Read and Shine » multicultural

Thanksgiving is a time when families and friends come together to share food and laughter as the days are getting shorter and colder. Beginning as a celebration of the welcome early European settlers received from Native Americans, Thanksgiving maintains the sentiment of sharing one’s bounty with others. Each home has its own unique traditions, but there are many shared behaviors across the United States, as well. No matter how the holiday is celebrated, the essence is the same: giving thanks for all that one has in their life. This book list includes titles for children aged 4-7 and shows how people give thanks at Thanksgiving and throughout the year.
Contributed by: Mary Lanni

	Around the Table that Grandad Built By: Melanie Heuiser Hill Illustrated by: Jaime Kim A family gathers with friends and neighbors to eat and celebrate around a table that the grandfather built.
	Duck for Turkey Day By: Jacqueline Jules Illustrated by: Kathy Mitter When Tuyet finds out that her Vietnamese family is having duck rather than turkey for Thanksgiving dinner, she is upset until she finds out that other children in her class did not eat turkey either.
	Gracias By: Pat Mora Illustrated by: John Parra A young multiracial boy celebrates family, friendship, and fun by telling about some of the everyday things he is thankful for.
	Grandma’s Tiny House By: JaNay Brown-Wood Illustrated by: Priscilla Burris In rhyming text, when the whole family and guests show up for the big dinner at Grandma’s house, it becomes clear that the house is much too small to hold them all.
	I am Thankful By: Suzy Capozzi Illustrated by: Eren Unten Throughout a Thanksgiving Day filled with family and fun, a child finds opportunities to be thankful.
	Round the Turkey: A Grateful Thanksgiving By: Leslie Kimmelman Illustrated by: Nancy Cote As they gather to celebrate Thanksgiving Day, members of an extended family take turns describing, in rhyme, the things that make them feel grateful.
	Sharing the Bread: an old-fashioned Thanksgiving story By: Pat Zietlow Miller Illustrated by: Jill McElmurry Illustrations and simple, rhyming text reveal a family’s preparations for their Thanksgiving feast, with everyone pitching in to help—including Baby, who sleeps quiet as a mouse.
	Thank You, Omu! By: Oge Mora When the aroma of Omu’s homemade stew fills the air, her neighbors arrive, one by one, for a taste until all is gone except for her generous spirit.
	Thanks for Thanksgiving By: Julie Markes Illustrated by: Doris Barrette At Thanksgiving time, children express their gratitude for the people and things in their lives.
	Thanksgiving By: Connor Dayton Introduces Thanksgiving, discusses the origins of the holiday, and describes how Americans celebrate.
	Thanksgiving Is— By: Gail Gibbons Introduces Thanksgiving feasts, Thanksgiving traditions, and the history of Thanksgiving to the reader.
	The Very Stuffed Turkey By: Katharine Kenah Illustrated by: Binny Talib When he is invited to five Thanksgiving dinners, Turkey accepts all of his friends’ invitations but wonders if he has room in his stomach for all that food.

The United States is made up of people of all nationalities and backgrounds. One of these is Korean Americans, a group that accounts for about 0.6% of the United States population. Though this number is relatively small, this group is a vibrant part of the American tapestry. This book list includes both fiction and non-fiction titles for elementary school students about Korean-Americans and the blending of these two cultures.
Contributed by: Mary Lanni

