Diversity Addressed in Children's Literature

Being Friends

By: Karen Beaumont

Illustrations by: Joy Allen

This is a wonderful book that represents two children of diverse backgrounds that notice all types of differences between them except for their racial differences. This book shows the relationship between the two children and highlights each difference that they share. For example, one likes dresses, one likes jeans, one likes cookies, one likes cake. Overall, the story helps children realize that no matter how many things they may not have in common with others they can still make friends with them. In the end, opposites attract. Although there may be things that make us different from one another, whether it is race, religion, style of dress, or the foods we eat, those things don't mean that we can't get along and respect each other.

Every child should get to read this book; it was very enjoyable. All ages would appreciate the humor and delight of this book. I appreciate the lesson of accepting others that it teaches children. The differences that we have from others can be the things that make our relationships more meaningful and rich with diversity.

This book reminds me of a relationship that I had when I was growing up. A new family moved to my neighborhood. The girl was close to my age but very different than me. Her family was part of religion that I was not and it was difficult for me to understand. However, it was not long before we realized that despite some of our obvious differences, we had many things in common. In no time at all we were inseparable friends. I have many childhood memories with her in them. This book reminded me of her and the fun we shared even though it seemed like we were so unlike each other at first sight.

The Cat in the Hat: The Book & The Movie

The Cat in the Hat

Book By: Dr. Suess, 1957

Movie By: Universal Studios, 2003

When Universal Studios decided to take on a project like The Cat in the Hat I'm sure they were well aware of the danger they were facing at touching such a classic tale. I think that they did an excellent job. The movie equally matches the nonsense and humor that the book entails, plus much more.

The movie, like most remakes, introduced new characters and enhanced story lines that were not in the original book. In the version by Dr. Suess, the book tells about a young boy and his sister Sally who are left at home one rainy day while their mother goes out. Sally and her brother find themselves being entertained by an adventurous cat who single handed destroys their house and upsets their fish. Then the cat brings in two wild friends that cause more havoc by flying kites through the house which causes lots more mess.

In the movie, Sally and Conrad are total opposites. Sally is a strict rule follower and Conrad is a rule breaker. Joan, is their single mom, who is working in real-estate. In the movie, Joan is planning to host a real-estate event at her house in the evening and she has to leave Sally and Conrad at home while she is at work preparing for the event. Unlike the book, the movie version introduces a babysitter that stays with the kids to watch them; however, she sleeps the whole time. There is also the introduction of Lawrence who plays Joan's love interest. Lawrence does not care for the kids and plans to encourage Joan to send Conrad off to military school. Throughout the movie, the Cat in the Hat and the children find themselves in the same silly adventures such as juggling household items to playing with Thing 1 and Thing 2. In the movie, the crate in which Thing 1 and Thing 2 arrived in releases a magical world that takes over the house. The movie is a much wilder ride than the book, which leaves the audience worrying to the last minute that the Cat won't be able to get things back in order in time for Joan's big event.

Both the movie and the book are wonderful adventures. I have found that picture books that are remade tend to have more new things added to them, such as characters and events, than chapter books. I can understand that it would take a lot more to make a film though than it would a book, so it isn't any wonder that film companies have to add a lot of padding to shorter books like The Cat in the Hat. Either way, I was impressed at the key components that were carried over from the book to the film, and I felt that the added parts went well with the original storyline.

Diversity Addressed in Children's Literature

I have just read a wonderful book for young adults that highlights issues of diversity. The book is called Drita My Homegirl by: Jenny Lombard. This book needs to be a part of every school library collection because it represents a relationship that is sincere and it shows young readers that they shouldn't judge someone just because he/she is different from them. The story allows the reader to see the world through the eyes of a Kosovo runaway, and through the eyes of an African-American girl. Both girls are experiencing the same thing but in a much different way. Through Drita, the reader gets to see what life is like as an outsider to a new school when there are culture and language barriers. Through Maxie, the reader gets to see the inside perspective of how a new student is judged and received by the class.

In this story the author has allowed for there to be two starring roles, one for Drita, and one for Maxie. Each chapter alternates between the two girl's lives, allowing the reader to see the story from both perspectives. Drita is sharing her story of being the new girl to a town and school that are completely foreign to her. Drita's family has fled from Kosovo, pronounced Kosova by her, to come to America for a safer and better life. When they reach America to meet up with Drita's father, who has already been there a year, they find that it is not as wonderful as they had hoped it would be. Drita has a hard time fitting in at school because she cannot communicate with those around her that well. Drita's mother goes through a serious depression because her cousin is missing and she fears the worst.

