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Multicultural/Bilingual books, videos, and multimedia presentations

When students can bring their background knowledge to text, comprehension improves significantly. Settings and/or themes and central conflicts that resonate with learners are central to their connection with text. There are many wonderful books available (and remember… the Database of Award-winning Children’s Literature is always an excellent place to go www.dawcl.com/search.asp (select ethnicity/nationality of protagonist or tale): Here are a few of my favorites.

  • American Born Chinese, by Geneg Luen Yang and Gene Yang, 2006, First Second Publishers ISBN 1596431520, an award-winning graphic novel dealing with adolescent identity struggles mixed in with the challenges of immigration to a new land.
  • Any Small Goodness, Tony Johnston : Blue Sky Press, Scholastic, New York, This book is primarily written in English, with many Los Angeles Latino barrio-isms thrown in. It’s a wonderful, hilarious fictional account of the difficulties and the underlying enduring humanity of east L.A. Your students will love it (as will you!)
  • Before We Were Free, Julia Alvarez, 2002, Random House, New York, NY, ISBN 044023784X This multiple award-winning young adult book portrays a family who immigrates to the U.S. for political reasons during the Trujillo government’s reign of the Dominican Republic.
  • The Big Box Bento Box of Unuseless Japanese Inventions, Kenji Jawakami, 2005, Norton & Company, New York, NY: Chindogu is a Japanese society dedicated to inventing useful (almost) solutions to everyday problems. Students love to join in and try their hand at making their own unuseless inventions.
  • The Breadwinner and its sequel Parvana’s Journey, Deborah Ellis, 2000 and 2002, Groundwood Books, Toronto, Canada: These novels portray the situation in Afghanistan in a realistic but sensitive manner. Preview the book, for the issues presented are difficult.
  • The Circuit, and its sequel: Breaking Through. by Francisco Jimenez (Scholastic) Although not bilingual, these poignant tales for young adults of a young migrant worker must be mentioned. This multiple-award winner is an excellent read-aloud or student text.
  • Cool Salsa: Bilingual Poems on Growing Up Latino in the United States, Lori M. Carlson, (Henry Holt and Company, New York): This is a good book for use with grades 6-adult. It’s also valuable for building teacher empathy and cultural understanding.
  • The Colors of Us, Karen Katz, Henry Holt & Co.: a celebration of the various hues of human diversity.
  • Ellsworth’s Extraordinary Electric Ears: Valorie Fisher, Atheneum Books for Young Readers. This is one of the cleverest alphabet books I have ever encountered. It’s great for building language, and for working with onomatopoeia.
  • Esperanza Rising, Pam Muñoz Ryan, Scholastic, This multiple award-wining chapter book tells the tale of a young migrant worker during the great depression. The themes of love, perseverance, and community, as well as the protagonists’ courage in the face of adversity are heartwarming.
  • Everybody Cooks Rice, Norah Dooley,Carolrhoda Books, ’91, The neighborhood is full of families of various cultures of origin, and they all cook rice differently.
  • The Four Immigrants Manga: A Japanese Experience in San Francisco, 1904-1924, Henry Kiyama, 1999, Stone Bridge Press. This graphic novel is for high school and was first written by a Japanese immigrant in 1931. A bittersweet look, laced with humor, at the apalling conditions of the time.
  • Fragrance of Poetry: Korean-American Literature, Yearn Hong Choi, ed. 2005, Homa & Sekey Books, Paramus, NJ
  • Friends from the Other Side/Amigos del otro lado, Gloria Anzaldúa, 1993, Children’s Book Press, discusses the sensitive issue of illegal immigration from a child’s perspective
  • Going Home, Eve Bunting, 1998, HarperTrophy Books, ISBN 0064435091 explores the sacrifice the parents have made in leaving their home and culture for a life in a new land of oopportunity.
  • I Hate English: Ellen Levine, 1989, Blue Ribbon Books, Scholastic, ISBN 0590423045
  • I Love Saturdays y domingos, Alma Flor Ada: a young children’s tale of a child who spends Saturdays with English-speaking grandparents, and Sundays with his Spanish-speaking abuelos.
  • If the World Were a Village: Unicef, Makes the analogy between a global village and the world population, giving statistics of how many of the 100 would represent various characteristics. Interesting, with lots of applications for the social studies and global studies classroom
  • Iguana, a Spanish language periodical for children 7-12 years of age: www.IGUANArevista.com
  • Killer Crónicas,
Bilingual Memories: by Susana Chávez-Silverman, 2004, University of Wisconsin Press, This poetic autobiographical memoir, written in Spanglish, is a wonderful look at fully developed bilingualism and how it creates a unique and rich world view. I highly recommend this book (for adults).
  • A Magical Encounter: Latino Children’s Literature in the Classroom, 2nd ed. ’03 Flor-Ada, A. Allyn & Bacon
  • My Diary from Here to There/Mi diario de aquí hasta allá: Amada Irma Pérez, ’02, Children’s Book Press, portrays the difficulties of waiting for the family to be reunited in the United States
    o My First Book of Proverbs, Ralka Gonzalez and Ana Ruiz, Children’s Book Press: This award-winning, beautifully illustrated selection of proverbs is a must-have.
  • My Name is Jorge On Both Sides of the River, Jane Medina: Wordsong/Boyds Mills Press, This is a beautiful book of bilingual poems with a strong dose of empathy-building
  • My Name is Yoon, Helen Recorvits, 2003, Francis Foster Books, New York, NY, ISBN 0374351147. The gorgeous illustrations complement this text about a Korean immigrant girl who resists her new home and land.
  • The Tree is Older Than You Are, Naomi Shihab Nye, Simon & Schuster, This bilingual anthology of poetry and stories from Mexico includes work from 64 Latin authors, along with some excellent works of art.
  • Neighborhood Odes, Gary Soto: Scholastic, This small book of poems for middle-aged students discusses themes familiar to Hispanic students.
  • Pepita Talks Twice: Piñata Books, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, This fictional account discusses issues around the importance of being bilingual, also available in Spanish
  • Sí, se puede! Yes, we Can! Cinco Puntos Press, This is an outstanding bilingual book about the janitor’s strike in L.A.
  • The Maldonado Miracle, Theodore Taylor, 1973, Harcourt Inc. ISBN 0152050361 This young adult novel (also a movie) portrays a Mexican boy whose mother has died. In his attempts to locate his father in the United States, an epic series of events ensues.
  • We Are All Related: A Celebration of Our Cultural Heritage: Published by George T. Cunningham Elementary School in Vancouver, BC. Distributed by Polester Book Publishers, This compilation of collages by students celebrates their links to cultural origins and elders.
  • Yell-Oh Girls! Vickie, Nam, ed. 2001 by Quill Books/Harper Collins, New York, NY. Nam compiles the voices of Asian teens in the United States, both immigrant and adopted.

See also the following book lists, scanned books, and videos. Some are created by students: