Tag Archives: Friendship

The Dress and the Girl

Posted on November 30, 2018 by | Comments Off on The Dress and the Girl

Title: The Dress and the Girl

Author(s): Camille Andros

Illustrator/Photographer: Julie Morstad

Publisher and Year: Abrams Books for Young Readers 2018

Number of pages: 33

Tags/Themes: Allison Henry, Adventure, Historical Fiction, Friendship, Picture Book, Social Science

Genre: Historical Fiction

Descriptive Annotation: The Dress and the Girl is the story of the adventures of a little girl and her dress. At the beginning of the story, they are at their home in Greece. But one day, the girl and the dress board a boat destined for America. When they arrive in America, the dress is folded up in a trunk. The dress searches the globe for the girl, and they are finally reunited in a store many years later. There are no special features in this book and students would need little background knowledge to understand the text.

Classroom Application: This book could be used in a social science lesson on immigration, specifically immigration to the United States. This cute story about a girl and her dress could be used to show students how immigrants to the united states had to give up their home culture (the dress) when they got to the new country, in order to fit in better. Students could look into the immigration process of America. They could also choose a different country and compare and contrast it with America.

Linguistic and Cultural Diversity Analysis: This book is about a Greek girl and her dress immigrating to America. The story shows similarities between Greece and America, but it also shows the differences. It shows the hope that immigrants have when they leave their home for a better life. In the beginning of the story, it says, “But they longed for the extraordinary. Something singular, stunning, or sensational.” When they arrived at America, it says, “They wondered if now was the time for something singular, stunning, or sensational. For something extraordinary.”

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Skin Again

Posted on November 28, 2018 by | Comments Off on Skin Again

Author(s), Illustrator/Photographer: bell hooks; illustrated by Chris Raschka.

Publisher and Year/Number of pages: Disney-Jump at the Sun Books, 2004, 30 Pages.

Genre: Fiction, Picture Book.

Descriptive Annotation: The cover features two pastel drawings of children’s hands (one white and one black) clasping each other over the image of a patchwork quilt of skin colors. Also included is a heart-shaped icon on the quilt itself, and all of these are shown in pastel colors. This is a combination of both standard unifying imagery used by mankind for millennia, and the use of children’s hands as innocent figures who don’t notice superficial man-made differences, which can be seen for the entirety of the picture book .

Skin Again is the heartwarming story of a group of kids getting along famously despite their exterior differences, as they continually are told by the narrator, bell hooks, that “The skin I’m in is just a covering. It cannot tell my story” (hooks, pgs. 2-4). As the story goes on, it is evident that while this story is short on words due to its targeted young audience, it has plenty of heart, and indeed makes looking inside others’ hearts a key point of focus for the reader: “If you want to know who I am you have got to come inside” (hooks, p. 14).  The whole of the story is about acceptance and loving others no matter what they may look like, and realizing that others are always coming from different places in their lives (and in the world) from you. Growing up in a predominantly white and Asian suburb of Chicago, Palatine, I wish I had had more books like this one to read, as they might have helped ease some of the tensions that arose between the northern and southern halves of the town based on race and class. Others should have read this as well, because even one person reading the book could have made a difference. Absorbing and understanding the messages described in this story would foster better understanding in any community, and seeing such harmonious relations between different races would be a useful antidote to our current racially-charged era. These lessons would certainly be useful for students reading this novel in the primary school classroom.

Classroom Application: In the book Skin Again, the characters are children of different races, based on the makeup of our nation, which would be ideal for instructing students from less racially or ethnically diverse communities. Different people from different settings are exposed to different realities on a daily basis, and that is more or less the theme that the book conveys. For instance, the last line of the book sums it up nicely: “For we are all inside made up of real history, real dreams, and the stuff of all we hope for when we can be real together on the inside” (hooks, pgs. 25-29).  This demonstrates how people should simply be authentic with each other as well, as authenticity is key in forming long-term relationships. This is a teachable moment, since it’s hook’s way of saying that race and racism, or discrimination of any kind, is arbitrary. It’s not only bad for the human race to think this way-it can be fatal, as we saw at Charlottesville last year. In short, we need less racism in the world, and this book here offers a way to start the anti-racist process at an impressionable age.

