Ms. Sevon's Booktique

  Genre: Fiction/Multicultural Title: The Name Jar Author/Illustrator: Yangsook Choi Awards: Arkansas Diamond Primary Book Master List, Arizona Younger Readers Award Nominee Age Range: 3-7 Years Old Summary: Unhei is new to America and is attending school for her first day. She is nervous, and some of the kids make fun of her name. She tells her mom that she wants an American name because she does not want to be different. She tests out different names by introducing herself in the mirror, but nothing seems to sound right. The next day at school Unhei found a jar on her desk, which was filled with name suggestions from her classmates. It keeps getting filled up, but one day when she went to class the name jar was gone. Only one name was on her desk and it was her own. She decided to introduce herself to the class and keep her original name. Johnny showed up at her house that evening with the name jar. He told Unhei that he wanted her to keep her own name which is why he took the ja...

Genre: Realistic Fiction/Multicultural Title: Chocolate Milk, Por Favor! Celebrating Diversity with Empathy Author: Maria Dismondy Illustrator: Donna Farrell Awards: N/A Age Range: 5-11 Years Old Summary: Gabe is attending a new school and he finds it difficult because he does not understand much English. Although, his teacher and most of the kids are nice to him. He loves chocolate milk, but a classmate had to help him order it at lunchtime. Johnny, a boy in Gabe's class, is mean to him at first because he does not understand English. Johnny thinks it is funny how he cannot order his own lunch and is getting jealous of others inviting him to play with them. When they are outside Gabe is playing with a soccer ball and is doing some cool tricks. Johnny is fascinated by this and asks how to do it. Gabe takes the time to show Johnny and help him. After this, Johnny realizes that it must be hard for Gabe to try to learn a new language like it was hard for him to learn the soccer trick....

Genre: Realistic Fiction/Multicultural  Title: Too Many Tamales Author: Gary Soto Illustrator: Ed Martinez Awards: N/A Age Range: 3-8 Years Old Summary: Maria is helping her mother make tamales. She feels very grown-up wearing her mom's apron, but she wishes that she could wear her ring. Her mother steps out of the kitchen and leaves her ring on the table. Maria puts on the ring and continues kneading the masa. She forgot that she had it on and continue to help make the tamales. She greeted her aunts, uncles, and cousins when they arrived at her house. As she was hanging out with her cousins she remembers the ring and is worried that it is in one of the tamales. The cousins eat all the tamales but do not find the ring. Maria goes to tell her mother what has happened, but as she is speaking notices the ring on her mom's finger. She is relieved to see her mom wearing it. After explaining what happened, Maria's family all enter the kitchen to make a second batch of tamales.  E...

Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction/Multicultural Title: The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family Author: Ibtihaj Muhammad with S.K. Ali Illustrator: Hatem Aly Awards: N/A Age Range: 4-8 Years Old Summary: Asiya and Faizah are sisters who are getting ready for the first day of school. Their mother takes them to the store so Asiya, the eldest sister, can pick out her first day hijab. She chooses a blue hijab that is as pretty as the ocean. The sisters walk to school and Faizah's classmate asks her what her sister is wearing. She was a little embarrassed by the question at first, but then she answered proudly. There was a boy that was being rude to Asiya by laughing at her and threatening to pull off the hijab. However, Asiya chose to ignore him and continue about her day playing with her friends that accepted her just the way she is. Asiya knew it may be hard because her mother warned her that people may not understand, but it is up to her to be strong. Faizah looks up to he...

Genre: Realistic Fiction Title: All Are Welcome Author: Alexandra Penfold Illustrator: Suzanne Kaufman Awards: N/A Age Range: 4-6 Years Old Summary: This book is about welcoming all students from wherever they come from. The classroom the students are in is one that is a safe place for all to be. It takes you through a normal class day such as arriving at school, learning, listening to a read-aloud, eating lunch, playing outside, learning some more, then going home. Throughout the story, all the students get to learn from each other. All are welcome and cherished for who they are. Evaluation: This book is written to be suited more for lower elementary such as pre-k through the 1st grade. I really love how the book is about celebrating diversity and including everyone no matter what they look like or where they are from. Therefore, I think this is a good book that could even be read to upper elementary and middle schoolers on the first day of school. Then, I would have the students writ...

Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction Title: My Three Best Friends and Me, Zulay Author: Cari Best Illustrator: Vanessa Brantley-Newton Awards: N/A Age Range: 5-8 Years Old Summary: Zulay is legally blind, but she is able to attend class with her three best friends. They each help one another when necessary. Zulay knows her way around the classroom very well, but she is learning how to walk with a cane that way she can go anywhere. However, she does not like feeling called out or seen with her cane. While the rest of the class goes to PE, Zulay works with Ms. Turner who is teaching her how to walk with the cane. Zulay's general classroom teacher, Ms. Seeger, tells the students to think about what event they want to participate in during Field Day. When Ms. Seeger asks Zulay, she says she would like to run a race. Ms. Turner and Zulay practice walking on the track with her cane, then practice running together. On Field Day, Zulay ran the ran and won first place.  Evaluation: I loved...