Jamierin Walters

TnL 307
Notable Books for a Global Society Project
Introduction:

One of the most important things that literature can do for a reader is to be able to
transport them into a world that is different from theirs and being able to learn from that
experience. These situations that the reader is casted into are ones that they are unable to
experience in their actual life. Through multicultural literature, readers are able to experience
things in someone else’s shoes. Through someone that may be completely different from them.
They are able to learn about hardships, their culture, their traditions, what their hobbies are, and
anything else they can learn from the text. Multicultural literature can “open doors to other
cultures and introduce students to ideas and insights they would otherwise not have encountered”
(Landt, 2006, p. 961). Through this specific type of text, students are able to be more aware of
the people that surrounds them.

Purpose:

The purpose of the assignment is to be able to examine any and all features that helps
create quality multicultural literature according to the criteria set by the Notable Books for a
Global Society. It is important for teachers to be knowledgeable on these criteria and which
books exceed it in order to create meaningful lesson plans that incorporates these books. Or to
even have a classroom library which will provide many opportunities for students to become
more knowledgeable and to become more aware. Multicultural literature provides an opportunity
for students to be able to explore and learn about the different cultures and religions in this
world. This project is a way for us to be able to dip our toes into the Notable Books for a Global
Society and to be able to gain an understanding of this award and the uses it provides. It helps us
gain an understanding but it also helps us to start learning how to appreciate multicultural
literature especially if we are new to it. It then allows us, as future teachers, to be more culturally
sensitive and competent especially when we are teaching in our future, diverse classrooms.

Steps Used in Completing this Assignment:

In order to complete this assignment, I first looked on Blackboard for the Book Awards
folder. From there I looked through all of the lists provided for the books that were chosen for
the Notable Books for Global Society. While I was going through the lists, I had the WSU
library website open also so then I could look up the books that seemed interesting to me. Sadly,
a good number of my first choices were already checked out so it took a while to get the eight for
the project. I also did not look up what format the books had, whether it was a chapter book or a
picture book. Luckily when I picked up the books from the library, it was four chapter books and
four picture books. I read the picture books first before the chapter books because I wanted to get
the easy read out of the way first. I was able to read them like bedtime stories before I go to bed.

My Personal Definition:

Coming from a diverse background, more specifically from a Filipino American

household, I have been exposed to many exposed to many different things that another might
have never experienced. My traditions and my customs may differ from another or we may share
some similarities in our traditions. Just having the knowledge that I have, helped me formulate
my own personal definition of multicultural literature and what I know about it. I know that
multicultural literature pertains to the wide variety of cultures and religious backgrounds. The
literature will be based around the different traditions or customs someone from that culture
practices or it will be based around traditions set by a family that was influenced by their culture.
Through this type of literature, you will be able to learn many different aspects from that culture
that you may never had known. Through this type of literature, you are able to learn about the
history of a country or of the people. You learn of their hardships, their dreams, the reasons why
they practice certain things. You gain an understanding from the literature.

When it comes to my definition it is based around the things that I have mentioned.
Multicultural literature is meant to be diverse and to bring awareness to the people reading it.
When I say that multicultural literature is meant to be diverse, I mean that it is based on the
different cultures, the countries that seem ‘foreign’ to us because we are not from there. We learn
about them and their histories. You learn about their major festivals and any other celebrations
they may have. You also see how a particular culture views themselves rather than how you may
view them. It brings in a new point of view that you would have never been able to experience.
But it is not just diverse because of the cultures, it is also diverse in a religious aspect. These
books are not solely focused on Catholicism or Christianity. You have books that are based
around Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, and many more. You learn about what those religions are
based off of, what they believe in, and which cultures practice which religion. Not only is the
multicultural literature meant to be diverse, but it also meant to spread awareness. It spreads
awareness by focusing on events that are specific to the one culture. It shows the emotions of the
characters because it is based on real life emotions that those people are facing today. The
readers learn about any hardships a group of people may have faced or an entire country.
Through multicultural literature, you learn things that you have never known before until after
reading it. Through multicultural literature, you create culturally competent students or at least
start to shape your students to be culturally competent.

After doing this entire project, I can honestly say that my definition of what multicultural
literature is, for the most part, has not changed at all. The only thing that has changed is that if it
pulling from actual history, then it has to be well researched before an author can write on that
topic. This ensures that the information is accurate whether it is in the form of a nonfiction or
fiction text. My definition has not changed because what mentioned before is what I saw within
these books that I read for the project. It was from the point of view of person from that culture.
It was based on events that may have happened historically or within the author’s life. It was
based on any festivals that they participate in. The books I read matched up to my definition
because now I am even more aware of the topics that these books touched upon.

Criteria for the Notable Books of a Global Society:

Part One (Meet one or more criteria from this section):

 Portray cultural accuracy and authenticity of characters in terms of (a) physical
characteristics, (b) intellectual abilities and problem solving capabilities, (c) leadership
and cooperative dimensions, and (d) social and economic status;
 Be rich in cultural details;
 Honor and celebrate diversity as well as common bonds in humanity;
  Provide in-depth treatment of cultural issues;
 Include characters within a cultural group or between two or more cultural groups who
interact substantively and authentically;
 Include members of a “minority” group for a purpose other than filling a “quota”

Part Two (Meet all criteria from this section)

 Invite reflection, critical analysis, and response;
 Demonstrate unique language or style;
 Meet generally accepted criteria of quality for the genre in which they are written; and
 Have an appealing format and be of enduring quality.

The Eight Multicultural Books that I Read:

Bae, H. J. (2007). New clothes for New Year’s Day. La Jolla, CA: Kane/Miller Book Publishers
Inc.
Bartoletti, S. C. (2010). They called themselves the K.K.K.: the birth of an American terrorist
group. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin.
Cheng, A. (2005). Shanghai messenger. Illus. Ed Young. New York, NY: Lee & Low Books Inc.
Compestine, Y. C. (2007). Revolution is not a dinner party. New York, NY: Henry Holt and
Company.
Fleischman, P. (2007). Glass slipper, gold sandal: a worldwide Cinderella. Illus. Julie Paschkis.
New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company.
Janeczko, P. B. (2011). Requiem: poems of the Terezin Ghetto. Somerville, MA: Candlewick
Press.
Marsden, C. (2007). When Heaven fell. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.
Nelson, S. D. (2015). Sitting Bull: Lakota warrior and defender of his people. New York, NY:
Abrams Books for Young Readers.

New Clothes for New Year’s Day

Summary: This was such a cute book to read! It was also informative regarding how Korean
children celebrate the New Year. This story follows a young girl who is putting on traditional
clothing that Koreans wear in order to welcome in the New Year. She puts on new clothes that
her mother had made it for her to wear. Throughout the story, the illustrations show how you are
supposed to put on the clothes and what it looks like which is really helpful for someone who is
unfamiliar with traditional Korean clothing. At the end of the book, there are deeper explanations
for the different pieces of outfit the young girl wears.

Strengths: One of the criteria for the NBGS is that the “literature must be rice in cultural details,”
which this book exceeds. This book is full of details regarding the traditional dress that Koreans
wear to celebrate the New Year. It provides even more information on why Koreans celebrate
New Year’s at a different time than the Western countries, the significance of the patterns on the
clothing, and the food that they consume during this time. It also mentions how Koreans
celebrates their birthdays on New Year’s instead on the day of their birth. Another strength of
this book would have to be the illustrations because it helped reinforce the text. Because of the
illustrations, you were able to see what each piece looked like and the different patterns. You did
not have to imagine what it looked like. You got to see the different emotions the young girl had
when she was putting on the entire outfit.

Weaknesses: A weakness that I found is that I feel like instead of using the American translation
for the clothing articles, the author should have used the Korean words for each piece of
clothing. From there, the back explanation would still be included to give a more in depth
explanation. It would have been difficult regarding the pronunciation but it would have given a
different experience to the listeners.

They Called Themselves the K.K.K.: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group
Summary: This book focuses on how the Ku Klux Klan became an organization within the
United States. The KKK is formed after the Civil War has ended and the South was trying to
rebuild itself due to the heavy fighting and the loss of their right to own slaves. Due to their
resentment, six men came together to form a ‘social club’ that was based off of a fraternity’s
values and their name stems from the Greek language. As they continue to gain more members,
they start terrorizing the freed slaves by pretending to be ghosts. This especially terrified certain
freedmen because they practiced voodoo or they were very religious. They ransacked homes and
terrorized the freed slaves because they were afraid of how the South was changing. The
freedmen had to be more alert during the night time because that is when they would strike.
President Johnson at the time was a little too lenient than what he should have been. It was
because he was also from the South and understood their feelings. He allowed the Southerners to
pass laws to protect them from the freedmen but put the freedmen in a slave role. Throughout the
book, Bartoletti includes personal stories from both sides that makes the reader think. The
freedmen never felt safe in their owns homes even though that should be their one safe place. At
the end of the book, it talks about how President Grant convinced others to pass the Ku Klux
Klan Act which allowed the movement of troops by the federal government into the states that
have internal problems. Due to this, the Klan scattered and was not allowed to call themselves by
that name.

Strengths: A strength of this book is that it is most definitely provides an “in-depth treatment of
cultural issues.” Due to the amount of research conducted in order to piece together this book is
immense. The book considers the feelings of the Southerners whose lifestyle had to completely
change because they were no longer able to own slaves. But it also focuses on the perspectives
and point of view of the freedmen. The book weaves in point of views from both the freedmen
and the white Southerners. Another strength is that it meets the “generally-accepted criteria of
quality for the genre in which they are written.” This book is nonfictional text because it is based
around the history of the KKK. At the back of the book, you see the resources that were used
during the formation of the book. You see that the author has put in a substantial amount of time
in order to write this. Throughout the book, it has pictures and illustrations that depicts freedmen
families, many pictures from the Library of Congress, and pictures from the newspapers that
were published at around that time.

Weaknesses: A weakness of this book is that although it is very informative, it is very dry. I was
not able to become interested in the topic even though I was excited to finally learn the history of
the KKK. Another weakness of the book is that it does not necessarily “honor and celebrate
diversity as well as common bonds in humanity.” This would not be seen throughout the book
because of what it is centered around. It is centered around the history of the Ku Klux Klan and
the reasons of why it was formed. This book is not focused on the celebration of diversity within
the United States. It is focused on the hatred and resentment the Southerners had for both the
Northerners and the freedmen.

