When My Name Was Keoko

Park, Linda Sue. When My Name Was Keoko. New York: Dell Yearling, 2004. Print.

In When My Name was Keoko Korea is at the mercy of the Japanese Empire between 1940 and 1945.  In Korea, the Kim family is struggling to retain their culture, remain safe and survive.  Their uncle is secretly printing anti-Japanese literature, Tae-yul, the older brother in the family, has joined the Japanese army as a kamikaze pilot and none of the main characters know who to trust in their community.  As the war approaches its end, Tae-yul's kamikaze mission draws closer, the whereabouts of Sun-hee's uncle are discovered and the family struggles to stay together.

When examining the readability lexiles, I found the language to be in the adolescence stage because of long words, sentences with many clauses, detailed descriptions and length, which requires a high level of reading stamina.  Cognitively, the narrative switches between Sun-hee and Tae-yul along with their Japanese names (Keoko and Nobuo).  Sometimes they are describing the same event but using a different narrative.  This could be very confusing for an adolescent reader.  Socially, I would also place the text in the adolescent stage because students would most likely experience conflicting emotions, such as Tae-yul joining the kamikaze ranks against the wishes of his family. Also, the struggle of finding an identity as individuals and as a family was firmly present, specifically trying to Japanese when they are Koreans.

Looking at the characteristics of high quality literature, the main traits I see shown in the text are: setting and time allowing readers to gain an understanding about changes in society and the author developing multi-leveled themes.  When examining the setting, 1940's Korea was a time of great oppression by the Japanese, one that forced the Kim family to change their traditions, lifestyle, communication and name.  This still goes on in the world today sadly, but it is far less prevalent than it was in the first half of the 20th century.  Many students, especially those in living in America may have a hard time understanding the struggles the Kim family goes through, being someone you're not and living in constant fear of being persecuted simply because of who you are. 

The multi-leveled themes I saw were: family, culture and community. In the case of family, Tae-yul's selfless act of joining the Japanese army as a kamikaze fighter resulting in his family receiving better food rations was paying the ultimate price to help with his family's survival (he did not die, however).  Culturally, the Korean flag that was hidden, the Sharon tree was preserved and a code of silence was kept about their Uncle's pro-Korean printing press.  Within the community, everyone did their best to stick together and help out one another, whether it be teaching an elder the Japanese alphabet or informing neighbors of the real news about the state of the war. 
 
The literary elements I saw featured were plot: person against society, setting as historical background and style.  In person against society, the Kim family had to live in constant fear of their lives and safety.  At one point in the book, one of Sun-hee's friends in playing with her and they stop by her uncle's printing store. He knows that Sun-hee's friend has a father who is a Japanese supporter and is quiet and eventually tells them to leave.  In a free society, the uncle could print virtually anything, but in Japanese-occupied Korea, he must be very cautious not to draw attention to himself or his operation.  This was a microcosm of the society the Kim family lives in; one where you must protect yourself if you are different from what the Japanese want. 

In setting as a historical background, the cloud of WWII hangs heavily over Korea and the "news briefings" they receive from the Japanese occupation.  These messages, while usually fabricated, are the main source of news the Koreans receive.  This propaganda was often used by states that had the power during WWII.  Also, Tae-yul joining the Japanese kamikaze fighters was a snapshot in history at the end of WWII.  This horrible trend was almost exclusively tied to WWII and shows the dedication Tae-youl had to his family.  Finally, the style of When My Name Was Keoko was very unique in that Tae-yul and Sun-hee both tell similar events from their own perspective.  This was a little confusing to me, but I thought it gave the reader a fuller view of the events that occurred in the text.
 
One idea I had for a mini lesson would be to show students the Japanese internment camps in the U.S. during WWII.  Although the Koreans were at the mercy of the Japanese empire, Japanese-Americans were at the mercy of America.  Although it wasn't as ruthless as the Japanese occupation of Korea, the same principle of not giving people their freedoms was employed.  A simple picture slideshow and general overview would prove educational and possibly bring the subject closer to home for a classroom in Minnesota.
 
