamaki shares a story of exactly that.  These two kids ARE best friends, aren’t they?  (SPOILER) Even if they just met today and don’t know each other’s names?  A story about love in perhaps its purest form, My Best Friend is a new joy to add to any bookshelf!

Lastly, even if there is no specific contact, a kid can still show love through a wave or a smile.  Because Amelia Smiled by David Ezra Stein is a great story about how one simple gesture can change the world.  In the world today, we need more smiles!

So, I hope you’ll be my valentine and read some of these books with your kids!

Tura

Unfortunately often, especially in gen x, Thanksgiving brings memories of being dressed as "Pilgrims" or “Indians” for school plays, or even at home for Thanksgiving.  We now know a LOT more about what that initial encounter may have been like, and we know that our cultural appropriation and bolstering of stereotypes was at the very least in poor taste, if not downright offensive.   You may or may not know that November is also “Native American Heritage Month.”  If you want to talk to your kids about American Indians, I highly suggest going to the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC.  It’s a beautiful, Smithsonian, FREE museum with an AMAZING food court.  (Definitely my favorite lunch stop if I’m on the National Mall.)  Short of traveling, though, you may be able to turn to books to offer your kids a broader idea of American Indian life. 

So, if your kid comes home from school with a construction paper feather headdress, these might be your key to opening their eyes to some of the greater historical context--and the fact that American Indians are STILL HERE.  American Indians/Native Americans are not only the smallest demographic population in the United States, but also the least represented in picture books.  It is important to find the right representation, and finding books by Native authors is the best way to do that.  All of these books are #OwnVoices books, meaning they are written by American Indian writers and/or illustrators.  For more on why reading Own Voices books are important, click here. For your further information, the tribal nation of each author is offered after their name. 

The Ninth Night of Hanukkah by Erica S. Perl and Shahar Kober brings in a little interfaith/diverse celebration of the Jewish holiday.  When Rachel and Max move to their new apartment during Hanukkah, their parents can't find the box with the decorations ANYWHERE.  But they're creative and resourceful and invite all of their new neighbors to help in one way or another to create a wonderful, even if late, Hanukkah celebration!

Red and Green and Blue and White by Lee Wind and Paul O. Zelinsky is based on an actual event that happened in 1993, but is just as relevant today.  When anti-Semitic vandalism ruins a family's holiday, their Christian neighbors respond by decorating in solidarity.  This book about how kindness can help overcome hate is a good lesson all year round, but especially at this time of year, for all of us.

Unfortunately, two of my interreligious favorites are much harder to find to buy (so the links are for worldcat so you can find them at your local library).

Jackie’s Gift by Sharon Robinson, Jackie Robinson's daughter, and illustrated by Earl B. Lewis, is actually a true story.  When baseball star Jackie Robinson moves his family to a new neighborhood, one neighbor kid is excited to meet him.  When Jackie hears that this kid's family doesn't have a Christmas tree, he takes it upon himself to rectify that awful situation.... not realizing they don't have a tree because they're Jewish.  This heart-warming story about miscommunication and kindness is sure to make you laugh.

Another holiday that sometimes coincides with Hanukkah is Diwali.  In Queen of the Hanukkah Dosas by Pamela Ehrenberg and  Anjan Sarkar, adventure begins for a half Indian/half Jewish family when they get locked out of the house!  The youngest, smallest, usually getting into trouble kid will have to become the hero of both holidays.  It is very rare to see this combination in a picture book, so I am very grateful that it's also a great story with fun illustrations!

I don't usually write about videos, but I recently came upon Amazon Prime Video's Snowy Day.  Created in 2016 (about the same time as A Poem for Peter, which is a great read if you haven't found it yet) with cameos from major Hollywood stars and even Boyz II Men, this 40 minute special elaborates on the book we all know so well.  It shows the full diversity of a New York neighborhood with shopkeepers and neighbors, including a Jewish mom and daughter with a bit of a lesson about Hanukkah traditions!  If you have Prime, I highly recommend it (even if you're not watching with kids).

Happy (C)Hanuk(k)a(h) and happy any other holiday you are celebrating this month.  May these books be a blessing to you and yours!!

Reminder that I will receive a small commission for books purchased through my  bookshop.org list links. 

If you haven't bought gifts for your holidays yet--or if you're planning to donate books, please read my guide for buying gifts.

You Matter  by Christian Robinson reminds kids (and adults) that no matter how big or small we are or what we look like or where we are, we matter to the world.   Sometimes we just need that reminder. 

After the last inauguration, almost everyone knows who Amanda Gorman is.  Change Sings is a new book that combines her moving poetry with the ever imaginative and colorful illustrations of Loren Long (known for his Otis the Tractor books).  The story reminds us all that when we join our voices together, we can truly make change for our communities and the world.

This is the perfect book to have by your bed and read first thing every morning.  I Will Be Fierce!  by Bea Birdsong & Nidhi Chanani walks the reader through the day of the character starring in the book as she makes the fierce decisions to stand up for fairness, do her best, and take on the day!

When Lucia is told by kids on the playground that girls can't be superheroes, it makes her sad...until she tells her Abuela and, as grandmothers often do, SHE knows just what to do!  Little did Lucia know, she comes from a long line of LUCHADORAS!! She not only CAN be a superhero, she was BORN to be one.  Lucia the Luchadora by Cynthia Leonor Garza & Alyssa Bermudez is a Spanish/English bilingual tale that is a lovely intergenerational read!

A Spanish/English bilingual story written by Latin Grammy Winner Lucky Diaz and brilliantly illustrated by Micah Player, Paletero Man is the story of a boy in LA running through his neighborhood to find his favorite Paletero (ice cream man) for a cool treat.  Unfortunately, he drops all of his money in his run there--but is supported by his community when they see what he's missing. It even has a very catchy song version!

You can find these books and a few more on my bookshop.org affiliate page by clicking here.  Reminder that I will receive a small commission for books purchased through my list links.