Notable Books for a Global Society

Project

Eleni Trull & Bri Bell

T&L 307
Professor Ward
25 November 2017
Introduction

This paper will show how we evaluated eight books for the Notable Books for a Global

Society and chose one of those 8 to be our winner and two others as our honor books. Within the

paper we will summarize each of the eight books and describe the strengths and weaknesses each

one possessed. We will also include our own personal definitions of multicultural literature and

how after we did this project our views of multicultural literature now. When we address the

book winner we picked we will go into detail about it’s literary elements, as well as how we can

incorporate it into our future classrooms. Both of us didn’t have much experience with

multicultural literature until we completed this project and now we realize how important it is to

incorporate multicultural literature into our classrooms! It is important for kids to understand

different cultures and their different perspectives so that the students themselves can become

culturally aware.

Purpose

The purpose of this assignment was to expose us to more multicultural literature so that

when we have our classrooms we can educate our own students about different cultures and

introduce them to multicultural literature. This assignment is important because sadly many

people in this world have Xenophobia, the mistrust or fear of people who are strangers or

foreigners (Tunnel. 2016. p. 201). It is our job to introduce our students to wonderful cultures

around the world and make them aware similarities we have with other cultures. It is important

to have an open mind about all people and to be kind. The more people know about a culture and

how similar most people are, the world would be a much kinder place. Multicultural books are
not only good to learn about different cultures, they open the minds and ideas to readers in

positive ways and to help better their understanding, and they can boost self-esteem of readers

who identify with the culture that is in the book. More people should be aware of good

multicultural books to have in the classroom.

After reading the article ​Multicultural Literature and Young Adolescents: A Kaleidoscope

of Opportunity​ by Susan M. Landt, our idea of the importance of having multicultural literature

in the classroom deepened. Multicultural literature, like all good literature, should engage the

reader and bring new ideas and different perspectives to the reader like a kaleidoscope of dreams

(Landt, 2006). I loved the idea of the kaleidoscope that Susan Landt had throughout the article. I

liked how she pointed to the fact that a kaleidoscope does not offer one true picture; it morphs

and changes at every move, proffering a multifaceted, prismatic perspective (Landt, 2006). This

is how we should look at multicultural literature and how it can shape the reader’s mind and

open their views. Students’ minds should not be a static or narrow vision, but should be a

spectrum of perceptions and possibilities. Multicultural literature encompasses and includes a

wide variety of perspectives on groups that have been marginalized or discriminated against

based on race, gender, ethnicity, language, ability, age, social class, religion/spirituality, and or

sexual orientation (Landt, 2006). It is highly important to incorporate it into instruction and to

have available in the classroom. Multicultural literature is useful in opening student’s minds to

the similarities and the differences in people’s life’s and to show appreciation of these

characteristics. Rather than using a fact-filled textbook to learn about cultures, that often

misinform the reader, use multicultural literature and novels so students can experience a culture

through the eyes of other children their age.

Steps Used in Creating Assignment (Bri)

When I began selecting books for this project, I looked through nearly all the years’ of

the books from the Notable Books for a Global Society lists. I began by picking books whose

titles interested me, then I would look up the book and read what it would be about. From there, I

knew the WSU and Pullman libraries had limited selection so I entered my list of books on their

library websites and I had to select the books based on availability. In the end, the eight books I

borrowed from the libraries were ​My Name is Not Easy​ by Dotty Dawl Edwardson, ​Dare to

Dream… Change the World​ edited by Jill Corcoran, ​Five Flavors of Dumb​ by Antony John, ​The

Firefly Letters ​by Margarita Engle, ​When the Beat was Born: DJ Cool Herc and the Creation of

Hip Hop​ by Laban Carrick Hill, ​Stories from the Billabong​ retold by James Vanee Marshall

illustrated by Francis Firebrace, ​The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain​ by Peter Sis,

and ​Anything But Typical​ by Nora Raleigh Baskin. After i had chose these 8 books, I gave half of

the books to Eleni to read.

