Group 2's List of Books

*Here's the list of books that I volunteered to post from our groups book reviews!*

Same Sex Parents
1. "And Tango Makes Three" by: Justin Richardson & Peter Parnell
2. "One Dad, Two Dads, Brown Dad, Blue Dads" by: Johnny Valentine
3. "Heather Has Two Mommies" by: Leslea Newman
Adoption
1. "The Secret of Me" by: Meg Kearney
2. "The Red Thread: An Adoption Fairy Tale" by: Grace Lin
3. "The White Swan Express" by: Jean Davies Okimoto & Elaine M. Aoki
4. "I Love You like Crazy Cakes" by: Rose A. Lewis
Deafness
1. "I'm Deaf and It's Okay" by: Lorraine Aseltine, Evelyn Mueller & Nancy Tait
2. "Mandy" by: Barbara D. Booth
3. "Deaf Child Crossing" by: Marlee Matlin
4. "Kami and the Yaks" by: Andrea Stenn Stryer
5. "Moses Goes to the Circus" by: Isaac Millman
6. "Feathers" by: Jacqueline Woodson
Main Character who is Gay
1. "Absolutely, Positively NOT Gay... by: David Larochelle
2. "Out of Pocket" by: Bill Konigsberg
Autism
1. "Ian's Walk: A Story About Autism" by Laurie Lears
2. "Since We're Friends: An Autism Picture Book by Celeste Shally
3. "Different Like Me: My Book of Autism Heroes" by Jennifer Elder
Native American/American Indian
1. "Rain is not my Indian Name" by Cynthia Leitich Smith & Lori Earley
2. "The Absolutely, Part-time Truth of a Part-time Indian" by Sherman Alexie
3. "The Lesser Blessed" by Richard Van Camp
African American
1. "The Watson's Go To Birmingham- 1963" by Christopher Paul Curtis
2. "Come Sunday" by Nikki Grimes
3. "Standing Against the Wind" by Traci L. Jones
Characters with Disabilities
1. "Reaching for the Sun" by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer
2. "Rules" by Cynthia Lord
Transgender
1. "Luna" by Julie Anne Peters
2. "Grl2Grl" by Julie Anne Peters
3. "Parrotfish" by Ellen Wittlinger
Health Issues
1. "Kathy's Hats: A Story of Hope" by Trudy Krisher
2. "Sometimes My Mommy Gets Angry" by Bebe Moore Campbell
3. "The Peanut-Free Cafe" by Gloria Koster
4. "Thank You Mr. Falker" by Patricia Pollacco
Holocaust Picture Books
1. "The Harmonica" by Tony Johnston & Ron Mazellan
2. "Anne Frank" by Josephine Poole
3. "The Cats in Krisinski Square" by Karen Hesse
Parents with Cancer
1. "Sandie's Mommy Has Cancer" by Sherry Kohlenberg & Lauri Crow
2. "Where's Mom's Hair?" by Debbie Watters, Haydn Watters, Emmett Watters & Sophie Hogan
3. "Dear Mom, I'm Sorry you Had to get Breast Cancer" (couldn't find the autor/s)
Native Americans/America Indians
1. "The Girl who loved Wild Horses" by Paul Goble
2. "Crossing Bok Chitto" by Tim Tingle
3. "The Sign of the Beaver" by Elizabeth George Speare

Final Project: Adoption Literature

Throughout the semester we have been studying all different types of “multicultural” or “diverse” literature but we have not been able to cover the entire spectrum. So when I was thinking about what to do for this project, the topic of Adoption popped into my head. When I was in the 5^th grade my family adopted my little sister Lexey. Thinking about the struggles and the feelings she has had growing up made me wonder if reading adoption literature would have helped her better find her identity. When I went to the library in search of these books I realized that there really was not a lot for me to choose from which surprised me because the composition of the “American” family is changing so much, I would expect the literature to reflect that. After searching and researching I found three books that I thought were great pieces of literature on Adoption. All three of the books tell a different story of adoption while portraying the sense of love a family feels once it has all its pieces. The majority of the adoption literature I found was based on international adoption which is one of the many reasons why I chose the third book, The Secret of Me. This book is about adoption within the United States and it is intended for an older audience. Although the three books I chose are inherently different they all still have the same reoccurring themes and values written into them. In the article “We Are Family: Using Diverse Family Structure Literature with Children” Deanna Gilmore makes it apparent that no matter what the situation, children must be able to see themselves in literature in order better find their identity and to feel “normal” and important. (Gilmore 281).

