Teaching Tools

Professional Development

Critical Multiculturalism: Theory and Praxis ($45.95), edited by Stephen May and Christine E. Sleeter, offers a thorough, compelling discussion of the theoretical underpinnings of liberal multiculturalism. The book explores its successes and limitations, before discussing the theory and application of critical multiculturalism. Rather than focus on curriculum and building cultural competency, the book asks educators to perform a “structural analysis of unequal power relationships, analyzing the role of institutional inequities.” later chapters allow educators to explain what critical multiculturalism should look like in their classrooms, by subject area and grade level.
ISBN 978-0-4158-0285-7
Routledge
(800) 634-7064
www.routledge.com [2]

Do Something! A Handbook for Young Activists ($13.95), by Nancy Lublin, is an indispensible educational guide to help students go from wanting to do something that makes a difference to actually doing something. It’s written in easy-to-understand language and covers a wide range of issues, like homelessness and bullying in schools. Do Something! will inspire students to get involved.
ISBN 978-0-7611-5747-2
Workman Publishing
(212) 254-5900
www.workman.com [3]

Great Group Games for Kids: 150 Meaningful Activities for Any Setting ($16.95), by Susan Ragsdale and Ann Saylor, supplies numerous practical and valuable activities that foster relationshipbuilding through “play with purpose.” The games help students understand their peers from different neighborhoods, cultures and age groups. The debriefing questions in the “going Deeper” sections encourage reflection on what worked and how the activities connect to students’ lives.
ISBN 978-1-5748-2284-7
Search Institute Press
(800) 888-7828
www.search-institute.org [4]

Fire in the Heart: How White Activists Embrace Racial Justice ($24.95), by Mark R. Warren, provides a comprehensive study about what inspires white activists to take a stand for racial equality. Although not presented as a “how to,” there’s plenty to learn from the 50 white activists interviewed for the study. Warren explores the essential question: “how do people who are not themselves victims of discrimination come to develop a commitment to act for racial justice?”
ISBN 978-0-1997-5125-9
Oxford University Press
(800) 445-9714
www.oup.com [5]

Acting Out! Combating Homophobia Through Teacher Activism ($26.95), edited by Mollie V. Blackburn, et al, shares the reflections and experiences of teachers from urban, suburban, and rural schools. The teachers also provide helpful discussions about how to start a teacher inquiry group. This book includes a useful annotated bibliography that addresses homophobia.
ISBN 978-0-8077-5031-X
Teachers College Press
(800) 575-6566
www.tcpress.com [6]

A collection of 18 essays, Are We Born Racist? New Insights From Neuroscience and Positive Psychology ($18), edited by Jason Marsh, Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton and Jeremy Adam Smith, explores issues such as racial prejudice, cultural bias and gender discrimination from a multidisciplinary perspective. Although some prejudices are hardwired, we learn that the “human brain [is] expertly equipped to overcome automatic prejudices and build positive social relationships.” Recommended resources are included at the back of the book.
ISBN 978-0-8070-1157-7
Beacon Press
(617) 948-6444
www.beacon.org [7]

In Finding Mrs. Warnecke: The Difference Teachers Make ($19.95), veteran teacher Cindi Rigsbee recalls her search to reconnect with Mrs. Warnecke. She was the first-grade teacher who inspired Rigsbee’s love of learning and her choice to become a teacher. The book reads like an extended version of Teaching Tolerance’s own “Why I Teach” column. It is sure to reinvigorate the passion that led teachers to the classroom.
IBSN 978-0-4704-8678-8
Jossey-Bass Publications
(877) 762-2974
www.josseybass.com [8]

Storytelling for Social Justice: Connecting Narrative and the Arts in Antiracist Teaching ($28.95) is part of the Teaching/Learning Social Justice series. It was written by Lee Anne Bell, director of education at Barnard College and Columbia University. This book offers practical tools for engaging students through a process of storytelling that critically examines their experiences with racism and other forms of social injustice. Teachers are asked to view diversity through the structural dynamics of power and privilege. This process allows students to examine the power in stories and the power dynamics around stories.
ISBN 978-0-4158-0328-1
Routledge
(800) 634-7064
www.routledge.com [2]

They Called Themselves the KKK: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group ($19), written by Susan Campbell Bartoletti, is a lively portrait of America’s best-known white supremacists. Bartoletti’s book does have some problems. For example, her approach to the material implies that the post-Civil War KKK was a monolithic organization; in fact the South’s “night rider” groups were diverse and went under many different names. Even so, this book is a well-illustrated, interesting way to introduce young adults to the Klan and the reconstruction era. Teachers and librarians should use it to teach about the struggle for civil rights.
ISBN 978-0-6184-4033-7
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
(800) 225-3362
www.hmhbooks.com [9]

