Brooke’s Comments (group member since Jan 19, 2010)

Brooke’s comments from the LLED, Spring 2010 group.

Congratulations to the winner of the Cross-cultural Adoption Award, "The White Swan Express" written by Jean Davies Okimoto! Thanks to Typhani for the nomination.

My nomination for Mallori is "Luke has Asthma, too" by Alison Rogers. I chose this book because the disability Luke experiences is not a rare genetic disorder or mental retardation. It is a common disability that many children experience. Asthma is the leading cause of absenteeism among school children. This book shows many of the struggles Luke faces as a result of his asthma, but he maintains a positive outlook throughout all of his trials.

My nomination for Mike is "Bystander" by James Preller. This is a perfect book for upper-elementary/ middle school readers that has a no-tolerance stance on bullying. The situations in this book are easy for readers to relate to and will surely spark a lot of discussion. Eric, the new kid at school (underdog), rises above all expectations to create a solution to the bullying problem at his new school.

My nomination for Jayme is "Stitchin' and pullin' : a Gee's Bend quilt" by Pat McKissak. As a young African American girl pieces her first quilt together, the history of her family, community, and the struggle for justice and freedom in Gee's Bend, Alabama unfold. This book does a great job of showing many historic struggles of African Americans through the historically rich tradition of Gee's Bend quilting.

My nomination for Kristin is "When I Wore my Sailor Suit" by Uri Shulevitz. This is a great story about imagination and adventure- A young child spends the day imagining himself to be a sailor on a grand adventure. On his sailing adventure the little boy braves pirates, dangerous seas, and a scary man on the wall. He learns how to be brave and courageous on his great adventure!

My nomination for Andrew is "Baron von Baddie and the Ice Ray Incident" by George McClements. It is a classic story of good vs evil in the duel between von Baddie and Captain Kapow. The evil genius Baron always has his plans stopped by Captain Kapow. In spite of time in jail, the Baron is always planning his next invention. One day he traps Captain Kapow, leaving him free to do anything! At first, he has a lot of fun, but soon things become routine and dull. The large and cartoon-like illustrations are fun and exciting and sure to hold the reader's attention.

My nomination for Stephanie is "Dog Heaven" by Cynthia Rylant. It is a fiction book that addresses death using dogs as characters, not humans. It tells the reader not to be sad when dogs die because they go to Dog Heaven, a place where dogs can eat ice cream biscuits, sleep on fluffy clouds, and run through unending fields. I chose this book because it helps children view death in a not so negative way.

My nomination for Heidi is "Baseball Ballerina" by Kathryn Cristaldi. It is for grades 1-3 and is about a young girl who loves and plays baseball (a typically male stereotyped game), but her mother wants her to do a more "gender-appropriate" activity like ballerina.

My nomination for Typhani is "Daddy, papa, and me" by Leslie Newman. It is a cute story about a toddler's daily activities with his two fathers. This book is great, because the focus is on how much fun the toddler has with his parents. They are depicted as a happy, normal family, although same-sex parenting is often a taboo topic. The dads are wonderful and do a great job taking care of their child, even though their relationship may be "non-traditional".

My award will be for the best children's picture book in the age range of 3-10 years old on "Cross-cultural Adoption." This book should be about parents (does not have to be a heterosexual couple) adopting children from different nations/countries/cultural backgrounds than their own and should include some of the struggles and/or joys associated. As Lehr so eloquently said on page 105,"More than ever, an understanding and respect for human diversity is vital not only to our well-being, but to our very survival." Where better to foster this understanding and respect than within a family unit? That is why my topic is a blend multiculturalism and family. In Lehr's words, I am looking for books that "celebrate not only those wonderful differences, but also our sameness, our common humanity" (p 105). It does not have to originate from an American perspective, and may be either fiction or non-fiction. Highly supportive illustrations are a must. Nominations must be received by March 25, 2010.