The Levitical Readings and Reactions

  Title- Parker Looks Up: An Extraordinary Moment Author/Retold- Parker and Jessica Curry  Illustrator- Brittany Jackson  Genre- Multicultural book Grade level- kinder-3rd grade The book starts with Parker in her favorite pink tutu. Her mother tells her she’s going to the museum  and Parker and her sister, Ava, are excited! When they get to the museum, Parker sees her best friend Gia. They start to go through all the exhibits seeing the art pieces and they are gushing with amazement. They were there for a while and their mothers said It was time to go. They started dancing to their mothers as if they were ballerinas wearing tutu’s and then Parker froze as she saw a painting of Michelle Obama. When she saw the portrait, she was reminded of herself, her mother, grandmother, and even her sister. She was filled with inspirational words that Parker wanted to embody. Her sister Ava broke Parker out of her trance by holding her hand. Parker left feeling powerful and inside ...

Title- Freedom Soup Author/Retold- Tami Charles Illustrator- Jacqueline Alcantara  Genre- Multicultural book Grade level- 1st-3rd grade The story begins with Belle and Ti Gram in the kitchen preparing the freedom soup. Belle helps Ti Gram to the beat of the Haitian Music. Belle asks why is the soup called freedom soup. Ti Gram tells Belle about how her ancestors were slaves and their lives were taken from them and how they would have to make soup for for their masters. Only freedom soup is only for people who are free. The Haitians decided they wanted their freedom back so they revolted against their masters. When they were finally free, they ate soup to celebrate their freedom and end of slavery. They both said “Haiti is free! Freedom Soup for Everyone!” They finish cooking the soup and Ti Gram told belle that this story has been passed down generations. Belle asked if she was going teach it to her children and Ti Gram says yes. Their whole family came into the house and finished ...

Title- Those Shoes Author/Retold- Maribeth Boelts Illustrator- Noah Z. Jones Genre- Multicultural book Grade level- kinder-3rd grade The story starts with Jeremy and he’s looking up a billboard that has an advertisement of shoes he wants to own. He asks his grandma for them but they have no money for them, they only have money for what they need. All of his friends have the shoes and they’re always showing them off  at school. One day his shoe broke, and Mr. Alfrey gave him a free pair of Velcro shoes. All of his friends laughed at him when he came in the room, except for Antonio. Grandma said I have some money set aside and they go to the store to buy the shoes. One look at the price and they didn’t buy them. Jeremy suggested they go to a thrift store because a kid might have gotten two pairs or out grew one really fast. They went to two thrift shops with no luck, but at the third one, they found them. They were only $2.50 but they fit Jeremy to tight and his grandma wouldn’t buy ...

Title- A Different pond  Author/Retold- Bao Phi Illustrator- Thi Bui Genre- multicultural book Grade level- 2nd-4th grade Awards- Caldecott Honor The story begins with an father waking up his youngest son early in the morning. They make sandwiches and go to the car and head to the tackle shop. The father talks to the son and the son remembers that his friends that his fathers accent makes him sound like a thick, dirty river. The son doesn’t think so. When they get to the tackle shop notices the father is there early and the father says I have second job. They get to the pond and it is cold. The son remembers the people he has met there. He remembers the man that talks like dad and the black man with the colorful lure collection. The son starts to build the fire as the father gets the fishing line ready. They sit down and they start to eat the sandwiches they packed as the bobber is in the water. The father talks about the pond he used to fish at in Vietnam with his brother. His fat...

Title- Each Kindness Author/Retold- Jacqueline Woodson  Illustrator- E.B. Lewis Genre- multicultural book Grade level- 3rd- 5th grade Awards- Corretta Scott King and the Jane Adam’s Peace Award The story begins on a cold, snowy day. Inside a classroom, the principal introduces a new student named maya. Our main character, Chloe, saw that her clothes and shoes were tattered. The teacher put maya by Chloe, and maya tried smiling at her but all Chloe did was turn away every time she did. A lunch time, Maya came over to Chloe and her friend group and asked if she wanted to play jacks with her and the group said no, so maya played by herself. In class maya told Chloe, guess who is the Jacks Champion of the World is? Andrew, the boy behind Chloe, said guess you have a new friend and Chloe quickly said she’s not my friend! Everyday they whispered about maya and how she was different because of the food she ate and the ways she dressed. She would still ask if anyone wanted to play and ever...

  Title- The Ugly Vegetables Author/Retold- Grace Lin Illustrator- Grace Lin Genre- multicultural book Grade level- 2nd-4th grade The story begins with a mother and daughter digging to create a garden. The daughter starts to see the neighbors start to make their own gardens and sees the difference between their garden and the neighbors. A big difference was the Chinese characters her mother put in the garden and she asked why are u putting these in the ground and not the seed packages like everyone else. She said because we are growing Chinese vegetables. Through the next coming days she saw how the beautiful and amazing smelling flowers started to grow and bloom in the neighbors garden and how their garden grew weird and ugky looking vegetables. The daughter wanted beautiful flowers, but she got veggies. One day she smelled something so nice and delicious and so did everyone in the neighborhood and the smell was coming from her house. The smell was the vegetables from the garden a...