Book 1

Book Review #1: “The White Swan Express”
The White Swan Express, by Jean Davies Okimoto and Elaine M. Aoki and Illustrated by Meilo So, is a story about Adoption. We meet four different families who are all beginning a journey to Guangzhou, China looking to adopt their baby girls. All four of the families are very different in composition. The first family we meet is Beth and Lewis Maynard from Miami, a very traditional man and woman couple. Next we have Andrea Lee and Charlotte Appleford, a lesbian couple from Vashon Island. Then from Minnetonka, Minnesota is Rebecca Mandel, a single woman ready to start a family. Finally we have Howard and Jessica Suzuki, an Asian couple from Toronto. The book chronicles their journey from North America to China where the four families meet and become fast friends along the way bonding over the experience of adopting a child. These four little girls, Wu Li, Li Shen, Qian Ye, and Chun Mei Ni are welcomed with an enormous amount of love into these families and brought to their new homes in North America by their new parent/s. Because of the special journey these families share they remain in touch over the years, celebrating holiday both Chinese and American. This book is an exemplary piece of Adoption literature. All of the characters are very realistic and yet, are so unique. The author makes sure to cover the gamete when creating the main characters, including a lesbian couple, a single mother, a traditional man and woman couple and an Asian couple. When reading this story you can feel the love come through their adoption journey.

Book 2

Book Review #2: “The Red Thread”

The Red Thread, by Grace Lin is an adoption fairy tale. The story starts with a young girl asking her parents to read to her the story “The Red Thread” and her parents are hesitant because they say “Oh, you’ve heard it a hundred times.” The tale starts with a king and a queen who ruled over a kingdom; however, felt as though something was missing from their lives. The King and Queen both became ill with a pain in their hearts that grew worse with each passing day. No one in the kingdom could figure out what was ailing the couple until one day a peddler came and said to them that they had a red thread being pulled from their hearts. Once their eyes were opened to seeing this string they realized that it was in fact being pulled straight from their hearts and nothing could cut through this thread. So the King and Queen set off on a difficult journey to find the other end of the red thread. The string led them to a small village where they found the thread attached to a small bundle inside an old house. Once they looked inside the basket they found a baby pulling on two red strings that were tied to his ankles. This baby belonged to them and they took him back to the kingdom where he became the Prince and their new family lived happily ever after with no more pain in their hearts. The last page of the book is the young girl sitting on her parents’ lap, all with crowns on their heads, reading the adoption fairy tale. Even though, this book is written by an “outsider” Grace Lin, who states that she “was inspired to write The Red Thread after experiencing many warm and wonderful interactions with families with children who are adopted” it is extraordinary because it truly captures the emotion that comes from completing your family through adoption.

Book 3

Book Review #3: “The Secret of Me”
The Secret of Me, written by Meg Kearney, is a novel in verse. The story chronicles a 14 year old girl named Lizzie who was adopted as an infant into family with a brother and a sister who are also adopted. Although Lizzie has a great family and a great group of friends she feels compelled to search for her biological mother. Through Lizzie’s poems we are taken on the roller coaster of emotions that she feels while trying to find her identity. Lizzie’s parents do not understand why Lizzie feels so compelled to search for her mother; they feel as though they are not good enough. Lizzie often feels as though she is broken or a “mistake before she was born,” she deals with it through writing poetry, they poetry that the reader enjoys. The author, Meg Kearney, is an “insider” on the issue and this book is based on her own adoption story. This is a great piece of adoption literature because it really gives the reader a sense of what a child feels once s/he is adopted. The Secret of Me gives a true realistic stance on adoption, one that balances all the typical joy with the turmoil one might feel from being adopted.

Book 4

Book Review #4: “I love you Like Crazy Cakes”
I Love you Like Crazy Cakes, written by Rose Lewis and illustrated by Jane Dyer, is an international adoption story. The story begins with the main character, a single woman who felt as though she was missing something in her life and that something turns out to be a baby. She writes a letter to China inquiring about adopting a baby and months later she receives a picture of the baby girl she is going to adopt. She then, flies to China and brings her baby girls back to the United States. The mother cannot believe how much love she feels for this little girl and how complete she feels once she has her daughter in her life. They fall in love with each other and every night before bed the mother tells her daughter “I love you like crazy cakes!” This story is a great representation of what a parent feels when adopting a child. The love that is written into this story is remarkable and will touch the hearts of all its readers. The author, Rose Lewis, is actually the main character in the book and this is her story of when she adopted her little girl Alexandra Mae-Ming. Knowing that this is a true tale of adoption makes the story that much more powerful.