I viewed the target audience as adolescent because of the length of the book, the multiple narratives (which I even got confused with) and serious subjects such as oppression and kamikaze missions.  I think this book is well suited for bother male and female students as Sun-hee and Tae-yul's point of view is represented and the war is seen through the eyes of a female and male.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret: A Novel in Words and Pictures

Selznick, Brian. The Invention of Hugo Cabret: A Novel in Words and Pictures. New York: Scholastic, 2007. Print.

In The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Hugo an orphan toy enthusiast gets involved with a tomboy girl and bitter old storekeeper (also a toy enthusiast) and discovers a celebrity no one knew was in their midst.

Looking at the readability lexile, I would place the language in the text at an upper elementary level.  The story does have some longer words and French words, however the reader can often get a very solid understanding of what the language is describing through the many pictures throughout the book.  Cognitively, the book is upper elementary because children must apply logical rules, reasoning and formal operations to interpret and solve the mystery that is Georges' life past and present.  Socially, I can again see upper elementary students relating to the rebelliousness of authority at many points (Hugo living on his own and going against the wishes of the Milie parents).

When looking at the characteristics of high quality literature, I most saw the text inspiring and motivating students and showing the strength of male and female characters.  In the text I couldn't help but think of the enjoyment the readers would get from seeing two children discover the truth about Georges' past and outsmart adults.  Young readers love solving a mystery, especially when adults can't.

This isn't without screw-ups, however.  When at the Milie household, Hugo and Isabelle discover pictures from Georges' past and he has a meltdown and locks himself in a room.  He eventually came around, however the lack of tact and maturity by the kids showed their youth but also their intrepidness in discovering his true past.  Both Hugo and Isabelle are intelligent, cunning and very capable children.  Hugo fooled the men at the train station for months that his uncle was still alive and setting the clocks and Isabelle was able to sneak easily into the movies and recognize how to work the automaton.

The literary elements I saw in The Invention of Hugo Cabret were: setting as historical background, theme of personal development and style.  The historical background in the text is the importance of film, entertainment and the arts in Paris in the first half of the twentieth century.  Paris has always been an artistic jewel and Georges' past is no exception. If the story was set in any other place the story would not be very believable.  The frequency curios shops and magic was available shows that Paris was a welcoming city for Georges' past and eventual acceptance into the annals of artistic history. 

The theme of personal development pertains to Georges as he was an angry man who found delight in destroying Hugo's notebook and eventually transformed into a respected elder of the arts accepting a medal of achievement.  This was an evolution that happened as a result of Hugo and Isabelle's clumsy but successful actions in rekindling Georges' past.

Finally, the style of the book with the text and extremely beautiful pencil drawings adds a literary and artistic element to the story.  I would have never had any idea what an animaton was or what it looked like without the illustrations.

One idea for a mini lesson would be for students to write a short story and then draw accompanying pictures.  Several students could show the class the pictures and ask if they could interpret the story.  This activity would show the class the importance of using descriptive writing and pictures that convey the story.

Looking back at The Invention of Hugo Cabret, the target is both male and female reader because of the prominence of Hugo and Isabelle as main characters along with movies, drawings, magic and solving a mystery.  The graphical novel format is popular with many young readers so I feel any reader above the middle elementary level could enjoy the text assuming they have a high enough reading stamina and aren't intimidated by such a long book (even though illustrations take up many of the pages).

Home of the Brave

Applegate, Katherine. Home of the Brave. New York, NY: Square Fish, 2007. Print.

In Home of the Brave, Kek, a Sudanese immigrant to America (Minnesota, specifically), tries to adjust to his new home, retain his past, discover whether his mother is alive and forge a new identity.  He does this while taking care of a cow whom he relates to and meeting new friends.

Looking at the readability lexile, the language in Home of the Brave is around the upper elementary level because sentences are simple, however, Kek and his Sudanese family in Minnesota speak broken English, which may be a challenge for some readers to read and more importantly understand. 

