Spaghetti Park

Spaghetti Park by DyAnne DiSalvo

            Picture Book—Multicultural

            Grades K-3

            Rating: 5 Stars

            Summary: Angelo and his grandfather, along with other residents of their Italian-American neighborhood, restore a park and create a bocce ball court in the midst of the parks trouble-making inhabitants. When they find that their work has been destroyed, they decide to begin again and are surprised that some of the troublemakers themselves pitch in to help.

            Spaghetti Park was such an enjoyable read for me, as I was able to relate to Angelo’s relationship with his grandfather. I grew up in a half-Italian family and, like Angelo, learned how to play bocce ball with my own grandpa. I liked reading as they worked together to restore to its original beauty the park that had become a hangout for the rowdy troublemakers. The ending is particularly gripping in that these very same kids turn from destroying the park to helping in the effort to restore it. This really shows the importance of standing for what you believe in, and I couldn’t help but feel proud that Angelo and his grandpa worked hard and were able to see the fruits of their labor. This particular lift in tension helps contribute to the lighter mood as everyone enjoys the park together at the end and revels in a sense of satisfaction in what they have achieved. In addition, as the reader we are able to “make adjustments in what we think the story is about” through this shift in tension (Peterson & Eeds, 2007, p. 37). Just when the outlook is gloomy, everyone comes together and I was left feeling happy and wanting to play bocce right along with them.

            This story would be an interesting choice for a class read-aloud because it is a socially conscious multicultural book. As the troublemakers, elders of the neighborhood, and Angelo work to restore the park, we see how these different social groups end up coming together. I think this message is pertinent for students as they are at some point likely to face social conflict among peer groups. With this book, I might consider having students share in groups, if they are comfortable, a situation they have faced when someone else opposed them and challenged to destroy their ideas or dreams. Angelo’s determination to do what is right is a great model to inspire students to stand firm in their beliefs and try to work together with others rather than engaging in confrontation or disagreement. 

Madlenka

Madlenka by Peter Sis

            Picture Book—Multicultural

            Grades PreK-3

            Rating: 5 Stars

            Summary: Madlenka takes a trip around her New York City block to tell everyone that her tooth is loose. Each new shop that she comes to becomes a virtual trip around the world for Madlenka as they all are characterized by elements of their owner’s home country.

            Madlenka is a treat in that we get to experience a tour of the world with Madlenka as she travels through the city block. I feel that this story is a mirror book for me in that my experience as a white American is similar to that of Madlenka. However, I have never experienced such diversity as a minority, and it was cool to see her curiosity and how she has come to understand the uniqueness of each vendor’s culture and background. Sis’s illustrations also add a certain dynamic to the story that deepens the richness of the experience as the book continues. His progressive use of color as Madlenka comes to each new vendor or shop is a neat feature that helps to draw attention to detail in a fun and dramatic way. Also, I love that each country is represented with a variety of elements that Madlenka tells us about and then concludes with an imaginary scene of her own immersion in that particular culture.

            This story is so interesting and interactive in its own way. As Madlenka journeys throughout the city block, we are invited to share in the experience and even physically turn the book all around to take it all in, which is an aspect of this story that I think would be appealing to kids. In the classroom, this story would complement a unit on the exploration of cultures from around the world, and would also help students understand that many of these cultures are represented here in America. I think that this fact alone would be a great topic to discuss so that children can see that the way people live across the globe is not separate from what we experience here. Rather, we will likely come into contact with people of many cultures just as Madlenka does, and so this story would be beneficial to help foster an appreciation for different cultures and show us that we all live together.

To Be a Kid

To Be a Kid by Maya Ajmera and John D. Ivanko

            Picture Book—Multicultural

            Grades PreK-3

            Rating: 5 Stars

            Summary: This photo picture book shows that kids from all over the world do the same things—they play, care for animals, spend time with family, and all of the things that make them a kid.

            To Be a Kid made such a powerful statement to me as an adult that I can only imagine how eye-opening it would be for children. In our society, it is often easy to view the world through the lenses of our own experience, but this book truly enlightens its readers to the experiences of people throughout the globe. However, its focus is not on what makes us different, but on all of the ways that kids around the world are alike through the similar games they play and how they interact with family and friends each day. I love that this book shows that we are all the same, no matter what skin color or race that we are, where we live, or what language we speak. I feel like our society damages this message by emphasizing how these things make us different, and so this book is so refreshing in that it sends the opposite message.

            This book contains such a significant message that is crucial for students today to understand. I think that as a child, I often viewed people from around the world as so different that they were not relatable to me. I hope to inspire exactly the opposite in the minds of my students, and this book would definitely help to illuminate the fact that kids from other parts of the world are no different than they are. By recognizing the similarities between themselves and kids from other countries, students might “acquire a sense of acceptance and appreciation for others,” rather than simply viewing these children as different (Hillard, 1995, p. 728).  Overall, I feel that this is an important message of multicultural literature, but it is often hindered by the sense that children should learn about other cultures and how they are different, instead of what makes us all the same as humans. I think it would be neat to follow up this book with a pen pal program so that my students could write to an international pen pal and further come to understand how they are alike as kids.