Multicultural books are written so that readers can learn about and understand the various cultures of their own country or other countries around the world. As our world is increasing globalized, it is important for our students to learn about these other cultures. This may include books about African-Americans, Native-Americans, Latinos, or Asian-Americans. Or, they may include books about the people who live in different countries around the world. Well-written multiculture literature avoids stereotypes and serves to inform readers about other cultures to assist in their understanding.
Moses: when Harriet Tubman led her people to freedom
By: Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrated By: Kadir Nelson
Reviewer: Christopher Schiemann
Grade Level: K-3
Reading Level: 3.8
This book is a fictional account about Harriet Tubman's escape from slavery to freedom and provides readers with a look into the thoughts as she made her daring dash for the Northern city of Philadelphia. On each page, Harriet describes the fears of getting caught, sent back to her Master, and her prayer communication with God to guide her and protect her. This back and forth communication is what provides Harriet with the strength to survive. It is also what leads her to serve as a conductor on the Underground Railroad in order to help so many other slaves see freedom. You'll see references to the spiritual "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" as it was used as a hope for many slaves during this time and the pictures are a beautiful compliment to Weatherford's writing.
The Unforgotten Coat
By: Frank Cottrell Boyce
Grade Level: 3-6
Reading Level: 4.6
From the Publisher: From the best-selling author of Cosmic and Millionscomes an evocative immigration tale about two brothers trying to survive- a daring story that miraculously defies belief. When two Mongolian brothers inexplicably appear one morning in Julie's sixth grade class, no one, least of all Julie, knows what to do with them. But when Chingis, the older of the two brothers, proclaims Julie as their "Good Guide" - a nomadic tradition of welcoming strangers to a new land - Julie must somehow navigate them through soccer, school uniforms, and British slang, all while trying to win Shocky's attention and perhaps also an invitation to her friend Mimi's house. At times funny, this moving and simply told novella tugs at the heart-a unique story of immigration both fierce in its telling and magical in its characters.
Brothers in Hope
By: Mary Williams
Grade Level: 3-6
Reading Level: 4.1
Notes (Titlewave): Eight-year-old Garang, orphaned by a civil war in Sudan, finds the inner strength to help lead other boys as they trek hundreds of miles seeking safety in Ethiopia, and then Kenya, before being offered sanctuary in the United States many years later.
From the Publisher: A young boy unites with thousands of other orphaned boys to walk to safety in a refugee camp in another country, after war destroys their villages in southern Sudan. Based on true events.
Chengli and the Silk Road Caravan
By: Hildi Kang
Grade Level: 3-6
Reading Level: 5.0
Notes (Titlewave): Called to follow the wind and search for information about his father who disappeared many years ago, thirteen-year-old Chengli, carrying a piece of jade with strange writing that had belonged to his father, joins a caravan charged with giving safe passage to the Emperor's daughter as it navigates the constant dangers of the Silk Road in 630 A.D.
From the Publisher: Called to follow the wind and search for information about his father who disappeared many years ago, thirteen-year-old Chengli, carrying a piece of jade with strange writing that had belonged to his father, joins a caravan charged with giving safe passage to the Emperor's daughter as it navigates the constant dangers of the Silk Road in 630 A.D.