Multicultural Perspectives

Too Many Tamales
by Gary Soto
Grade K-3

Maria is excited to be able to help her mother make the tamales for Christmas dinner.  She is acting like a grown up wearing her mother's apron and cooking.  When she sees her mothers ring on the counter she just has to try it on.  Forgetting that she is wearing it she continues to make the tamales and loses the ring in the bowl.  With the help of her cousins, Maria rushes to find her mother's ring before it's too late. 

Baseball Saved Us

by Ken Mochizuki
Grade K-5

This story takes place during World War II and tells of a boy and his father who create a baseball leage in an internment camp.  The boy that has always been small and not very good at baseball.  His frustration with being held in the camp helps him to score the winning run. 




Mrs. Katz and Tush
by Patricia Polacco
Grade K-3

Mrs. Katz is all alone since her husband died.  Larnel's mother comes to visit her and Larnel decides to bring her a kitten.  Mrs. Katz asks Larnel to help her take care of the kitten that she names Tush.  The two become very close as Mrs. Katz shares her culture with Larnel.

The Patchwork Quilt
by Valerie Flournoy
Grade K-3

Tanya watches her grandma cutting strips for a quilt and wants to help.  Grandma tells her how it will take a year to make the quilt.  This is too long for Tanya.  When her grandmother becomes ill Tanya and her mother continue to make the quilt and include all of thier wonderful family memories. 




Hoang Breaks the Lucky Teapot
by Rosemary K. Breckler
Grade K-3

Hoang is playing ball in his new house in America.  When his imagination creates a dragon, Hoang throws the ball at it and breaks the families lucy teapot.  With the lucky teapot broken his family fears that bad luck will descend on the house. Hoang tries everything to restore the good luck to his family.

Abuela
by Arthur Dorros
Grade K-2


A little girl tells of her imaginative advenures with her grandmother.  The story tells of the places they go and how her grandmother speaks only in Spanish.  The little girl tells the English words that her grandmother speaks in Spanish as they have fun together.



Yo! Yes?
by Chris Raschka
Grade K-3

This story show the begining of a friendship between two boys.  The book says a lot with a little.  Even though the story only contains only 34 words the pictures and word choices tell how two very different boys become friends.

The Rough-Face Girl
by Rafe Martin
Grade K-5

In this Cinderella like tale, a native American girl is treated badly by her sisters.  She has become the Rough-Face girl because her skin is scarred from fire.  Every girl in the village wants to marry the great invisible being.  When they all fail to pass the test to marry him the Rough-Face girl decides that she will be the one to succeed.