Our Definitions of Multicultural Literature (Before and After Project)

Eleni: ​Originally, I did not really have a solid definition of what multicultural literature was. I

just thought it was literature that portrayed other people’s cultures, whether that be race or

religion. I also think the purpose behind multicultural literature is to inform readers about that

particular culture so that they can become more culturally aware and educated. After completing

this project I saw that my definition wasn’t very off the mark. Children’s Literature Briefly

defines multicultural literature as “well written books that express multicultural themes or are

international in their origins may have a profound effect on readers, prompting a global outlook
as well as an understanding that members of the human family have more similarities than

differences” (Tunnell, 2016, p.201).

Bri: ​Since I am an ELL endorsement, I have some prior knowledge about multicultural

literature. However, I have not had much experience working with it and using it. Before

beginning this project I believed multicultural literature to be literature that gave a positive

representation of a culture or place and accurately represents that culture as well. It also means to

equally include a variety of cultures and to not exclude. Now that I have had a little bit of work

with these multicultural books, my “definition” of multicultural literature has deepened further.

Now I believe multicultural literature to be a positive representation of cultures; whether that be

from around the world, people with disabilities, or people with the same struggles, etc. I also

strongly agree with four statements about multicultural literature which are, one, it fosters

awareness, understanding, and appreciation of people who are at first glance different than the

reader; two, it presents a positive and reassuring representation of a reader’s own culture; three,

introduce readers to the literary traditions of different world cultures or cultural groups within a

specific nation; and four, it introduces readers to outstanding books, authors, and illustrations

from other countries (pp. 200-201). I truly enjoy multicultural literature and think it is extremely

important to have in a classroom and to incorporate it into instruction often.

Eight Multicultural Titles (Summaries and Critiques)

My Name is Not Easy ​by Dotty Dawl Edwardson

Edwardson, D., Ferrari, Alex, Kroupa, Melanie, & Marshall Cavendish Corporation. (2011). ​My

name is not easy​ (1st ed.). New York: Marshall Cavendish.

Summary: ​Luke and his brothers, Bunna and Isaac, are sent to a Catholic school that is far away

from their Eskimo village. Upon arrival to the school it is discovered that Isaac is too young to

attend school and will be taken in by a Catholic family. Luke and Bunna are shocked after their

brother is taken from them, but there is nothing they can do. As for school, Luke and Bunna soon

find out that they cannot speak their native language, I’nupiaq, and will have to speak only

English. The school is divided based on if you are Eskimo or Indian, but that isn’t because of the

school, it is based on the two cultures differences. Those groups just despise one another and

they divide themselves.

Strengths:

I thought that the way the book was written was intriguing because it is written from multiple

viewpoints consisting of ​Luke, Chickie, Sonny, Donna, and Amiq. Some of the perspectives are

Eskimo and some of them are Indian and seeing their hatred for one another through these lenses

helped me understand their perspective of one another. I got to see multiple sides of the story

through these kids. The book also incorporates some I’nupiaq language within the text. Usually

the author will include some context so the reader can infer as to what the word means.​ For

example, when Luke’s grandfather (aapa) belches he will say “taiku”, which means thank you

(Edwardson, 2011, p.4).

Weaknesses:

One major weakness I thought the book had was cultural context. I do not know very much about

Eskimo and Indian cultures so I had a hard time understanding why the children in the school

divided themselves into an Indian community and an Eskimo community. I did not know the

context behind their rough history with each other so I had to educate myself on the issue by
googling it. Another weakness of this book is that a white woman wrote it from a Native

perspective. I think that she did a good job considering that she married a man from ​I’nupiaq

community, but to me I think it is more appropriate to write about your own culture than

somebody else’s, even if you did marry into that culture. She will never truly know what it is like

to be an Alaskan Native.

Dare to Dream...Change the World ​edited by Jill Corcoran

Corcoran, J., & Jepson, J. Beth. (2012). ​Dare to dream-- change the world​ (1st ed.). Tulsa, OK:

Kane Miller.