Shanghai Messenger
Summary: This story is about an eleven-year-old Chinese American girl by the name of Xiao
Mei. Xiao Mei is informed that her uncle is inviting her to stay with them in China during the
summer. Upon hearing the news, she is completely unsure if she wants to go or not because she
is scared that she would be judged for only being half Chinese and that she would be ridiculed
since she knows nothing of the Chinese culture. However, her grandmother convinces her to go
because Mei will be her grandmother’s messenger. When she arrives to China, she is surrounded
by all of her relatives and they take her in whole heartedly. Seeing how her family treats her, she
has the best time of her life. She completely enjoys being able to spend time with her family in
China to a point where she does not want to go back to America. But sadly she has to go and her
uncle writes a message in Chinese for her grandmother to translate. Due to the jet lag, her body is
up at the times her family back in China would be up at and she imagines them in their daily
routine.

Strengths: A strength of this story is that meets the criteria that is must “have an appealing
format.” The formatting of this book is one that I had never seen before because it reminds me of
how someone would be writing in a scroll. Although the words are not written from right to left,
the text is so narrow and skinny that it mimics how someone would write in Chinese. Another
strength of the book is that it “include[s] characters within a cultural group or between two or
more cultural groups who interact substantively and authentically.” The two cultural groups that
are interacts is obviously Mei’s Chinese relatives and herself. Their interactions are authentic to
an extreme because Asian cultures are family based. Everyone knows everyone and considers
everyone close to them to be family even if you are not related by blood. I guess that I what I
mentions also touches base on the criteria that states that the books need to “honor and celebrate
diversity as well as common bonds in humanity.” Not only is this book touching upon diversity
but also the bonds that family groups have. No matter your ethnicity, your family is your family
and will love you no matter what.

Weaknesses: A weakness that I found while reading this book is that the definitions and
meanings were in the front of the story instead of being at the end. I found this to be a weakness
because readers are trained to look the back of the book to find meanings and definitions. This is
definitely something that threw me off while reading it. I am not sure if I would consider this a
weakness or a critique but on every page there is this orange pattern that kind of reminds me of a
screen door or at least fancy line work. I am bringing this up because I want to know the reason
to this choice. As to why it was included because my eyes were always drawn to it instead of
looks straight at the text.

Revolution is Not a Dinner Party

Summary: This story takes place in China during the rule of Mao Zedong. This story is inspired
by the author’s own experiences and the people around her that suffered the same experiences as
her. The main character, Ling, lives with her parents who are both doctors at City Hospital
Number 4 in Wuhan. At the beginning of the story, everything was going well for Ling and her
family because she was living life like how she did on the regular. She would have English
lessons with her dad and her mom would make her weird food that has some sort of health
benefit. However, when Comrade Li moves into her father’s office, things start to go bad. At first
having Comrade Li as their neighbor was fine until he started to demand things. The power gets
shut off and he wanted their mangoes. Soon enough a doctor goes missing and things start to go
south at the compound. Soon after that, the doctor from upstairs who they are great friends with
go missing because he was seen as traitor. He was opposed to the revolution that was happening
in China. Next thing Ling knows, Comrade Li and his minions come into their apartment and
starts destroying everything! They threw books into the fire, broke the china, ruined the
furniture, and stole their food. Soon enough Ling’s father is taken to jail because he saved a
antirevolutionist from drowning. From that point on, things got worse and worse and worse for
Ling and her mother because of the lack of food that they could get and they were under watch.
But luckily they were able to survive until the very end of the book where they are reunited with
the father because Mao Zedong died and his wife and her followers were arrested.

Strengths: Regarding to the strengths of this book, it exceeds a couple of the requirements for the
first part of the NGBS criteria. This book is “rich in cultural details” and “provide[s] in-depth
treatment of cultural issues.” This book is rich in cultural details because it shows how the
Chinese people lived under Mao Zedong’s rule. Before everything turned into turmoil, you were
able to see that because Ling’s mother practices traditional Chinese medicine you saw that she
had a reason for every little thing that she fed Ling. Whether it was for softer skin, stronger hair,
and for improvements within the body itself. But you also notice that during the first half of the
book, the mother constantly reminds Ling to act like a lady, to not laugh so loud, to not to run
around the apartment, to not ask so many questions, and other things that ladies should not be
doing. This ties into the fact that during those times, women were supposed to be seen as
graceful entities and not to be so wild or outspoken. Later in the book, it talks about how one of
the neighbors has to be assisted in order to walk outside because she lived during the time when
small feet were considered. During the times were parents would bind their daughter’s feet. This
also provided an in-depth treatment of cultural issues because it was based around Mao Zedong’s
rule and the turmoil that it caused for many families. Some doctors were treated as spies because
they had connections to Americans. Others were treated as traitors because they opposed Mao
Zedong and his want to get rid of the Chinese customs that were in place before they became a
Communist country. This was provided to the readers through the perspective of Ling. You saw
how everything crumbles before her eyes. You saw through her eyes how people were treated
and even how she was treated. Although these characters are fictional, it is based off of real
events that Compestine endured.