Linguistic and Cultural Diversity Analysis: hooks covers the interactions between children of different skin colors in a unique and innovative way, making sure to include culturally sensitive clothes and hair for the children of each race without overdoing it in the story. Not many people have used a picturebook format to do so before, or in this manner that acknowledges the categories of race without letting them get in the way of harmony between disparate peoples: “The skin I’m in looks good to me. It will let you know one small way to trace my identity” (hooks, pgs. 11-12). This is necessarily true- the author’s motivation was to do exactly this when they wrote the text. Exasperation with people not being able to get this message with traditional mediums of literature likely drove bell hooks to write this book, and that is why 14 years later, this is still an excellent (but still largely singular of its type) piece of work.  Another important message in this picture book is that the idea of forming perceptions based on race is misguided and skewered to a certain degree: “You can find all about me-coming close and letting go of who you might think I am” (hooks, pgs. 19-20). On those pages, a young black and young white boy are both pointing at one another from opposite pages, which is a metaphor for the pointing of fingers that happens all too much in today’s world. Such a metaphor may seem blatant and unnecessary to certain readers, but in the context of the age group that is reading this book, it is understandable that it is included to help eliminate biases at a tender age.

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Muktar and the Camels

Posted on November 28, 2018 by | Comments Off on Muktar and the Camels

Author(s)/ Illustrator/Photographer: Janet Graber, Scott Mack

 Publisher and Year Number of pages: Henry Holt and Company, 2009, 29 pages.

Genre: Fiction

Descriptive Annotation: The cover features an artistic rendering of the protagonist, Muktar, with a camel, done in some lovely shades of watercolors that are throughout the book. There is a brown camel on a navy-blue background, and the shirt Muktar is wearing is a similar shade of blue, perhaps leading the reader to infer that Muktar himself is a fixture of the natural world as well, not disturbing the equilibrium that Mother Nature has set. As for the book itself, it involves the engrossing story of Muktar, a Somalian refugee who has found a refuge in Kenya but still misses his homeland and the tending of camels he used to do there. Muktar gets his chance to take up his old passion when a traveling librarian, Mr. Mohamed enters the refugee camp in Kenya in which he resides. Mr. Mohamed reached the town the camp is a part of, Garissa, by camel back, and soon Muktar’s troubles are alleviated somewhat by the presence of the three camels-a new, dynamic trio of mammalian friends. The teacher of the school Muktar attends, Mr. Hassan, always called him lazy and shiftless before in the classroom, but stops doing so now that he sees the young man’s ability to take care of Mr. Mohamed’s camels so well. Luckily for the reader, despite the complex geopolitical situation in East Africa, the story contains universal themes -feeling like an outsider, trying to fit in when in a new place, and getting a true sense of belonging in unfamiliar locales. This is accompanied by the equally universal themes of those three bad things hanging over your head until there is an activity or valve to release the feelings of loneliness and isolation that can easily plague even the most levelheaded person. There is some background information provided at the end to help the precocious reader truly enjoy this story as well learn about the turmoil Somalia has gone through since 1993, and how it has exacerbated the flow of refugees out of the nearly lawless country.

Classroom Application: A central theme is the acceptance of others despite their differences, and the description of world events make this an ideal text to teach those lessons to students. The author and illustrator demonstrate that stigmatization isn’t the best avenue to pursue when new or different people enter your community, and how the children best learn this lesson would be up to the teacher. The passion shown by the main character in pursuing his goal of camel tending and acceptance from his peers in the camp (and Kenyans in general) is certainly a good lesson for teaching purposes. One possible lesson after reading the book would be to follow the news coming out of two current conflicts-Syria as mentioned in the Stepping Stones review, and Yemen-or even Somalia, which is still run by a weak government, and tie that into classroom curriculum. Students will also hopefully recognize, as Mr. Hassan does at the end of the story about Muktar, that we all have a purpose on this Earth, and at some point, we all need a person to “take care of the…ornery beasts” (Graber, p. 25) in our lives.

Linguistic and Cultural Diversity Analysis: The book’s setting is along the Kenyan-Somalian border, and the unique cultural blend formed in that region in recent years due to the combination of cultures from refugee movements is depicted and would be great material for a social studies-type course. The traditions of the Somali peoples that originally only stayed in Somalia have dispersed everywhere from Nairobi to Minneapolis, and are now present in the fabric of each city’s social structure. Graber explains this concept to the reader through the character of Muktar, who is an orphaned young man that ran away from a war-torn country with his nomadic family. Tragically, he was the only one who made it out alive, and his “…mother and father rest in graves beneath piles of stones” (Graber, p. 6). The Somali people from Muktar’s region of the country have always been committed to maintaining and supporting their camel herds, and Muktar’s father hammered that lesson home whenever he could: “Camels first. Always camels first. Camels are treasure” (Graber, p. 5). His zeal that he got from his late parents to take care of these animals convinces Mr. Mohamed to take him on his travels across the continent, and Mr. Hassan allows it when he sees the boy so happy about caring for the animals rather than depressed about his situation.