Summary: ​Dare to Dream...Change the World i​ s a beautifully illustrated picture book. It

consists of multiple poems about how certain people have changed the world or their takes on

how to change the world. Some of the pages have actual accounts of what certain people did to

make a difference in the world, such as Nicholas Cobb, who at the age of 13 raised money to buy

coats for the homeless. These accounts are more in depth biographical stories of what the people

did to make a difference, when they did it, and why they did it. Since each poem is different

there isn’t really a plot, but each page tells a unique story.

Strengths:

One of the biggest strengths of this book is that it is written in verse. As a child, I was always

drawn to books that didn’t have a lot of words because I always wanted something to read that

was different from the typical book. Kids may be more drawn to this book because it isn’t too

wordy and there are very interesting illustrations included with each poem. I also like the strong

message that this book sends that each person can make a difference in the world. It is a very
positive message and it may encourage students to try and make their own difference in the

world and stand up for what they believe in. Another strength of this book is that it gives a little

synopsis of a person’s life who made a difference or stood up for what they believed in. These

biographical entries are very informative and helpful if the reader wants to know more about the

person in the poem or that the poem is about.

Weaknesses:

One of the weaknesses I found in this book is that the material may be a bit too complex for the

reader that the book is targeting at. The book is targeting a younger student and that student may

not get the concept of the poem if they do not know how to analyze poetry. Also, usually the

poems that are side by side are related in some sort of way, but some of the pages that are side by

side have little to nothing in common, so that was a bit confusing.

Five Flavors of Dumb ​by Antony John

John, A. (2010). ​Five flavors of Dumb.​ New York: Dial Books.

Summary: ​Piper is in her senior of high school and she is quickly discovering that she needs a

job to help pay for her future. Piper is offered the deal of finding the popular band at her

highschool, Dumb, a paying gig in exchange for being their new manager. The only catch is that

she is deaf and can’t hear the band play. Despite her deafness Piper is up for the challenge of

finding them a paying gig within a month. She unfortunately has to deal with the band’s large

amount of drama which doesn’t make her job any easier.

Strengths:
I thought that this book had a strong message that you can do anything if you set your mind to it.

Not many people would think a deaf girl would be able to manage a band, but Piper does it and

she succeeds at it! I also think that the book shows the importance of teamwork. When there is

conflict within the band issues arise, everyone’s lives are more strained, and the band doesn’t

sound cohesive, but when the conflict is resolved (in the end of the book) then everything comes

together, the band actually does well, and they end up sounding like a real band. I also think that

this book did a great job of addressing the significance of living with deafness without it

overpowering the overall story.

Weaknesses:

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but the main issue I had with it is that it was written by someone

who isn’t deaf. I understand that Antony John did his research, but I think Piper’s character

would have been even more authentic if the author was deaf because he would have completely

understood how Piper was feeling and what things would be realistic to hear with her hearing

aids.

The Firefly Letters ​by Margarita Engle

Engle, M. (2010). ​The firefly letters : A suffragette's journey to Cuba​ (1st ed.). New York: Henry

Holt and.

Summary: ​The Firefly Letters​ is story about three women in Cuba. Their names are Cecilia,

Elena, and Fredricka. Fredrika is a Swedish lady who travels the world and is visiting Cuba,

Cecilia is an African slave who longs of her home in Africa, and Elena is the wealthy house

owner’s daughter. Cecilia accompanies Fredricka in her explorations and adventures and
teachers her about her culture and the culture of Cuba. Elena eventually joins in their

explorations and the three form an unlikely friendship.

Strengths:

The style this book was written in was much different than normal chapter books. I liked that it

was more like poetry. This appealed to me, and I think it would appeal to children who want a

change of pace from the normal chapter book. I also liked that the book was written in the

perspectives of the three girls. It always showed an insight to their drastically different lives, and

offered a different viewpoint of what was going on. Another strength the book has it that the

author, Margarita Engle, is a Cuban American and is a part of the cuban culture, accurately

depicting it in her book.

Weaknesses:

Even though I liked the fact that book was written in the different perspectives of the girls,

sometimes I would be confused about who was talking and who was who. It was simple to figure

out everytime but I wish it would have been more clear about the characters. I also feel like the

story ended quickly, I wanted to know more about what they did while in Cuba, however, this is

a personal preference and I did enjoy the book as it was.