Weaknesses: One weakness that I found is that the book does not necessarily “honor and
celebrate diversity” but it definitely shows the “common bonds in humanity.” I believe that there
is a lack of celebration regarding diversity because regarding the socioeconomic status of every
character, Ling was ridiculed by her classmates. She was mocked by the clothes she wore and
was unable to make friends because they all were from a lower socioeconomic status. The
doctors were all targets because of the influence and their abilities. Other than that one weakness,
I could not find any others because it was strong in all of the other criterion.
Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal: A Worldwide Cinderella
Summary: This story is based on the different versions of Cinderella and is weaved into one
story. It starts off with the Mexican version of the story where the young woman offers the main
character a pan dulce as they passed by each other on the street. Then the young girl tells the
woman to marry her father because he is lonely. Then it moves to the Korean version where the
young girl then has to work in the rice fields, has to cook, has to clean, and has to sleep by the
hearth. Then it moves to the version from Iraq where she regrets begging her father to marry
another woman and she received little to eat. Then in three different versions she was given more
to eat by a cow (Russia), by a fairy (Iran) and Godfather Snake (India). Because she was given
enough to eat, she was blossomed into a true beauty (Ireland). Then an announcement was made
that the Great King was in search for a queen (Zimbabwe). In order to make sure the young girl
could not go, she threw lentils into the fireplace (Germany) and told her to clean the kitchen pots
too (Appalachia). As soon as the stepmother and stepsisters left, the young girl starts to cry and
the birds hear it and they start to pick the lentils from the ashes (German). A witch came and said
a spell which cleaned all of the pots (Appalachia). The young girl was able to go to the ball in a
beautiful dress. She was able to dance with the headman’s son for the entire night until the first
rooster crowed (Indonesia). At that point she jumps on a horse and rushes back home before the
spell undoes itself. The King made an announcement that he would go around the nation to find
the woman that fits the shoe. In order for the King to not find the young girl, the stepmother rolls
her into a mat and hid her (Laos). The two stepsisters tried on the shoes and none of them fit. A
rooster told the King that they put the beautiful one down below and left the ugly ones up top
(Iraq). The young girl was able to try on the shoe and the two got married and had a huge
celebration.

Strengths: A strength of this book is that the illustrations matched each country it was portraying.
The artwork is so stunning and accurate that you know that there was some research put into it in
order for it to match. The illustrations had traditional clothing from the countries and the patterns
matched too. Another strength of this book is that it “honors and celebrates diversity.” This is a
strength because the entire book is based on different cultures and different versions of the same
fairytale. Each part of the story comes from a version that I did not know it existed and it is
clearly labeled where in the world it came from. The execution of the story as a whole is a
strength because the story was weaved together perfectly and did not leave any room for
confusion. The reader knows what it happening.

Weaknesses: A weakness for this book is that it does not “invite reflection, critical analysis, and
response” or rather it meets it to some extent. As a book on its own, it does not make someone to
reflect or critically analyze the situation. You just read it and you are like ‘wow that is definitely
a fresh take on a fairytale’. But if it were included into a curriculum then you would be able to
stimulate reflection, analysis, and response through guided discussions. Something that I would
like to see different is that I want to see more versions used on top of the ones already used. I get
that you can only have so much when writing a children’s book but it would have been
interesting to see versions from countries that are not as well-known to the general public.

Requiem: Poems of the Terezin Ghetto

Summary: This book is centered around the thoughts, feelings, actions that took place in the
Terezin Ghetto. With each new page there is a new poem that comes from mostly a Jewish
person’s perspective. The people written at the top of the poems are fictional but the poems are
based off of lots of research that was conducted in order for it to be historically correct. In order
to make sure the feelings conveyed are real. Although a majority of the poems come from a
Jewish person’s standpoint, there are poems that comes from SS officers and people that were
living in the towns that were affected by the influx of Jewish people. Some of the poems talk
about how music was allowed at this particular Ghetto and the reason behind it was to keep the
people at bay. If they were allowed to keep one thing that kept them human and occupied, then
they are less likely to revolt.

Strengths: The major strength that I noticed while reading this is that it provides an “in-depth
treatment of cultural issues.” The issue at hand is that thoughts and feelings of those who are of
the Jewish race, those who are not, and those who are a part of the SS. Each poem focuses on a
different thought, feeling, or event that was happening within the Terezin Ghetto. One poem is
from an SS officer and his example that he put on in order to teach the other Jewish people to not
to try and run away. That this will be the result. That you will be stoned to death by your own
peers. There is another poem that is from a person’s point of view that lives in the town and
absolutely despises the Jewish people that are flocking in. He then takes on job where he is
supposed to keep the peace in the town by harassing and scaring the Jewish people to a point
where they feared him. With each poem, you are learning and gaining an understanding of what
people might have felt during those times.

Weaknesses: The only weakness that I have for this book is that I wish actual poems were used
from those times instead having ones that are based off of events and facts that you come across
while researching. I also know that it might be difficult to find actual poems written during those
times because those sent to the camps were unable to do anything that they liked. However, they
were able to listen to music and play music so maybe they wrote poems too? But this weakness
is not detrimental to the book itself because it is so well written and I for one thought it was
actual poems written by actual people.

