Masha Kabakow Rudman
Professor of Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies
University of Massachusetts

Copyright/Access Information


ADDY, SHARON HART. A Visit With Great-Grandma. Illus. by Lydia Halverson. Niles, Illinois: Whitman, 1989. (Ages 5-8.)
The story celebrates both heritage (in this case, Czechoslovakian) and the relationship of a young girl to her great-grandmother. Even though her great grandmother knows very little English, and Barbara cannot speak her great-grandmother's language, the two communicate through traditional food, looking at pictures, and, above all, loving each other.

ADA, ALMA FLOR. The Gold Coin. Illus. by Neil Waldman. NY: Atheneum, 1991. (Ages 5-9.)
A strong, kind old woman helps transform a miserable, twisted, nasty thief into a healthy man who appreciates honest labor, and the beauty of the natural world. The story is told in non-didactic language, and the values of kindness and collaboration shine through.

ADOFF, ARNOLD. All the Colors of the Race. Illus. by John Steptoe. NY: Lothrop, Lee & Shepherd, 1982. (Ages 5-up.)
Celebration, compassion, self-pride and understanding mark the poetry and illustrations in this beautiful book. Readers can empathize, learn, and appreciate the images of life and people that are presented here through the deceptively simple poems. See also Hard to Be Six. Illus. by Cheryl Hanna. 1991. and In for Winter, Out for Spring. Illus. by Jerry Pinkney. 1991.

ALBERT, BURTON. Where Does the Trail Lead? Illus. by Brian Pinkney. NY: Simon & Schuster, 1991. (Ages 5-8.)
A young African-American boy explores a trail which takes him through fields, along the edge of the sea, across dunes, down an old train track, and even to a "ghost town of shanties". His journey that begins in the morning ends in the twilight at a family campfire on the beach. Brian Pinkney's scratchboard illustrations capture and enhance the flavor of the text.

BAER, EDITH. This is the Way We Go to School. Illus. by Steve Bjorkman. NY: Scholastic, 1990. (Ages 5-8.)
Rhymed verse introduces readers to the many different modes of transportation children all over the world use to go to school. Twenty-two examples are included of children with authentically chosen names and their unique method of getting to school. Included in the back of the book is an index of where each child is from as well as a map of the world labeled with the specific countries. The illustrations add flavor to the text as well as turn the story into a guessing game of each child's location.

BANG, MOLLY. Ten, Nine, Eight. Illus. by the author. NY: Greenwillow, 1983. (Age 4-6.)
A counting book that counts down from ten, describing all the things children do before going to bed. The characters are an African American girl and her loving, attentive father. Counting books as well as alphabet books can serve as stimuli for children to make their own versions, using their own heritage or interests as a springboard.

BARKER, MARJORIE. Magical Hands. Illus. by Yoshi. Saxonville, MA: Picture Book Studio, 1989. (Ages 7-10.)
A rare book celebrating the nurturing spirit and a respect for people's aesthetic needs. The characters four are middle aged working class men who meet for lunch every day. William, the cooper, sees to it that each of his three friends, 2 storekeepers and a baker, get their wishes for their birthdays. He thinks he has gone undetected, but on his birthday all of his wishes come true. The sense of love and caring is strengthened by the luminously textured illustrations.

BETHANCOURT, T. ERNESTO. The Me Inside of Me. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications, 1985. (Ages 10-12.)
Social pressures, class boundaries, and self-identity are explored in the story of seventeen-year-old Alfredo Flores. Alfredo is a young, middle-class man of Latino heritage who unexpectedly becomes very wealthy. He quickly finds himself in the fast lane of the rich and must adjust to his new status and identity. What Alfredo learns in the end is that money and prestige cannot bring happiness and fulfillment in life; it comes only through discovering the "me inside of me". In Alfredo's case, he rediscovers pride and respect for his Latino heritage.

BRYAN, ASHLEY. Lion and the Ostrich Chicks. Illus. by the author. NY: Atheneum, 1986. (Ages 7-10.)
Lively retellings of four tales from the Masai, Bushmen, Hausa, and Angolan peoples. The prose is musical in its movement; the illustrations complement the text admirably. A collection of folktales is a valuable addition to any library, providing the context for comparisons.