When the Beat was Born: DJ Cool Herc and the Creation of Hip Hop ​by Laban Carrick Hill

Hill, L., & Taylor, Theodore. (2013). ​When the beat was born : DJ Kool Herc and the creation

of hip hop​ (First ed.). New York: Roaring Brook Press.

Summary: ​When the Beat was Born: DJ Cool Herc and the Creation of Hip Hop​ is a story

based on the life of DJ Cool Herc. Clive, later known as DJ Cool Herc, spent his childhood
growing up in Jamaica. He has loved music for as long as he could remember and he always

wanted to attend the huge parties that DJs held in Jamaica. Since he was too young, he could

only help and watch them set up. When he was a little older, he moved Bronx, New York. It was

much colder than Jamaica, but he soon made friends on the basketball court, where he later earns

his nickname. Clive was a tall man and his friends called him Hercules on the court, but he

wanted to spice his name up and came up with the name Cool Herc for Hercules. He never gave

up his love for music and began DJing in New York. Most DJers in America did not talk over the

empty spots in the music, but DJ Cool Herc had grown up listening to the DJ always work with

the music. This is how DJ Cool Herc gained many of his fans and lived to be remembered as one

of the greatest DJs who started hip hop as people know it today.

Strengths:

The accuracy and authenticity of the book is wonderful. It follows the life of the Godfather of

Hip Hop, DJ Cool Herc, who grew up in Jamaica and brought the Jamaican way of DJing to the

Bronx. The illustrations are also outstanding and fit the feel of the book perfectly. This book was

enjoyable and interesting to read and I think children will be almost instantly drawn to it.

Weaknesses:

A weakness of this book is that the author, Laban Carrick Hill, is not Jamaican nor is he apart of

the culture in the book. He is a white American who grew up in Vermont (labanhill.com). Even

though he wrote the book accurately, and won many awards for it, he will never fully understand

what it's like to be a part of that culture and the events that occurred in DJ Cool Herc’s life.

The Wall ​by Peter Sis

Sís, P. (2007). ​The wall : Growing up behind the Iron Curtain​ (1st ed.). New York: Farrar,

Straus and Giroux.

Summary:​​ ​The Wall,​ w

​ ritten by Peter Sis is a story of Peter’s childhood and life growing up in

the Soviet ruled Czechoslovakia. It starts when Peter is a baby. He and his family are happy and

there are fun, warm colors in his illustrations. Peter has always enjoyed drawing and he

illustrated the book carefully himself. When he is a young child his country is taken over about

the Soviet Union and the illustrations become black and white with one red featured object per

illustration. His book shows how the children were brainwashed at school into learning and

believing what the Soviets believed. The book is in black and white and the reader can feel the

sad, emptiness until the end when the wall is torn down and the Soviets no longer rule

Czechoslovakia. Then color comes back into illustrations and the reader can see Peter happy

again as a young adult.

Strengths:

This book is well written and accurate because Peter Sis, the author, is recalling and writing

about his own childhood in a Soviet ruled country. Peter accurately shows the emotions that

people felt because he felt those same emotions. His illustrations beautifully represent and make

the reader feel what Peter felt as a child. This a wonderful read and the illustrations give the

reader many things to look at before turning the page.

Weaknesses:

I feel Peter should have included references at the end of his book. There are no references and

it makes the reader wonder if the events are true or if Peter tweaked them. I did some research
and they are true events and Peter is telling a story of his life, it would just be reassuring to the

reader to know that they are based on Peter’s life and that there is proof.

Stories from the Billabong ​retold by James Vanee Marshall and illustrated by Francis Firebrace

Marshall, J., & Jones, Francis Firebrace. (2009). ​Stories from the billabong​. London, England:

Frances Lincoln Children's Books.

Summary:​​ ​Stories from the Billabong​ contains multiple stories about animals, that have been

passed down to each generation, by the Aboriginals from Australia. There are many stories that

similar to folk literature that emphasize why animals have certain features, or act certain ways;

like how the kangaroo got its pouch, why the frog only croaks, and how the alligator got its

scales, just to name a few.