When Heaven Fell

Summary: This story takes place in Vietnam after the Vietnam War occurred. It is centered
around Binh and her family. At the beginning of the story, you see Binh selling fruit cups and
soda at a family stand instead of going to school like the rest of the girls that she sees passing by.
She is unable to go to school because her family could not afford to buy the books and uniforms
required. When she gets home, she is notified that her grandmother actually had another daughter
but had to give her up during the war because she was half American. At that time, anyone with
American blood were being taken away from families and killed. After hearing the news, Binh is
so excited because she thinks that everyone in America lives a glamourous lifestyle and everyone
there is rich. She has these thoughts because she watches way too many movies. She believes
that her aunt will take her to America with her because she is rich. Upon the arrival of the aunt,
everyone started to judge her because she was wearing such plain clothing and she only brought
one suitcase. The aunt handed out gifts to only her main family and you could say they were
disappointed. They were hoping for something more. Because the aunt was not used to life in
Vietnam anymore, she had to use iodine pills, she could not eat certain foods, and she could not
sleep in the house with everyone anymore. At this time the family starts to grow weary because
they start to think that the aunt does not love them. After a small fight between Binh and the
aunt, the two of them goes on a day trip to the ocean. While they were there, they were able to
eat at am Italian restaurant and visit a tourist shop. The aunt was so close to buying Binh a brand
new ao dai until Binh convinced the aunt to actually give the money to the family. That was it is
a better way to support them and the aunt promises to send Binh and Cuc to school. At the end of
the story, you see them in the principal’s office and the aunt is telling him that the two will be
attending school.

Strengths: Regarding the strengths of this book, it was “rich in cultural details” and “honor and
celebrate diversity as well as common bonds in humanity.” This book is rich in details from the
Vietnamese culture because it outlines the life of the people in the town after the Vietnam War. It
discusses the roles that every character has within their household. Binh’s role was to sell fruit
cups and soda in order to provide some sort of income for her family since she is unable to go to
school. If families were unable to send their children to school, then they have to work for the
family. It also mentions the uniform of those going to school which are ao dais. An ao dai is a
traditional Vietnamese clothing that both males and females are able to wear. I believe that there
are different styles of ao dais for different occasions. This book honors and celebrates diversity
because of the two different cultures coming together within the book. The aunt was sent to live
with an adoptive family in America due to the hatred towards Americans and she is half
American. When she returns, she is thrown into a culture that she is no longer familiar with and
is seen as less than dust because of her ethnicity. From her interactions with her family, the aunt
is able to learn everything again but is unable to be comfortable. The common bonds shown is
through her interactions with her family. Although she has not seen them in a very long time, she
is able to connect with her niece and extended family but not right away. Often times she is
ridiculed in Vietnamese because of how she acts or how she dresses. However, she is able to
establish bonds and in the end provide for her family. She is able to send Binh and Cuc to school
because she can afford it. In the end she learns that her family is willing to take any help given.

Weaknesses: The only weakness is that I was a little confused when I was reading it at the
beginning. I was confused with all of the names and I sometimes forgot who was who within the
story. If there was a chart at the end of the book that outlined who was who that would be
separated from the glossary would have been nice. That way I would not have to look through
the entire glossary until I find the person who I am looking for. Also, the book had a slow start to
it but it picked up after the aunt arrived to Vietnam.

Sitting Bull: Lakota Warrior and Defender of His People

Summary: This book is centered around the life of Sitting Bull. The book first starts off with
Sitting Bull talking about who he is, how he was named, and what tribe he comes from. He at
birth was first named Jumping Badger but later on he would be named Sitting Bull because he
does not back down similar to the buffalo. He then talks about how he killed his first buffalo at
the age of ten. He earns his first feather at the age of fourteen again the Crow enemy. However,
his biggest battle yet waits for him. His biggest battle will be against the white man who had
come to their lands before he had been born. His people trades with the white man for treasures
or items they did not know. But sometimes they just raided the wagons and took what they
wanted. The US government then said that the Lakota people must sign a treaty that would allow
safe passage for the while man through their lands. They did not agree to this and instead fought
battles against them. After these battles, the US governments came to the tribes looking for just
one chief to sit down with but they did not understand that each tribe was their own separate
entity. They picked Native Americans that they favored and named them to be chiefs when in
reality they were not. After a while and many battles later, Sitting Bull and his people had
escaped into Canada due to a major surprise attack. For a few years he and his people lived in
Canada until the US government said that they would provide food rations to them if they were
to come back. Seeing how that was the best option they traveled south and Sitting Bull gave up
his gun. They were forced to live on reservations and they had to learn how to farm because their
ways of hunting and gathering food was not allowed. At the end of the book, it talks about how
Sitting Bull because a nationwide figure due to him being on a traveling act. But after he escapes
that life, he returns to his people and is weary because he does not know if his people can adapt
to this new way of living. At the very end, Sitting Bull is arrested by his own people wear blue
clothing and is forced into jail. Because of what was happening his people took up arms against
the blue coats and was able to shoot one of them but the bluecoats put a bullet in the ribs and
head of Sitting Bull.

Strengths: The story of Sitting Bull is very “rich in cultural details” because it talks about the
system of the Lakota tribes and the others. It provides information on how feathers are earned,
what their dances mean, what they do after they have hunted their prey. You learn more about
the Lakota ways of life through this first person point of view. You also learn about the history
and everything that the Lakota’s had to face while dealing with the white man. Another strength
is that it “demonstrates unique language or style” because it is written in the perspective of
Sitting Bull. To me, I feel like it is written in a way where he is reflecting in his past and telling
that story, instead of it being a straight I did this and this and this is how I died. The style of
writing was fluid in way and very easy to understand and comprehend.