CAMERON, ANN. The Stories Julian Tells. Illus. by Ann Strugnell. NY: Knopf, 1981. (Ages 7-10.) also More Stories Julian Tells (1986) Julian. Secret Accent (1988) and Julian, Dream Doctor (1990)
This series of volumes introduces the reader to a loving, joyful family consisting of Julian, his younger brother, Huey, and their parents. The father provides a model as a caring, consistent, firm parent who finds the time and energy to cook and to intervene wisely in his sons' disputes. Julian is bright and imaginative and manages, with his parents' help, to extricate himself from thorny situations. Julian and his brother have some altercations, but for the most part are good company for each other. The fact that the family is African American is a bonus.

CAMERON, ANN. The Most Beautiful Place in the World. Illus. by Thomas B. Allen. NY: Alfred Knopf, 1988. (Ages 9-11.)
Seven-year-old Juan works hard shining shoes to help support his grandmother whom he loves and respects very much, yet he secretly yearns to go to school. When he finally gets enough courage to ask his grandmother, she instructs him to stand up for what he wants and always to walk tall. Although the setting is Guatemala, the application of this sort of intergenerational love could transform any place into "the most beautiful place in the world."

CARLSON, LORI M. AND CYNTHIA L. VENTURA, EDS. Where Angels Glide at Dawn. Illus. by Jose Ortega. NY: Lippincott, 1990. (Ages 10-up.)
A collection of different sorts of stories from South America, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. Each one is different in genre and tone, but each captures some element of the past, and some of the flavor of its nation of origin.

CHBOSKY, STACY. Who Owns the Sun? Illus. by the author. Kansas City: Landmark Editions, Inc., 1988. (Ages 9-12.)
The young author won a writing award for this story. It describes an African-American child who, upon learning that he and his family are slaves, demands to know why one human being can own another. Sensitively and poetically expressed, this story explores the universal yearning for freedom.

CLIFTON, LUCILLE. Everett Anderson's Year. Illus. by Ann Grifalconi. NY: Henry Holt, 1974. (Ages 5-8.)
The story follows seven-year-old Everett throughout his year, in which every month holds something new. From seasons to holidays to beginning school, Everett's calendar is full of learning and growing. All of the Everett Anderson books hold universal values and truths. All are expressed in verse that conveys depth of emotion and astute observations. Others in this fine series include Some of the Days of Everett Anderson, which introduces the six year old boy to us in all his exuberance, and with some of his sorrows and fears, Everett Anderson's 1-2-3, in which he adjusts to a new daddy, Everett Anderson's Friend, where he learns that girls can be good friends, Everett Anderson's Goodbye in which he endures and copes with the death of his father and Everett Anderson's Nine-Month Long in which he responds to the birth of a baby sister.

CLIFTON, LUCILLE. Three Wishes. Illus. by Michael Hays. NY: Bantam, revised edition, 1992. (Ages 5-8.)
Told in the cadences of Black English, the story builds on the classic tales of three wishes and how they are spent or misspent. In this version, Lena finds a penny with her birthday on it, and knows that she is now entitled to three wishes. Her wishes don't change her life, but they all come true, and the reader is invited to speculate about whether or not magic was involved. Readers may want to engage in the game of "If I had three wishes I'd..."

COREY, DOROTHY. Will There Be a Lap For Me. Illus. by Nancy Poydar. Morton Grove, Illinois: Whitman, 1992. (Ages 7-9.)
Kyle loves to sit in his mother's lap; it is his favorite place to be. But when his mom becomes pregnant, Kyle's special place becomes smaller and smaller until all he can do is snuggle next to her. He is impatient, but knows that he must wait until his baby brother is born to regain his place on his mother's lap. The family is African American. All readers, no matter what their background will empathize with Kyle.