Strengths:

This book was a really interesting book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was written wonderfully and

included aboriginal words with their meanings and definitions at the bottom of the page. I did not

have barely any prior knowledge on Australian Aboriginals and this was a fun book that opened

my insights to the Aboriginal traditions. The illustrations were beautiful and intriguing as well.

They portrayed traditional Australian art and were done by the famous artist Francis Firebrace

who is known for his traditional Australian artwork. It was also nice to see references at the end

of the book that were notable and shows that the author did his work and truly learned about the

Aboriginals.

Weaknesses:
There were not many weaknesses about this book. This book was beautifully written. Accurately

describes the many Australian animals and what habitats they live in. The artwork incompases

the traditional Australian artwork theme, and it went into depth about each animal after the story.

This is a great book.

Anything But Typical ​by Nora Raleigh Baskin

Baskin, N. (2009). ​Anything but typical.​ New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young

Readers.

Summary: ​Anything But Typical i​ s a story about a twelve-year-old boy named Jason Blake who

is autistic. As a child, he was seen as a genius and could spell any word he saw when he was just

four-years-old. As he grew older, everyone began catching up and eventually passing him in

school and he was tested for autism. Now twelve, he has a hard time in school and an even

harder time making friends. Whenever he gets the chance, he likes to spend his time on a website

called Storyboard. He loves words and writing and often posts stories on the website. After

posting his new story, he began messaging someone, a girl, about writing and how to improve.

This is a great story that shows unlikely friendship, bullying, and Jason gaining confidence in is

writing and who he is as a person.

Strengths

This is a great book that positively depicts someone with autism. This book is told in the

perspective of Jason Blake who is autistic. Jason does not speak much and does not communicate

well but the reader follows along in his thoughts. This book depicts the random thoughts that

would appear in his mind at any time. It opens the reader’s mind to the idea of how other
people’s brains and thoughts work. It also wonderfully depicts the whisper-thin difference

between normal and not normal.

Weaknesses

Even though it was great following along in Jason’s mind, it was confusing at times. When he

would have a random thought pop into his head, that all he could think and talk about, it was

different at first but I eventually got used to it towards the end of the book. This book also was

not super heart warming or heart breaking. It was a nice story about a the feelings and struggles a

normal boy his age would be going through, but it is almost anti climatic at the end when he

meets the girl.

Notable Books Criteria Discussion

To be considered for the Notable Books for a Global Society list the book has to meet a

list of criteria. There are two parts to the criteria. In part one the book only has to meet one of the

bullet points to be qualified. The first bullet point is portraying cultural accuracy of characters. It

is important for the characters to be culturally accurate or the book won’t be credible. To make

the book authentic the characters need to be depicted accurately based on their cultural

background. The second bullet point is the book needs to be rich in cultural details. The book

cannot be considered for this list if it does not talk about culture. The emphasis of culture is what

makes the books on the list Notable Books for a Global Society. The third bullet point is the

book needs to honor and celebrate diversity. It important to acknowledge the positive aspects of

being diverse. Throughout history diversity has been looked at as negative and it is important

that books bring light on the positivity that diversity brings our world. The fourth bullet point is
the book needs to provide in depth treatment of cultural issues. It is important to address the

issues that were present within the culture and how/if they got resolved. Every culture has had

some sort of obstacle that they had to deal with and it is important to acknowledge and address

those obstacles in multicultural literature. The fifth bullet point is to include characters within a

cultural group or between two or more cultural groups who interact substantively and

authentically with each other. A lot of reason for conflict is because two different groups of

people do not get along. By using that conflict in a book it more accurately depicts the

underlying issues between those two cultures. It makes the book more authentic! The last bullet

point in part one is including members of a “minority” group for a purpose other than filling a

“quota.” A lot of books will tend to add a character from a different cultural background to make

sure their book is more diverse, but for inclusion on the Notable Books for a Global Society list

the book needs to do more than just add a character of a different race or religion. They need to

take a deeper look into that character's cultural background and there needs to be a reason behind

the inclusion of that character besides just making the characters more diverse.