Scholarly Article

I found the scholarly article We Are Family: Using Diverse Structure Literature with Children, written by Deanna Peterschick Gilmore and Kari Bell, using the E-Resource, Wilson Select Plus through the Michigan State University Library. This article discusses the importance of diverse literature in the lives of children from all family types. The authors state that, “children who live in homes with alternate family patterns need to see their lives depicted in the books they read.” (Gilmore 280). The article makes note that the composition of the “American Family” has changed over the years and it is important that the literature change with it. Gilmore states that “although the traditional father, mother, child structure still dominates, other family patterns are emerging.” (Gilmore 279). It is very important that parents and teachers read and make available all sorts of different literature in order to show that every family is neither the same nor perfect but happiness is possible. Children who are adopted need to hear other adoption stories in order to feel comfortable in their own skin and to realize that they aren’t a mistake or feel singled out. Gilmore states that by reading “thoughtful, well-written [stories of adoption], it helps parents, teachers, and children with both the concept and the language of adoption.” (Gilmore 287). America’s families are changing and it is important that the literature change also to reflect these new family dynamics. In conclusion, Bell and Gilmore give great suggestions for books to read to children who have experienced adoption and they state that “when children witness themselves in literature, their confidence increases as well as their motivation.” (Gilmore 281).

My sister read "Project Mulberry"!

I asked my 14 year old sister Lexey to read "Project Mulberry" for me because our class was discussing if the conversations between the author and main character between each chapter was distracting for a younger reader. I wondered if it would take away from the greater message in the text or if a younger reader would really enjoy the conversations. So my sister read it for me and I asked her a few questions about the style and if she did or did not like the conversations. Lexey said that "It was weird how she wrote it. It took me a minute to realize that she was talking to the main character. The author said that you didn't have to read them, but I did and I really like it." She said "I have never read a book before where the main character gets to help the author write the book and I thought that was pretty cool."
So overall, my sister enjoyed the book as a whole and didn't seem too phased by having those conversations in between each chapter.
Thanks Lex! You proved me wrong!

Reading Out Loud

There has been an ongoing discussion in our class about reading texts out loud to your students and whether or not you should try and portray the character or not. Well, I was in my 5th grade field placement last Friday and they have been reading the book "Hotel for Dogs" and my Coordinating Teacher asked me if I would read a chapter out loud to them while she got some other stuff done. I said sure but as I got reading I was almost paralyzed because I was so overly conscious of the characters and whether or not I was portraying them right. The Aunt in the story is from New Jersey so as soon as I found this out I got stuck on this "new jersey accent" and could not stop doing it. I asked my CT afterward if I sounded funny and she said "No, but you do a very good New Jersey accent!" I couldn't help but laugh because it is so funny how this class has affected almost every aspect of what I do and what I see now!!

Comment in Class

After class last Wednesday I couldn't keep myself from being hyper-aware of everything everyone was saying around me.
I was sitting in English class on Thursday and there was this girl talking on the phone before class started. I wasn't really listening to her but she was talking so loud it was hard to not pay attention. All of a sudden she yelled out "She's a dike??" and I almost fell out of my seat. All I could think of was how offensive she could be right now to someone else in the class.
People should think before they speak, especially if they are in a public place and could easily offend someone!

While I was in Schuler's

I was in Schuler's Books Store yesterday and I was standing in the magazine section and behind me I overheard this little girl (probably around 6 or 7) ask her dad to take her to the book section because she wanted to look at books. Her dad responds to her "Why do you want to look at books? Books are stupid and I know you won't read them."
I was absolutely appalled and it took everything I had to contain myself and not lash out at him. I still cannot believe that any parent would deter their child away from reading a book! I just cannot believe it. This little girl is at the most impressionable time in her life and by her dad having such a negative attitude about books is horrifying because it is going to shape her view of reading and literature for the rest of her life.
Wow...

