Gathering The Sun

A Pura Belprie Award Winning Book!

M is for Mexico.

My grandparents came from Mexico.
My parents returned to Mexico.
My dream is to visit Mexico.

Y tu?

What's your dream?

Follow the lives of these young children as they take you into the heart of Mexican culture. With rich, vibrant pictures and poems in both english and spanish, you'll be able to see just what it's like to belong to a culture rich in tradition, family, language, and love. It's amazing that this book can take something as simple as learning the alphabet, and effortlessly turn it into a stepping stone for so many other things.

Keep the culture of your bilingual students alive in the classroom. Let them share this tale with you, their peers, or simply keep it around as a reminder of something familiar. Believe me, having bilingual books on hand goes a long way in reaching across the gap to meet the needs of students who have a harder time staying afloat.

Ada, A. F. (1994). Gathering the sun: An alphabet in English and Spanish. Trans. Rosa Zubizaretta. New York, NY: Lothrop, Lee, & Shepard Books.

Lon Po Po

A Caldecott Award Winning Book!
Please visit the following website for an accompanying cyber (online) lesson about Lon Po Po. Learn about the author, the country of China, compare Lon Po Po to the real Little Red Riding Hood story and much more!
http://publish.bsu.edu/00smtancock/CyberLessons/LonPoPo/



The shadows of the evening stretch forth across the pastel panorama to make the wolf eerily visible despite the darkness. Stalking across the shadows, he finds a home with three children who are all alone. The children are excited to see their Po Po (or grandmother), and invite him inside. Decieved by the cunning wolf, he promptly blows out the only light in the house. This isn't your typical red riding hood story. There's no adult around to save these three children. No, they must learn to think quick and fend for themselves to protect their lives and their home.

Have your students on the watch for the wolf who lurks in the shadows!

Ed Young (1989). Lon Po Po: A Red Riding Hood Story From China. New York: NY: Philomel Books.

House of Dies Drear

An ALA Notable Book!

History tells us that Dies Drear was an abolitionist, and this huge house of his was a station on the Underground Railroad. Thomas Small knows all about the history of the Underground Railroad. More than he really wanted to know considering his father is a college professor. But what about the legend of Dies Drear himself? They say that the murdered spirit of Dies Drear still haunts the house to this day. Thomas is about to find out there's more than meets the eye when he and his father stumble on a secret that has been jealously protected for more than a hundred years.

Hamilton is a master of language. Her words roll ominously off the tongue, captivating her readers. This book fits collaboratively into any history lesson on slavery and the Civil War. Try these links below to use with your students:

Dies Drear: A Study Guide
file:///Users/joyreid/Desktop/house_of_dies_drear.pdf

Dies Drear: A Resource for Middle School Teachers
http://www.leasttern.com/DiesDrear/diesdrear.htm

An Interview with Virginia Hamilton
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/collateral.jsp?id=1474_type=Contributor_typeId=3195

Hamilton, V. (1968). The House of Dies Drear. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.