Amazing Grace

Amazing Grade by Mary Hoffman and Caroline Binch

Overview: Grace loves hearing stories her grandma and mom tell her, but more than that, she loves acting out the stories. She always chooses the main character to act out and gets her friends and family to act out the rest. Grace really wants to play Peter Pan in her school play, but her classmates tell her she can't because she is female and black - things Peter Pan isn't.

Target Audience: Students who don't like to conform to gender roles are put down because of their ethnicity.

Reading Level (according to amazon.com):
Age Range 4-8 years
Lexile Measure 680L

Overall Rating 32/32:

-I  rated the book 4/4 in critical thinking because I think this is a great book to start a conversation about issues that are still relevant now. Recently, there has been sequels or remakes of movies with characters of a different race than the original actor and it has caused a lot of commotion. Also, it brings up issues of gender inequality and gender bias.
-I rated the book 4/4 in relatability despite it having a "girl power" message because everyone has felt excluded or discouraged from doing to becoming something they wanted to be for varying reasons and a lot of students could relate to Grace.

-The book received a 4/4 rating in illustrations because they depicted the characters and setting accurately without biases. 

Literary Elements:
-Ellipsis
-Conflict
-Plot

 Hoffman, M., & Binch, C. (1991). Amazing Grace. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers. 

Heather Has Two Mommies

Heather Had Two Mommies by Lesléa Newman Illustrated by Laura Cornell

Overview: Heather lives with her two pets, and her two mommies. On her first day of school Heather's teacher reads them a book about veterinarian and the students begin to discuss the occupations of their parents. Heather questions if she is the only student without a daddy. Heathers teacher decides that all the students should draw a picture of their family. Once everyone is done, they put the pictures of their families around the classroom.

Target Audience: Students with a diverse familial structure. 

Reading Level (according to amazon.com):
Age Range 3-7 years
Lexile Measure AD760L

Overall Rating 30/32:

-I rated the book 3/4 in relatability because although many students know someones who identifies as LBGTQ, there are still many who don't.

-Heather Has Two Mommies received a 3/4 in theme/storyline because the climax wasn't too defined or natural. 

-I rated the book 4/4 in diversity because not only are the protagonists of the story diverse but the students in Heathers class are diverse and so are their family structures. 

Side note: I love that there are many LGBTQ pictures books and that more seem to be written and accepted more widely. One thing I have noticed though, is that many of the protagonists of these books are caucasian. It would be nice to see a minority be a protagonist in a book that deals with LGBTQ issues.

Literary Elements:
-Story structure (beginning, middle, end)
-Setting
-Narration

 Newman, L., & Cornell, L. (2015). Heather Has Two Mommies. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

New 2015 edition from the original 1989 version.

Gracefully Grayson

Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky

Overview: Grayson is a transgendered girl who throughout the book becomes her true self. She lives in Chicago with her aunt and uncle. Although Grayson is a bit conflicted with telling others her secret, she has the support of her teacher and friend. Grayson, like many LGBTQ students, deals with bullies and disapproval form other adults. 

Target Audience: 5th grade and up students who identify as LGBTQ.

Reading Level (according to amazon.com):
Age Range 10-14
Grade Level 5-9

Overall Rating 27/28:

-I rated Gracefully Grayson 3/4 in relatability because not many students can understand transgenderism or know someone who is trangender. It will help them think critically of the struggles people who identify as LGBTQ go through and what goes on inside in their minds which is why I rated it 4/4 in critical thinking.

-I rated the book 4/4 in theme/storyline because it depicts the reality of young students who are transgendered. From the bullying, to the struggle of coming to terms with the reality of their situation.

Literary Elements:
-Point of view: first person
-Characterization
-Conflict

 Polonsky, A. (2014). Gracefully Grayson. New York, NY: Hyperion. 

Call Me Tree - Llamame arbol

Call Me Tree - Llamame arbol by Maya Christina Gonzalez

Overview: Call Me Tree is a bilingual book (Spanish & English) about a child who goes on a journey of self discovery, growing with the tree and being free. As the child grows he discoveres the sky, birds, more trees and children.

Target Audience: K-3 students.

Reading Level: N/A

Overall Rating 27/28 (based on rubric posted above):

-I chose to omit accuracy because there was no real facts presented in the book. Also, the book is gender neutral and doesn't depict a specific culture.

-I rated the book 3/4 in relatability because the child in the book became one with a tree and it seems like a difficult concept for students to be able to relate to.

