Supporting
LowerProficiency
ELL Adults
through
Children’s
Literature
ABE/ELL Professional
Development Training Days
March 7, 2013
economy of words, stunning illustrations,
captivating plots, universal themes
AGENDA
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Why Multicultural Children’s Literature?
Types of Multicultural Fiction
Criteria for Selection
A Plethora of Books and Experiences
A Continuum for Reader
Involvement
 At one end, aesthetic reading: the reader is
drawn into the story and participates
through identification with the characters;
primary goal is enjoyment or entertainment
 At the other end, efferent reading: the
reader is primarily interested in gaining
information
 Readers will operate all along this
continuum, using books for both enjoyment
and learning
Source: Rosenblatt, L. (1995) Literature as Exploration. New York: Modern Language
Association of America
Provide
authentic
reading
experiences
by using
high quality
children’s
literature
Create a
love/hate
relationship
with “The
Big B”
Types of Multicultural Fiction
 General
 Universal
 Comparative
 Universal Comparative
 Specific
 Universal Specific
 Historical Fiction
Enhancements
 Way to improve all four levels/components of
proficiency
 Read aloud, as well as self-directed
 Acquire valuable background knowledge
 Predictions, pronunciation and vocabulary
 Bridge the cultural and ethnic differences in
various students’ backgrounds by examining
universal themes
Varying cultural and
social backgrounds,
prior knowledge and
experiences with
literacy
“The Right Material”
Universal Specific
Cultural,
Literary, and
Linguistic Evaluation
of
a Specific
Text
Cultural Information:
Accurate and Authentic
 Does it offer an “insider’s” or “informed
outsider’s” perspective? ADULT
perspective?
 Does the student possess the
background knowledge and life
experiences required to understand the
text?
 Do the norms and values inherent in the
text lend themselves to be understood
and appreciated by the reader?
 Does it represent and honor the cultural
groups present in your classroom?
Plot: Well-Constructed and
Substantial
 Is it well organized with actions and events that
are interrelated, logical and related to a
student’s personal experiences?
 Is the plot linear and easy to follow?
 Are there confusing subplots or additional
aspects that make the plot difficult to follow?
 Are there flashbacks or skips in time and
direction?
Proficiency Demands
 Do the grammatical complexity and length of
the text match the student’s stage of oral
language proficiency?
 Is the core vocabulary known by the student or
easily pretaught?
 Does the form of the language match the
student’s background (dialect, slang, idiom,
forms of language)? Is it appropriate for various
proficiency levels when read aloud?
Contextual Support
 Is the text structured in a logical, cohesive way
that students will find easy to follow?
 Do the illustrations support the plot in a way that
enables the reader to understand the story
without full comprehension of the text? No
comprehension of the text?
Language Authenticity
 Is the language natural and predictable (does it
lend itself to supporting sequencing and
predictions and other literacy supports)?
 Is the text based on the oral language and
literary traditions of the students?
Emotional Engagement
 Are the theme and plot balanced so that
students encounter both a good story and a real
message?
 Does the story possess powerful and imaginative
content?
 Does the story lend itself to student interest and
repeated readings?
Linguistic Comprehension
 Is the language memorable --- lively, rhythmical,
humorous?
 Is there repetition in style and vocabulary for
comprehension support and retention?
 Does it use language that has multiple meanings
that might be confusing?
 Does it employ idiom or abstraction that make
comprehension difficult or confusing?
Allen Say
As a girl, Alice loved to
dance, but the rhythms of
her life offered little
opportunity for a foxtrot,
let alone a waltz. World
War II erupted soon after
she was married. Alice
and her husband, along
with many other Japanese
Americans, were forced to
leave their homes and
report to assembly centers
around the country.
2004
One morning eight-year-old
Martin looks in the mirror and
sees a stranger. Overnight, he
has changed. His parents take
him to one doctor after
another, only to be told that
there is nothing wrong with
their son. At school his teacher
asks, "What have we here,
trick or treat?" His classmates
will not play with him. He has
grown old in the space of one
day.
1995
As a young Japanese
boy recovers from a
bad chill, his mother
busily folds origami
paper into delicate
silver cranes in
preparation for the
boy's very first
Christmas.
1991
A true story of Billy
Wong, the first
Chinese
bullfighter.