For part two the book needs to hit every piece of criteria. The first piece of criteria the

book needs to meet is that it needs to invite reflection, critical analysis, and response. The reader

needs to be able to reflect on the book, analyze, and respond to it to fully understand it. The

second piece of criteria the book needs to meet is having a unique language or style. By

including the language from that person's culture or writing the book from multiple perspectives

it makes the style and language of the book interesting. The third piece of criteria the book needs

to meet is the criteria of quality for the genre in which they are written. If the book is nonfiction

then there better be facts or in contrast of the book is fiction then the story should be made up,
but still include accurate depictions of the culture it is trying to portray. The final piece of criteria

is that the book should be appealing and good quality. This means that the book needs to have an

appealing look to it and also be well written.

Our NBGS Winner/Critical Reaction

For the winner, we chose ​Stories From the Billabong​ retold by James Vanee Marshall

and illustrated by Francis Firebird. This book is written wonderfully. It educates the reader about

a variety of Australian animals such as the kangaroo, the crocodile, the platypus, and many more

(pp. 3, 18, 29). The book has many strengths, such as the accuracy in how it has been written,

fun, engaging folklore literature students are sure to love, and beautiful native Australian

Aboriginal artwork by the well known artist Francis Firebird. There are not many apparent

weaknesses in the book, but the one weakness I found with the book was that the stories were

retold by a caucasian man, and not an Australian Aboriginal. Even Though this is a weakness,

the book is accurate and includes solid references in the back of the book.

This book’s literary elements were clear and easily identifiable to the reader. This book

was accurate and included references at the end of the book proving their knowledge. The book

includes many stories that have been passed down from generation to generation in one

Australian outback Aboriginal tribe group. Each of the ten Aboriginal stories had a different

theme. The story of the Kangaroo has the theme of be kind to all animals and good things will

happen in return (pp. 1-3). The story of why the Frog only croaks has the theme to be kind and

use what you have graciously, do not be cocky and over use your abilities for the wrong reasons

or there will be consequences (pp. 10-12). The story of how the crocodile got it’s scales has the
theme to respect people’s relationships and do not continue to impede on a married couple’s

relationship (pp. 17-19). The illustrations were wonderful as well and Francis Firebird, the

illustrator, is actually famous and well known for his traditional Australian Aboriginal artwork.

His artwork sets the mood and tone in the book for each story and is eye capturing to the reader.

This book would be a great asset to have in the classroom. Since the stories are folktale

they all have great themes and morals that children would benefit greatly from learning. In the

book, there is a story about the platypus and how it does not fit into one group of animals, but it

fits into three; in my second grade practicum class, the students read a story about the bat and

how it doesn’t fit into just one group of animals but into two. The stories are relatable and the

students enjoyed the story about the bat when they read about it in class. I think many children

would enjoy reading and listening to this book. We chose this title over the other titles we read

because there were almost no weaknesses to the book. All the other books had at least one major

weakness.

Based on the criteria for winning the Notable Books for a Global Society award, our book

hits every criteria on the nail. ​Stories From the Billabong​ portrays cultural accuracy and

authenticity of characters, all the Australian animals and cultures are represented accurately. It is

deeply rich in cultural details from the writing and language used, to the illustrations that

accompany it. It also honors and celebrates the diversity in humans and animals in nature, the

book begins with a story about Mother Snake and how she created all the animals and placed

them in the perfect habitats and how they must be kind to each other. ​Stories From the Billabong

also provides in-depth treatment of cultural issues such as the discrimination Aboriginals face

and the struggles animals have because of their actions and choices they made. All the characters
included in the book are from the same cultural the group, the Australian Aboriginals. The book

is most definitely not a filling the quota book, either, it is full of detail and facts about Australian

animals and traditions. This is a wonderful multicultural book.

Going into the criteria for part II, ​Stories From the Billabong​ invite reflection and critical

analysis which leads to response. The stories are great for having students answer questions

about and to learn life skills from. The book definitely demonstrates a unique style and language

because it uses words from the Aboriginals language and has their definitions and meanings on

the bottom of each page. ​Stories From The Billabong​ has won many awards and meets all the

criteria for a well written folktale book. And for the last criteria, the book is appealing because of

it’s uniquely illustrated cover, as well as having a continuous Australian theme throughout the

entire book. Since it is visually appealing, and kids tend to gravitate to books with interesting

covers, more kids are going to want and pick it up. Overall, this would be a lovely book to have

in the classroom.