On the other hand, there is Maxie. Maxie's life has been troubled for the past two years ever since her mother was killed in a car accident. Maxie finds that she cannot seem to control herself at school or home and ends up in trouble a lot. She has a lot to deal with as a ten year old girl. Her father and grandmother try to help her as much as possible, but she has trouble letting them help her without upsetting them or herself. Although, Maxie is not welcoming of Drita at first the girls continue to have run-ins at school that start to link them together. The book guides your through their struggles and allows them to help each other through the tough times together.

Every child at some point in his/her life will feel left out or overlooked. Therefore, I think this book is an eye-opener for students who are new to a school or know someone knew to a school that needs some help fitting in. This story is a great example of finding friendship in those who are different and not fleeing from them because of their differences.

This book reminds the reader of the importance of acceptance and gives the reader a chance to see the situation from both perspectives. Not all books allow the reader to have this opportunity so it was neat to be able to share Drita's uncomfortable move/transition and Maxie's challenging situation within the same book.

The story taught me that I shouldn't be scared of new situations or new people. Whether there are cultural differences or language barriers, there is still an opportunity to find a way to communicate and share with one another. This book would be great to share with intermediate aged children because it would give them a chance to see how different their lives can be from those around them. I think that this book could offer students a chance to visit a life that they don't know and help them learn to respect others who aren't just like them.

Happy Father's Day

Thank you to all of the fathers out there who make the world a better place for the children that you raise.

Don't forget to pick up a father's day book:

-Just Me and My Day by: Mercer Mayer

-A Perfect Father's Day by: Eve Bunting & Susan Meddaugh

-My Father's Hands by: Joanne Ryder & Mark Graham

-Little Critter: Happy Father's Day by: Mercer Mayer

-Just Dads: Nerves of Steel, Wills of Iron, Hearts of Pudding by: Bonnie Louise Kuchler

John Henry

John Henry

By: Julius Lester

Illustrations By: Jerry Pinkney

John Henry is a larger than life character who performs tasks that no other human would be expected to. This tall-tale themed story leads the reader through an unrealistic voyage of John Henry who grew to be a full sized man just minutes after being born. John Henry did things with inhumanly power and speed. John had the speed to outrun a horse and a steam drill, he was even an earlier riser than the sun. The sun was woken up by John, if need be, so he could get started on his work. Although John's life was filled with amazing accomplishments, he was best credited for outworking a steam drill through a mountain to help create a railroad. With his two hammers in tow, John couldn't be stopped. He tore through the mountain with all of his power and beat the steam drill. When John was finished, with a rainbow draped around his shoulders, he stood before the town's people who cheered him on, soon after John's heart burst and he died.

The story of John Henry is beautifully written and illustrated. The book offers an imaginative tale that tickles your imagination and brightens your smile. The world is always looking for a John Henry, someone who can do larger than life things. Just like in John's case, something more is always expected of those who can perform great tasks. Sometimes those people can remain held high and sometimes they fall. The most touching line in the book is, "Dying ain't important. Everyone does that. What matters is how well you do your living." (Lester and Pinkney, 1994). That statement brings the whole tale of John Henry into perspective and encourages the reader to take a look at him/herself and think about what he/she is doing for the world around him/her.

I enjoyed the story of John Henry. I think it offers the reader a chance to live in a world of fantasy where larger than life things can happen. I think we all look for things in life that are larger than us because of the joy and comfort it brings to us. In our society today, it is all about how quickly the task can be done. We are all trying to get to the next thing, sometimes forgetting how important it is to stop and "smell the roses." I felt overwhelmed by John's speed and work habits, I found myself thinking that he needed to take a break. Then I thought of my own life, I am always trying to do as much as I can without stopping to enjoy the work I am accomplishing. I don't know if the author intended to create those feelings within the reader, but either way I'm looking at life a little differently now.

Other books by Julius Lester and Jerry Pinkney:

-Uncle Remus: The Complete Tales

-Albidaro and the Mischievous Dream

-Sam and the Tigers: A Retelling of 'Little Black Sambo'

-The Old African

-Black Cowboy, Wild Horses

The Bracelet By: Yoshiko Uchida and Joanna Yardley

The Bracelet

By: Yoshiko Uchida

Illustrations by: Joanna Yardley

The Bracelet is a touching and true story about a young Japanese-American whose family is sent to a prison camp by Americans in 1942. The story is delicately written in a way that it accurately describes the historical aspect of the event and the difficulty of the event without completely devastating the reader. This book was enjoyable because it gave a true depiction of what life would have been like for a young child that was having to move from her home to go to a prison camp with her family. The child, Emi, doesn't understand why her family has to go and is upset to leave her friend Laurie, and her childhood home. She shares her feelings and the experience with the audience, allowing the reader to understand how difficult this time in history must have been. Yoshika Uchida does an amazing job of sharing this interesting and gripping story with audiences of all ages. This book helps young readers understand a time in history that was much different from the society of today. While reading the book, I felt very sorry for Emi and her family. I can only imagine how hard it would be for a seven year old to understand why she was having to leave her best friend and the town she grew up in to go live in a dirty horse stable, all for no reason that she was aware of. This book was a great depiction of what Japanese-Americans went through during this time period.