Elementary Grades

Rafael’s lunch has been stolen. What should he do? He listens to his instincts and follows his mother’s valuable advice that “fighting is for cowards” and “use your mouth before your fists.” The Lunch Thief ($16.95), by Anne C. Bromley and illustrated by Robert Casilla, is the moving and thoughtful real-life story of how Rafael chose not to respond impulsively. Instead, he thought through his actions to resolve the problem in a nonjudgmental way. This is a heartwarming book that helps children see the other side of every story.
ISBN 978-0-8844-8311-3
Tilbury House Publishers
(800) 582-1899
www.tilburyhouse.com [10]
Grades 2 to 6

The Can Man ($14.40), by Laura E. Williams and illustrated by Craig Orback, is a touching story of humanity and dignity. A homeless man, known by many as the “Can Man,” is remembered as Mr. Peters by Tim’s parents. Tim wants a new skateboard but needs a little more money. so when he sees Mr. Peters collecting cans he decides to do the same thing. Through firsthand experience, Tim develops understanding and empathy while becoming more aware of Mr. Peters’s difficult life.
ISBN 978-1-6006-0266-5
Lee & Low Books, Inc.
(888) 320-3190, Ext. 28
www.leeandlow.com [11]
Grades 2 to 3

Amazing Faces ($14.40) is an anthology of poems selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins. It provides insightful views of people from different backgrounds and cultures. The book’s inspiring poets—such as Janet S. Wong, Pat Mora and Joseph Bruchac—are as diverse as the people they write about. Chris Soentpiet’s paintings beautifully illustrate the multicultural connections made by the poems.
ISBN 978-1-6006-0334-1
Lee & Low Books, Inc.
(888) 320-3190, Ext. 28
www.leeandlow.com [11]
Grades 3 to 6

Through the eyes of a young boy, Saltypie: A Choctaw Journey from Darkness Into Light ($17.95), by Tim Tingle and illustrated by Karen Clarkson, shows the struggles of a Choctaw family from the 1950s until the present. Even when faced with difficult and tragic events—the trail of tears, racism toward American Indians and the Indian boarding schools—the Tingle family carries on. Saltypie deepens our truthful understanding and helps dispel stereotypes of American Indians.
ISBN 978-1-9336-9367-5
Cinco Puntos Press
(800) 566-9072
www.cincopuntos.com [12]
Grades 3 to 6

In Moon Watchers: Shirin’s Ramadan Miracle ($16.95), Reza Jalali tells the story of Ramadan, while showing the everyday intimate details of a family. With the holy month of fasting just beginning, Shirin, a 9-year-old, wants to fast just like her older brother, Ali. Her dad reminds her she’s still too young to fast, though she can still do some good deeds to help others. Anne Sibley O’Brien’s detailed illustrations complement this story.
ISBN 978-0-8844-8321-2
Tilbury House Publishers
(800) 582-1899
www.tilburyhouse.com [10]
Grades 2 to 6

Abuelo Vivía Solo/ Grandpa Used to Live Alone ($16.95), by Amy Costales and illustrated by Esperanza Gama, is an intergenerational story about the relationship between a grandpa and his granddaughter. The girl and her mother, a single mom, move in with the grandfather. He helps out as much as he can by providing care for his granddaughter while his daughter works. As time passes, their relationship grows. In the end, the granddaughter continues their family traditions and oversees the well-being of her grandpa.
ISBN 978-1-5588-5531-1
Piñata Books
(800) 633-2783
www.latinoteca.com [13]
Grades Pre-K to 3

Sensing Peace ($13.99), by Suzana E. Yoder, explores the question “What is peace?” through the senses. Rachel Hoffman-Bayles tells an inviting visual tale with the help of a diverse, multicultural community. This thought-provoking story takes the meaning of “peace” from our everyday experiences—what peace looks, sounds, feels, tastes and smells like in both big and little moments in life.
ISBN 978-0-8361-9515-6
Herald Press
(800) 245-7894
www.heraldpress.com [14]
Grades 1 to 5

Eva takes Chien, her best friend, on a tour of her barrio when he visits. While showing him what makes her neighborhood so special, she also immerses him in a welcoming cultural exchange. Welcome to My Neighborhood! A Barrio A B C ($11.89), by Quiara Alegría Hudes and illustrated by Shino Arihara, portrays how our different communities and cultures can bring us closer together. This edition is available either in English or Spanish.
ISBN 978-0-5450-9424-5
Scholastic Books
(800) 724-6527
www.scholastic.com [15]
Grades Pre-K to 2