Cognitively, the events of Kek’s past as well as his struggles and eventual maturation in Minnesota show a real-time chronological layout that takes place in Minnesota.  There are also flashbacks to Sudan, which may confuse some students who could be use to a linear style of storytelling.  Regardless, knowing the order of events and how they fit in to the present is key to understanding the text. 

Socially, I would place the text at the upper elementary age, students are certainly aware and have noticed similarities and differences between cultures.  In Home of the Brave the importance of, as Norton says, "Wanting to do a job well", such as Kek on the farm and helping out at home, may be relatable to upper elementary students.  Also, students have a sense of justice, such as Kek being reunited with his mother.  Young readers may resist Kek's imperfections in American society as they know he means well and has a caring heart.

Looking at the characteristics of high quality literature, I felt Kek was a many-sided individual who experienced emotions meaningful to adolescent readers.  Kek is many-sided in that he is from Africa but is trying to survive in America.  His culture is encountering another culture and his understanding of people, traditions (how cows are treated), food (ketchup) and the world around him (Minnesota is so gray).  This marriage of cultures, however awkward, would be interesting to students because it is American culture viewed through the lens of another culture.  This would allow students to see how other may perceive the world they have known their entire life. 

His love to his missing mother and the loyalty he shares toward the cow is meaningful to adolescent readers because the text makes them seem real and believable through Kek's words, feelings and thoughts.  Secondly, I truly commend the book for not showing any stereotypes or belittling Kek as an immigrant.  I felt his point of view was honest and legitimately portrayed what someone new to America might think and say.  His words, while not perfect, were easy enough to understand and kept the reader's interest.  In my mind it was Ms. Applegate who somehow got inside a Sudanese immigrant's head, stole the thoughts and wrote Home of the Brave.

The three literary elements I saw in Home of the Brave were: characterization, setting as an antagonist and style.  Kek's character was someone I wanted to take under my wing and show him the world.  I didn't feel sorry for him, but I could tell through his thoughts and actions that he was a respectable and hardworking person.  Kek's dedication to the cow was the prime example of his personality and candor.  He went out of his way to introduce himself to the female owner of the cow, get to know the cow, help replace its fence and ultimately bring it to the zoo so it could live a life of ear scratches. 

In setting as an antagonist, the entire environment surrounding Kek throughout his life has been an antagonist.  From the violence in Sudan that almost claimed his mother to the confusion of being in a new land and struggling to understand the language, Kek's surroundings have often been extremely challenging and frustrating.  When Kek wanted to clean the dishes and put them in the clothes washer instead of the dishwasher, his general idea was correct, but the differences in washers in an American cultural setting made this a disaster, however well meaning it was. 

Finally, I felt the style of Home of the Brave was extremely unique. With so few words printed on each page, there seemed to be even more that was said.  The sentence structure of Kek's words, specifically the "so close" moments when he tries to explain or say something (a slam dunk is called a, "Dunk slam" for example) and planes being called, "Flying boats" were all nuggets of Kek's understanding of the new world of Minnesota and ultimately the unique writing of Applegate.
An idea for a mini lesson would be to bring in objects from another culture, not describe what they are used for or their name, and have students guess what the object does and what they would call it.  This is how Kek probably interpreted new things in America.  This would provide students with a greater understanding of Kek's challenges and how difficult understanding a new culture can be.

In retrospect, I would put Home of the Brave at the lower level of upper elementary reading.  The book is slightly more male-centered than female, but I feel all young readers regardless of gender or culture can find a rewarding center in the book with its cultural struggle and familial upbeat conclusion.

Ghost Wings

Joosse, Barbara M., and Giselle Potter. Ghost Wings. San Francisco: Chronicle, 2001. Print.

In Barbara Joose’s Ghost Wings a young girl loses her grandmother to death and struggles to find hope in her loss.  The story begins with a brief introduction saying butterflies come to a forest in Mexico in the Fall to gain strength to travel north, usually during the Springtime.  The little girl has fond memories of going to the forest with her grandmother to see the butterflies, making tortillas and scaring away the monsters in her room.  One day her grandmother becomes ill, loses weight and eventually passes away.