According to the book jacket, Yoshiko Uchida has written several books with the same theme because of her own Japanese-American background. Like Emi, Yoshiko was sent to live in prison camps with her own family and that experience prompted her to write this story (Yoshiko and Yardley, 1993).

Other books by Yoshiko Uchida include:
- Journey to Topaz: A Story of the Japanese-American Evacuation

-Journey Home

-Picture Bride: A Novel

-Desert Exile: The Uprooting of a Japanese-American Family

-A Jar of Dreams

Because of Winn-Dixie

Because of Winn-Dixie

Book By: Kate DiCamillo, 2000

Movie By: 20th Century Fox, 2005

A young girl named Opal finds herself meeting friends and finding adventures in the story Because of Winn-Dixie. Soon after finding a stray dog in a local Winn-Dixie supermarket, Opal finds her life changing quickly all because of the dog. She claims the stray dog as her own and names him Winn-Dixie. Although, Opal's father is somewhat hesitant, he agrees

to let Opal keep the dog. Winn-Dixie becomes the first friend that Opal makes in her new town of Naomi, FL. Not long after meeting Winn-Dixie, Opal becomes friends with lots of people throughout the town because of Winn-Dixie's friendliness.

I was very excited to see that the movie follows very closely with the flow of the book. I noticed very few differences between the two. I was surprised that the movie went along so well with the book. Usually, when movies portray books, several things are changed or added to make the

movie more theatrical. However, with the exception of a few things being moved to different spots in the film, the book and movie are nearly identical, even the characters' dialogue was the same.

The book begins by telling the story of how Opal got Winn-Dixie. Although, the movie begins with a little more background of why Opal is in Naomi than the book, it doesn't take long to pick up on the story of how Opal gets Winn-Dixie. Opal's father is not fond of the idea of her getting a dog in either story, but in the movie the landlord, Mr. Alfred plays a big role in trying to get Opal's father to get rid of the dog. A big part in both stories is the issue of Opal's mother being gone. She left Opal when Opal was a young girl. In the book, Opal gets her father to tell her the ten things about her mom soon after she gets the dog. In the movie, her father waits to tell her the tenth thing about her mom until the end. The relationship between Opal and her father is portrayed the same in the book and the film. In both, Opal refers to her father as a turtle that keeps in his shell. This is portrayed very well in the film as well. The adventures of meeting Miss Franny Block and Gloria Dump are the same in the film as in the book. However, in the movie they happen in a different order. In both, Franny tells the same two stories the first one is about the bear that came into the library and the second is about her great-grandfather being in the war, and she shares Littmus Lozenges. Gloria plays the same visually impaired woman, who loves peanut butter, and who had a drinking problem (which is evident by her tree of old alcohol bottles). In the book and the film, Opal befriends Otis, a worker at Gertrude's Pet Shop. He allows her to work at the pet shop to help her make money to buy Winn-Dixie a collar and a leash. Otis enchants the animals of the pet

shop in both stories with his guitar playing. The only difference with Otis, is that in the book he immediately tells Opal about being in jail, but in the movie she finds out from a police officer. The story lines of Sweetie Pie Thomas, Amanda Wilkinson, and Stewie and Dunlap Dewberry are the same in the book and the movie. Opal stays clear of Amanda because she always has a "pinched" face. However, Opal soon feels sorry for Amanda when she finds out that she has a pinched face because she went through a tragedy. The boys, Stewie and Dunlap, tease Opal in the book and the movie. Sweetie Pie Thomas is the same sweet little girl in the book as in the movie that follows Opal around from time to time. Sweetie Pie loves Winn-Dixie in both too. At the end of the book, Opal plans a party with Gloria. In the movie, Opal's dad does not come to the party, in the book he does. However, in both party scenes from the book and the movie Winn-Dixie disappears because he gets scared during the thunderstorm. I don't want to spoil the end, but in both stories, everything comes together again.

I loved the book and the movie. The book is a classic that every child should experience. As a matter of fact, it was a Newbery Honor book in 2001. The story of Opal and her dog, Winn-Dixie, is a touching and a sweet tale of overcoming the sourness that life sometimes holds to find the sweetness that's in there too. I would recommend them both.