Response to Today's Reading

For class today we had to read an article titled "Common Assumptions about Childhood." I found this article fascinating because while reading through the listed assumptions about children I couldn't believe how many of those I have heard before. It's amazing how many misconceptions people have, even in the education department, regarding children and what they are capable of. On pages 8 and 9 of the article the author lists out common assumptions people make regarding children and literature. I found most of these assumption appalling because as soon as people start making these assumptions children suffer the consequences. For example, the one assumption I found most disturbing was "Although all children are childlike, boys are different from girls. Children are inherently gendered- boys are boyish and girls girlish from birth. A child's gender determines his or her activities, interests and tastes." Although it is hard to belief that at this day and age people actually believe things like this it is a common assumption. If children were all inherently gendered a specific way then how come every child is uniquely different and desires different things? Why must we box children into these certain stereotypes and force them to conform to our ideologies?

I feel as though in our TE class we are combating common stereotypes and generalizations like this one. As soon as a person starts making generalizations about another person it sort of limits that persons ability to move beyond the assumptions. As a future educator, I never want to limit my students and/or place them in categories where they do not belong. I desire for my children and my students to achieve to their fullest potential and by not making assumptions and generalizations about their abilities, interests or personality then I will be allowing them to achieve greatness.

Class Connection

I am currently taking English 379: American Women Writers and I am often finding myself being able to make connections between this English class and TE 448. I just finished reading "Desert Blood: The Juarez Murders" by Alicia Gaspar De Alba and I not only was it a great book, I was able to make so many connections between it and what we have discussed in TE 448.
This book takes place in El Paso, Texas and La Cuidad Juarez, Mexico. Throughout the entire text the author used Spanish phrases and words to convey messages and feelings. When we discussed in class what we thought of this technique I was pretty much okay with it because I know a little Spanish from taking four years of it in high school. However, I realize I was only basing my judgment off of Spanish used in adolescent literature like "Esperanza Rising" and "Becoming Naomi Leon." After reading "Desert Blood" which is at my reading level, I know have a more concrete opinion of the use of Spanish in a text.
I often found myself tripping over the words and trying really hard to figure out what the author was trying to say because often times she didn't give an English translation. I really got to feel the confusion that might overwhelm children when reading books that have a different language in them. After finishing the text, I find that the Spanish was affective because the author consistently used it the same throughout the novel. Our course pack article stated that as long as the Spanish was used consistently in the same manner then it was considered appropriate and affective. The author of "Desert Blood" also used Spanish to name all the food in the novel which I found very appropriate because like I read in the course pack, there often times isn't an English translation for that word.
Overall, after experiencing the use of Spanish in a novel that I was reading, I have to say that as long as the Spanish is used effectively and consistently and doesn't provide for too much confusion, I can appreciate the bilingualism.

Quick note

I just had to blog about this because ever since we started discussing the whole insider vs. outsider debate my ears have become attuned to listening for it!
Yesterday in my English class we watched a documentary on Asian American Female Poets titled "Between the Lines." Towards the end of the film I heard one of the poets state:

"If I don't tell my story someone from the outside will and it will be full of prejudices."

I couldn't believe I heard her say this because it only fuels the debate on whether or not someone from the outside of a certain culture can accurately write quality literature on it.

The Insider vs. Outsider Debate Continues...

Last week during class, we studied the book "Bronx Masquerade" by Nikki Grimes. After reading this novel it changed what I had previously thought about the whole insider versus outsider debate. I was leaning towards thinking that only "insiders" could effectively write a story about their culture; however, Nikki Grimes does the opposite. In "Bronx Masquerade" she chronicles the story of 18 different high schoolers who all have different backgrounds and cultures. This was amazing because while reading the novel I never once thought about the author's voice because she was so affective in her portrayal of all the characters. All 18 characters and their back stories were so believable that I never once thought about whether Nikki Grimes was an insider or an outsider to these cultures.
Grimes did such a great job of making me continue my thinking on whether or not people from outside a certain culture can effectively write on that culture; based on Nikki Grimes' writing, it can be done.

Quick Note on Blogging

So far, I find that blogging is a little more tedious than I thought it was going to be. The only reason i feel this way is because I have other blogs for other classes. Once I get in the hang of it though, I feel like I will benefit from it. I do like being able to read our class blog and my classmates blog in order to find out where everyone stands on issues that we are discussing in class. Overall, I think this blog will become a greater source of learning for me throughout the course of the semester and I look forward to it!