As a new student, Roberta James quickly learns that although she may seem to fit in at first, something as small as the designs on her lunch box may cause other students to exclude her. Before the end of the day, she discovers that differences are often the best part of life. One of Us ($16.95), by Peggy Moss and illustrated by Penny Weber, explores the issue of cliques and being accepted, especially if you are not “exactly” like everyone else.
ISBN 978-0-8844-8322-9
Tilbury House Publishers
(800) 582-1899
www.tilburyhouse.com [10]
Grades 3 to 6

Siddharth and Rinki ($9.99), by Addy Farmer and illustrated by Karin Littlewood, tells the story of Siddharth, a young boy who has moved to a new country. He is lonely in an unfamiliar place. Siddharth yearns for his friends in his home country, India, and clings to his stuffed elephant, Rinki, for comfort and friendship. Before long, Siddharth begins to make new friends and a smile returns to his face.
ISBN 978-1-8485-3008-9
Tamarind Books
www.tamarindbooks.co.uk [16]
Grades Pre-K to 2

Patricia Polacco’s Thank You, Mr. Falker ($16.99), is a story about overcoming academic obstacles. It’s also about the difference a caring teacher can make. The book’s narrator, modeled on Polacco herself, talks about struggling tremendously in school. She gets teased and ostracized because of her difficulties. She is on the verge of deciding she is stupid and hopeless. But then Mr. Falker takes the time to get to know her and help her understand what is getting in her way. Polacco weaves her lesson into a beautifully illustrated, provocative narrative that can provide tremendous comfort to struggling students.
ISBN 978-0-3992-3732-4
Philomel Books
(800) 847-5515
Grades K to 3

Ben and the Emancipation Proclamation ($16.99), by Pat Sherman and illustrated by Floyd Cooper, is a true story about Ben, a young slave in Charleston, S.C. White southerners forbade enslaved people to read or write. But Ben takes great risks to teach himself to read. While in a holding cell waiting to be sold, he uses his skills to read aloud the Emancipation Proclamation from a newspaper to the others in his cell. This is a story about freedom and literacy’s power.
ISBN 978-0-8028-5319-6
Eerdmans Publishing Co.
(800) 253-7521
www.eerdmans.com [17]
Grades 3 to 6

Mr. Manners: Lessons From Obama on Civility ($10.99), by Anna Post, uses photos and minimal text to show that our first black president is also a very well-mannered gentleman who is considerate of others. Whether writing a thank-you note or wiping crumbs from a counter, the president is a great role model for good behavior. The book would be a wonderful addition to any class library, showing children the simple ways that civility makes a difference, even in the lives of the powerful.
ISBN 978-0-7407-9336-3
Andrews McMeel Publishing
(800) 943-9839
www.andrewsmcmeel.com [18]
Grades 3 to 5

Middle and High School

Fish Out of Water: God Did Make Adam and Steve ($24.95), written and directed by Ky Dickens, shares the artist’s personal journey about being a lesbian. the animated documentary shows the negative reactions, often reinforced by biblical quotations, that she faced after “coming out.” in an accessible and nonthreatening way, the film explores and demystifies the seven Bible passages often used to condemn homosexuality.
Yellow Wing Productions
www.fishoutofwaterfilm.com [19]

Starting with I: Personal Essays by Teenagers ($13.95), edited by Andrea Estepa and Philip Kay, is filled with intimate, heartfelt stories from writing students that tackle issues like gender, racism and homosexuality. This collection will inspire students to write and think. Free Teacher’s Guide available online at Youth Communication (www.youthcomm.org [20]).
ISBN 978-0-8925-5228-3
Persea Books
(212) 260-9256
www.perseabooks.com [21]

Abe in Arms ($15) is a powerful story of suffering and survival. as a child in Liberia, Abe is forced to join rebels and fight a war he wants to avoid. Adopted by an American doctor, Abe comes to the United States. By the time he’s 17, he suffers from flashbacks about his wartime experiences. Author Pegi Deitz Shea tells Abe’s story with compassion, educating readers both about the Liberian conflict and about posttraumatic stress disorder and its treatments. The novel, though written for a middle school level, has disturbing content more suitable for older students.
ISBN 978-1-6048-6198-3
PM Press
(888) 888-4741
www.pmpress.org [22]