1990
The amazing tricks two
American soldiers
perform on a
borrowed bicycle are
a fitting finale for the
school sports day
festivities in a small
village in occupied
Japan.
1982
The newest from Allen Say
Home of the Brave
During World War II, more than
120,000 men, women, and children
of Japanese descent living in
America were incarcerated in
internment camps by the United
States government. Now, sixty years
later, Caldecott medalist Allen Say
eloquently depicts this dark
moment in history with Home of the
Brave.
SURFER OF THE CENTURY by Ellie
Crowe and illustrated by Richard
Waldrep
This book tells the story of "the Father
of Modern Surfing," Duke Paoa
Kahanamoku, from his childhood on
Waikiki Beach, to his participation in
five Olympics, through his lifelong
promotion and development of
surfing, and to his becoming the
official State of Hawai'i Ambassador
of Aloha.
HIROMI’S HANDS by Lynne Barasch
This first-person narrative tells the story of
Hiromi's breaking away from the Japanese
tradition in the male dominated sushi
culinary and becoming an itamae san,
professional sushi chef. The author vividly
depicts two generations, beginning with
her father's long and grueling training as
an apprentice before emerging as a
successful sushi chef in a Tokyo
restaurant bridging two cultures:
American and Japanese.
Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds:
the Sammy Lee Story by Paula Yoo and
illustrated by Dom Lee
Sammy Lee was the first Asian American to win
Olympic gold. This truly inspiring tale captures the
American dream as a young person who
overcame discrimination to bring Olympic
recognition for a country that rejected him. Lee is
the son of Korean immigrants who faced
challenges just because of his skin color. Unable
to practice in a whites only pool, Lee perfected his
abilities in spite of discrimination. Yoo
acknowledges the moment in an Olympian's
experience in which life-long training culminates in
just a brief sliver of time.
Bread Song by Frederick Lipp and
illustrated by Jason Gaillard
Chamnan, an eight-year-old boy from
Thailand, is very shy about speaking
English to people. Each morning as they
cross the street from their Thai restaurant
to Alison's bakery, his grandfather teaches
him how to count in English. Twenty-five
steps between two stores seem to set two
worlds apart to Chamnan; one is a familiar
home and the other a new country, filled
with people speaking a difficult language.
Alison's ingenuous idea finally helps
Chamnan loosen up his tongue and breaks
away his reserve.
Apple Pie 4th of July by Janet S. Wong
and illustrated by Margaret ChodosIrvine is a carefully honed story about
a girl's experience as a firstgeneration Chinese-American.
Readers first encounter the unnamed
narrator as she looks unhappily out
the glass door of her parents' market,
open for business even on the Fourth
of July. Hearing the "boom, boom,
boom" of the approaching parade,
sniffing the apple pie baking in a
neighbor's oven, she is distracted by
the cooking smells from the store's
kitchen, where her parents are
preparing chow mein and sweetand-sour pork.
I Hate English! by Ellen Levine,
and illustrated by Steve Bjorkman
Though from 1989, still a great,
great book and a favorite
"Such a lonely language. Each letter
stands alone and makes its own noise.
Not like Chinese." Mei Mei, a bright and
articulate immigrant from Hong Kong, is
having much difficulty adjusting to the
new language and culture at school in
New York City. When she hears a story in
English about traveling by covered
wagon, Mei Mei cries. "She didn't want
English to have words that she didn't
know in Chinese. . . . She felt she might
lose something."
Eve Bunting
Grandfather Counts by A. Cheng and
Illustrated by A. Zhang.
When Helen’s grandfather, Gong
Gong, comes from China to live with
her family, he’s shocked to find that
none of his grandchildren speak
Chinese. How will he communicate
with them? At first he keeps to himself.
Then one day he joins Helen to watch
the trains. He starts counting the train
cars in Chinese, and she repeats the
words. Then Helen says the numbers in
English. They continue to teach each
other, and Helen even learns her
Chinese name, which means "flower.”
In this luminously illustrated
intergenerational story, the devotion
between a young girl and her
grandfather helps them overcome
barriers of age and language.
Henry’s First-Moon birthday by L. Look and
iIllustrated by Y. Heo.