DAY, DAVID. The Sleener. Illus. by Mark Entwisle. Nashville: Ideals Children's Books, 1990. (Ages 8-10.)
Although based on ancient folklore, this adaptation of a Chinese fairy tale contains many modern themes such as the importance of literacy and the valuable contributions of children to society. The fantastical and symbolic journey of Wu Wing Wong, a young monk responsible for transporting the last of the kingdom's books to the evil Emperor to be destroyed, is suspenseful and filled with many surprises. Everything is resolved in the end by Wu's efforts and dedication, including the cessation of a two hundred year war. The language and illustrations are poetic with an understated tone.

DELACRE, LULU. Arroz Con Leche. NY: Scholastic, 1989. (Ages 5-8.)
This collection of Latin American songs and chants in Spanish is accompanied by English translations, musical scores, and colorful ethnic illustrations. The countries represented are Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Argentina, with a variety of themes such as work, love, marriage, and songs about animals. Occasional footnotes describing games that go with the songs provide good information. Children can be invited to add sections to this book, based on their own family heritage of songs and chants.

DOOLEY, NORAH. Everybody Cooks Rice. Illus. by Peter J. Thornton. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda, 1991. (Ages 6-8.)
The picture here is of a multicultural, interfaith harmonious neighborhood, where all of the families are industrious, loving, and open-hearted. Despite the idyllic setting and characters, the story retains enough of a realistic flavor to make it pleasant and informative. Food is an excellent metaphor for a multicultural world, with enough commonalties to understand the universal needs, and enough differences to convey many flavors. A bonus at the end of the book is the inclusion of eight rice recipes from all over the world.

DRAGONWAGON, CRESCENT. Half A Moon and One Whole Star. Illus. by Jerry Pinkney. NY: Macmillan, 1990. (Ages 6-10.)
An African American girl dreams of the woods around her house, jazz music from downtown, bakers and sailors, her parents, and what she will do in the summer sun when she wakes. The images reflect important parts of her life. Children may want to narrate and illustrate their own dreams in response to this story. The soothing, rhymed text is accompanied by colorful watercolor illustrations.

ESBENSEN, BARBARA. Who Shrank My Grandmother's House? Poems of Discovery. Illus. by Eric Beddows. NY: Harper Collins, 1992. (Ages 7-12.)
A collection of poems brilliantly written from a child's perspective of "life's little wonders". Universal topics of weather, color, time, seasons, and even pencils are personified with occasional questions posed such as "What if..." and "Why does..." A book that all ages can enjoy for its creative representation of ordinary events.

FALWELL, CATHRYN. Shape Space. NY: Clarion, 1992. (Ages 4-7.)
Pictured here is a lively African American dancer who plays with all types of colorful geometrical shapes she finds in a toy box. The different shapes are triangles, semicircles, rectangles, circles, and squares which the girl forms into toys, clothing, a playmate, and even a village. A creative way to explore the concept of shapes. Too often concept books exclude any group but Caucasians. This one is a good balancing addition to a library.

FINGER, CHARLES. Tales from Silver Lands. Illus. by Paul Honore. NY: Doubleday 1924. (Ages 10-up.)
Woodcuts enrich the text of this excellent collection of tales from South and Central America. The stories are well told and can easily be related to folk tales from other countries in terms of theme and values. Included are creation tales, witches, enchantments, wicked stepmothers, noble commoners, loving siblings, wishes that go awry, and the valuing of courage, kindness, and loyalty.

FLORIAN, DOUGLAS. City Street. Illus. by the author. NY: Greenwillow, 1990. (Ages 3-5.)
A sparse text made up of rhyming phrases accompanies the active, colorful illustrations of what takes place on a city street at various times of the day and night. City dwellers will see familiar sights and rural readers can be introduced to the complexity and multicultural makeup of the city in a positive way. The stereotype of the city as ghetto and crime-ridden fearsome place is contradicted.

FLOURNEY, VALERIE. The Best Time of Day. Illus. by George Ford. NY: Random House, 1979. (Ages 5-8.)
William's day is very busy. From cleaning his room, playing with his friends, making his own lunch, and grocery shopping with mom, he is on the go from morning to night. But he always has time for his favorite part of the day when his daddy comes home from work. Although published some time ago, the story of a competent child in an African American family is timely and provides a good model.

