Books About Family
![Picture](/uploads/4/6/3/2/46325565/296361968.jpg?250)
I Lost My Tooth in Africa by Penda Diakite
This is a story about a girl named Amina who lives in Portland, Oregon. She flies to Africa to visit her family in Bamako, Mali. She loses her tooth when visiting her family and has to put it under a gourd to receive a chicken. The illustrations depict the setting in Mali daily life and people living there. Amina is sad to leave her family and chickens to go back to America, but looks forward to her return in the future.
Age Group:
Grades PreK-3
Genre:
Realistic Fiction
Ethnic or Cultural Group:
African, African American
Lesson Plan and Use:
"I Lost My Tooth in Africa"
This link from Multicultural Children's Literature provides lessons and curriculum connections for using this story for children ages 4-8. Students can study literary elements and compare and contrast American tooth losing traditions to the tradition children in Mali practice.
Video link:
"I Lost My Tooth in Africa"- A video about losing a tooth in Africa with an author bio. (1:45)
This is a story about a girl named Amina who lives in Portland, Oregon. She flies to Africa to visit her family in Bamako, Mali. She loses her tooth when visiting her family and has to put it under a gourd to receive a chicken. The illustrations depict the setting in Mali daily life and people living there. Amina is sad to leave her family and chickens to go back to America, but looks forward to her return in the future.
Age Group:
Grades PreK-3
Genre:
Realistic Fiction
Ethnic or Cultural Group:
African, African American
Lesson Plan and Use:
"I Lost My Tooth in Africa"
This link from Multicultural Children's Literature provides lessons and curriculum connections for using this story for children ages 4-8. Students can study literary elements and compare and contrast American tooth losing traditions to the tradition children in Mali practice.
Video link:
"I Lost My Tooth in Africa"- A video about losing a tooth in Africa with an author bio. (1:45)
![Picture](/uploads/4/6/3/2/46325565/816714705.jpg?250)
The Hello, Goodbye Window by Norton Juster
This is a story about a little girl from a biracial family who talks about the time she spends at her Nanna and Poppy's house. The kitchen window is a magic window where she can imagine anything she wants through it. This is a story of the loving relationship between grandparents and a grandchild.
Age Group:
Grades PreK-1
Genre:
Realistic Fiction
Ethnic or Cultural Group:
Biracial Families
Lesson Plan:
"Secret Word"
This lesson plan offers many suggestions for follow-up activities with this book including creating a class album of family photographs, creating their own window, studying impressionist art, creating family trees, and making a biography box of a family member. It is appropriate for K-3.
This is a story about a little girl from a biracial family who talks about the time she spends at her Nanna and Poppy's house. The kitchen window is a magic window where she can imagine anything she wants through it. This is a story of the loving relationship between grandparents and a grandchild.
Age Group:
Grades PreK-1
Genre:
Realistic Fiction
Ethnic or Cultural Group:
Biracial Families
Lesson Plan:
"Secret Word"
This lesson plan offers many suggestions for follow-up activities with this book including creating a class album of family photographs, creating their own window, studying impressionist art, creating family trees, and making a biography box of a family member. It is appropriate for K-3.
What Makes a Family? by Pam Munoz Ryan
This book teaches about different types of families. It is a simple text for young children with photographs of families doing different activities.
Age Group:
Grades PreK-K
Genre:
Nonfiction, Informational Text
Ethnic or Cultural Group:
Multicultural
Lesson Plan:
"Talking About Our Families"
This Teaching Tolerance lesson helps create a safe and comfortable classroom environment for students to talk about their families. There is a link for PreK-2 and one for 3-5. The students will make a gallery of family portraits in this lesson.
This book teaches about different types of families. It is a simple text for young children with photographs of families doing different activities.
Age Group:
Grades PreK-K
Genre:
Nonfiction, Informational Text
Ethnic or Cultural Group:
Multicultural
Lesson Plan:
"Talking About Our Families"
This Teaching Tolerance lesson helps create a safe and comfortable classroom environment for students to talk about their families. There is a link for PreK-2 and one for 3-5. The students will make a gallery of family portraits in this lesson.
Dim Sum, Bagels, and Grits: A Sourcebook for Multicultural Families by Myra Alpherson
Alpherson wrote this book as a resource for adoptive parents and parents in multicultural homes. She discusses becoming a family that represents more than one culture and ways families can increase cultural awareness of their own cultures. The first 2/3 of the book provides families with information on shaping a multicultural home and community, while the last 1/3 is full of resources from publications for families with multicultural themes (catalogs, magazines/newsletters, children's books, books for adults, multicultural activities and celebrations, book series), and goods and services (multicultural toys, greeting cards, calendars, gifts, food, adoption resources, culture camps).
Age Group:
Parents/Teachers
Genre:
Nonfiction Resource Book
Ethnic or Cultural Group:
Multicultural, Adoptive Parents
Resource:
Bookvine-Multicultural Family Books
This website lists current picture books for various types of families: dad books, 2 moms and 2 dads, adopted.
Lesson Plan Link:
"Every Family is the Same. Every Family is Different."