Weaknesses: Regarding the weaknesses of the text, I believe that there should have been more
information on the culture of the Lakota tribe. Or at least more extensive information regarding
their lifestyle and the roles that are assigned. I also wish there was more information regarding
the coming of age ceremonies that boys embark on but I also would like to know what the young
girls do for theirs. Also if there was more information on the Buffalo Bill’s show that Sitting Bull
participated in.

Award Winner:

Out of the eight books that I read, my winner is Revolution is Not a Dinner Party by Ying
Chang Compestine. I chose this book to be my award winner because this was the one book that
pulled a strong emotion from me while I was reading it. But not only did it effect my emotions, I
found it be a very informative read through a narrative format. I believe that this book would
appeal to young readers because it was a book that one could easily comprehend and one that
was the most relatable. Although it takes place during Mao Zedong’s rule, the emotions and
thoughts are ones of authenticity. Students will be able to imagine themselves in Ling’s shoes as
she starts to see everything crumble before her. Students will want to cheer her on and will want
to tell her to keep strong and to keep going. Students will be able to learn the events of what was
happening within China towards families who were seen as traitors and as spies.
 This book has many strengths because of the way that it is written. The thoughts and
feelings are expressed in a way that students are able to feel them as their own. The writing style
by itself is appropriate for the age of the main character and is appropriate for the age level that
will be reading this book. Not only is it appropriate but the diction is weaved in a way that it
helps paint a picture in your minds as to what is happening in the story. You can see Ling having
to go around the town and publicly apologize to her peer that she harmed in defense. You can
imagine seeing Comrade Li and his minions barge into their apartment and totally destroy the
place. You can hear the sobs of Ling as she sits on her father’s chair because he was arrested. I
could not find any weaknesses that stood out to me while I was reading this book. There are
many different ways that you could incorporate this book within a classroom. You could have it
as a read aloud for older students or just have it in your classroom library that students would be
able to check out. You could also incorporate this within a world history lesson at the junior high
level. The lesson would focus on the different time periods in China and especially if I were to
focus on the time period when Mao Zedong rules over China and instilled his values. Students
would be able to be relieved to have an easier book to read from which outlines experiences that
the character faced. It would be a great way to introduce the topic about Chinese government by
having it as a required read. This book also meets my criteria and definition for good
multicultural literature because it is based on a diverse culture and it has events that were
accurate. It also spreads awareness on the hardships many people faced during those times.
These are the experiences that the author has personally. She lived during that time period and
this is her way of spreading awareness of what she faced. The troubles her family got into and
how she lived as a young child.

Part One (Meet one or more criteria from this section):

 Be rich in cultural details;

As mentioned before, this book is rich in cultural details because it outlines how
people lived under Mao Zedong’s rule and the hardships that they faced. For half
of the book, before everything went downhill, Ling’s mom was always scolding
her for acting unladylike. She was always scolded for asking too many questions,
for running around, for laughing too loud, basically she was scolded for acting
like a child. She was scolded for these things because of the time period when her
mother was raised where they had to be un-opinionated and hardworking. They
had to be like dainty flowers and they were treated as such. Another detail that the
book touches on is the foot binding custom that was in place for a long time. It
was always seen that women with small, dainty feet were beautiful and a high
class woman. This was pointed out when a grandmother had to be helped out of
her apartment by her grandsons.

 Provide in-depth treatment of cultural issues;

As mentioned before, the book touches upon an issue that China faced for a few
years while Mao Zedong was still in power. At the beginning of the reign, it was
not so bad for families who were doctors because they were needed and good at
what they do. However, when the first doctor disappeared everything started to go
downhill. Doctors one by one were being accused of being spies or traitors and
 are sent to jail or are given the death penalty. Their families are then to either
draw a line between their loved one that was accused or they were sent to labor
farms. Food items and necessities started to become rationed and soon enough
less and less were being given to the public and were instead going to the
backdoor. Students had to start to bring the three required pieces that Mao Zedong
on it otherwise they were punished. People would much rather commit suicide
than to be subjected to the punishment that the Red Army would give. People who
opposed Mao Zedong or ridiculed him were blacklisted. No one was safe
anymore.

 Include characters within a cultural group or between two or more cultural groups who
interact substantively and authentically;

The only cultural group that is interacting with each other is the Chinese
population. Each member of the town is interacting authentically with each other
because it would be weird if there was only love, peace, and harmony. The
interactions between Ling and her classmates are ones that I can imagine
happening because she is a year younger than all of them and they come from
different socioeconomic statuses. They mock her and bully her because she is
different. How her family units are one that I can see because that is how it is
sometimes in my own household. Where my mom nags my sisters and I to act
more like a girl, that my room shouldn’t be a mess because we are girls. My father
is the fun one and the one that I enjoy being around.

 Include members of a “minority” group for a purpose other than filling a “quota”

There is definitely no “quota” that had to be filled because it is based around the
Chinese culture and their hardships during this time. It would be weird if the book
suddenly included an ethnicity that had no part in this revolutionary time period in
China’s history.

Part Two (Meet all criteria from this section)

 Invite reflection, critical analysis, and response;

This book definitely makes you reflect, critically analyze, and then respond to the
book because it is so well written and so realistic. After reading this, you start to
wonder what would you have done if you were in her shoes, if you were the one
to experience this first hand, what emotions you would have felt. You analyze the
different events that this story has and you can then conduct your own research on
this topic. This book made me tear up so the responses you give will be ones of
emotions. You will be happy, sad, angry, joyful, and wanting to cry some more.

