My Name is Celia: The Life of Celia Cruz/ Me llamo Celia: La vida de Celia Cruz written by Monica Brown & Illustrated by Rafael Lopez

Summary: "My Name is Celia: The Life of Celia Cruz" written by Monica Brown and illustrated by Rafael Lopez depicts the life of the famous Cuban singer and songwriter who is considered, "The Queen of Salsa," Celia Cruz. With the help of vibrant and endearing illustrations, the history of Celia Cruz's story comes to life in a unique way. The author provides readers with background information on Celia's life growing up in a Cuban household and her love of dancing and music. The book also touches on how she and her friends brought a new style of music to America - Salsa. Despite being discriminated against for the color of her skin, she promised herself that she would keep dancing, singing, and making sure that her voice was heard no matter the odds.

Target Audience: The target audience for this book would be students from 1st - 3rd grade, ranging in age from 5-8 years old. The plot is very interesting for those students who enjoy biography books, and the illustrations are very engaging and colorful. The author encourages students to follow their dreams and to never let anyone tell you that they are insurmountable. This book is also bilingual, making it an excellent addition to any classroom library, especially with students that are ESL.

Evaluation Based on Donna Norton's Text: Within Donna Norton's (2007) text, "Through The Eyes of a Child," Norton gives criteria for evaluating multicultural children's literature. One of the questions Norton (2007) asks is, "Is the culture accurately portrayed?" (p. 79). I feel as though the author does accurately portray Celia's Cuban heritage. She depicts how Celia grew up in Cuba and how her family had, "A warm kitchen filled with the voices of women and men -- grandparents, brothers, sisters, cousins, and friends." She also includes how Celia's father used to sing to her and her brother and, "Gave us the gift of music and filled our hearts with hope," further reiterating the loving and familial nature of the Cuban culture.

Reader Response Activity: A reader response activity for this book that I would have my students participate in is a family history / culture research activity. Celia is Cuban and this shapes her love of dancing and music. I would have students discuss their "roots" and family history with a family member and then come to class ready to share and discuss where their families are from and what makes them who they are. I would also encourage students to make connections between what traditions their family has and if they relate to their family heritage overall.

APA: Brown, M. & Lopez, R. (2004). My Name is Celia: The Life of Celia Cruz / Me llamo Celia: La vida de Celia Cruz. Cooper Square Publishing LLC.

Genre: Juvenile Biography

Readibility Lexile: N/A

For more information visit: https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/books/my-name-is-celia-by-monica-brown/

Blog Requirements: Supports a diverse protagonist, Picture Book, Informational Text (Biography), Bilingual.

La Princesa and the Pea by Susan Middleton Elya & Illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal

Summary: "La Princesa and the Pea," is a retelling of the classic tale, "The Princess and the Pea," with a Latin flair. The story revolves around the Prince who believes he had found the love of his life, but his mother disapproves. Much like the original tale, the prince's mother retrieves a pea (el guisante) from the garden and places it under 20 mattresses stacked high. If the girl is able to feel the pea, than his mother knows she is the one for her son and she has passed the test.

Target Audience: The target audience for this book would be students from 1st - 3rd grade, ranging in age from 5-8 years old. The illustrations are very vivid and the story-line is engaging. I think that students who are familiar with the classic tale, "The Princess and the Pea," would like this version. The author uses rhyming phrases, which I also believe that students would be able to acknowledge and enjoy. I would include this in a classroom library for several reasons. First, because it features diverse characters that many students would be able to see themselves in and relate to. Also because I believe that ESL students would enjoy this book because it is bilingual and they would be able to see the sentences in English. English natives would also benefit from this bilingual book because they would get to learn different words in Spanish. The words that are written in Spanish also have definitions and pronunciations provided for additional assistance.

Evaluation Based on Donna Norton's Text: Within Donna Norton's (2007) text, "Through The Eyes of a Child," Norton gives criteria for evaluating multicultural children's literature. One of the questions she asks is, "Will children be able to recognize the characters in the text and illustrations?" Based on how the illustrator captures the essence of Peruvian culture within the book with characters who actually look to be Latino, I do believe that students will be able to recognize that. I also believe that students who are familiar with the original version will be able to recognize the characters and compare this story with the classic.

Reader Response Activity: A reader response activity for this book that I would conduct within my classroom is I would have my students retell the story using printed pictures with no dialogue. They would have to cut and paste the pictures in the correct order of how the events take place in the book. I think that this activity would reinforce the timeline of events that take place and allow for students to really think about what happened.

