Multicultural Text Set

Multicultural Text-Set: Family Structure Kathryn Beach
The Family Book by Todd Parr

Description
Summary: This book celebrates different types of families, from families of different
colors to families with just one parent, and everything in between. It explains the ways
in which families can be similar and different with colorful, silly illustrations, and large,
simple text.
Age/Grade Level: 3 to 5 year-olds; Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten
Key Words: Family, Same, Different
Evaluation
This book promotes social consciousness because it explains to children how there are families
that exist who may be far different from their own, but they are equally as special and
wonderful. By exposing children to the contents of this book at a young age, they may be more
accepting and supportive of different family structures growing up. It includes discussion of just
about every family structure one could think of, helping to efface discrimination of minority
family structures at a young age.
Recommended Use
This book would be great to use to introduce a family unit in the classroom, and to read aloud
around certain holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukah, etc., relating family structures
to many different ways holidays may be celebrated. Following a read aloud, students could
draw a picture of their favorite thing to do on a given holiday with their family.
SOLs
Family Life Education Standards of Learning for Virginia Public Schools
K.4 The student will recognize that everyone is a member of a family and that families
come in many forms.
K.5 The student will identify members of his or her own family.
K.6 The student will develop an awareness of positive ways in which family members
show love, affection, respect, and appreciation for each other.
1
Families, Families, Families! by Suzanne Lang

Description
Summary: Illustrations of families of animals are displayed in frames on different walls
that represent that animal familys culture, explaining the kind of family shown in
each portrait. The message Lang is trying to get across to her readers is that love is
what makes a family.
Age/Grade Level: 3 to 6 year-olds; Pre-Kindergarten through 1st Grade
Key Words: Family, Love, Culture
Evaluation
Like The Family Book, this book also explains different kinds of families to children in a very
comforting way. Through reading it, children will become more aware of the diversity of
families, and how each one is great in its own way. Each child has the opportunity to feel good
about and proud of their own, unique family.
Recommended Use
This book would also be good to introduce a unit on families, and rather than relating it to
holidays, a teacher could have students do an activity after in which they draw a picture of their
own family in a frame, decorating the frame and background with things that represent their
familys culture and/or lifestyle.
SOLs
come in many forms.
2
We Belong Together by Todd Parr

Description
Summary: This book demonstrates the love between an adopted child and their
parents, with the repeating line We belong together because throughout the book.
It highlights why adoption is a positive thing through the explanations of why the
parents and child belong together.
Age/Grade Level: 3 to 5 year-olds; Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten
Key Words: Adoption, Together, Love
Evaluation
This book is good for teaching very young children about the basic concept of adoption, that
the parents and child did not start out together, but came together for many positive reasons.
It promotes inclusiveness of a child into a family who did not originally have one, and teaches
young children the social concept that just because the parents and child are not related by
blood, they are related because of their love for each other, which is what makes them a family.
Recommended Use
This book would be good to read to a young, adopted child in order to explain to them the love
that exists for them by their adoptive parents, or to read to young students to introduce the
topic of adoption within a family unit. Children could then write a short letter to their parent(s)
saying why they belong together, even if they are not adopted.
SOLs
come in many forms.
3
Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born by Jamie Lee Curtis
Description
Summary: This book celebrates adoption through the main character in the story, a
young adopted girl, repeatedly asking her adoptive parents to tell her about the many
ways in which the night she was born was so special and wonderful for them. She is
excited to hear about her adoption story because it demonstrates her parents
happiness to have her as their own.
Key Words: Adoption, Excitement, Happiness
Evaluation
This book is good for getting children excited about the idea of adoption and to help them have
a positive outlook towards it, rather than a fearful or seemingly negative one, being that
adoptive parents are not blood-related. However, realizing that the adopted girl in the book
loves hearing about her own adoption story, may foster feelings of excitement about their own
adoption experience.
Recommended Use
I recommend reading this book and having children write a short letter to their own parents
with all the questions they have about the night they were born. Have their parents write them
a letter back and help them to read it. If they ever need reassurance of their parents love or
want to feel closer to their family, they have the letter from their parents to read whenever
they would like.
SOLs
come in many forms.
4
A Mother for Choco by Keiko Kasza

Description
Summary: A young bird named Choco is looking for his mother, asking a variety of
different adult animals if they are his mother. They all say that they are not his mother
for different reasonsusually, it is that that do not look like him. He asks Mrs. Bear if
she is his mother, and she asks Choco what he thinks his mother would do. Choco lists
all the things his mother would do and together they do them. Mrs. Bear says she can
be Chocos mother, and brings him home to the rest of her loving, adopted children.
Key Words: Love, Differences, Comfort
Evaluation
This helps children to understand that looking like someone may not make them their parent,
but that what makes a parent, a parent, is their love for their children, which is exactly what
Mrs. Bear expresses for Choco. It conveys the message that differences between a family do
not undo a family, but should be accepted unconditionally, and children can find comfort in
that.
Recommended Use
After reading this book to children, I recommend having them draw all the ways in which their
family is different from each other, and write a sentence saying why they love the differences
within their family. This will help children to become more accepting of not only their own
familys differences, but other familys differences as well.
SOLs
come in many forms.
5
Murphys Three Homes by Jan Levinson Gilman

