Diversity

My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers, Growing up with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was written by Christine King Farris and illustrated by Chris Soentpiet.

This book addresses diversity because it describes segregation and how blacks and whites lived two completely different lives. I really enjoyed this book because of its beautiful illustrations and first hand experiences that Christine King Farris had with her family and her brother Martin. I fully believe that this book should be in every library for children to read. This book would be so interesting to children because they know of Martin Luther King Jr. but they don't really know how her grew up or anything about his family. This books gives readers and insight into his life and how he vowed to "turn the world upside down." I would definitely recommend this book to my colleagues, especially as a teaching tool for segregation in Social Studies.

Dear Juno, written by Soyung Pak and illustrated by Susan Kathleen Hartung, is a touching story about Juno, a young Korean boy and his creative ways to "write" letters to his grandmother in Seoul, South Korea.

This book addresses diversity because it is about a Korean family and the author gives some insight into his culture and also describes where Juno's grandmother lives.

What I really enjoyed about this book were the illustrations and detail that the author gives the readers. My favorite page in this book his of Juno opening his first letter from his grandmother and the letter is shown with actual Korean writing.

I believe this book should be in library's for children to read because it shows the importance of communication and the love of a family that are miles apart. I really liked how the author made the letter so important. Nowadays, we don't think of writing someone a letter, rather, we just shoot them a text or an email. I like how it brought back the importance and meaning of a handwritten letter, or in Juno's case, drawings. 

Stuck in Neutral, written by Terry Trueman, was 2000 Michael L. Printz Honor Book. This is the story of Shawn, who has cerebral palsy and is wheelchair bound and how is illness has impacted his family.  Shawn cannot verbally communicate or move any of his limbs so society automatically assumes that Shawn is mentally retarded and will never get any better.  The book is written from Shawn's perspective, and how he wishes that he was able to communicate with others about how he is not dumb and is actually very smart.  Shawn also suffers from seizures daily, and unlike most who have seizures, Shawn loves them.  It is his time to "fly" out of his body and communicate with his family.  Shawn's father, Sydney, left his family when Shawn was four because he could not bare to see Shawn suffer.  He wrote a poem about Shawn and his illness which won a Pulitzer Prize.  From the beginning of the book, Shawn informs his readers that he believes his father is trying to kill him.  He cannot voice his concern or tell his father that he is able to understand what everyone around him is saying.  Throughout this entire book, Shawn shares experiences that were both positive and negative and how they have impacted his life.  
Stuck in Neutral addresses diversity and placing stereotypes on specific groups of people. In this book Shawn addresses his audience from his perspective and point of view even though he is not able to communicate with others.  I would definitely recommend this book to older readers, grades 4 and above, because it will open their eyes to different types of illnesses and how actions can be very hurtful.