Inclusive Literature

Bibliography
Polacco, Patricia. 2009. In Our Mother’s House. New York: Philomel Books. ISBN 978-0-399-25076-7







Summary
The story of a multicultural family that consist of a black girl, Asian boy, a white girl and two mothers.

Critical Analysis
This is the story of one family that is a two parent household but not a traditional nuclear family. All three children are adopted, one black girl, one Asian boy and one redheaded girl. There are two parents in this family, Marmee and Meema and they are in a committed lesbian relationship. Other than that they function like a normal two parent family.

The narrator shares memories of their life together: sliding down the banister, hanging out by the fireplace popping corn, Halloween, building a tree house, dinners with grandparents and family, a neighborhood block party, and a tea party.

The only negative memory the narrator recounts is the looks and comments from a neighbor, Mrs. Lockner, who does not approve of Marme and Meema’s relationship. She glares at them and does not let her children play with them or participate in neighborhood activities. At the first block party, Mrs. Lockner goes up to Marme and Meema and tells them “I don’t appreciate what your two are!” The mothers tell their children “She is full of fear, sweetie. She’s afraid of what she cannot understand: she doesn’t understand us.” It is a bit hard to believe that is the only prejudice they experienced from only one family. But that is not the focus of this book. It is simply a story about the good memories the narrator has of her family.

The block party was filled with neighbors and foods from many different cultures. The illustrations show people from different ethnicities and races as well. There are Jewish, African American, Asian, Greek and Middle Eastern families in this neighborhood.

The children grow up and marry heterosexual partners and have children of their own. Marme and Meema are doting grandparents and grow old together. They pass away within a year of each other and the children place them together on a hillside near a place where they had pledged their love to each other. The house they grew up now belongs to one of the children, Will. The house fills them with peace and good memories of their mothers.

This is a sweet book and most young children will focus on the loving family. I read the story to my four year old daughter and she did not question why there were two mommies. She loved the pictures of all the children in the book. Children who are being raised by same-sex parents will appreciate seeing a positive family like their own in a picture book.

Review Excerpts
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books v. 62 no. 11 (July/August 2009) p. 456
"Polacco's distinctive pencil and marker illustrations abound with strong, warm-toned colors, softened by the pencil linework, and smiling faces. . . . Unfortunately, the lack of coherent storyline and overdose of sweetness make the narrative an uneven and text-heavy stroll down a very selective memory lane. . . . Nonetheless, this might offer a nice balance to the multitudes of heteronormative picture books, and children in similar situations will certainly appreciate seeing their own experiences reflected in their literature."- Quealy-Gainer, Kate

School Library Journal v. 55 no. 5 (May 2009) p. 85-6
This gem of a book illustrates how love makes a family, even if it's not a traditional one. The narrator, a black girl, describes how her two Caucasian mothers, Marmee and Meema, adopted, her, her Asian brother, and her red-headed sister. She tells about the wonderful times they have growing up in Berkeley, CA. With their large extended family and friends, they celebrate Halloween with homemade costumes, build a tree house, organize a neighborhood block party, and host a mother-daughter tea party. The narrator continually reinforces the affectionate feelings among her mothers and siblings, and the illustrations depict numerous scenes of smiling people having a grand time. Most of the neighbors are supportive, except for one woman who tells Marmee and Meema, "I don't appreciate what you two are" Eventually, the children grow up, marry heterosexual spouses, and return home to visit their aged parents with their own children. Is this an idealized vision of a how a gay couple can be accepted by their family and community? Absolutely. But the story serves as a model of inclusiveness for children who have same-sex parents, as well as for children who may have questions about a "different" family in their neighborhood. A lovely book that can help youngsters better understand their world.

Connections
other books about same-sex parents and couples

Richardson, Justin. 2005. And Tango Makes Three. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9780689878459.

Newman, Leslea. 2009. Mommy, Mama and Me. Tricycle Press. ISBN 978-1582462639

Newman, Leslea. 2009. Daddy, Papa and Me. Tricycle Press. ISBN 978-1582462622

Oelschlager, Vanita. 2010. A Tale of Two Daddies.Vanitas Books. ISBN 978-0981971452







Bibliography
Lord, Cynthia. 2006. Rules. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 978-0-439-44383-8








Summary
Catherine is a twelve year girl who is frustrated with her autistic younger brother, David. She wants a normal brother, one who she doesn’t have to take care of or be embarrassed about by his actions. Catherine meets a new girl who just moved in next door who she hopes will be like a best friend. She also develops a friendship with a boy she meets at the clinic where her brother goes for occupational therapy. Catherine learns a lot about herself and the meaning of friendship.

Critical Analysis
This story focuses on the relationships, perceptions and feelings of a preteen girl about her autistic brother and friendship with a boy in a wheelchair.