Description
Summary: As a foster dog named Murphy moves about different foster homes and is
constantly placed in unfamiliar surroundings, he learns to cope with his anger and
sadness in realizing how lucky he is to be so accepted into each home.
Age/Grade Level: 4 to 9 year-olds; Pre-Kindergarten through 3rd grade
Key Words: Foster, Coping, Luck
Evaluation
The book helps children to understand the ways in which fostering is different from adoption,
and realize the rollercoaster of feelings that foster children (or animals!) go through. Children
will come to see fostering in a positive light, because it is all about acceptance and love.
Recommended Use
I recommend doing a read aloud with this book to introduce more unfamiliar family situations
and structures to children, so that they can better understand what their peers are potentially
going through and how to be a good friend to them during difficult times. After, teach students
what having empathy for others is and how it relates to the story. Then have them draw or
write down (depending on their age and skill level) the ways in which they can be a caring and
empathetic friend to their fostered or adopted peers.
SOLs
come in many forms.
6
When My Parents Forgot How to Be Friends by Jennifer Moore-Mallinos

Description
Summary: Readers follow a young girl through the journey of her parents divorce, from
the sad, scary parts, to the happy ending. The girl experiences these emotions alongside
her parents and the reader, and is very open and relatable. This story uses simple and
friendly text to explain divorce in the least negative way possible.
Key Words: Adjustment, Emotional, Outcome
Evaluation
This book conveys the message that although divorce is sad, it can ultimately be a good thing
for the family and the child. Whether or not they experience it themselves, they may have a
friend who experiences it, so this book will help them to understand their friends feelings and
how to help them.
Recommended Use
I recommend reading this book to students during a family unit, as divorce is becoming more
and more prevalent in our society, so it is something they should be aware of and
knowledgeable about. Students can raise their hands to represent that they have either
experienced divorce, or know someone who has. This will prove to the class as a whole that
they are not alone.
SOLs
come in many forms.
7
Fred Stays with Me! by Nancy Coffelt

Description
Summary: A young girl discusses her life going back and forth between her divorced
father and mothers houses, with her dog, Fred. Although the way things are done at
each house is different, Fred is always there, representing the continuity and stability in
the young girls life. Fred is the light in a difficult situation, and helps the young girl to
cope with her parents being divorced.
Key Words: Home, Different, Stability
Evaluation
The book helps children to realize that although divorce is confusing, sad, and can make it seem
like a family is falling apart, there is always something that will stay the same that children can
release their fears and feelings into.
Recommended Use
After reading this book to the class, I recommend having children volunteer to share a sad
and/or scary experience they had, and how and who they confided in to cope.
SOLs
come in many forms.
8
In Our Mothers House by Patricia Polacco

Description
Summary: Marmee, Meema, and their children make up one diverse and very happy
family, although some people do not accept them for what they are. Between two
moms with three adopted children, there are many lessons to be learnednot only for
the family themselves, but for their neighbors as well! Marmee and Meema teach their
children (and their readers!) that being different is not wrong, because what makes a
family is love, and their family has a lot of it!
Age/Grade Level: 7 to 12 year-olds; 2nd through 6th grade
Key Words: Love, Acceptance, Equality
Evaluation
This book will open older students eyes to the fact that families can defy multiple traditional
biological, social, and cultural standards. Diverse and blended families are becoming much
more common in todays society, so this book will help readers to understand the importance
of accepting families and people that are different. They will realize that although this family is
made up differently, they still do the same things that more traditional families do, and are
not much different after all.
Recommended Use
I recommend reading this book to older students during a family life unit, as it has more
advanced vocabulary and illustrations, and is slightly longer. Students can write about the ways
their family defies biological, social, and/or cultural standards, and why they are wonderful
because of it.
SOLs
come in many forms.
9
Stella Brings the Family by Miriam B. Schiffer

Description
Summary: A young girl named Stella goes to school one day to find out that her class
will be having a Mothers Day celebration, and each students mother is invited! Stella
listens to the excitement of her peers, but only feels sadness herself, as she does not
have a mother, but has two fathers. Who will she bring to the celebration? This
distracted Stella the whole week, until her peers suggested she bring everyone in her
family who does things her mother would do. Stella brought the most people to the
party, and had so much fun introducing them to her friends.
Key Words: Acceptance, Love, Inclusion
Evaluation
This book helps children to recognize that a family role can be filled by other adults or family
members; a mom does not have to be a woman, and a dad does not have to be a man. A
parent is considered a parent because of their love and what they do for their child, not their
gender. Children will understand their peers feelings if their parents do not demonstrate
traditional mother and/or father roles.
Recommended Use
I recommend throwing a Family Celebration in the classroom, in which students can bring any
member of their family that they would like, and each share with the whole class why that
family member is special to them.
SOLs
come in many forms.
10

Multicultural Text Set

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Multicultural Text-Set: Family Structure Kathryn Beach

The Family Book by Todd Parr

Families, Families, Families! by Suzanne Lang

We Belong Together by Todd Parr

A Mother for Choco by Keiko Kasza

Murphys Three Homes by Jan Levinson Gilman

When My Parents Forgot How to Be Friends by Jennifer Moore-Mallinos

Fred Stays with Me! by Nancy Coffelt

In Our Mothers House by Patricia Polacco

Stella Brings the Family by Miriam B. Schiffer

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