The girl is sad and confused at the loss of her grandmother.  She no longer has anyone to scare away the bedroom monsters, make tortillas or see the butterflies with.  While celebrating Dia de los Muertos and visiting her grandma’s grave she sees the first butterfly of the Fall.  This reminds her of her grandmother, that even though something isn't around it still exists and becomes aware that everything lives on in one form.

Looking at the readability lexile, I would place the language in Ghost Wings at a Middle Elementary level because of it’s long sentences connected by commas, Spanish words and long length of the book.  Cognitively, the text is middle elementary because of the serious subject matter of death and use of memory to fully understand the text (life before grandma died, life after grandma died and the differences that are observed).  Socially, the text is between early and middle elementary because of the close ties to family (not yet gaining an individual identity) and the ability to understand others' point of view, specifically the young girl.

When examining the characteristics of high quality literature, the little girl faced a problem all of us, even adults, must deal with: coping with the death of a loved one.  This is believable to readers because they may have already experience the situation the little girl and her family faces.  The little girl overcomes her problem of grief by visiting her grandmother's grave on Dia de los Muertos and seeing the butterflies return (she and her grandmother would sit and watch the butterflies in the forest).  Also, with the support and love of her mother and father she overcomes the loss and is content that her grandmother still lives on. 

The main character, the girl, is many-sided.  She is young, happy, inquisitive and loving.  In contrast to this, she also feels sadness, confusion and eventually redemption as the death of her grandmother leads to acceptance.  I did not see any weaknesses in her character, as she experienced many of the emotions others feel when someone close dies.  These multi-level themes of love, death and acceptance are central to Ghost Wings and make this an effective book for those struggling to understand how to interpret the death of someone close.

Looking through the text, the main avenue readers have to use higher level thought processes is with the Spanish words.  Phrases and words like: pan de los muertos (bread of the dead), las tumbas (graves) and offrendas (altars for someone or something) will all be unknown to many students.  They will have to use text clues and pictures to understand what these words mean.  Also, there is a line between fantasy and fact, especially when the book talks about, "Monsters in the bedroom" the little girl's grandma would scare away.  There aren't really monsters in the room, but perhaps this is a metaphor that grandma makes her not afraid of things in the world and eases her worries.

The Hispanic culture is very prominent in Ghost Wings, and I really don't see any negative stereotypes within it.  The characters are loving, kind and honest people who represent their culture and family dynamic in a respectful way that readers can appreciate.  The text builds on a reader's knowledge of hispanic culture through pictures, explanations and words. This builds upon already existing knowledge within the school curriculum in the social studies vein by teaching students about different cultures. It also motivates readers to learn more about the Hispanic culture by portraying it positively, showing that they mourn death differently than in the U.S. and that there are similarities and differences between the two cultures.

Three literary elements I found in Ghost Wings were: characterization, setting as a mood and point of view.

In characterization, I found the grandmother character to be inspiring.  She is an old, wise woman who cares for her family and especially the little girl.  She passes on skills, such as making tortillas, telling stories and creates a sense of wonderment in the girl’s world.  One example of this is when she and the girl are in the forest with the butterflies. She says, "The butterflies carry the souls of the old butterflies, so they never really leave."  It was lessons like this that ultimately gave the girl hope after she passed away and the butterflies returned again.

The setting as a mood was shown by the butterfly migration.  Had the butterflies not migrated to northern Mexico, the girl would have never understood the relationship between her grandmother's death and the return of the butterflies (we carry the past as part of us).  The Mexican marketplace, cemetery and dining room (with offrenda) were all colorfully illustrated and connected with the words and overall theme of love, loss and eventual redemption. The mood of seeing all the butterflies in the cemetery at the end of the book shows this relationship again and sets a mood of reverence and acceptance of those who have passed away.