APA: Middleton Elya, S. & Martinez-Neal, J. (2017). La Princesa and the Pea. G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers.

Genre: Juvenile Fiction

Readibility Lexile: AD530L

For more information visit: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/303124/la-princesa-and-the-pea-by-susan-middleton-elya-illustrated-by-juana-martinez-neal/

Blog Requirements: Supports a diverse protagonist, Picture Book, Written in the Last Four Years, Bilingual.

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Summary: "Brown Girl Dreaming" is a memoir written by Jacqueline Woodson that details the early years of her life in the 1950s and 1960s. During this time period, the ramifications of Jim Crow played a role in the treatment of African Americans within the society. Woodson's memoir depicts the various experiences that she went through and the ways in which writing helped her cope.

Target Audience: The target audience for this book would be students from 5th-6th grade, ranging in age from 10-12 years old. The book deals with heavy subjects and I believe that it may be difficult for readers younger than 10 to fully understand. However, I would include this book in a classroom library because students are able to read about how life was for African Americans in the civil rights era in a unique way directly from someone who was actually present, Woodson herself. This book is an adequate depiction of representation in literature because it features a young African American girl growing up in a time period in which she was not respected simply due to the color of her skin. I think that students who may have grandparents from this time period would be able to learn more about their history as well.

Evaluation Based on Donna Norton's Text: Within Donna Norton's (2007) text, "Through The Eyes of a Child," Norton gives criteria for evaluating multicultural children's literature. One of the questions she asks is, "Does the author avoid glamorizing or glorifying nonwhite characters?" Since this book is a reflection of her own life, I believe that she does not glamorize or glorify nonwhite characters. Each poem is an actual retelling of her own experiences, as well as the perspectives of those close to her (such as her mother and grandmother) and strives to depict this topic in a way that readers will understand.

Reader Response Activity: A reader response activity for this book that I would have my students participate in is a poetry activity. I would have the students construct their own poems about their lives and how their lives have been shaped by a certain event. This would allow for students to reflect upon their history as well as learn more about poetry.

APA: Woodson, J. (2014). Brown Girl Dreaming. Penguin Group.

Genre: Autobiography, Poetry

Readibility Lexile: 990L

For more information visit: https://www.jacquelinewoodson.com/brown-girl-dreaming/

Blog Requirements: Supports a diverse protagonist, Informational Text (Autobiography, Memoir), Online material (Ebook).

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Summary: "Wonder" written by R.J. Palacio is centered on a young man named August Pullman who is trying to acclimate to the struggles of starting fifth grade in public school after being home-schooled for his whole life as a result of “Treacher Collins Syndrome.” After having nearly 30 different facial reconstruction surgeries throughout his life, Auggie must learn to navigate the fifth grade all the while he is bullied by his peers because of the way that he looks. With the help of his family and newfound friends, Auggie overcomes his insecurities and begins to realize that being ordinary isn’t something to strive for in the grand scheme of life.

Target Audience: The target audience for this book would be students from 3rd-7th grade, ranging in age from 9-12. I think that this book is very relatable for students who have ever felt like they don't "fit in." I also feel like this would be a great book to include within a classroom library because it highlights a student with a disability. This book represents a diverse character and would allow for students without disabilities to see the varying viewpoints of someone with a disability, whilst simultaneously allowing for students with disabilities to see themselves within the text.

Evaluation Based on Donna Norton's Text: Within Donna Norton's (2007) text, "Through The Eyes of a Child," Norton gives criteria for evaluating multicultural children's literature. One of the questions she asks is, "Did the main character overcome a problem, but not too easily?" which I believe that Auggie did. Throughout the book he struggled with accepting himself for who he was and near the end with the help of his classmates and family he learns that he is perfect the way he is. While he overcame his insecurities near the end, it was not instantaneous and didn't happen overnight. It was a long process that lasted until the end of the school year.

Reader Response Activity: A reader response activity for this book that I would have my students participate in is a classroom discussion on the importance of treating others with respect. Then, I would have the students write about what makes them different from everyone else and how that makes them unique and extraordinary. I think that this activity would help promote a community of learners that celebrate each other's differences.

APA: Palacio, R.J. (2012). Wonder. Oxford University Press.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Readibility Lexile: 790L

For more information visit: https://wonderthebook.com/books/wonder

Blog Requirements: Supports a diverse protagonist, Different Genre within Fiction (Realistic Fiction), Early Chapter book.