 Jenny’s baby brother Henry is
having his one-month birthday
-- his first-moon, as it’s called in
Chinese. And even though
Jenny’s sure he doesn’t
deserve it -- all Henry does is
sleep, eat, and cry – there’s a
big celebration planned for
him. Together, Jenny and her
grandma get everything
ready, from dyeing eggs a
lucky red to preparing pigs’
feet and ginger soup. And
someday, when Henry’s old
enough to appreciate all her
hard work, Jenny will tell him
how lucky he was to have her
in charge.
Uncle Peter’s amazing Chinese wedding. By L. Look and
Illustrated by Y. Heo.
Jenny’s favorite uncle, Peter, is
getting married, and everyone is
happy happy -- everyone, that is,
except Jenny. While her family runs
about getting ready for the
traditional Chinese wedding -preparing for the tea ceremony,
exchanging good-luck money
called hungbau, helping the bride
with her many dresses -- Jenny is
crying on the inside. How is she
supposed to still be Uncle Peter’s
number-one girl, with her new aunt
Stella around? Maybe if she can
stop the day’s events from
happening, he won’t get married at
all...
Cora Cooks Pancit
Written by Dorina K. Lazlo Gilmore and
Illustrated by Kristi Valiant
Cora loves being in the kitchen, but
she always gets stuck doing the kid
jobs like licking the spoon. One
day, however, when her older
sisters and brother head out, Cora
finally gets the chance to be
Mama's assistant chef in
celebrating their Filipino heritage.
Hannah is My Name
by B. Yang
In an upbeat immigration story,
Yang draws on her own
experience of coming to America
from Taiwan at age seven in the
late 1960s. The bright gouache
pictures of San Francisco draw
strongly on Chinese and American
traditions, with geometric cutout
shapes depicting people crowding
the streets, at school, and at the
workplace--all from the child’s
viewpoint. This story isn’t about
missing the old country or being a
stranger, and most people are
friendly. Hannah learns to sing "This
Land Is My Land,” and she reads
Curious George in Woolworths. The
tension is in the threat of
deportation as the family waits for
green cards that will allow
everyone to live freely in the U.S.
THE HAPPY FUNERAL by Eve Bunting and
illustrated by Vo-Dinh Mai.
Though published in 1982, it is still a
wonderful exploration of how Laura and
her Chinese-American family deal with
the death of her grandfather and what
transpires between the death and the
funeral. The beliefs, traditions, and
customs surrounding the death generate a
specific societal experience. The text is
sensitive, quiet and loving, and the
portrayal of grief realisticly.
Martina the Beautiful Cockroach: A Cuban
Folktale, retold by Carmen Agra Deedy,
illustrated by Michael Austin
A retelling of a classic
Cuban folktale, Martina is 21
days old and ready to give
her leg in marriage. With the
help of her Abuela's shocking
advice, she interviews a cast
of unlikely suitors to find her
true love.
My Name is Gabito: The Life of
Gabriel García Márquez/Me llamo
Gabito: la vida de Gabriel García
Márquez, illustrated by Raúl Colón,
written by Monica Brown
Raúl Colón's evocative,
tropical illustrations pull
the eye into Gabriel
García Márquez's
imaginative world,
introducing children to the
early life of this celebrated
Colombian author.
 Rafael López, Illustrator. My Name
Is Celia/ Me Llamo Celia: The Life
of Celia Cruz/ La Vida de Celia
Cruz. Written by Monica Brown.
This text is as full of movement
and excitement as the life of
Celia Cruz. Vibrant colors,
extravagant illustrations and
flowing patterns create a mood
of energy in this book. Full of the
details of folklore, fashion and
music, the book teems with life.
The Pot That Juan Built by
Nancy Andrews-Goebel and
illustrated by David Diaz.
The Pot that Juan Built is a
picture biography that combines
a variant of “The House That Jack
Built,” with the story of Juan
Quezada, who rediscovered the
ancient method of pottery
making in Mata Ortiz, Mexico.
Diaz's original type font and
computer-generated art exudes
a rich palette that glows like
jewels and reflects the hot desert
sun.
Family Pictures/Cuadros de
Familia
In My Family/en Mi Familia
by Carmen Lomas Garza
A picture book for children in
English and Spanish of Ms
Garza's artwork with a onepage story about each
painting. Contains fifteen
color reproductions. Also
available in paperback and
"big book" size.