 Demonstrate unique language or style;

The style of writing was one that captured my attention within the first few pages
because I could imagine myself in her shoes. I could see myself with my mom
 making us food that has health benefits or making us eat things we do not like.
Her style of writing portrays the feelings that Ling may have during the times of
hardships. The feelings she had when she pieced together that the rope under her
mom’s mattress was going to be used as a noose. You are pulled into the story
and you become one with Ling.

 Meet generally accepted criteria of quality for the genre in which they are written; and

It is clear that this is a multicultural young adult chapter book. It is based on a

culture that is different from my own and one that is appropriate for fifth or sixth
graders to read.

 Have an appealing format and be of enduring quality

The book format is a hard copy and the inner papers has the map of the town that
Ling talks about. By using the map, you are able to see where the river is in
proportion to the apartment that they live in. The book is easy to read and
comprehend with a very clear font style. The book is also separated into three
different sections which outlines the different experiences she had during that
time.

Honor Books:

Out of the eight books that I read, my two honor books are Requiem: Poems of the
Terszin Ghetto by Paul B. Janeczko and Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal: A Worldwide Cinderella by
Paul Fleischman. I chose Requiem: Poems of the Terezin Ghetto as an honor book is because it
provides a different perspective on the Holocaust and more specifically the Terezin Ghetto. You
are able to read poems that are passed on facts and events that happened around that area and
during that dark time in history. You are able to read about the thoughts and feelings of the
people that were affected. The main reason why I chose this book is because of the style of
writing. I would use this in a junior high English classroom because that is when you start to read
books based on the Holocaust. This would be a great book to add alongside the other books used
for that unit because it based on the Czechoslovakian Jews. Not just the ones found in Germany
or Poland or Austria or in Holland. From there we could have discussions on the books they read
and have them write a synthesis paper on the topic.

I chose Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal: A Worldwide Cinderella because of how unique it is.
I have never come across a book that is based on more than one version of a fairytale. The
illustrations are simply beautiful and matches the cultures that it is representing. Each country is
labeled to identify where that part of the story came from. This would be a great book to use as a
read aloud for younger grades because they would enjoy it. It is something that they are not
familiar with. But I would also use it as an introduction to a fairytale/folktale unit because it
shows that many different cultures have the same fairytales but are just told differently. From
there they could pick their own fairytale that they want to find different version of and then
compare and contrast them. It would be a way to expose my students to more than one culture.
Conclusion:

From this assignment, I learned a lot about the different aspects of multicultural
literature. I was able to reinforce my definition of what multicultural literature is after
completing this project. I was able to learn that there is so much research that has to be put into
these types of literature in order to produce something authentic and historically correct. I also
learned what it takes in order to be considered for the Notable Books for a Global Society. Also,
I learned how to critique multicultural literature and I now know of lots of useful books that I
could incorporate into my own classroom. Because multicultural literature has the possibility to
“have a profound effect on readers, prompting a global outlook as well as an understanding that
members of the human family have more similarities than differences” (Tunnell and Jacobs, 208,
p.188).

What I would like to learn more about would be knowing how to build an effective
library that is based around multicultural literature or at least having a good portion of my library
dedicated to multicultural literature. I would also like to know the number of authors that are
writing about their culture specifically because sometimes an author might be writing about a
different culture but it might be a little similar to their own. I also want to know how many of
these books are based on real life events that the authors faced. That would be something cool to
know about because you never know if the situations are completely fictional or not. I also
wonder if public libraries have a section for just solely multicultural literature.

If I were to do this assignment again, something I would change would be getting the
books earlier in the semester that way I am reading books that I wanted to read in the first place.
I would also break up the workload more efficiently rather than waiting towards the end. I would
read all of the books within a week and then slowly dedicate time to writing the actual paper.
Because this is a very big project and an important one at that. But I truly did enjoy being able to
read all of these books!

Overall, this assignment connects to the entire course because we are learning how to
critique and evaluate the literature that we needed to read in order to complete the other
assignments. We are learning how to be more knowledgeable when it comes to choosing books
to implement into our classrooms. We are learning what our classroom libraries should consist of
and this is one type of literature that should be present. This ties to other courses too because a
major thing that is always mentioned is that students need to read. They need to be reading for at
least half an hour every day in order to widen their vocabulary and to expand their
comprehension skills. This is where our knowledge comes in about the different genres and types
of books that we could then recommend to our students. To keep them interested in reading is
what we need to do as educators.
 References

Bae, H. J. (2007). New clothes for New Year’s Day. La Jolla, CA: Kane/Miller Book Publishers
Inc.

Bartoletti, S. C. (2010). They called themselves the K.K.K.: the birth of an American terrorist
group. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin.

Cheng, A. (2005). Shanghai messenger. Illus. Ed Young. New York, NY: Lee & Low Books Inc.

Compestine, Y. C. (2007). Revolution is not a dinner party. New York, NY: Henry Holt and
Company.

Fleischman, P. (2007). Glass slipper, gold sandal: a worldwide Cinderella. Illus. Julie Paschkis.
New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company
.
Janeczko, P. B. (2011). Requiem: poems of the Terezin Ghetto. Somerville, MA: Candlewick
Press.

