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Pacific Center Book Report
Starting Out Right: A Guide to Promoting Children’s Reading Success
by the National Research Council (National Academy Press, 1999) provides
a wealth of information about early literacy. The book is appropriately
organized by developmental stages and describes the literacy accomplishments
and challenges within each stage. The lists of suggested practical activities
and additional resources are an added bonus. Both parents and educators
will find this a useful resource.
How do young children respond to chaos, turmoil, and isolation when they
are thrown into a different culture, community, and school? How do they
express their confusion and frustration when they cannot fully speak or
understand the language used in their new settings? The five children’s
books listed below explore the issues of immigration, acculturation, linguistic
diversity, and what it means to be an American. They are recommended for
2nd-5th grade students and for teachers who want to gain some insight
into the immigrant experience.
Aekyung’s Dream by Min Paek (Children’s Book Press, 1978).
A Korean girl struggles in school until she gets an opportunity to show
that her prior knowledge and educational experiences are of great value.
Angel Child, Dragon Child by Michele Maria Surat (Raintree, 1983).
A Vietnamese girl named Ut is teased at school because she dresses and
talks differently from her classmates. Ut’s frustration is compounded
by the fact that her mother is still in Vietnam.
I Hate English! by Ellen Levine (School & Library Binding,
1989). Mei Mei, a girl from Hong Kong, fears she will lose her Chinese
language and culture if she learns English.
Molly’s Pilgrim by Barbara Cohen (Lothrop, Lee & Shepard
Books, 1983). A young immigrant named Molly is from a family who fled
Russia to escape anti-Semitism. When Molly asks her mother for help on
a classroom project about Thanksgiving, the class learns a different perspective
about what it means to be a pilgrim.
Who Belongs Here? by Margy Burns Knight (Tilbury House, 1993).
Nary, a young boy who escaped civil war in Cambodia, is teased at school
and told to “go home” where he belongs. Of course, Nary cannot
go home. The book goes on to explore the history of immigration to the
United States.
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