Reading Together Project

The Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans and the Minnesota Humanities Center have jointly published this series of four picture books.  The Reading Together Project seeks to address the lack of children's books that speak to the experience of being an Asian Pacific Islander child or youth in the United States.  The project supports the development of English literacy skills while recognizing cultural heritage, and allowing children to learn about their cultural background.

The four books are:

Link and the Red Envelope (Hmong)

The lunar new year is here, and Linh wants to help her mother prepare for the big celebration, but she keeps making mistakes.  Can she fix the messes in time to earn a lucky red envelope?

Author: Diane Tran

Illustrator: Alex Patrick Shimkus

Tawan; The Sun Girl (Laos)

 

 A child's name is carefully chosen and the child must strive to live up to that name. If the child fails, it can bring sadness and misfortune.  Each of the characters in this story have been given a special name.  When a true test knocks on their door, will Tawan, Din, Nom, and Prince Jaiboun be able to live up to their names?

Author: Chay Douangphouxay

Illustrator: Alex Kuno

Night Breeze (Philippines)

Ian loves to look at the night sky, and wants to know the story of his birth mother, and his adoption from the Philippines.  Who is his mother and why did she leave him at an orphanage?

Author: Stephen Wright
Illustrator: Ilhwa Gloria Kim

Melody of the Qeej (Hmong)

Hengxue was too busy playing soccer and being with his friends to take an interest in the ancient qeej.  But one day his two best friends become curious about the instrument, and their curiosity took them to visit Grandfather, who taught the boys about the importance of the qeej during Hmong funerals.  Phengxue realizes he might want to learn the play the qeej.

Author: Mai Kou Xiong
Illustrator: Vang Lee

West of the Moon

Astri is a thirteen year old Norwegian girl who has been lent (sold?) to a cruel goat
herder. She is determined to escape and travel to America to join her widowed father.  The story is told in three parts:  service to the goat herder; the daring escape to the coast; and travel to America.  Several Norwegian folktales are woven into the story, and they inspire Astri to hold onto hope despite her dire circumstances. The story is conceived from a statement in the diary of the author's great-great-grandmother.  Minnesota author Margi Preus, has written another winner for intermediate and middle school readers.  It might be a good read-aloud to accompany immigration units.

Plant a Pocket of Prairie

The author/illustrator team of Phyllis Root and Betsy Bowen have produced another winner about Minnesota ecosystems--this time the native prairie of southern and western Minnesota. Readers are encouraged to plant a pocket of prairie to help reestablish that rich ecosystem of birds, insects, flowers, grasses and other features that we have nearly lost.  Back matter includes more information on the plants and animals featured, as well as the prairie ecosystem in general.  A great classroom resource for intermediate level science or social studies units studying Minnesota ecosystems.

Surviving the Hindenburg

The giant airship, Hindenburg, was cruising along the East Coast of the United States on May 6, 1937.  Werner Franz was the cabin boy on board making his first trip to the United States.  Suddenly, as the ship came in to land at Lakehurst, NJ, something terrible happened and the great airship was destroyed.  Many people know the general story of the Hindenburg, but they may not know that 62 people survived the disaster, including Werner.  This picture book account is written by Larry Verstraete, with oil painting illustrations by Minnesotan David Geister; and it could be a classroom resource for upper elementary or middle school social studies classes.

Hannah's Way

Hannah's father has lost his job during the Depression, and the family must move to the Iron Range so he can help in Uncle Max's general store.  Hannah starts attending her new school, only to find that she is the only Jewish girl there.  This becomes a problem when a class picnic is scheduled on a saturday, but Hannah is not allowed to ride in a car that day in order to observe the Sabbath.  A solution is found when several of her new classmates volunteer to walk with her to the picnic.  Based on a real story, this picture book by Linda Glaser, with illustrations by Adam Gustavson, will add to students' understanding of the many ethnic and cultural groups that have made their homes in small towns as well as the large cities in Minnesota.

Wild Boy: The Real Life of the Savage of Aveyron

In 1798, woodsmen in southern France captured a seemingly wild boy in the woods and marched him to the town square.  So begins the story of the Savage of Aveyron.  Who was this boy? How old was he? Why didn't he speak? No one knew the answers.  Eventually the boy was taken to Paris where he lived in a home for deaf children. He attended the Institute of Deaf-Mutes, where a doctor tutored him intensely.  Although he never learned to speak, he was always drawn to the outdoors and to the woods; and it became clear that he did feel emotions.  Written by Mary Losure, with black and white illustrations by Timothy Ering, this very readable story will interest students at intermediate and middle school grades.

