Running The Road To ABC

Running The Road To ABC

Written by: Denize Lauture
Illustrated by: Reynold Ruffins

Elementary Grades

"The joy of learning shines through in this lyrical, freewheeling tale of a group of Haitian children on their way to school. Leaving at dawn, these barefoot students race through the countryside and town to their school to learn to read and write another letter, sound, word, line, and page in the "great and beautiful books on the Road to ABC." The text flows along with the youngsters, evoking the sounds of the early morning and the shapes of the varied terrain over which they travel. Details of the town with its bread sellers and horse tamers provide another memorable backdrop to the children's passage. This rhythmic, richly descriptive account of a "day in the life" of these young Haitians takes readers into this activity as they follow along."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://playonwords.com/blog/2009/12/08/teach-diversity-lesson-plans-for-running-the-road-to-abc/

Tap-Tap

Tap-Tap

Written by: Karen Lynn Williams
Illustrated by: Catherine Stock

Elementary Grades

"The journey to market is long, and eight-year-old Sasifi wants to take the "tap-tap"-the brightly painted bus that is the principal mode of public transportation in Haiti-but her mother tells her that they do not have enough money. At the market the child does an excellent job helping to sell oranges, and her mother rewards her with a straw hat and a few coins. The girl chooses to spend them by treating herself and her mother to a tap-tap ride home. As they speed down a road, Sasifi's hat blows off. It is rescued, however, and all ends well. Lively storytelling and illustrations make this an appealing if predictable picture book."

School Library Journal Review

Online Resources:
http://www.karenlynnwilliams.com/guide.html

The Color of My Words

The Color of My Words

Written by: Lynn Joseph

Upper Elementary, Junior High Grades

"Sometimes you have no control over what will happen next, as I discovered the year I was twelve years old. . .

Ana Rosa is a blossoming young writer growing up in a poor seaside village in the Dominican Republic. At twelve, she finds herself faced with turning points that will make up who she is--watching her brother's search for a future, learning to dance and to love, and finding out what it means to be a part of a community.

But in a country where words are feared, Ana Rosa must struggle to find her own voice and the means for it to be heard. Gradually she learns that her words have the power to transform the world around her-celebrating what is most beautiful on her island and transcending even the most unthinkable of tragedies.

This debut novel from poet Lynn Joseph is a lush and lyrical journey into the landscape and culture of the Dominican Republic. The Color of My Words explores the pain and the poetry behind what it means to be part of a family, what it takes to find your place in the world-and what it feels like to write it all down."

Online Resources:
http://www.learner.org/libraries/engagingliterature/voices/lessonplan.html

Cendrillon: A Caribbean Cinderella

Cendrillon: A Caribbean Cinderella

Written by: Robert D. San Souci
Illustrated by: Brian Pinkney

Elementary Grades

"A Caribbean Cinderella story, told from the godmother's point of view and brought to life by Pinkney's distinctive scratchboard illustrations. Based on West Indian versions of the story, the narrative is full of French Creole words and phrases. It tells of a poor washerwoman who is left a magic wand by her mother and discovers its power to help her beloved goddaughter. A fruit a pain (breadfruit) is transformed into the coach; six agoutis (a kind of rodent) become the horses; and Cinderella's slippers are bright pink with roses embroidered on them. Pinkney's art perfectly conveys the lush beauty and atmosphere of the island setting, featuring vibrant peaches, lavenders, aquas, and greens against the background of the sea. Frames of native greenery, shells, exotic blossoms, and small creatures are interwoven around most of the text, integrating it with the story's scenes to excellent effect. The result is an outstanding Cinderella variant for any collection."

School Library Journal Review

Web Resources:
http://www.teachingheart.net/cinderellaunit.html

Sugar Cane: A Caribbean Rapunzel

Sugar Cane: A Carribean Rapunzel

Written by: Patricia Storace
Illustrated by: Raul Colon

Elementary and Junior High Grades

"In her first book for children, award-winning poet Storace moves the story of Rapunzel to a sun-drenched Caribbean island teeming with magic. In this tropical retelling, a young fisherman's pregnant wife craves sugar cane. After a long search, the fisherman finds a sugar-cane patch and helps himself, but he is horrified to learn that the garden belongs to sorceress Madame Fate, who claims the fisherman's baby girl, Sugar Cane, on the child's first birthday. Storace's story cleaves close to the original's basic elements: the sorceress locks Sugar Cane in a high tower, which she enters by climbing her captive's long hair. Sugar Cane's voice draws a handsome young man to her high prison, and the young couple falls secretly in love. The story allows a more hopeful (and chaste) ending: the lovers escape in a whirl of terrifying magic and hold a joyful wedding before creating a child. Storace writes with a poet's command of rhythm, sound, and imagery: the water at night, for example, is "dark as sleep before dreams rise."

Working in his signature textured style, Colón produces images that are as mesmerizing as the text. Brilliant, light-infused hues and swirling lines create glowing compositions of the island setting, the frightening conjure woman, and the Afro-Caribbean characters. Too long for a single read-aloud, this powerful tale will be best enjoyed in installments. For another fairy tale reset in Caribbean culture, suggest Robert San Souci's Cendrillon."

Booklist Review