Finally, point of view was shown in the girl's struggles to understand life after her grandmother's death. She describes returning to the butterfly forest, not seeing the butterflies and feeling empty. She also says the monsters in her room returned and she could no longer smell the scent of cornmeal and roses (what her grandma smelled like). As I read, I got the impression this is how younger readers may interpret the death of a relative if they were in the position of the young girl.

The illustrations in the text are made with watercolor paints and pale hues. I noticed the dimensionality of the illustrations are sometimes off or not to scale with real life. I believe this is a specific style and perhaps a representation of how the world didn't seem right to the little girl after her grandma passed away.

One idea I had for a mini lesson was to find out which butterflies migrate to and from Minnesota. You could find out how far their journey is, why they travel to certain places and how long they are in Minnesota. You could also teach the class the spanish word for butterfly and show some of the more exotic specimens to extend learning from the text.

Based on the above information, I believe the the target audience is middle elementary level students who are Hispanic, interested in other cultures or working through the death of a loved one.

Gai See: What You Can See in Chinatown

Thong, Roseanne, and Yangsook Choi. Gai See: What You Can See in Chinatown. New York: Abrams for Young Readers, 2007. Print.

In Gai See: What You Can See in Chinatown a Chinese boy and girl travel through a Chinatown market and describe what they see, buy and eat. The items described and bought are reflective of what season it is (in Summer there are fruits and vegetables, for example). The book is a tour of Chinese culture that is rooted in the different seasons.

Looking at the readability lexile, the language is at a preschool to kindergarten level with simple and common themes along with rhyming and repeating phrases (a slew of adjectives followed by the refrain, "On a Sunday morning"). Cognitively, I would place the text at an early elementary level because of the reliance of simple, easy to understand subjects such as: time, seasons, concept of buying, family and food.  Socially, I would place the book at a kindergarten level because the two children characters are working with their parents, going to new places and learning about new places.

When examining the characteristics of high quality literature, the characters face problems and issues that are important to students, namely, the issue of discovering your culture and working with family to shop/support the family's well being.  Within these actions, there really isn't any problem, per se, but the boy and girl help out with shopping and are loyal to their family, which is a positive behavior to promote.  The characters are relatively simple, but it is also an early children's book.  The boy and girl's emotions are largely of wonder and happiness at the market.  Their main strength is their ability to be respectful and helpful at the market with any weakness being their youth and inability to help out more.

Although the book is short and there isn't a lot of text, the multileveled themes I saw shown in the words and illustrations were: family, culture and working as a team (mainly through the act of shopping at the Gai See/Chinese market).  While reading about these actions, the higher thought processes seen is the ability to draw an inference about what is being described by the Chinese words (cheong-fun, choi sum, gai see).

After reading the text I did not observe any stereotypes.  I felt it was an honest and straightforward view of a Chinese market and the role the family plays within the market.  I did notice the mother did most of the food shopping and cooking, but this may be a reflection of a traditional culture.

From a teacher and student point of view, I think the literature motivates and inspires kids. It is a simple, fun, rhyming, picture-oriented book that shows an upbeat and education cultural view of Chinese markets. Through this, the book expands knowledge of the academic field by studying cultures, in the vein of social studies.

The literary elements I saw in Gai See were plot: developing an order of events, setting as a mood and readability. The plot’s order of events was based on the seasons and how the weather corresponded with the foods available in the market. In Summer there are tofu blocks, cold soybean milk and dragon fruit. The setting as a mood is shown through the: people, sounds, foods and goods that paint a picture of the market and culture within it. Finally, the readability of the text is presented clearly through simple words, simple pictures, short sentences, rhyming and a glossary of Chinese terms in the back of the book.

The illustrations in the text are quite simple. There is a white background on almost all pages with back marker outline shaded in with vibrant colors. With the shade of colors and almost always-white background, the characters and illustrations pop or stick out when you see them.