This lesson from Teaching Tolerance is appropriate for PreK to 5. It teaches children how to appreciate their own families and recognize differences between their own families and their classmates' families. There is a resource kit that can be ordered for free to accompany the lessons.
Alpherson wrote this book as a resource for adoptive parents and parents in multicultural homes. She discusses becoming a family that represents more than one culture and ways families can increase cultural awareness of their own cultures. The first 2/3 of the book provides families with information on shaping a multicultural home and community, while the last 1/3 is full of resources from publications for families with multicultural themes (catalogs, magazines/newsletters, children's books, books for adults, multicultural activities and celebrations, book series), and goods and services (multicultural toys, greeting cards, calendars, gifts, food, adoption resources, culture camps).
Age Group:
Parents/Teachers
Genre:
Nonfiction Resource Book
Ethnic or Cultural Group:
Multicultural, Adoptive Parents
Resource:
Bookvine-Multicultural Family Books
This website lists current picture books for various types of families: dad books, 2 moms and 2 dads, adopted.
Lesson Plan Link:
"Every Family is the Same. Every Family is Different."
This lesson from Teaching Tolerance is appropriate for PreK to 5. It teaches children how to appreciate their own families and recognize differences between their own families and their classmates' families. There is a resource kit that can be ordered for free to accompany the lessons.
![Picture](/uploads/4/6/3/2/46325565/527560177.jpg?250)
DearJuno by Soyung Park
This is a story about a young boy named Juno who writes letters to his grandmother in Seoul, Korea. His grandmother writes in Korean, so he cannot read her words, but he knows what she writes about because of the special items she includes for him like a flower and picture of her with her cat. His parents read the letter to him he shares the letters with his class. Juno imagines having his grandmother come to visit.
Age Group:
Grades K-2
Genre:
Realistic Fiction
Ethnic or Cultural Group:
Korean
Use:
This story could be used to teach students about letter writing and how writing is a way for us to communicate with people we don't get to see.
This is a story about a young boy named Juno who writes letters to his grandmother in Seoul, Korea. His grandmother writes in Korean, so he cannot read her words, but he knows what she writes about because of the special items she includes for him like a flower and picture of her with her cat. His parents read the letter to him he shares the letters with his class. Juno imagines having his grandmother come to visit.
Age Group:
Grades K-2
Genre:
Realistic Fiction
Ethnic or Cultural Group:
Korean
Use:
This story could be used to teach students about letter writing and how writing is a way for us to communicate with people we don't get to see.
![Picture](/uploads/4/6/3/2/46325565/324081146.jpg?250)
Diana, Maybe by Crescent Dragonwagon
A young girl named Rosie wonders about her half sister she has never met. She discusses how her father was married before and had a daughter, then moved away and remarried. She imagines the life they would have if they lived together.
Age Group:
Grades K-2
Genre:
Realistic Fiction, Poetry
Ethnic or Cultural Group:
Divorced or separated families
Use:
Teaching about diverse families, inside/outside character, character's feelings
A young girl named Rosie wonders about her half sister she has never met. She discusses how her father was married before and had a daughter, then moved away and remarried. She imagines the life they would have if they lived together.
Age Group:
Grades K-2
Genre:
Realistic Fiction, Poetry
Ethnic or Cultural Group:
Divorced or separated families
Use:
Teaching about diverse families, inside/outside character, character's feelings
![Picture](/uploads/4/6/3/2/46325565/961069333.jpg?250)
One of Three by Angela Johnson
This is a story of sisterhood that depicts three young girls and their life in the city. When the youngest sister is left behind, her mother and father keep her company and comfort her.
Age Group:
Grades PreK-1
Genre:
Realistic Fiction
Ethnic or Cultural Group:
African American
Use:
Teach story structure, problem/solution
This is a story of sisterhood that depicts three young girls and their life in the city. When the youngest sister is left behind, her mother and father keep her company and comfort her.
Age Group:
Grades PreK-1
Genre:
Realistic Fiction
Ethnic or Cultural Group:
African American
Use:
Teach story structure, problem/solution
![Picture](/uploads/4/6/3/2/46325565/324069111.jpg?250)
Jonathan and His Mommy by Irene Smalls
A young boy and his mother walk through the streets in an urban neighborhood. Hays's illustrations show the liveliness of urban neighborhoods and Smalls's writing compliment each other to share the vibrance and enjoyment a person can have while living in the city.
Age Group:
PreK-1
Genre:
Realistic Fiction
Ethnic or Cultural Group:
African American
Science Connection Lesson Plan:
"Jonathan and His Mommy"
This lesson plan has students explore the aerobic movements Jonathan and his Mommy make in the story. It includes an activity sheet and other health connections.
A young boy and his mother walk through the streets in an urban neighborhood. Hays's illustrations show the liveliness of urban neighborhoods and Smalls's writing compliment each other to share the vibrance and enjoyment a person can have while living in the city.
Age Group:
PreK-1
Genre:
Realistic Fiction
Ethnic or Cultural Group:
African American
Science Connection Lesson Plan:
"Jonathan and His Mommy"
This lesson plan has students explore the aerobic movements Jonathan and his Mommy make in the story. It includes an activity sheet and other health connections.