	Clara Lee and the Apple Pie Dream By: Jenny Han Illustrated by: Julia Kuo Korean American fourth-grader Clara Lee longs to be Little Miss Apple Pie, and when her luck seems suddenly to change for the better, she overcomes her fear of public speaking and enters the competition.
	Goyangi Means Cat By: Christine McDonnell Illustrated by: Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher An understanding cat helps a young Korean girl adjust to her new home in America.
	Halmoni and the Picnic By: Sook Nyul Choi Illustrated by: Karen Dugan A Korean American girl’s third grade class helps her newly arrived grandmother feel more comfortable with her new life in the United States.
	I’m New Here By: Anne Sibley O’Brien Three children from other countries (Somalia, Guatemala, and Korea) struggle to adjust to their new home and school in the United States.
	I’m OK By: Patti Kim Ok, a Korean American boy, tries a get rich quick scheme of starting a hair braiding business and winning the school talent competition to hide the fact that he is struggling with the loss of his father and the financial hardships he and his mother must now bear.
	Juna’s Jar By: Jane Bahk Illustrated by: Felicia Hoshino After her best friend, Hector, moves away, Juna’s brother Minho tries to make her feel better by finding things to put in her special kimchi jar, and each night, whatever is in the jar takes her on a magical journey in search of Hector. Includes glossary.
	Mindy Kim and the Yummy Seaweed Business By: Lyla Lee Illustrated by: Dung Ho Mindy Kim wants to fit in at her new school, but her favorite lunch leads to scorn, then a thriving business, and finally big trouble.
	My Grandpa’s Chair By: Jiyeon Pak A young girl notices that her grandfather is unhappy and thinks a new chair might cheer him up.
	A Piece of Home By: Jeri Hanel Watts Illustrated by: Hyewon Yum When Hee Jun’s family moves from Korea to West Virginia he struggles to adjust to his new home. He can’t understand anything the teacher says, and even the sky seems smaller and darker. Hee Jun begins to learn English words and make friends on the playground. One day at a classmate’s house he sees a flower he knows from his garden in Korea: mugunghwa, or rose of Sharon. Hee Jun is happy to bring a shoot to his grandmother to plant a “piece of home” in their new garden.
	Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds By: Paula Yoo Illustrated by: Dom Lee Profiles the childhood dreams and realities of the first Asian American to win an Olympic gold medal, achieved in the ten-meter platform diving event in 1948.
	Stand Up, Yumi Chung! By: Jessica Kim When eleven-year-old Yumi Chung stumbles into a kids’ comedy camp she is mistaken for another student, so she decides to play the part.
	When You Trap a Tiger By: Tae Keller When Lily, her sister Sam, and their mother move in with her sick grandmother, Lily traps a magical tiger and makes a deal with him to heal Halmoni.

Our celebration of our diverse world includes books that take a peek at places around the globe and also books that show multicultural characters displaying bravery. Suggested age range and month of publication is included with each entry. Be sure to use the links provided to find similar books to those shown.

	Outside My Window By: Linda Ashman Illustrated by: Jamey Christoph Kids around the globe see different things when gazing out their windows, in this celebration of diversity. Ages 4–8. (September)
	My Beijing: Four Stories of Everyday Wonder By: Nie Jun Four short stories set in a hutong, or residential alleyway, of Beijing, China. Yu’er, her grandfather, and their eccentric neighbors experience the magic of everyday life. Ages 7–11. (September)
	The Crossroads By: Alexandra Diaz In this sequel to the book The Only Road, Jaime, twelve, and Angela, fifteen, discover what it means to be living as undocumented immigrants in the United States, while news from home gets increasingly worse. Ages 8–12. (September)
	We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga By: Traci Sorell Illustrated by: Frané Lessac The word otsaliheliga is used by members of the Cherokee Nation to express gratitude. Beginning in the fall with the new year and ending in summer, follow a full Cherokee year of celebrations and experiences. Written by a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, this look at one group of Native Americans is appended with a glossary and the complete Cherokee syllabary, originally created by Sequoyah. Ages 3–7. (September)
	First Snow By: Nancy Viau Illustrated by: Talitha Shipman Diverse neighborhood children don their winter gear and head into the icy air to build snowmen and igloos, race sleds, and throw snowballs before returning to the warmth of their homes. Ages 3–5. (September)
	The War Outside By: Monica Hesse Teens Haruko, a Japanese American, and Margot, a German American, form a life-changing friendship as everything around them starts falling apart in the Crystal City family internment camp they are forced to live in during World War II. Ages 12-up. (September)
	All the Stars Denied By: Guadalupe García McCall When resentment surges during the Great Depression in a Texas border town, Estrella, fifteen, organizes a protest against the treatment of tejanos and soon finds herself with her mother and baby brother in Mexico. This book explores the first U.S. mass deportation of hundreds of thousands of Mexican-Americans citizens. Ages 12-up. (September)
	Analee, in Real Life By: Janelle Milanes Cuban-American Analee Echevarria only feels confident playing her favorite online game, but with a potential real-world romance and her father’s remarriage looming, she begins to rediscover herself. This title also deals with social anxiety. Ages 12-up. (September)
	Charlie Hernández & the League of Shadows By: Ryan Calejo Steeped in Hispanic folklore since childhood, middle schooler Charlie Hernandez learns the stories are true when, shortly after his parents’ disappearance, he grows horns and feathers and finds himself at the heart of a battle to save the world. Ages 10–14. (October)
	Everything & Everywhere: A Fact-Filled Adventure for Curious Globe-Trotters By: Marc Martin From Hong Kong to Reykjavík, Ulaanbaatar to New York City, enjoy a lush and unexpected journey around the world to discover what makes each place unique. Ages 8–12. (October)