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We’re all wonders

Posted on November 28, 2018 by | Comments Off on We’re all wonders

Author(s) Illustrator/Photographer: written and illustrated by R.J. Palacio

Publisher and Year Number of pages: Alfred A. Knopf, 2017, 29 pages.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Descriptive Annotation: The cover features a simple artistic rendering of a boy with a facial deformity inside a giant white astronaut’s helmet, very similar to the cover artwork of another famous book by R.J. Palacio, Wonder, which features similar cover artwork in a less elaborate design. The lush sketches featured on the cover continue for the whole of the book, and the results are pleasing to both the eye and the heart. As for the book itself, it involves the story of Auggie Wonder, the protagonist of Wonder, who is used to being an ordinary kid that just happens to have an extraordinary face, and a lovable dog named Daisy. Whenever Auggie is sad about how he is not the same as other kids at his school, he is reminded by his family of his true potential: “My mom says I’m unique. She says I’m a wonder. My dog, Daisy, agrees!” (Palacio, p. 10). Eventually, despite this encouragement, Auggie has to decide whether or not to face the bullies who say cruel things about his condition face to face, or take a break from it all. Auggie goes with door number two: “It hurts my feelings. It hurts Daisy’s feelings, too. When that happens, I put on my helmet. I put Daisy’s helmet on, too. And then we blast off!” (Palacio, pgs. 14-18). Out in space, Auggie gets a much better perspective of how big the world is, and sees that “Earth is big enough for all kinds of people” (Palacio, p. 24). He takes this knowledge back down to his fellow kids, and they start to realize that they, too, are all wonders in their own special ways and should treat another with care and respect. No background knowledge is necessary to enjoy this book, but leafing through this wholesome tome may spark an interest in the full novel to be read, which is never a bad flame for an educator to spark.

Classroom Application: Since the book makes the mutual respect of all an enormous priority by depicting kids of completely different backgrounds on the playground and in its text, it’s an ideal text to teach lessons on being decent to one another and not bullying. The author/illustrator also demonstrates that sometimes it is right and just to withdraw from a situation to decompress and take stock. Direct action towards bullies is never good if pursued in anger; one must “look with kindness and…always find wonder” (Palacio, p. 29). One possible lesson after reading the book would be to tie it into school anti-bullying campaigns, and then also review the classroom bullying standards and see if they need to be revised in any way, shape or form. Students would also do well to recognize, as Auggie does, that minds can be changed, and perceptions altered, and how to best go about changing them is always dependent on the situation.

Linguistic and Cultural Diversity Analysis: The book is diversely cast; on page 8, children of every race and faith are depicted with a high degree of accuracy and tact. The unique cultural blend of each school, therefore, can easily fit into the framework of the picture book and be used to great effect in any classroom, regardless of subject. Palacio does a great job explaining how tolerance works to the reader through the simple depiction of all the different groups peacefully coexisting; the only outlier is Auggie, and eventually, the children overcome that difference as well.

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Hoot

Posted on November 28, 2018 by | Comments Off on Hoot

Author(s) Illustrator/Photographer: Carl Hiaasen

 Publisher and Year Number of pages: Alfred A. Knopf, 2002, 292 pages.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Descriptive Annotation: The cover features a simple artistic rendering of a burrowing owl’s white eyes on a sky-blue background, very similar to other minimalist books of Carl Hiaasen’s that feature similar cover artwork. As for the book itself, it involves the engrossing story of Roy Eberhardt, a boy who is used to being a new kid. Florida isn’t the first state he’s lived in, but probably the most interesting place he’s ever been. We first meet Roy with his face being pressed against the window of his school bus by Dana Matheson, the local bully.  While dealing with Dana, Roy meets a boy named Mullet Fingers and learns of a sinister plot involving a pancake house called Mother Paula’s, which is planned to be built on the site of an owl rookery.   Roy used to hate Florida and mope about going back to Montana, but now he doesn’t think it’s so boring after all. Roy and Beatrice, his crush at school, have to decide whether or not to help protest for owls’ rights with Mullet Fingers by sabotaging the Mother Paula’s site, which is not an easy choice to make since he is already in trouble at school for ditching class to chase Mullet Fingers. Luckily for the reader, there isn’t much background knowledge needed to enjoy this story-all they need do is get comfortable in their favorite spot and get to enjoying it. The language is pretty simple but also profound in its own way and could be used for a variety of grade levels due to a mass appeal for readers with many different tastes.