FRIEDMAN, INA R. How My Parents Learned to Eat. Illus. by Allen Say. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1984. (Ages 5-8.)
A naive but engaging story of how the narrator's parents, one Japanese and one American learned to adapt to each other's ways. No small matter is the cultural pattern of customs that accompanies eating. In this story, the two young lovers try very hard to please each other.

GERAS, ADELE. My Grandmother's Stories. Illus. by Jael Jordan. NY: Knopf, 1990. (Ages 9-12.)
As with most folktales, the lessons and themes are universal, but the individual tales retain their own flavor. The author is a talented writer, combining the personality of the modern day grandmother telling the tales with the messages of the tales themselves.

GINSBURG, MIRRA. The Twelve Clever Brothers and Other Fools. Illus. by Charles Mikolaycak. NY: Lippincott, 1979. (Ages 7-10.)
From these tales the understanding emerges that every culture has its share of fools and tricksters. The collection also demonstrates how varied the Russian people are, with the tales from such differing sources as Armenian, Veps, Chuvash, Tatar, Latvian, Moldavian, and Assyrian peoples.

GOLD, SHARLYA, and CASPI, MISHAEL MASWARI. The Answered Prayer and Other Yemenite Folktales. Illus. by Marjory Wunsch. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, 1990. (Ages 8-up.)
This book captures tales that might otherwise have been lost because of the lack of a written tradition in the Yemenite community. The stories echo themes from other cultures, yet retain a distinctive flavor. The names of the characters are different from the more familiar European names, and the stories provide a background for learning more about Jewish Yemenite heritage.

GORDON, RUTH I. Time Is the Longest Distance. NY: A Charlotte Zolotow Book, 1991. (Ages 12-up.)
An international anthology of selected poems (all English translations) dealing with the universal constancy of time. Featured works include Yiddish, Hebrew, French, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, American, German, Spanish, Russian, and Persian heritages.

GREENFIELD, ELOISE. Honey, I Love. Illus. by Leo and Diane Dillon. NY: Harper & Row, 1978. (Ages 5-up.)
A book of poems told from the perspective of a young African American girl whose boundless spirit and embracing of life permeate the pages. From an accounting of all that she loves in this world to an appreciation of being a writer, to a touching memory of a neighbor who died, the poems all convey many universals not confined to childhood or to any group, but nevertheless wonderfully reflective of her heritage.

GUTHRIE, DONNA. Rose for Abby. Illus. by Dennis Hockerman. Nashville: Abingdon 1988. (Ages 5-8.)
Rose learns what homelessness is by looking out the window one day. Wanting to help, she pulls out a hat and pair of gloves from the lost and found box at church and gives them to the old woman she sees searching through garbage cans and sleeping in boxes. Then she thinks of a special way everyone on the street can help the homeless. The illustrations respectfully add to the sensitive text.

HALL, MAHJI. "T" is for terrific. Design by Deb Figen. Seattle: Open Hand, 1989. (Ages 5-10.)
Written by a talented elementary school student, this Spanish and English alphabet book uses words that begin with the same first letter such as "guitarra" and "guitar". Included in the back of the book is a pronunciation guide for both English and Spanish words, a helpful method of comparing the similarities between the languages.

HAMILTON, VIRGINIA. The Bells of Christmas. Illus. by Lambert Davis. N Y: HBJ, 1989. (Ages 8-10.)
An African American family in 1890 anticipates and enjoys Christmas. The father is disabled by a leg injury. The family is self-sufficient: the mother is a seamstress and the father is a very capable woodcarver and carpenter who does not let his disability hinder his productivity. The picture of African Americans before the twentieth century helps to dispel stereotypes, and provides a solid ground for multicultural understanding.

HAMILTON, VIRGINIA. The Dark Way. Illus. by Lambert Davis. San Diego: HBJ, 1990. (Ages 10-up.)
Universal to the human condition is the need to create stories of the supernatural. Tales of darkness, death, and spirits fulfill the fear of the unknown, as well as help to explain phenomena and order the environment. It is the aim of the author that this collection of folktales on the supernatural from cultures around the world will entertain this need. Many of these stories are transcribed from the oral tradition and come complete with eerie black and white sketches.