Our NBGS 2 Honors

One of the books we picked to be one of our Notable Books for a Global Society honors

​ e picked this book because it has such a powerful

was ​Dare to Dream...Change the World. W

message that anyone can make a difference in the world. We also thought it was unique because

it is written in verse and it portrays so many different cultures and important people who did

their best to change the world. The other books that we read focused either on one particular

culture or a couple cultures, whereas this ​Dare to Dream...Change the World​ incorporated a new

culture on every page. This book would be extremely useful in the classroom! If we were to do a
lesson on people who changed the world we could easily use this book. There are multiple

examples of children and adults who did their part to change the world provided within the text.

If we did use this book for a lesson we would read the book and then give the kids the prompt

“What would you do to change the world?”. Then the students could write a few sentences on

how they would change the world to make it a better place and share it with their peers.

This book does a great job of meeting all the required criteria for the Notable Books for a

Global Society list. One piece of criteria that this book exceeds in part one is honoring and

celebrating diversity as well as common bonds in humanity. This book honors the people who

made a difference in the world like Jonas Salk who invented a vaccine for polio (p.10). It

celebrates their accomplishments as well as giving an insight to some of their cultures. These

people changed the world in a positive way that helped unite humanity. This book also meets all

the required criteria for part two. The book is really easy to reflect on and ignite a conversation

about how we can help change the world to make it a better place and it is great conversation

starter about people’s different cultures. The book has a unique style because it is written in

verse and it tells everyone’s stories through poems! This book fits into multiple genres, but it

mostly fits poetry and nonfiction. It tells accurate stories about each person’s life as well as

continuing in verse throughout the entire book. The last criteria that it meets is having an

appealing format. Illustrator J. Beth Jepson creates beautiful illustrations that immediately

capture the reader's attention. Between the illustrations and the poetry style this book is

extremely appealing, especially to younger readers.

Dare to Dream...Change the World​ does not really have a plot because it talks about so

many different people and only talks about them on one page. The book consists of multiple
poems about how certain people have changed the world or their takes on how to change the

world. The main theme throughout the book is anyone can change the world. To make this theme

clear one poet wrote about Nicholas Cobb (p. 4). Nicholas Cobb was only 13 when he raised

money to buy coats for the homeless (p.4). There aren’t really specific characters in the book, but

some of the poems focus on specific people who made a difference in the world such as,

Nicholas Cobb, Sylvia Mendez, Father Gregory Boyle, Anne Frank, etc. What makes this book

interesting is that 30 poets came together and wrote a poem for the book. Each poem is written

through their eyes and on the last page of the book there is a list of poets who contributed to

making this book! The writing style is what makes this book over the top and a reason why we

made this book an honor book. The book is written in verse with little sub biographical stories on

each person. By these people’s stories being written in verse I think the message is more

powerful and their stories are more impactful. A great example of this layout os on page 8 where

Georgia Heard writes about the Frank family and a little biography of Anne Frank is provided at

the bottom of the page.

For our second honor book, we chose ​Anything But Typical​ written by Nora Raleigh

Baskin. This book is a well written book written in the perspective of a twelve-year-old autistic

boy’s mind. It accurately portrays the random, uncontrollable thoughts of the character Jason

Blake. This would be a good book to suggest to open people’s minds about autism and the

whisper-thin difference between normal and not normal. The weaknesses to this book is that

even though it is portraying the random thoughts of the autistic boy perfectly, it was confusing at

times. It switch instantly in the next paragraph and it makes the reader feel lost. However, after

some time the reader can get used to the style and begin to understand the mind of a twelve year
old boy. The book celebrates and shows a positive light on autistic people and their mind’s. It

also shows the struggles some parents go through with their autistic children. The book’s layout

is that of a normal chapter book but the little illustrations at the beginning of each chapter are

whimsical and beautiful. Another weakness to the book is that it would be nice if other