One idea I had for a minilesson was to investigate, as a class, if there is anything like a Gai See/Chinese Market in Minneapolis.  You could take students on a virtual online tour of the Midtown Global Market showing the individual shops and cultural differences. Also, the farmer's market offers different cultural foods. Perhaps I could tie this back in with the Farmer's Market book I profiled earlier in my book reports.

After reading Gai See: What You Can See in Chinatown, I think kindergarten to early elementary students would most enjoy this book, especially because of the rhyming and glossary in back to explain any confusing words.

Farmer's Market: Families Working Together

Rendon, Marcie R., and Cheryl Walsh. Bellville. Farmer's Market: Families Working Together. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda, 2001. Print.
In Farmer's Market: Families Working Together two families the Thao, a Hmong family, and the Kornder family, a German family, both contribute to the local farmer’s market.  The book describes the farming process from planting to harvesting and the specifics behind making a particular crop grow.  The story stresses the coming together of cultures at the farmer's market and how food is a great unifier and educator to cultures. 

Looking at the readability lexiles, the language is rooted in the middle elementary level because of longer sentences and process-based plot showing how food is grown and harvested.  There are also some unique low-frequency words like “topsoil”, “corms” and “nutrients”.  Cognitively, I would place it at an upper elementary level.  Students must keep track of two families and the process from planting to selling.  In addition to this, concepts such as seasons and the actions that are tied to them are stressed as being extremely important.  Socially, I would place the story in the middle elementary level because students have to understand the Thao and Kornder families are working together to achieve a goal.  Through their teamwork as families and in a larger sense at the farmer’s market, their hard work is rewarded with a strong social relationship between grower and buyer.
 
While analyzing the characteristics of high quality learning, I found the characters in the book faced large scale issues that were interesting to readers, such as: teamwork, creating something and working hard to achieve a goal.  On a smaller scale, I felt the families didn’t face problems relating to younger students.  Many of their small-scale problems were related to farming.

The two families overcome their problems in ways that allow them to gain insight into different ways of finding solutions.  Working with others, depending on others, planning, taking responsibility and acceptance of other cultures allows them to reach their goals and successfully sell their food at the farmer‘s market.  These themes allow students to see how difficult, precise and rewarding growing your own food is and knowing where it came from. 

The setting is modern, but each family's ancestry is discussed and how farming has changed from previous generations. 

After analyzing the text, I found no explicit higher thought processes employed.  Everything is explained, presented in pictures and told in a straightforward manner.  I believe the text motivates and inspires students by showing them the process of growing food.  Because we all eat, food is something everyone is involved in at some level (usually not growing it, but buying and eating it).  In the book we see the actual fields where your food may come from which is a journey few people experience. 

The literary elements I found in the text were setting as a mood, accessibility and characterization.  In ‘setting as a mood’ the noises, smells and visuals of the farmer's market are all aptly described. 

The book’s accessibility allows the author to tell the story in relatively simple terms (although there are some long sentences and advanced words used) explaining what happens at each step in the process of farming with each family.  This could be overwhelming to young readers, especially with a possible culture disconnect with each respective family, depending on the child who is reading the book.  However, the pictures and captions support the text by reinforcing what is being described.  Also, there is a list of definitions listed in the back of the book that explains some possibly new or confusing words. 
 
When I say the characterization is used well, I am referring to the families.  Each family has an identity, a method to their farming, different roles within the family and different crops.  However, despite these differences that are laid out and explained, there are similarities, like the friends they know at the farmer's market and feeling of community. 

There are no illustrations in the text but there are real life pictures that show the evolutionary process from planting to harvesting the food.  They also show pictures of each family's ancestors and how growing crops is a part of their history.

An idea for a mini lesson is to have the class investigate the path most produce takes to reach our shelves and compare it to that of a farmer's market.  Why is food grown so far away?  Having the class grow some of their own food with seeds, create a classroom farmers market and share a meal together at a later date would allow them to be involved in the text. 

Looking at the target audience, I would say middle elementary students would enjoy the book the most.  It shows how food comes from the earth to our homes and others a multicultural approach that many students may find interesting as they are still learning about the world and having exposure to different races and cultures. 