HAMILTON, VIRGINIA. In the Beginning. Illus. by Barry Moser. San Diego: HBJ, 1988. (Ages 12-up.)
A collection of twenty-five creation stories from around the world. This universal theme is one that has always fascinated humans. The variety of interpretations presented here provides a tapestry of beliefs and cultures. The vision of this book is to describe how all humankind creates myths in order to explain and give purpose to their lives.

HEIDE, FLORENCE PERRY. The Day of Ahmed's Secret. Illus. by Ted Lewin. NY: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1990. (Ages 6-9.)
The reader journeys with Ahmed, a young boy in Egypt, as he delivers gas canisters and meets vendors. He keeps telling the reader that he has a secret. When the day ends, Ahmed returns to his home and family and shares his joyful secret: he has learned to write his name. This is a heart warming story that is not only culturally rich, but also universal in its implications about such important issues as self confidence, responsibility, and pride.

HELGADOTTIR, GUDRUN. Flumbra. Illus. by Brian Pilkington. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda, 1986. (Ages 8-10.)
Building on Icelandic folklore and the connection between supernatural traditions and the harsh environment of the country, the author has created a humorous tale of the giant Flumbra. After falling hopelessly in love with an ugly, lazy giant who lives far away, Flumbra decides to make the trek to see him. Her journey causes the ground to shake and disturb the people, especially when she finally meets her giant. On her next visit Flumbra doesn't make it in time before daybreak and turns to stone. This tale humanizes giants, who are traditionally portrayed as evil, threatening beings. Children may study the folklore of giants from around the world and compare them.

HELLER, LINDA. The Castle on Hester Street. Illus. by Linda Heller. Phila: The Jewish Publication Society of America, 1982. (Ages 5-8.)
Julie's grandfather regales her with stories he has invented about the past and his youthful adventures. After each of these tales Julie's grandmother sets the record straight with what really happened. Woven into the family's bantering is an appreciation of the hardships this immigrant couple encountered in Europe and as newcomers to the land of their choice.

HILL, KIRKPATRICK. Toughboy and Sister. NY: Margaret K. McElderry, 1990. (Ages 8-12.)
The story details how Toughboy, an eleven-year-old Athabascan boy and his younger sister survive at an isolated campsite near the Yukon River. Their mother died the past autumn; their father, an alcoholic, had brought them to the camp to spend the summer with them, and then died upon his return from an alcoholic binge. The meticulous details of how the pair survive, and the underlying information about modern, changing Athabascan life enrich the story. The children's feelings toward each other and their mutual contributions to coping with their desperate situation make for a survival tale with universal implications.

HOBERMAN, MARY ANN. Fathers, Mothers, Sisters. Brothers: A Collection of Family Poems. Illus. by Marilyn Hafner. Boston: Joy Street, 1991. (Ages 7-10.)
Poetic reflections, sometimes funny, sometimes serious, on family gatherings, sibling relations, feelings about adoption, divorce, individual family members, and being an only child ("An only child is always first!"). The book voices a child's view in a tone that is light, but accurate. People of all colors are represented in the illustrations as well as the poems.

HOPKINS, LEE BENNETT. Through Our Eyes. Illus. by Jeffery Dunn. Boston: Little Brown, 1992. (Ages 4-7.)
A special collection of poems and photographs describing the experiences of children growing up in the 1990's. Poems dealing with identity formation, peer pressure, sibling interaction, biracial children, abandonment, and the latch-key child are explored. Some poets featured are Myra Cohn Livingston, Lee Bennet Hopkins, Langston Hughes, and Ruth Krauss. Children of many different heritages are represented in the photographs.

HORT, LENNY. How Many Stars in the Sky? Illus. by James E. Ransome. NY: Tambourine, 1991. (Ages 5-8.)
An African American boy and his father share a magical night together. They each find it difficult to sleep because the mother is away on a business trip. When the boy wants to count the number of stars in the sky, his father takes him on a drive to where they can see the stars and count them. They both acknowledge that the mother would know about the number of stars. Stereotypes are blasted, but above all a sense of a loving family is strongly conveyed.