. My Diary from Here to There/Mi
Diario de Aquí Hasta
Allá. Amada Irma Pérez
A touching account of a family
emigrating from Mexico to
California. A bilingual picture
book, this young girl's diary
chronicles the family's anxiety,
excitement, and uncertainty as
they leave home and
experience the same journey
made by many families.
Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar
Chavez. Written by Kathleen Krull
and illustrated by Yuyi Morales.
Morales uses brightly colored
acrylics, handmade stamps, and
computer-created cutouts to
depict the life of this civil rights
leader. Golden, earth-toned
colors and wide, flowing brush
strokes lend depth and honesty to
the history and struggle of migrant
farm workers in California.
Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale
and Counting Book by Yuyi
Morales
Morales' energetic and
playful illustrations capture
the essence of Mexican
culture with bold and
humorous motifs that
illuminate Grandma Beetle's
vitality and Señor Calavera's
expressiveness.
Elena’s Serenade by Campbell Geeslin and
illustrated by Ana Juan
A delightfully fresh
take on the "anything
you can do, I can do
better" theme, Elena's
Serenade follows a
feisty little Mexican girl
on a quest to prove to
her father--and herself-that she can be a
glassblower, even if
she is a girl.
Gathering the Sun: An Alphabet in
Spanish and English
written by Alma Flor Ada, translated
by Rosa Zubizarreta, illustrated by
Simón Silva
With twenty eight poems that
celebrate honor, pride, family,
friends, history, heritage, and the
bounty of the harvest, author Alma
Flor Ada takes us into the fields and
orchards, and the lives of the
people that work them. The artist,
Simón Silva, grew up in a
farmworker's family, and his
paintings speak directly from his
own childhood. Using the Spanish
alphabet as a template, this
bilingual book presents an
extrordinary learning experience for
children of all ages.
 I Love Saturdays y domingos/ Me
encantan los Saturdays y domingos
by Alma Flor Ada
Through this affectionate and revealing
portrait of a bilingual girl's weekend visits to
her two sets of grandparents, Ada (Where
the Flame Trees Bloom) and Savadier (A
Bedtime Story) prove that straddling two
worlds can be a blessing rather than a
hardship. The left of each spread depicts
the narrator spending Saturdays with her
paternal grandparents, with whom she
speaks English; on the right, she passes los
domingos (Sundays) with her MexicanAmerican Abuelito and Abuelita and
converses in Spanish. The situations in the
two households share enough similarities
that readers can extrapolate the meaning
of the Spanish words in context.
CHATO SERIES
Coming April 30: Chato’s Day of the Dead
 HOME AT LAST
 By Susan Middleton Elya
 Illustrated by Felipe Davalos
Ana and her family have just
arrived in the U.S. from
Mexico. Everything is so
different here. Ana and Papá
go to school and work each
day, where they learn
English. Mamá stays at home
with the twins and speaks only
Spanish. After a series of
miscommunications, Mama
realizes that she must learn
English. Ana and Papá help
her learn to make her new
home in America.
A Birthday Basket for Tia
by Pat Mora and
Illustrated by Cecily
Lang.
Colorful papercut
illustrations accompany
this story of Cecilia as
she prepares a surprise
gift for her great-aunt's
ninetieth birthday with
the help and
interference of her cat,
Chica.
Tomas and the Library Lady by
Pat Mora and illustrated by
Raul Colon
From the immigrant slums of
New York to the fields of
California, it’s an elemental
American experience: the
uprooted child who finds a
home in the library. Mora’s
story is based on a true
incident in the life of the
famous writer Tomás Rivera,
the son of migrant workers
who became an education
leader and university
president."
The Farolitos of Christmas
by Rudolfo A. Anaya and
Edward Gonzales (Illustrator)
Farolitos (or luminarias) are an
inherently Southwestern
tradition at Navidad. They are
small, lighted velas (candles)
placed in paper bags filled
with sand to symbolize the
path followed by Joseph and
Mary as they sought shelter. In
this heartwarming book for
children we see the efforts of
a grandfather and his
granddaughter in New
Mexico, who keep the
tradition of the farolitos alive
while the father of the family is
away fighting in World War II.
Lights on the River
by Jane Resh Thomas and
illustrated by Michael Dooling
This story of Teresa, a MexicanAmerican girl, describes the
hardships she and her family
face as migrant workers.