Insider vs. Outsider

In the last few weeks I have read many articles about the voice an author has when writing a text. There is a huge controversy surrounding the question "Who should be able to write about who?" After reading two novels "Heart of a Chief" and "Habibi" I have realized that multicultural literature can be so important in the education a child receives. As a teacher, I know it is important to include quality diverse literature within my classroom; however, it is a difficult task assessing what constitutes as good quality. I never thought, before reading a few articles, about who should be able to write on certain topics or on certain groups of people (cultures/races). I have learned that there is lots to be said about the debate over insider versus outsider and I am not 100% sure where I stand on this; however, I know that through the course of the semester I am going to work on furthering my understanding of this topic.

To start, when reading the novel "Heart of a Chief" by Joseph Bruchac I never once questioned the author's background nor did I desired to know his perspective. The story, I felt, was a good representation of the Native Americans (or American Indians... a whole other controversial question). During a group discussion on the quality of this text, I came to the conclusion that I would include it in my classroom because I feel it is of excellent quality. Being unaware of what life was/is like for American Indians, as a reader I found this book very informative. After reading a few articles on what constitutes as quality literature I have decided that because of the honest depictions of life on a reservation and the portrayal of issues surrounding the Native Americans, this book will stay in my collection.

Another book that I recently read was "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye. This book was about an Arab-American family adjusting to a new culture and a new way of life after picking up and moving from St. Louis to Israel. As the reader, being completely uninformed about the Arab-American culture, I found this book to be completely engrossing. While reading the text though, I often found myself questioning how authentic this experience the main characters where having was. I wondered if it was practical enough for the reader to believe and learn from. After having a group discussion and watching a lecture about the depiction of Jewish people, I realized that when including a text in your collection such as this one, you have to be willing to follow it up with another text or a class discussion. Some argue that within "Habibi" the portrayal of Jewish people is inaccurate which is why I think you would have to have a companion text to teach along with this one in order to combat certain stereotypes or generalizations.

Overall, I am still unsure of where I stand as a reader and as an educator on the whole insider versus outsider debate. Is it possible for whites to write about blacks or vice verse? According to Rudine Sims Bishop "you have to know a culture intimately if you're going to reflect it accurately in your fiction."("A Reply to Shannon the Canon" pg.6). Agreeing with Bishop, as of now I believe that in order to produce quality diverse literature you have to have first hand experience with that culture or group of people. I am looking forward to further exploring the notion of insider versus outsider throughout the semester.

Just getting started

What a way to start out the semester; blogging. I am not a very tech-savvy person and often get nervous when I have to rely on technology for assignments. I have never published a blog before however, this semseter I have created two of them! This blog is for my Adolescent Literature class and I will be using it to record/document my thoughts, feelings and reactions to different diverse and mulitcultural literature we read througout the course of the semester. To be honest, the more I use this blog and the more I experiment with it, the more comfortable I feel about it. I am looking forward to using this as a professional blog that I will hopefully maintain far beyond my literature class.
A little bit about myself; I am a senior completing my last semester at Michigan State University majoring in Elementary Education and Language Arts. I am looking forward to completing my college education and beginning my career as an educator where I hope to teach 3rd or 4th grade. After teaching for a few years my goal is to enroll in graduate school where I will get my master's degree in Counseling. I hope to one day use my experience in education and counseling to become an Elementary School Counselor.

Here's an autobiographical poem that I wrote for an assignment in TE 448:
Who am I by Mandy Macks

I am from a place that transcends a location
That you won't find on a map, but directs my life.
I have from a place where I never walk alone
And have all that I need.

I am from a place surrounded by water
That I know like the back of my hand.
I am from the north where life is simple
Where the stresses of the city fade away.

I am from a beautiful waterside park
A local in a tourist town.
I am from the lighthouse by the beach
Where photographers gather for inspiration.

I am from a small town so sweet
Whose staples are fudge, ice cream, and caramel corn.
I am from a two light town
Where corssing the bridge is a daily occurence.

I am from a family so loving
I can't stay away for too long.
I am from wide open spaces,
But still surrounded by family.

It is hard to say exaclty where I am from
I have direction, but no map.
I am never alone
And I have all that I need.

Until next time...