HOWARD, ELIZABETH FITZGERALD. Aunt Flossie's Hats (and Crab Cakes Later.) Illus. by James Ransome. NY: Clarion, 1991. (Ages 5-8.)
Aunt Flossie has a tale for each one of her hats, which come in all shapes, colors, and styles. They represent special memories in Aunt Flossie's life such as a great fire experienced in her childhood, the day the soldiers came home from WWI, and a walk in the park with her nieces. The characters are African American and demonstrate the joy of intergenerational love and sharing. Beautifully illustrated with oil paints on canvas, the economically comfortable family as well as the Baltimore of the mid-twentieth century vividly emerge. See also the same author's The Train To Lulu's. Illus. by Robert Casilla. 1988.

HUGHES, SHIRLEY. Wheels. Illus. by Shirley Hughes. NY: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1991. (Ages 8-10.)
Carlos wants a new bike. His mom, however, cannot afford an expensive bike with her salary at the bakery. Carlos tries to hide his disappointment on his birthday when he does not receive a bike. Everything brightens though when Carlos's older brother gives him a surprise gift of a go-cart which he constructed himself. This is a story of love and cooperation in families. Children of many ethnicities are represented in the illustrations.

JOHNSON, ANGELA. Tell Me A Story, Mama. Illus. by David Soman. NY: Orchard, 1989. (Ages 5-8.)
A simple and genuine account demonstrating how loving is the act of engaging in story. The child knows very well what stories she wants, and her clever and nurturing mother permits the child to contribute most of the details of the story, while at the same time maintaining the interaction with her own well-placed comments. The illustrations of the African American family add to the value of the book.

JOHNSON, ANGELA. When I Am Old With You. Illus. by David Soman. NY: Orchard 1990. (Ages 5-8.)
In a rapturous daydream, a young boy imagines himself old alongside his beloved grandfather, with both of them enjoying activities that they already engage in, or could easily do. It is an exercise in the art of the possible. The partnership of this author and illustrator is a felicitous one. The characters are depicted as African American.

JOOSE, BARBARA M. Mama, Do You Love Me? Illus. by Barbara Lavallee. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle, 1991. (Ages 2-6.)
An imaginative child challenges her mother's ability to demonstrate unconditional love, and the mother succeeds admirably in doing so. Even when her daughter's fantasy turns the child into a ferocious bear, the mother is able to see the child within the bear. The Alaskan setting and the vocabulary of the Inuit people heightens the effect of the book. The stylized, expressive illustrations convey an authentic picture of an Alaskan village.

LEWIS, RICHARD. In the Night, Still Dark. Illus. by Ed Young. NY: Atheneum, 1988. (Ages 9-12.)
This poetic, secular version of a Hawaiian Creation myth is a shortened variation of The Kumulino from Maria Leach's In the Beginning: Creation Myths Around the World. It is a wonderful conceptual look at evolution through paintings, beginning from the deep of the night into the light of the new day. As with folk and fairy tales, myths invite multicultural comparisons.

LOH, MORAG. Tucking Mommy In. Illus. by Donna Rawlins. NY: Orchard, 1987. (Ages 4-7.)
Two little girls tell the bedtime story one night so that their mother can rest. They then lead their sleepy mom to her bed and tuck her in. They are rightfully proud of their behavior, and their father affirms his appreciation when he comes home from work. The illustrations depict a family of color, perhaps Asian, underscoring the fact that not only White, middle class families are loving and considerate of each other.

LOUIE, AI-LING. Yeh Shen: A Chinese Cinderella. Illus. by Ed Young. NY: Philomel, 1982. (Ages 7-10.)
This first-known Cinderella variant comes complete with a wicked stepmother and one nasty stepsister. The magical intervener is a fish, and then an old man. The outcome is the same: Yeh Shen marries the prince. The values expressed here are those of loyalty, inventiveness, and assertiveness. The illustrations make the book magical. The stereotype of European beauty is dispelled.