Despite the hardships, she is
able to keep memories of her
beloved grandmother and life
in Mexico alive.
by Jonah Winter
and illustrated by
Jeanette Winter
 Diego
 Josefina
Winter
by Jeanette
by Jonah Winter
and illustrated by Ana
Juan
 Frida
Friends From the Other
Side=Amigos del Otro Lado.
By Gloria Anzaldua and
illustrated by Consuelo
Mendez
Vibrant colored-pencil
illustrations accompany this
story of Prietita, a brave
young Mexican American girl
who befriends and helps
Joaquin after he crosses the
Rio Grande into Texas with his
mother in search of a new
life.
ABUELA'S WEAVE
by Omar S. Castañeda
illustrated by Enrique O.
Sanchez
A girl in Guatemala learns
about family tradition and
trust from her grandmother.
This touching story of personal
growth and family pride is
illustrated with authentic
Guatemalan scenery that
gives life to the country's
radiant landscape and
bustling city streets.
The Three Javelinas/Los tres pequeńos jabalíes by
Susan Howell and illustrated by Jim Harris
In this retelling of The Three
Little Pigs set in the American
Southwest, the cherished
porkers are transformed into
javelinas, the hairy, swinelike
creatures also known as
peccaries. Their pursuer, no
longer the wolf of traditional
lore, becomes Coyote, that
ubiquitous Southwestern
trickster. Check out the
sequal JOSEPHINA JAVELINA.
 GOING HOME
 By Eve Bunting
 Illustrated by David Diaz
 Christmas is coming and Carlos
and his family are going homedriving south across the border to
Mexico. But Mexico doesn't seem
like home to Carlos, even though
he and his sisters were born there.
Can home be a place you don't
really remember? Eve Bunting
and David Diaz-the Caldecott
Medal-winning team behind
Smoky Night- collaborated once
again to create a dazzling picture
book that glows with holiday joy
and the spirit of Mexico.
 Hairs / Pelitos
 By Sandra Cisneros
 illustrated by Terry
Ybáñez
 This jewel-like vignette
from Sandra Cisneros's
best-selling The House
on Mango Street
shows, through simple,
intimate portraits, the
diversity among us.
Carlos and the Squash Plant
Carlos and the Cornfield
Carlos and the Skunk
Carlos Digs to China
By Jan Romero Stevens
Illustrated by Jeanne Arnold
Having ignored his mother's
warnings about what will
happen if he doesn't bathe
after working on his family's
New Mexican farm, Carlos
awakens one morning to
find a squash growing out
of his ear.--
Other Books by Arthur Dorros
ABUELA/ by Arthur
Dorros and Illustrated
by Elsa Kieves
ISLA/ by Arthur
Dorros and Illustrated
by Elsa Kieves
WHEN THE PIGS
TOOK OVER
by Arthur Dorros
illustrated by Diane Greenseid
A riotous tale of two very different
brothers. Alonzo's big brother, Don
Carlos, always wants "más," more. If
Alonzo eats one ice cream cone,
Don Carlos eats four. When Alonzo
wears one hat, Don Carlos puts on
seven. Trouble begins when Don
Carlos decides to add snails to the
menu of his village restaurant, and
snails eat their way through the
village. The brothers bring in birds,
then pigs, and the village is overrun
with the pigs trying to eat
everything in sight before Alonzo
has an idea that may save the day.
Braids/trencitas
Written by Kathleen Contreras and
Illustrated by Margaret Lindmark
 Isabela’s abuelita weaves colorful stories
as she weaves her hair, encouraging her
to write stories of her own. Using the
traditional Mexican bingo game la loteria,
she teachs her beloved illiterate
grandmother to read.
From North to South/Del norte al sur
Written by Rene Colato Lainez and
Illustrated by Joe Cepeda
A young boy travels with his
father from San Diego to Tijuana
to visit his mother, recently
deported to Mexico.
The Librarian of Basra: A True
Story from Iraq by Jeanette Winter
The true story of everyday heroism
against a tragic backdrop. Books "are
more precious than mountains of
gold" to Basra librarian Alia
Muhammad Baker. When "the beast
of war" looms on the horizon, she and
willing friends remove more than
30,000 volumes from the library and
store them in their homes, preventing
the collection's destruction when a
bomb hits the building. As
appropriate for her audience, Winter's
bright, folk-art style does much to
mute the horrific realities of war.