Dolores Huerta; A Hero to Migrant Workers

 

This picture book biography of Mexican American labor leader Dolores Huerta describes how she helped organize migrant farm workers to protest poor wages and working condition.  She became a co-founder of the United Farm Workers, and has worked tirelessly for workers, immigrant and women's rights throughout her life.  This is a first book for Minnesota teacher Sarah Warren, and is illustrated by Robert Casilla.  Backmatter includes a timeline and list of other resources about Huerta.  The book was selected as a Jane Addams honor title in 2013. It might be used as a classroom resource for a unit on labor relations and treatment of workers.

Minnesota in the Civil War

 

The exhibit at the Minnesota History Center entitled Minnesota and the Civil War will be ending soon (September 8).  Hurry and see it if you haven't.  After it ends, here is an excellent resource for American and Minnesota history classes. The book includes many contemporary accounts of the war from diaries, letters, newspaper accounts, photographs, portraits, and pictures of many artifacts from the War that are in the Minnesota Historical Society collection. A great resource for social studies classrooms. 

Hoop Genius; How a Desperate Teacher and a Rowdy Gym Class Invented Basketball

It's hard to imagine how a new gym teacher with a rowdy class of boys could invent a game of international popularity--yet that is exactly what happened to James Naismith in 1891 at a school in Springfield, Massachusetts. Written by John Coy, illustrated by Joe Morse, this picture book vividly shows how the first game was played, and how the sports world changed as a result.  A copy of the first draft of rules is printed on the endpapers, adding a primary resource to the story.  This could be the starting point for students to do historical research on their favorite game.

T is for Twin Cities; A Minneapolis/St. Paul Alphabet

 This is not your average alphabet book.  Written by Nancy Carlson and Helen Wilbur, with illustrations by David Geister; this book brings together information about historic landmarks, famous Minnesotans, and natural beauty to introduce young readers to what makes the Twin Cities a wonderful place to live.  James J. Hill, Garrison Keilor, and Elizabeth Quinlan, Minnehaha Falls, The Chain of Lakes, and the Mississippi River join the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, Guthrie Theatre, and the Minnesota Orchestra among the featured people and places in this introduction to the Twin Cities. In addition to a brief poem, each page includes two or three paragraphs telling readers more about what is featured there. The illustrations also capture the spirit of each topic.  This could be a classroom resource for upper elementary social studies and Minnesota history classes.

It's Milking Time

Oh my, does this book ever bring back memories! This story was my life as the daughter of a dairy farmer until about 8th or 9th grade.  The author, Phyllis Alsdurf, grew up on a dairy farm in southern Minnesota, and tells the story of a young girl and her special relationship with her father as they milk cows, and also with young calves (that she must feed and tend) and other farm animals.  The illustrations by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher, are spot-on in depicting life on a dairy farm. This could be a classroom resource for teaching a unit on where food comes from, and also for showing city kids different lifestyles that they may never see. It's a wonderful story!   

Shadow on the Mountain

The setting is Norway in 1940.  Although Norway is a neutral country, the Germans invade and take control under the guise of protecting it from invasion by the British or Russians.  This book tells the story of Espen, his family and friends, as they join the resistance movement.  Espen becomes a skiing courier who delivers food, secret documents, guns, illegal radio parts, and more to resistance workers in hiding. The story has elements of a spy thriller, a coming-of-age story, and is a tale of bravery against difficult odds. It is based on real events, and a real young man, Erling Storrusten, who was a teenager in Lillihammer during the years 1940-1945. This is excellent historical fiction for middle school students, and could be used as a classroom resource when studying World War II.  Written by Margi Preus, it was a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award in 2013 (young people's literature category); and was selected for the Notable Books for a Global Society list (IRA) in 2013.