MITCHELL, ADRIAN. (ed.) Strawberry Drums. Illus. by Frances Lloyd. NY: Delacorte, 1989. (Ages 9-up.)
The poems were selected because, "they are bright and sweet like strawberries. And all of them have a beat-like drums." The variety includes poems of the West Indies, Native Americans, English, and America's midwest. A section is included encouraging children to write their own poetry, and giving them some hints for doing so. The poems are light and free of conflict.

MOHR, NICHOLASA. Going Home. NY: Bantam, 1989. (Ages 10-12.)
There is a misconception that prejudice against groups only happens in the United States. Felita, a twelve-year-old girl of Puerto Rican heritage living in New York City, experiences hostility when she visits Puerto Rico one summer. Confused about why she is not welcomed, she longs to go home to her family and friends. Through perseverance, she finally makes friends and brings home with her a different perspective of her native land as well as a better sense of her own identity.

NYE, NAOMI SHIHAB (editor). This Same Sky: A Collection of Poems from Around the World. NY: Macmillan, 1992. (Ages 12-up.)
161 poems by poets from around the world demonstrating universal emotions. The map, indexes, and notes on the poets provide information for further exploration. The variety of poetic style adds to the value of the book.

OCHS, CAROL PATRIDGE. When I'm Alone. Illus. by Vicki Jo Redenbaugh. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda, 1993. (Ages 4-6.)
A high-spirited African American girl explains in verse, incidentally counting from ten to one, how numerous animals (aardvarks, lions, turtles, camels, and hippos among them) have created the horrible mess in her room. Here is an example of the depiction of a child who, in less multicultural times, would have been a Caucasian boy. It is good to have this sort of balancing, entertaining literature.

ROSEN, MICHAEL. South and North, East and West: The Oxfam Book of Children's Stories. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick, 1992. (Ages 8-10.)
A distinguished collection of stories from around the world illustrated by many famous artists. Many of the stories are traditional folktales. Some of the countries represented are Korea, Cyprus, the Dominican Republic, and Bangladesh.

SAN SOUCI, ROBERT D. Short and Shivery. Illus. by Katherine Coville. NY: Doubleday, 1987. (Ages 9-12.)
Terrifying tales from Native American, Russian, Appalachian, British, French Canadian, Orkney Islands, Jewish, Japanese, German, Costa Rican, Norse, African, New England, California, New Mexico, and Shetland Islands sources.

SCHWARTZ, ALVIN. And the Green Grass Grew All Around: Folk Poetry from Everyone. Illus. by Sue Truesdell. NY: Harper Collins, 1992. (Ages 5-up.)
More than 250 poems and chants transmitted via the oral tradition through the ages and across many culture. The commentary interspersed with the rhymes adds to readers' appreciation.

SINGER, MARILYN. Nine O'Clock Lullaby. Illus. by Frane Lessac. NY: Harper Collins, 1991. (Ages 4-8.)
Brightly colored pictures alive with movement illustrate various cultures and geographic locations around the world at a given moment in time: 9 P.M. in Brooklyn, NY; 10 P.M. in Puerto Rico; 2 A.M. in someone's pantry somewhere in England; 3 A.M. in Zaire and Switzerland, and so on, until we are back in Brooklyn at 9 P.M. Although Brooklyn, Sydney, Nome, and Los Angeles are the only cities mentioned, it is to the author's credit that she does not simply name the continents. The illustrations capture a flavor of each location.

SOTO, GARY. Baseball in April. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1990. (Ages 12-up.)
A collection of 11 realistic short stories featuring young Latinos in California. The themes are growing up, determination, honesty, education, and hard work. The stories are well written and contain humor. Except for the characters' names and the occasional insertion of Spanish into the dialogue, the characters could be from any culture.

STEPTOE, JOHN. Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters. Illus. by the author. NY: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1987. (ages 8-10.)
An African Cinderella variant. Two sisters, both beautiful, one selfish and mean-spirited, the other kind and loving, vie for the hand of the King. The illustrations are glorious. The lesson learned is that kindness and cooperation pay off. Incidentally, the message is communicated that the beauty of these two women is palpable and is not European in standard.