-On the other hand, the book received a 4/4 in critical thinking because although it may be an unusual concept for children to think about (one connecting with nature and gender neutrality) it allows for a good discussion to develop.

Literary Elements:

-Rhyming

-Point of View: First Person

-Bilingual

 Gonzalez, M. C. (2014). Call Me Tree - Llamame Arbol. New York, NY: Children's Book Press. 

Stella Brings the Family

Stella Brings the Family by Miriam B. Schiffer Illustrations by Holly Clifton- Brown

Overview: Stella's teacher is hosting a Mothers Day party for her class and each student is allowed to bring a special guest. Stella is worried on who she will be inviting since she doesn't have a mom, she has two dads. Her friends try to help her come up with solutions and she decides she is bringing her whole family.

Target Audience: Students with lgbtq parents.

Reading Level (according to amazon.com):

Age Range 5-8 years

Lexile Measure N/A

Overall Rating 30/32 (based on rubric above):

-The reason the book received a 2/4 in relatability is because unfortunately, not many students are exposed to the reality of our world. One of those realities is the LGBTQ community. Thankfully, society has become more accepting (although I am sure there is a lot more battles to fight) and its very common to see families with LGBTQ members. 

-I rated the book 4/4 in diversity mainly because of the LGBTQ parents mentioned in the book but also because it showed diversity in the rest of the characters in the book. Something that particularly stuck out to me was that one of the students in Stella's class mentions that they will be bringing their grandmother to the mothers day party because the mom was away, which leaves space for students who may be in a similar situation where there mom works a lot, is in jail or just simply isn't as involved in the child's life.

-All of the images and language used in the book was appropriate for K-5 students and to the LGBTQ topic and community. Which is why the book received a 4/4 in appropriateness.

Literary Elements:

-Mood

-Conflict

-Point of view: third person omniscient

 Schiffer, M. B., & Clifton-Brown, H. (2015). Stella Brings the Family. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books LLC. 

Henry Holton Takes the Ice

Henry Holton Takes the Ice by Sandra Bradley Illustrated by Sara Palacios

Overview: Henry Holton comes from a family of hockey lovers. Everyone in his family has played hockey, from his grandma to his cousins. For some reason, Henry isn't into hockey like the rest of his family. One day, his mom and him see a flyer for a figure skating event and they decide to attend. After the event, Henry decided that he too wants to be a figure skater but first he has to convince his family.

Target Audience: Children who enjoy sports, particularly hockey or dancing.

Reading Level (according to amazon.com):

Age Range 5-8 years

Lexile Measure AD570L

Overall Rating 29/32 (based on rubric above):

-I gave the book a 1/4 in Diversity because all of the characters in the book were caucasian and had mainstream lives. There was no characters with diversity in gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, economic status, family structure or religion. There was opportunities for the author/illustrator to incorporate diverse characters even if it wasn't in Henrys own family.

-I thought the book had a very relatable theme for students, often times society and families try to put children in boxes based on their gender. In the book, Henry was expected to play hockey because of his family history but when he expressed he was interested in figure skating his family was hesitant and his sister told him that figure skating was for girls. As we grow up we are taught that certain activities are only for a certain gender and we eventually conform but Henry teaches children that they should do what they are interested in regardless of gender.

Literary Elements:

Title & Subtitle

Climax

Conflict

 Bradley, S., & Palacios, S. (2015). Henry Holton takes the ice. New York, NY: Penguin Group. 

Tally Cat Keeps Track

Tally Cat Keeps Track by Trudy Harris Illustrated by Andrew N. Harris

Overview: Tally Cat likes to keep track of who is the tallest, smartest and wettest, he keeps track of it all day by scratching tallies on the wall. Somehow, Tally Cat always wins but when he is in trouble his friends come together to help him and he finally admits to the truth. 

At the end of the book you can find a mini-math-lesson on what tallies are, how we count with them and how they can be used for different things.

Target Audience: Students who love math, cats or a good lesson on friendship.

Reading Level (according to Amazon.com):

Age Range 5 and up

Lexile Measure 570L

Overall Rating 28/28 (based on rubric posted above)
-I decided not to rate the book on diversity because all the characters in the book are cats. Also, there was an equal amount of male and female cats.
-I rated the book 4/4 in critical thinking because it had a good lesson to teach students about cheating (something most can relate to) and adds a mini-math-lesson at the end of the book.

Literary Elements:
-rhyming
-onomatopoeia
-personification

 Harris, T., & Harris, A. (2011). Tally Cat Keeps Track. Minneapolis: Millbrook Press.