Creating a Framework for Reading, Discussing, and Extending Culturally Authentic Children's Books
During our readings this week, we dove into two amazing texts that focused on creating an inclusive classroom. One text being a bilingual picture book, Dear Primo: A Letter to my Cousin, written and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh. Another text being a short children's novel, Stella Diaz Never Gives Up, written and illustrated by Angela Dominguez. Both books tell a story about Spanish culture and are excellent examples of culturally authentic children's books!
Stella Diaz Never Gives Up
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Written and Illustrated by:
Angela Dominguez
Dear Primo: A Letter to my Cousin
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Written and Illustrated by:
Duncan Tonatiuh
What are these texts about?
Stella Diaz Never Gives Up is a wonderful children's novel about a young female wanting to learn more about and save the oceans. The main character, Stella, loves marine animals and can't wait to do everything she can to help save them and see the beautiful oceans. When her mother surprises her with a trip to Mexico to see her family, they take a trip to the Pacific ocean. Stella is amazed with how much she immediately fell more in love with the ocean and marine life. Her and her brother even came across a sea turtles nest and Stella made sure they were going to be kept safe even after they left. When Stella and her family return home to America, she is given the amazing opportunity to attend a Summer camp where she can learn more about how to help marine animals and save the polluted ocean waters. Stella goes through different obstacles this Summer. Missing her friends, nervous to make new friends, and worrying about her brother and how he makes fun of her all of a sudden. However, once she attends the camp, she finds new friends with the same interests as her when it comes to loving and caring for marine animals and saving the oceans. Stella learns a great deal about how she and her friends and family can help keep the oceans and animals safe. She even becomes apart of a club her and her new friends made in camp and they do everything in their power to help others become aware of what they can do to make their world a better place to live for all animals. Similar to We Are Water Protectors, Stella even made a pledge!
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"It's important for everyone to play a part in taking care of the earth. After all, we only have on planet."
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Pg. 30 "Stella Diaz Never Gives Up"
Dear Primo: A Letter to my Cousin is an amazing young children's book that I will definitely have in my classroom library. This book is about two cousins who live in different countries and write to each other about anything and everything! One cousin lives in America while another cousin lives in Mexico. I love this book because the Duncan Tonatiuh did such an amazing job at illustrating within the text and the layout is perfect for young readers. Every page is a new letter about how their lives are and what they do in a day. Young readers will love this because they are able to see the differences in the two lives side by side.
Get to know the author's/illustrators!
Angela Dominguez was born in Mexico City and grew up in Texas. She is the author and illustrator of numerous children's books and a two-time recipient of Pura Belpré Illustration Honor. Her short novel, Stella Díaz Has Something To Say, was a New York Public Library and a Chicago Public Library pick for Best Books for Kids in 2018, Sid Fleischman Award winner, and an ALA Notable.
Duncan Tonatiuh is both Mexican and American who grew up in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. According to his blog, his artwork is inspired by Pre-Columbian art, particularly that of the Mixtec codex. His aim is to create images and stories that honor the past, but that are relevant to people, especially children. He has received numerous awards such as, the Pura Belpré Medal, the Sibert Medal, the Tomás Rivera Mexican-American Children's Book Award, the Américas Award, the Jane Addams Children's Book Award and the New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book Award.
More About These Texts!
When looking at these texts, Stella Diaz Never Gives Up, Dear Primo: A Letter to my Cousin, and also the text we dove into last week, We Are Water Protectors, they all three do an amazing job at showing students how they can make a difference in their environment. All of these texts involve young readers fighting for what they care about and eager to learn more about their culture and others. Something I noticed while reading these texts is the amount of cultural authenticity I saw. I love how the authors incorporated both the Spanish and English Languages within the texts. I believe this will draw in Spanish speaking students because it gives them the opportunity to talk about their language and culture and really SHINE.
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Something I thought about while reading Stella Diaz, was that students can have pen pals! Stella had a pen pale throughout her Summer and would write to her friend about everything that was happening. I think this would be a great idea for students to gain a better understanding of the different cultures!
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Looking at the critical issues within these three texts, all of the characters are fighting for something they deeply care about. As educators we can use this to make a connection with our students and compare and contrast the texts. We can even include similarities we have with these books to really get to know our classmates and peers in more depth and learn how we can be supportive towards one another!
Resources!
Dominguez, A. (2020). Stella Diaz Never Gives Up. New York: Roaring Brook Press.
Laminack, L. L., & Kelly, K. (2019). Reading to make a difference: Using literature to
help students speak freely, think deeply, and take action. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann
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Lindstrom, C., & Goade, M. (2020). We are water protectors. New York: Roaring
Brook Press.
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Tonatiuh, D. (2010) Dear Primo: a letter to my cousin. New York: Abrams Books for young readers