Through No Fault of My Own

This is the diary of thirteen-year-old "Coco" Irving, the daughter of Horace and Clotilde Irving, socialites who lived on Summit Avenue in St. Paul in the early 1900's. Coco loved to write, and also get in trouble. Her diary entries frequently begin with the words "through no fault of my own..." The diary recounts one year of Coco's adventures, romances, and youthful problems.
Coco's writing has been published previously; this new edition is from the University of Minnesota Press and includes an introduction by Peg Meier and historical photographs.
Coco and her sister Olivia donated the family home to the state of Minnesota in 1965, and it became the Minnesota Governor's Residence.
This is a fascinating peak inside early 20th century life on Summit Avenue from a young person's perspective.

Day of the Dead

The Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday celebrated in various places in North America from October 31-November 2. This easy reader will introduce students to the history and activities associated with this holiday. Written by Linda Lowery, with illustrations by Minnesotan, Barbara Knutson, this is a nice classroom resource for this favorite Fall holiday.

Bridge to America

The year is 1920; the setting is a small village in Poland.  Fival and his family are extremely poor and live in fear of the Cossacks and their pograms against Jews.  Fival's father has gone to America to find work and save money, so he can send for the rest of the family.  When the passage money finally arrives, Fival and his family move to Duluth, Minnesota to join his father.  Based on the true story of Phil Myzel, this novel by Linda Glaser tells an absorbing, hopeful story of immigrants to America in the early twentieth century.  It is a resource for social studies classes.

Aunt Mary's Rose

Aunt Mary tells her nephew Douglas to water and care for a special rosebush; and then someday, a little bit of Douglas will be inside the rosebush.  Douglas can only see a plain old rosebush, until Aunt Mary tells the family story of the rosebush from the time when her grandfather planted it. The story is based on a real event in author Doug Woods' youth.  The illustrations by LeUyen Pham are soft pastel watercolor paintings, with sepia-toned 'photos' of the family from the 1930's-1950's.  This could be used as a supplementary resource to introduce farm life in that era, or to introduce a family biography unit.

Heart of a Samurai

This is one of my favorites from the 2011 crop of award titles. This book tells the story of Manjiro Nakahama, a young Japanese fisherman in 1841 (before Japan opened to the West).  He and some companions were stranded on a remote island in a storm, and rescued by an American whaleboat.  They would be killed if they return to Japan, so Manjiro decided to join the American crew, was taken under the wing of the commander, William Whitfield, and was the first Japanese person to set foot on American soil.  By Japanese tradition, Manjiro was destined to be no more than a humble fisherman, but when his 10-year saga ended, he had become much more--in some respects becoming a samurai--a dream of his youth.  Written by Margi Preus, this was a Newbery honor book in 2011.

Big Belching Bog

Minnesota is known for its many beautiful lakes.  No so much for the peat bogs that are scattered across the northern part of the state, including the Big Bog just north of Upper Red Lake.  This is the largest peat bog in the lower 48 states.  This (appropriately large format) book, written by Phyllis Root, introduces readers to the plants and animals that live in a bog.  Woodcut illustrations by Betsy Bowen add to the atmosphere of the bog.  More information about the plants and animals is found in the end notes. This book will be a useful addition to classes studying plants, animals, and Minnesota geography and environment.  Do bogs belch?  No one knows for sure, but this book will pique your curiosity.

Grandfather's Story Cloth

Chersheng and his family live in an American city.  His family are Hmong and they emigrated to the United States after the Vietnam War.  His grandfather is showing symptoms of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.  Chersheng's mother presents him with a story cloth stitched by his grandfather, and Chersheng creates his own art project to help is grandfather remember his life and family in America.  Written by Linda Gerdner and Sarah Langford, illustrated by Minnesotan, Stuart Loughridge (his first children's book); this bilingual story can be a resource for cultural units.

The Peace Bell

Although fictionalized, this picture book tells the story of the Peace Bell that is now located in Isumi City, Japan (formerly known as Ohara). 

During World War II, many Japanese temple bells were donated to the war effort, to be melted down into materials needed for the war.  This bell was discovered intact in a shipyard after the war, by crewmen from the USS Duluth. They presented the bell to Duluth, Minnesota, where it was displayed in City Hall until 1954, when it was returned to the city of Ohara, and renamed the American-Japanese Friendship Peace Bell.  In 1991, Ohara presented Duluth with a replica of the bell, and the two cities became sister cities. 

Written by Margi Preus, illustrated by Hideko Takahashi, this might be a resource for elementary social studies classes.