Beyond Central, Toward Acceptance: A Collection of Oral Histories From Students of Little Rock Central High ($19.95), edited by Mackie O’Hara and Alex Richardson, presents student essays based on oral history interviews by ninth graders at historic Little Rock Central High School. The book starts with black-white relations at Central. Then it expands to include reports on desegregation at other schools. It also includes stories of discrimination in other countries and against other groups as well as stories of positive change. In addition to informing readers about desegregation, the book inspires students to create oral history projects in their own communities.
ISBN: 978-1-9351-0621-0
Butler Center Books
(501) 320-5716
www.butlercenter.org [23]

Is It Night or Day? ($17.99), by Fern Schumer Chapman, tells the story of Edith Westerfeld, a 12-year-old Jewish girl whose parents send her, alone, to the United States in 1938 to escape the Nazis. Told in Edith’s voice, the novel captures both the specific fears of a child fleeing the Holocaust and the more general experiences of immigrants adjusting to life in a new country. It’s easy to identify with Edith’s loneliness and loss. Her story puts a human face on one way that Jewish children survived the Nazis.
ISBN 978-0-3741-7744-7
Farrar Straus Giroux
(888) 330-8477
www.us.macmillan.com [24]

The Phoenix Gone, The Terrace Empty ($16) is the reissue of a 1994 book of poetry by Marilyn Chin. Chin writes about immigration, adaptation and assimilation, and what was lost and found in her move from China to the United States. The book includes a new afterword in which Chin places her work in the context of 1980s identity politics, declares that she is still an “activist poet,” and argues that the need for activism persists despite the election of an African-American president.
ISBN 978-1-5713-1439-0
Milkweed Editions
(800) 520-6455 Ext. 560
www.milkweed.org [25]

Suitcase Full of Dreams ($14), a memoir by Hoy Kersh, recounts what it was like growing up black in the segregated South. Kersh spent her childhood in Mississippi and Alabama in the years before the civil rights movement, and describes in an engaging, down-to-earth voice how she and her family struggled. But they also enjoyed happy times, despite the ever-present shadow of racism.
ISBN 978-0-9823-1651-1
Cozilove Enterprises
(707) 320-1201
www.hoykersh.com [26]

When Molly Was a Harvey Girl ($15.99) traces the adventures of a 13-yearold who, passing for 18, joins the staff at one of the famous Harvey Houses—the restaurants at stops on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railway in the late 1800s. Molly, the hero of this historical novel by Frances M. Wood, is full of pluck and ingenuity, and middle school readers will enjoy reading about her. The novel explains the opportunities and limitations that young women could expect back in the late 1800s. And it shows the prejudices that Mexicans and Native Americans faced during U.S. expansion.
ISBN 978-1-9352-7951-8
Kane/Miller Book Publishers
(800) 475-4522
www.kanemiller.com [27]

Where the Streets Had a Name ($12.59), by Randa Abdel-Fattah, is a poignant, witty story of a Palestinian girl’s attempt to travel the short distance from her home in the West Bank to Jerusalem. Her goal is to get a handful of soil from her grandmother’s childhood home. The story makes vividly clear the devastating impact of Israeli-imposed segregation on both Palestinians and Jews.
IBSN 978-0-5451-7292-9
Scholastic Press
(800) 724-6527
www.scholastic.com [15]

The Year of Goodbyes ($16.99), by Debbie Levy, takes the form of a poesiealbum—a kind of autograph book that German girls signed for each other. Levy based her book on an album that her mother, Jutta Salzberg, kept in 1938. Levy takes on the voice of 12-yearold Jutta, expressing the young Jewish girl’s feelings as her family tries to get visas to come to the United States.
ISBN 978-1-4231-2901-1
Hyperion Books
(212) 456-0100
www.hyperionbooks.com [28]

Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty ($12.88) tells the story of Robert Sandifer, known as Yummy in his Chicago neighborhood. In this graphic novel, written by G. Neri and illustrated by Randy DuBurke, Roger, one of Yummy’s 11-year-old classmates, tries to understand why Yummy joined a gang, shot a girl and then got shot himself. The novel is based on events that took place in 1994. It raises provocative questions about responsibility, guilt and innocence.
ISBN 978-1-5843-0267-4
Lee & Low Books
(888) 320-3190, Ext. 28
www.leeandlow.com [11]

Monica & David, directed by Alexandra Codina, is an insightful documentary about the endearing marriage of two adults with Down syndrome. The film showcases the complexity of the issues—employment, sexuality, dating, the role of parents—they face every day as a married couple. The film beautifully captures how family members, especially their mothers, devote their lives to this couple. Monica and David want independent lives, at least as much as possible, with support of their loving families. Discussion guides are available online.
DVD available spring 2011.
HBO Documentary
(646) 450-7619
www.monicaanddavid.com [29]