Families

Kuklin, Susan. Families. New York: Hyperion, 2006. Print.

Looking at Susan Kuklin’s Families, I found the breadth of the different families along with the pictures to be its strongest suit.  The main point of the book was to show the different types of families and show that within each one there is a safe place where everyone is valued and loved.  Each vignette of a family has at least one of the children in it explaining the specifics of the family, traditions (often relating to their ancestry or culture) and relationship to other family members.

While looking at the readability lexile, I would place Families in the language as middle elementary because of middle length sentences that are fairly simple to read.  However, many cultural specific words that are not widely used are often included.  Words like: kosher and Ramadan may be completely new and confusing to students. 

Cognitively, I would place the book at a late elementary because although family is a common thread in American society, the way each family operates and its specifics are often not covered by any other means in school.  In other words, the way the family operates, its rules and relations may be foreign to the student audience.  They stand to learn a lot about families in this book, however there is a lot to understand and take in. 

Socially, I place the book at early adolescence because there are so many differences in each family that is portrayed.  Students need to have an open mind, maturity and patience to understand and appreciate the differences contained in the book.

Looking at the requirements for high quality literature, the families within face issues and problems that are believable to readers.  The desire to be accepted, loved and make sense of one’s family are factors we strive to achieve through our whole life, not just as students in school.  This book is a great icebreaker for students who may be striving to make sense of a change in their family or don’t feel “normal” when it comes to families. 

Through the common thread of love and acceptance in the many different types of families, the students overcome their problems, which although is not explicitly stated, I believe is fitting in within a non-traditional family.  Looking at the pictures and reading the children’s words describing their family is enough evidence to show that they are content within their family. 

The characters in Families are many-sided.  Through their family and modern society the members forge their identity and appreciate who their family is and how they fit into its structure.  One example of this is Lily and Jacob who have two moms.  They call Lucy (mom #1) “Mom” and Jennie (mom #2) “Mama.”  The children go to Mom and Mama for different questions and help with everyday problems.  Instead of defining their parents by their sex they define their two moms by their respective personalities.  Through example like these, the class can see the changes that have taken place over time and how traditional families are no longer traditional. 

The multileveled themes present in Families are: religion, food, family dynamics, social norms, education, identity, roles within the family and sexuality to name just a few.  Each family profiled has traits that set it apart from the other families, supporting a view of celebrating diversity and familial love.  It is through each family that students need to identify the differences and similarities that allow everyone to grow as members of a social unit. 

Since the child or children tell all of the explanations about the family, any negative stereotypes that could be present are straight from the source and not the author.  This doesn’t happen however, and the portrayal of each family is positive and uplifting--mainly embracing differences and individuality.  The central tenants are: love, acceptance, celebration of diversity and the cohesiveness of the family—in all its forms.  These traits will hopefully inspire students to take pride in their family and get to know them better. 

The literary elements I found present were: setting as mood, the theme of personal development and point of view.  The setting is the family’s house, which has their identity.  On many family profiles there are pictures of the family’s ancestors or important artifacts that defines who they are.  The theme of personal development is present through the children growing within the family and discovering their identities.  The child’s or children’s point of view is their ability to describe the family that reflects its identity, what they like, don’t like and the social situation.  The point of view is clearly from a child and is lighthearted, honest and accessible to the reader and classroom audience. 

There are no illustrations in the book, however the pictures reveal real people in their actual houses, not an interpretive drawing.  These pictures are honest, informative and support the message in the text. 

Since all of the families portrayed are presented in a positive light, one idea for a minilesson would be to have the students write in their journals which family they identified with the most.  This would allow the students to realize some of the positive traits associated with non-traditional families and their own family.  

Overall, I would place Families target audience at middle elementary because students must have a base level of acceptance and maturity to appreciate the different types of families.  Also, at this age the concept of family is firmly in place and they are ready to branch off and learn more about different types of families.