STOLZ, MARY. Storm in the Night. Illus. by Pat Cummings. NY: Harper & Row, 1988. (Ages 5-8.)
Thomas and his grandfather weather a fierce storm by watching it from their front porch and telling stories. The grandfather helps Thomas acknowledge his feelings when he tells of the time when he was a boy and was afraid of a storm. The characters are African American. The situation and feelings are universal. Further adventures of the loving pair may be found in Go Fish (1991).

WADE, BARRIE. Little Monster. Illus. by Katinka Kew. NY: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1990. (Ages 4-7.)
Mandy grows tired of hearing her mother tell everyone how perfect Mandy is. She envies her little brother's mischievous exploits. For a full day Mandy becomes a little monster and thoroughly enjoys infuriating her parents. At the end of that day this African American close-knit family are all able to laugh about it and her parents assure Mandy that they love her no matter what.

WILLIAMS, VERA. A Chair for My Mother. Illus. by the author. NY: Morrow, 1982. (Ages 5-8.)
Also see Something Special for Me (1983) and Music, Music for Everyone (1984). This working class family consists of a child, her mother, and her grandmother. In each of these three books, although they are struggling economically, they manage to find some selfless but realistic way of making each other happy.

WILLIAMS, VERA B. "More More More," Said the Baby. Illus. by the author. NY: Greenwillow, 1990. (Ages 4-6.)
A love-filled, rollicking set of three episodes in the lives of three different families from varied heritages, all consisting of making babies gurgle with delight and beg for more of the same.

WILSON, BETH P. Jenny. Illus. by Dolores Johnson. NY: Macmillan, 1990. (Ages 5-8.)
Jenny is reminiscent of the young narrator in Eloise Greenfield's Honey, I Love. She is endearing, honest, in love with herself and the world, and generous in the sharing of her feelings about her parents' divorce, her relationships with her teacher, friends, and family members, her fears and her pleasures. The flavor of her loving African American family communicates well through the format of brief poetic messages.

YOLEN, JANE (editor). Favorite Folktales from around the World. NY: Pantheon, 1986. (Ages 10-up.)
More than forty cultures are represented in this excellent volume of 160 tales categorized in such interested batches as "Tricksters, Rogues and Cheats"; "Heroes: Likely and Unlikely"; "Shape Shifters"; "Death and the World's End" and nine other sections of equally intriguing topics.

YOLEN, JANE. The Lullaby Songbook. Illus. by Charles Mikolaycak. Music arr. by Adam Stemple. San Diego: HBJ, 1986. (Ages 7-12.)
A collection of lullabies from many cultures, attesting to the fact that the universal ingredients of repetition, nonsense, and rhythmic melodies exist in lullabies around the world.

REFERENCES AND SELECTED RESOURCES

BISHOP, RUDINE SIMS. "Books from Parallel Cultures: New African-American Voices" in The Horn Book, vol. [xviii, no 5, September/October, 1992. pp. 616-620.

HARRIS, VIOLET. (ed.) Teaching Multicultural Literature in Grades K-8. Norwood, MA: Christopher Gordon, 1992.

LINDGREN, MERRI V. ED. The Multicolored Mirror: Cultural Substance in Literature for Children and Young Adults. Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin: Highsmith Press, 1991.

MANNA, ANTHONY L. AND CAROLYN S. BRODIE, EDS. Many Faces, Many Voices: Multicultural Literary Experiences for Youth. Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin: Highsmith Press, 1992.

MILLER-LACHMANN, LYNN. Our Family, Our Friends, Our World. New Providence, NJ: R.R. Bowker, 1992.

RUDMAN, MASHA KABAKOW. Children's Literature: An issues Approach. 3rd edition. NY: Longman, 1993.

RUDMAN, MASHA KABAKOW. Children's Literature: Resource for the Classroom. (2nd edition) Boston: Christopher Gordon, 1993.

SIMS, RUDINE. Shadow and Substance: Afro-American Experience in Contemporary Children's Fiction. NCTE, 1982.

SLAPIN, BEVERLY and SEALE, DORIS. Through Indian Eyes: The Native Experience in Books for Children. Philadelphia: New Society, 1992.

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