Classroom Application: Since the book makes the protection of the environment at all costs from those who would besmirch or defile it an enormous priority, it’s an ideal text to teach lessons on sustainability and good stewardship of the Earth. The author subtly demonstrates that outright militancy and sabotage towards polluters isn’t the best avenue to pursue, and how the children best learn this lesson would be up to the teacher. The passion shown by the main characters in pursuing their goal of environmental preservation is certainly a trait for teaching purposes. One possible lesson after reading the book would be to review current events and find a story that gets the class excited about environmentalism. Students would also do well to recognize, as Roy does, that “Just because something is legal doesn’t automatically make it right” (Hiaasen, p. 180), and think about laws that exist in this country that may not necessarily have been just or good for every American, and how to go about changing them.

Linguistic and Cultural Diversity Analysis: Since the book is set in South Florida, the unique cultural blend formed in that region over the centuries is described to a large extent and would be great for a social studies-type course. The traditions of the Seminole peoples that originally settled the area thousands of years ago are ever-present. Hiaasen explains them to the reader through the character of Mullet Fingers, who is a barefoot young man that ran away from a “special” (read: Indian re-Education) school in Mobile, AL to come and protect the swamp that holds the owls from bulldozers that are coming to build a pancake house on their homes. The Seminole Nation has always been committed to maintaining and supporting the bounties and remaining in sync with those bounties, hence the fierce devotion Mullet Fingers has to the cause: “‘You bury those birds,’ Mullet Fingers said, ‘you gotta bury me, too.” (pg. 267). His zeal convinces Roy to stand up to the corporations as well, and the unity of both boys from drastically different backgrounds is a message that can resonate with many students if taught correctly. Goodness in oneself and others is also a key component in the book, as can be seen in Roy’s conversations with another character on Mullet Fingers: “‘Eberhardt, why do you care about this kid?’ It was a good question, and Roy wasn’t certain he could put the answer into words. there was something about the look on the boy’s face . . . something urgent and determined and unforgettable” (Hiaasen, pp. 74-75). That kind of lesson never gets old, no matter what sort of class you are teaching.

 

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Kaya’s Heart Song

Posted on November 28, 2018 by | Comments Off on Kaya’s Heart Song

Author(s), Illustrator/Photographer: Diwan Tharan Sanders & Nerina Canzi.

Publisher and Year/Number of pages: Lantana Publishing, 2018, 30 Pages.

Genre: Fiction, Picture Book.

Descriptive Annotation: The cover features a drawing of a Malaysian girl (our protagonist, a kid named Kaya) with her eyes clamped shut in the middle of beautiful Malaysian flowers, colored both purple and a light pink in her hair and in the garden itself. The title appears over these images of bliss, suggesting that Kaya is humming her heart song as she convalesces amongst nature’s beautiful patchwork quilt of colors. Also included is a large bulb of some sort above her head, emitting what can only be some sort of lovely flower scent into the atmosphere, shown in the same type of beautiful colors. This is a combination of both garden imagery used by mankind for millennia, and the use of flowers in the hair can be seen for the entirety of the picture book.

Kaya’s Heart Song is the heartwarming story of a girl named Kaya and her mother who lives in the jungles of Malaysia in a cozy little village. Her mama is able to hear a heart song from deep within, but Kaya simply cannot yet. She is told not to fret by her mama, though, as she cheerfully reminds her that “When the time is right, you’ll hear it. Learn to quiet your mind so the music can be heard” (Sanders, p. 2-4). As the story goes on, it is evident that while the jungle may be vast, it is still full of friendly faces for Kaya. She runs into somebody from the village named Pak after being guided to him by a butterfly, and he is guarding a gate to something beyond her wildest dreams-an elephant carousel: “It’s the most beautiful carousel Kaya has ever seen. But out here in the jungle, it looks unused, unloved and forgotten” (Sanders, p. 11).  The carousel is covered in vines, and as she and Pak go about clearing them, the carousel comes to life as it hums along, and a soft beat starts to sound in Kaya’s ear-kind of like a heart song. Soon, all of the carousels have come alive, and the elephants unmoor themselves from the poles and start to move throughout the jungle, giving everybody free elephant rides. The music was inside Kaya all along, and it brought a long-dormant attraction to life and made everybody happy, from Kaya to Pak to the entire village that enjoyed the rides. The lesson of self-care in the book-that taking care of yourself and finding peace will help do the same for others-would certainly be a useful lesson for students reading this picture book in the primary school classroom. No real background knowledge needed here-just an open mind.