perspectives of his friends or family members were included. However, I understand why the

author chose the writing style she did. The book can easily invite reflection and critical analysis,

it is a good book for students to analyze, it is anticlimactic at the end but in a way that is a nice

ending because not every story can be perfect. The book demonstrates unique language because

we, the reader, are reading the new words and thoughts that come into his head. Jason Blake

loves words and has the alphabet painted on his bedroom ceiling. He does not always know the

meanings of the words he thinks of, but he loves words. This is an overall good multicultural

book and makes people open their minds to people and families with autism. We chose this book

as the second honor book because it is a really well rounded book that positively portrays autism

and it was simply an enjoyable read.

Conclusion:

Overall, we learned a lot from this assignment! We learned what multicultural literature

was and the importance of it. We also realized how valuable teaching these types of books are

for the classroom. Multicultural literature helps students build their knowledge of different

cultures and makes them more culturally aware. I think that we both need to read more

multicultural literature so that we can really get a good idea of the different cultures around the

world so that if our students ask about a particular culture we have some background knowledge
to give them or we will be able to recommend a good multicultural book on that particular

culture. If we did the assignment again I think we would pick more books that interested us. The

books we got were very random and I think we would have enjoyed this project a lot more if it

was cultures we really wanted to learn about. This assignment really tied into what we learned in

Teach and Learn 301 with Paulina. Paulina really wanted us to become culturally aware so she

required us go to three cultural events around campus and write papers about them to really

capture the cultural significance of the event. It was a real eye opening experience and it

definitely made us realize how important it is to make sure everyone feels equal in the

classroom.
Bibliography

Baskin, N. (2009). ​Anything but typical.​ New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young

Readers.

Corcoran, J., & Jepson, J. Beth. (2012). ​Dare to dream-- change the world​ (1st ed.). Tulsa, OK:

Kane Miller.

Edwardson, D., Ferrari, Alex, Kroupa, Melanie, & Marshall Cavendish Corporation. (2011). ​My

name is not easy​ (1st ed.). New York: Marshall Cavendish

Engle, M. (2010). ​The firefly letters : A suffragette's journey to Cuba​ (1st ed.). New York: Henry

Holt and.

Hill, L., & Taylor, Theodore. (2013). ​When the beat was born : DJ Kool Herc and the creation

of hip hop​ (First ed.). New York: Roaring Brook Press.​Hill, L. (2016, May 01). Laban Carrick

Hill.

John, A. (2010). ​Five flavors of Dumb.​ New York: Dial Books.

Landt, S. M. (2006). Multicultural Literature and Young Adolescents: A Kaleidoscope of

Opportunity. ​Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy,49(​ 8), 690-697. doi:10.1598/jaal.49.8.5

Marshall, J., & Jones, Francis Firebrace. (2009). ​Stories from the billabong​. London, England:

Frances Lincoln Children's Books.

Sís, P. (2007). ​The wall : Growing up behind the Iron Curtain​ (1st ed.). New York: Farrar,

Straus and Giroux.

Tunnell, M., Jacobs, James S., Young, Terrell A, & Bryan, Gregory. (2016). ​Children's

literature, briefly​ (Sixth ed.). Boston: Pearson.

COLLABORATION FORM
Working together on an assignment or project means sharing the responsibilities for completing that assignment.
While each member will naturally shoulder different responsibilities while working on the project, collaboration
does not mean merely tacking someone else’s name to the project so that they can earn credit for completing it.
Listed below are the members of our collaborative group along with our signatures. We have also specified the
aspects of the project for which each one of us was responsible and rated ourselves on our collaborative work.

Names of Group Responsibilities Self-Assessment

Members &
Signature

I chose and read 5 of the books. I wrote 10/10

Bri Bell summaries with strengths and weaknesses.
One of my books was chosen as the winner
and one as a honor, I wrote about both of
these. As for the rest of the paper, we evenly
divided the work.

I read 3 of the books. Wrote summaries on 10/10

each and the strengths and weaknesses. I
wrote about one of them for one of our honor
books. The paper we evenly divided into
Eleni Trull sections.

Our signatures above attest that we all contributed equally in this project.