Where the Mountain Meets the Moon- Multicultural

Title: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Author: Grace Lin

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Genre: Childrens’ fiction, folklore

Age level: 8-12

Themes: Determination, tall tales, working hard, determining your destiny
Synopsis: In the Valley of Fruitless Mountain, a young girl named Minli spends her days working hard in the fields and her nights listening to her father spin fantastic tales about the Jade Dragon and the Old Man of the Moon.  Minli’s mother, tired of their poor life, chides him for filling her head with nonsense.  But Minli believes these enchanting stories and embarks on an extraordinary journey to find the Old Man of the Moon and ask him how her family can change their fortune.  She encounters an assorted cast of characters and magical creatures along the way, including a dragon who accompanies her on her quest.

About the author: Grace Lin, author of the beloved Year of the Dog and Year of the Rat, returns with a wondrous story of happiness, family, and friendship.  A fantasy crossed with Chinese folklore, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a timeless adventure story in the classic tradition of The Wizard of Oz.  With her beautiful full-color illustrations featured throughout, Grace has once again created a charming, engaging book for young readers.

Pre-reading activities: The students can brainstorm a list of things that families might have a tough time dealing with. Since Minli comes from a poor family, other students might be able to relate to that. Along with their list of things that families and the children might have trouble dealing with, they can think of things to resolve their problems and make their lives better.

Post-reading activities: Because there are magical creatures involved in the story, discuss folklore with the students. Write a list of the magical creatures Minli came across in her travel and what they did to help her family find a better life. This could also lead into other Chinese folklore, including Rikki Tikki Tembo. Though there weren't many illustrations throughout the book, the few illustrations are very simple, but very elegant, and gives the reader an idea of the difficult journey Minli went on to help her family.

Reflection: Since the book deals with a poor family and a tough life, I feel that some students in the classroom could relate to this theme. I liked the illustrations throughout the book, though there weren't that many. Grace Lin used darker colors in the full-page illustrations which give the reader a feeling of mystery and curiosity of what will happen as they read on.

Works cited:

Barnes & Noble 

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon picture 

Lana's Lakota Moons- Multicultural

Title: Lana’s Lakota Moons

Author: Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve

Publisher: University of Nebraska Press

Genre: Young adult fiction

Age level: 11+

Themes: Relationships among family, phases of the moon, religion
Synopsis: This charming and poignant contemporary story about two Lakota girls and their Laotian friend illuminates for children and adults the Lakota meaning of family, friendship, life, and death. In the Lakota way, Lana and her cousin Lori are like sisters, growing up together under the caring eyes of an extended family of parents and grandparents. Also like sisters, they have their share of squabbles and fights, but when they meet a new girl at school who has recently arrived from Laos, they are drawn closer by their shared friendship, their discoveries about cultural differences, and their experience with loss and death. An image of footprints in the snow, one under the other so that it looks as if only one person is walking, becomes the central compelling image in the story. "We can't keep snow from melting," says Grandpa, "But the footprints will always be there, even if we can't see them."

About the author: Jane Austen's delightful, carefully wrought novels of manners remain surprisingly relevant, nearly 200 years after they were first published. Her novels -- Pride and Prejudice and Emma among them -- are those rare books that offer us a glimpse at the mores of a specific period while addressing the complexities of love, honor, and responsibility that still intrigue us today.

Pre-reading activities: Since this story mainly talks about the Laotian culture and how family and religion are important to the family, the students can think of what is important to them. Since this book is geared toward upper elementary students, they should be able to think of more non-material items, such as family, friends, their education, etc, and why those things are important to them. 

Post-reading activities: Discuss the different phases of the moon, since the Laotian girls learned of the moons of the Lakota calendar. The grandfather says that they "can't keep the snow from melting, but the footprints will always be there, even if we can't see them" in regards to the girls' footprints in the snow. Write the quote on the board and the students will write a reaction to it and what they think it means.

Reflection: Even though the book talked mainly about the Laotian culture, I thought at first that the book dealt with a Native American Tribe since the characters were given special names when they were born and at certain times in their lives. However, as I read on and found that the family members were involved in the church and each had a part, I found that I could relate that religion was important to them, as religion and a faith in God is important for my family as well. Also, the family members were very close, even though they had a few squabbles here and there; I found myself relating to this as well since my family is very close.

Works cited:

Barnes & Noble 

Lana's Lakota Moons picture 

Nikki & Deja- Multicultural

Title: Nikki & Deja

Author: Karen English

Illustrator: Laura Freeman

Publisher: Turtleback Books: A Division of Sanval

Genre: Children’s fiction

Age level: 4-8

Themes: Relationships among friends & family, new classmates, changing relationships, girls clubs
Synopsis: Nikki and Deja are best friends- almost like sisters.  They watch Saturday morning cartoons together, shop at the flea market, jump double dutch, and help each other with homework.  One of their favorite things to do is sit on Nikki’s front porch and discuss the happenings on their block.  But when new neighbors move in down the street and the girls decide to form an exclusive club, their friendship begins to change in ways neither of them expect.  Every friendship has its ups and downs.  But can Nikki and Deja’s survive the new drill team club and the new girl?

About the author: Karen English is the author of several books for young readers, including the novel FRANCIE (Farrar, Straus & Giroux), which received a Coretta Scott King Honor Award. Her previous book for Clarion, HOT DAY ON ABBOTT AVENUE, was named an ALA Notable Children's Book and was praised by the Jane Addams Peace Association for its "nuanced portrait of the inner workings of young girls' relationships." This is her first chapter book. She lives in Los Angeles, California.

About the illustrator: Laura Freeman has illustrated many books for children, including A BRAVE SPACEBOY and its sequel, A WILD COWBOY, by Dana Kessimakis Smith (Jump at the Sun). Her work has appeared in publications such as THE NEW YORK TIMES and NEW YORK magazine. Laura lives with her husband and two children in Manhattan. This is her first book for Clarion.

Pre-reading activities: Since this story is about two best friends, Nikki & Deja and their new neighbor Antonia, the students can write about a friend they like to play with. They can also write about the people who live around them, since Nikki & Deja frequently watched their neighbors while they sat on the porch. 

Post-reading activities: Lead a discussion about the book, asking the students why Nikki & Deja had a fight. One of the reasons is because of the Drill team club that Nikki & Deja wanted to start, but Nikki was having a hard time keeping up and then didn't want to be the club's secretary. Another time was because Deja's Bear was missing, and she thought Nikki misplaced him on purpose because of the problems with the club. The students can write about a time when they have had an argument with someone they were close to (a neighbor, a friend, or a family member), and draw a picture of the incident. Then they can come up with a solution to the problem if it hasn't already been solved.

Reflection: I thought this book was closely related to students in elementary school classrooms because they usually have fights about silly things and then they forget about what they were arguing about in the first place and go back to being friends. I thought the illustrations were very cute and they could show the students that even though Nikki & Deja were African American that they are similar to the students in the class and go through the same problems.

Works cited:

Barnes & Noble 

Nikki & Deja picture