Classroom Application: In the book Kaya’s Heart Song, the characters are Malaysian, a far-off country that many students will probably not know about, which would be ideal for instructing students from less racially or ethnically diverse communities. Different people find true happiness and self-love in different ways, and being able to share that love is a priority to make our world more harmonious. The last line of the book sums it up nicely: “And thank you, Pak, for helping me find my heart song. I promise to share it for all to hear” (Sanders, p. 27).  Sharing your happiness with others demonstrates how people should simply be authentic in how they interact with each other as well, as authenticity is key in forming long-term relationships. In short, we need more empathy and recognition of where people are in life’s journey when we interact with them, and this book offers a way to start the process of beginning to build this kind of deep empathy at an impressionable age.

Linguistic and Cultural Diversity Analysis: Sanders covers the interactions between Kaya and Pak, not to mention her mother and the elephants, in a unique and innovative way, making sure to include culturally sensitive designs, clothes and hair for the Malaysian children without overdoing it in the story. Additionally, not many people have used a picturebook format to communicate the traditional melodies of Malaysia before, so that is unique as well when Kaya ends up hearing her heart song for the first time: “Boom taktak boom taktak boom shick shack shook” (Sanders, p. 21). Another important message in this picture book is the idea of people all moving at their own, individual pace. This is a lesson to be aware of when forming perceptions based on how people act towards us. We never truly know what is happening inside peoples’ minds, and knowing everyone has their own pace and perception helps us better understand and appreciate others that differ from ourselves.

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The Elephant’s Garden: A Traditional Indian folktale retold and illustrated by Jane Ray

Posted on November 28, 2018 by | Comments Off on The Elephant’s Garden: A Traditional Indian folktale retold and illustrated by Jane Ray

Author(s), Illustrator/Photographer: by Jane Ray.

Publisher and Year Number of pages: Boxer Books, 2017, 31 Pages.

Genre: Folktale.

Descriptive Annotation: The cover features an elephant in traditional Indian coverings, brandishing a mango grown by the protagonist, Jasmine, at her home garden in India. Watercolors depict the apples, kumquats, apricots, peaches, passion fruit, and papayas in her garden, making a beautiful cornucopia of fruit that is only disturbed when somebody starts stealing the very best ones. Making an executive decision on her part, Jasmine keeps watching one night, discovering that the culprit is a large elephant whom she addresses as Mr. Elephant. When called out on this behavior, Mr. Elephant is very apologetic: “I’m very sorry, but I was hungry. And the fruit here is so delicious. Come with me and let me show you my garden” (Ray, p. 9). As it turns out, the titular elephant’s garden is full of enormous fruits that are actually giant jewels. Jasmine is given one large strawberry-shaped jewel to show her parents, and she takes it home and tells them about the garden. However, their end of the bargain is that they can’t tell anybody about it, which they do. They get lost from the elephant on the way over, and nobody ends up seeing the garden except for Jasmine in the end.  However, she at least has no more of her fruits eaten by the elephant, and there is plenty of them to go around for the village. Prior knowledge of the significance of the story would help, but otherwise, kids can simply enjoy this one for what it is a fun folktale from India.

Classroom Application: In this picture book, the role of the elephant is a mystical one, depicted mostly as a creature of the night that can travel great distances in a single bound. Jasmine represents the mortal world, one which is stunned by such magical discoveries as the elephant’s garden in person. This would be ideal for some comparisons to Western and other cultures’ fairytales and folktales and seeing how they compare and have different and similar elements overall. Accompanied by a discussion on the topic, this would be an excellent idea and a way to broaden one’s knowledge of literary traditions for children in an English classroom setting. I certainly never read stories from the Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Andersen that contained whimsical passages such as this one: “When he was full the elephant flew up into the night sky with everybody holding hands and trailing after him” (Ray, p. 24).