Landt, S. (2006). Multicultural literature and young adolescents: a kaleidoscope of opportunity.

Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 49(8), 690-697.

Marsden, C. (2007). When Heaven fell. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.

Nelson, S. D. (2015). Sitting Bull: Lakota warrior and defender of his people. New York, NY:
Abrams Books for Young Readers.

Tunnell, M. O., Jacobs, J. S., Young, T. A., & Bryan, G. (2016). Children’s literature, briefly. 6th
Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall.
 Name____________________________

Checklist for Critiquing Multicultural Literature (NBGS Project)

Refer to this sheet as you complete your multicultural literature critique paper (also known as
the Notable Books for a Global Society Project). Include two copies of this sheet with your
paper, one for you to complete a self-assessment before you turn in the paper, and one for my
assessment and comments. These are the minimum expected requirements. You may, of course,
exceed these expectations as you complete the assignment.

__x__ Title page.

___x_ Introduction.

___x_ Purpose of the assignment.

___x_ The steps you used in completing the assignment. How you went about selecting and
finding books for the assignment.

___x_ Your own definition for multicultural or global literature and how you arrived at this
definition. How your original definition for multicultural or global literature changed as you
completed the project.

___x_ List of the eight multicultural titles read for project in APA bibliographic form. (This
bibliographic information will appear separately for each book you read within your paper and
then again, at the end of the paper.) A brief critique of each of the eight titles you selected for
the project. You would summarize the books and point out their strengths and weaknesses.

___x_ Thorough discussion of the Notable Books for a Global Society criteria that shows you
have read, considered, and used this criteria for the books you have read for this paper and
why. You will need to offer specific examples from the books, of course.

___x_ Strong references to the Children’s Literature, Briefly text and one other journal article or
any other relevant pieces—if you use another relevant piece, you must delineate the applicable
parts for this paper—as you explore multicultural literature and make your book choice.
Weave this information into your paper, possibly when you explain the assignment’s purpose
or the criteria or rationale for multicultural literature. Several articles on multicultural literature
are available on Angel. (I should have incorporated this more and found more articles to use)

___x_ A thorough examination/critique of one multicultural book from one of the NBGS lists
that you might consider using in your classroom. Why might this book appeal to students? To
a lesser degree, you will also critique your two honor books, and offer support for their
inclusion on the list.
___x_ A critical reaction paper expressing the book’s strengths and weaknesses and its
usefulness in your classroom. Why this particular book out of all the other titles you read or that
have been nominated? How does it meet your criteria for good multicultural literature?

___x_ A critique and evaluation of the book’s relevant literary elements, including plot, theme,
voice, and characterization as well as writing style. You must provide extensive examples of all
of these.

___x_ Conclusion. What did you learn from this assignment? What do you still need to learn?
What would you change if you did the assignment again? How can you tie the assignment to
coursework for this course and previous courses?

___x_ Bibliography of references used for critique. This includes the book you critiqued, your
honor books, all other books read, and additional critical references that informed your paper.
 Name____________________________

Checklist for Critiquing Multicultural Literature (NBGS Project)

Refer to this sheet as you complete your multicultural literature critique paper (also known as
the Notable Books for a Global Society Project). Include two copies of this sheet with your
paper, one for you to complete a self-assessment before you turn in the paper, and one for my
assessment and comments. These are the minimum expected requirements. You may, of course,
exceed these expectations as you complete the assignment.

____ Title page.

____ Introduction.

____ Purpose of the assignment.

____ The steps you used in completing the assignment. How you went about selecting and
finding books for the assignment.

____ Your own definition for multicultural or global literature and how you arrived at this
definition. How your original definition for multicultural or global literature changed as you
completed the project.

____ List of the eight multicultural titles read for project in APA bibliographic form. (This
bibliographic information will appear separately for each book you read within your paper and
then again, at the end of the paper.) A brief critique of each of the eight titles you selected for
the project. You would summarize the books and point out their strengths and weaknesses.

____ Thorough discussion of the Notable Books for a Global Society criteria that shows you
have read, considered, and used this criteria for the books you have read for this paper and
why. You will need to offer specific examples from the books, of course.

____ Strong references to the Children’s Literature, Briefly text and one other journal article or
any other relevant pieces—if you use another relevant piece, you must delineate the applicable
parts for this paper—as you explore multicultural literature and make your book choice.
Weave this information into your paper, possibly when you explain the assignment’s purpose
or the criteria or rationale for multicultural literature. Several articles on multicultural literature
are available on Angel.

____ A thorough examination/critique of one multicultural book from one of the NBGS lists
that you might consider using in your classroom. Why might this book appeal to students? To
a lesser degree, you will also critique your two honor books, and offer support for their
inclusion on the list.
____ A critical reaction paper expressing the book’s strengths and weaknesses and its usefulness
in your classroom. Why this particular book out of all the other titles you read or that have been
nominated? How does it meet your criteria for good multicultural literature?

____ A critique and evaluation of the book’s relevant literary elements, including plot, theme,
voice, and characterization as well as writing style. You must provide extensive examples of all
of these.

____ Conclusion. What did you learn from this assignment? What do you still need to learn?
What would you change if you did the assignment again? How can you tie the assignment to
coursework for this course and previous courses?

____ Bibliography of references used for critique. This includes the book you critiqued, your
honor books, all other books read, and additional critical references that informed your paper.