Linguistic and Cultural Diversity Analysis: Ray covers the legacy of Indian oral storytelling in a way that can easily be remembered, and notes the cultural significance of family and respect towards ones’ elders in Indian culture that results in the elephant’s gift of a fruit jewel to Jasmine’s mother first and foremost: “He offered Jasmine one ruby strawberry to show her mom, and they flew back home” (Ray, p. 17). The author understands Indian culture and gives the characters culturally sensitive names such as Bakool and Kali.  Such a bevy of names that may be new for many students would warrant a discussion regarding how different names look in different cultures and encourage cross-cultural exchanges of what names from different backgrounds mean and encourage tolerance of those differences.

 

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Jerome By Heart

Posted on November 28, 2018 by | Comments Off on Jerome By Heart

Author(s), Illustrator/Photographer/Translator(s): Thomas Scotto and Olivier Tallec; Translated from French by Claudia Zoe Bedrick and Karin Snelson

Publisher and Year Number of pages: Enchanted Lion Books, 2009, 26 Pages.

Tags/Themes: France, LGBT, Gay, Childhood, Youth, Graham, Illustrators, French, 21st Century, Love, Social Conditions, Juvenile Literature, Childhood and Youth, and Dano.

Genre: Fiction

Descriptive Annotation: The cover features two young French boys-one named Jerome, and the other named Raphael-holding hands as they bike along, painted in very soothing watercolor shades, depicting a warm and friendly image of the sort of books that warms the heart. This is a combination of both standard children’s book imagery and the kind of socially conscious, but not abrasively so, type of book that often wins awards by daring to break out of the binary, heterosexual relationships so normally seen in literature. The drawings that appear in plentiful quantities inside the book are lovely in their simplicity, showing the two boys simply loving each other and participating in normal friend activities. Their experiences are described as a waterfall of love and excitement to be in each other’s presence, resulting in a profession of true love and devotion that even the most hard-hearted cynic can admire: “I’ve made up my mind. From now on, every day is for Jerome” (Scotto, p. 12). As he and his childhood friend hang out often, Raphael learns to love himself as well in the process when his parents disapprove of their relationship: “‘I had the best dream last night! It was good in a Jerome kind of way.” Dad stares at his shoelaces like he doesn’t hear a word I’m saying. Mom digs through my backpack and sighs, ‘Eat your cereal, Raphael’” (Scotto, p. 14).  As a way to combat his fears that result from his parents not approving of the relationship, Raphael hones in on the things that really matter: “I forget about my mom and dad. I think only about Jerome, who I know by heart” (Scotto, p. 26). The whole of the boys’ trials, from growing up in the tightly repressed schoolyard where boys and girls make fun of their relationship, to experiencing true freedom in the first half of the book where they plan on going to wonderful places together are a key part of their story. Prior knowledge of what the implications of this relationship meant as little as 9 years ago since there have been many gains in the struggle for gay rights since then, would certainly be useful in the scenario of students reading this book in the classroom.

Classroom Application: In this picture book, the illustrations depict what is and what is not permitted by the social settings the boys interact in at various stages of the story. These lessons would be ideal for some social studies settings which have students that perhaps have had experiences with bullying or other similar encounters that weren’t positive in the past. For instance, if I was teaching this book in a lesson setting, I would mention that while I’ve never been bullied on the basis of my sexual orientation, some of my friends certainly have, and have been estranged from family or relatives. They have had to suffer through both types of shunning from time to time and didn’t get to experience some of the freedoms that we take for granted. This is a teachable moment since it’s Scotto’s way of saying that Raphael and Jerome’s lives in France in times very similar to the present day were not so drastically different from what students today have to experience. It can be hard to teach in some ways. We must try as educators to do so, however, because if we don’t, students can easily feel excluded

Linguistic and Cultural Diversity Analysis: Scotto covers the different ways in which the boys are acknowledged as a couple, showing the contrast between those who accept the relationship (teachers and some students) and those who do not (different groups of students and Raphael’s parents): “He defends me when kids make fun of me. Incredible, right?” (Scotto, p. 10). Exasperated with his fellow youths and parents, Raphael gets depressed at times, but always circles back to the love and affection that Jerome shows for him and the latter’s ability to defend him against the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. The return of the story’s mantra at the end of the book- “Raphael loves Jerome. I can say it. It’s easy” (Scotto, p. 26)-means that it has all come full circle and that the two boys will keep loving each other, even with people not being able to accept or understand their relationship.  This should be a widely taught and used piece of literature, both in the US and around the world, since it shows the profound love two young kids can have for each other at a tender age and the failure of the haters to ruin that love, which can never be truly suppressed.

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