Catherine feels like her brother’s keeper and is conflicted about her feeling about him. Most normal girls get frustrated with their brothers, but Catherine feels guilty about it and at the same time yearns for a normal brother. Her brother David is autistic. She is writing a list of rules for him, because he loves rules. She writes them on the back of her sketchbook. She likes to draw and takes her sketchbook everywhere with her. “That’s where I keep all the rules I’m teaching David so if my someday-he’ll-wake-up-a-regular-brother wish doesn’t ever come true, at least he’ll know how the world works, and I won’t have to keep explaining things.” Most of the rules are social skills based on manners and politeness and how to act in most social situations. Catherine even has some rules for herself that she follows as well. Each chapter is titled with a rule that she has written for David.
Some of the rules she writes for her brother are:

“Say “thank you” when someone gives you a present (even if you don’t like it).”

“Sometimes people laugh when they like you. But sometimes they laugh to hurt you.”

“No toys in the fish tank.”

David has some conversation rules of his own. “If you don’t have the words you need, borrow someone else’s. If you need to borrow words, Arnold Lobel wrote some good ones.” Catherine and David had their own way of communicating. David loves to listen to Frog and Toad stories by Arnold Lobel and has them all memorized. He and Catherine repeat lines from the stories that fit their situation much to the chagrin of their mother. David’s mother wants him to learn how to communicate normally. Their way of communicating and understanding each other shows a bond between the siblings.

Catherine makes two new friends and struggles with her feelings and perceptions about them and their blossoming friendship. A girl her age moves in next door and Catherine has hopes that they will be like best friends. She also meets Jason at the clinic where David goes for therapy. Jason is in a wheelchair and cannot speak. Catherine does not know what is wrong with Jason but thinks must be something big. His disability is never revealed in the story. Jason communicates by pointing to words in a communication book. Catherine starts drawing pictures along with the words and adds words to his book that she thinks will help him express himself better. They develop a close friendship but then Catherine’s feelings and perceptions about what other people are thinking puts their friendship to the test.

Catherine’s neighbor, Kristi, wants her to invite Jason to a community dance and Jason invites her to the dance. Catherine comes up with excuses why she can’t go and Jason sees right through it and calls her on it. She feels guilty and wants to apologize for hurting Jason. She invites him to the dance and apologizes and introduces him to her friends. Catherine finally comes to the realization that she has to accept her brother and friends and not care what anybody else thinks.

Awards/Honors
Newbery Honor Medal
Schneider Family Book Award
Mitten Award (Michigan Library Association)
Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan)
Maine Student Book Award
Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award (Vermont)
Kentucky Bluegrass Award
Great Stone Face Award (New Hampshire)
Buckeye Children's Book Award (Ohio)

Review Excerpts
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books v. 59 no. 9 (May 2006) p. 411
"The book deftly manages to interweave its elements without heavy-handed contrivance. . . . Jason seems like something that would opportunity for her education. Readers will sympathize with Catherine's struggle to explain the world to David through his beloved rules and her frustration at his demanding, embarrassing behaviors and his garnering the majority of parental attention. Jason's expressive limitations will provide considerable food for thought. . . . This is an absorbing tale about valuing people even when it's difficult, and it may encourage readers to consider the benefits and challenges of their own families and friends."- Stevenson, Deborah

School Library Journal v. 52 no. 4 (April 2006) p. 142
Twelve-year-old Catherine has conflicting feelings about her younger brother, David, who is autistic. While she loves him, she is also embarrassed by his behavior and feels neglected by their parents. In an effort to keep life on an even keel, Catherine creates rules for him ("It's okay to hug Mom but not the clerk at the video store"). Each chapter title is also a rule, and lots more are interspersed throughout the book. When Kristi moves in next door, Catherine hopes that the girl will become a friend, but is anxious about her reaction to David. Then Catherine meets and befriends Jason, a nonverbal paraplegic who uses a book of pictures to communicate, she begins to understand that normal is difficult, and perhaps unnecessary, to define. Rules of behavior are less important than acceptance of others. Catherine is an endearing narrator who tells her story with both humor and heartbreak. Her love for her brother is as real as are her frustrations with him. Lord has candidly captured the delicate dynamics in a family that revolves around a child's disability. Set in coastal Maine, this sensitive story is about being different, feeling different, and finding acceptance. A lovely, warm read, and a great discussion starter.”- Connie Tyrrell Bums

Connections
Choldenko, Gennifer. 2004. Al Capone Does my Shirts. Putnam Juvenile. ISBN 978-0756970208.

Martin, Ann M. 2004. A corner of the Universe Scholastic. ISBN 978-0439388818

O'Connor, Barbara. 2003. Me and Rupert Goody Farrar, Staus and Giroux. ISBN 978-0374448042

Abeel, Samantha. 2005. My Thirteenth Winter:A Memoir Scholastic. ISBN 978-0439339056

Lobel, Arnold. 1970. Frog and Toad Are Friends. Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0064440202

Lobel, Arnold 1972. Frog and Toad Together. Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0694012985







Bibliography
Abdel-Fattah. 2005. Does my Head Look Big in This?. New York: Scholastic Inc. ISBN 978-0-439-92233-3








Summary
Amal is a teenage Muslim girl living in Australia. She has decided to wear a hijab as a sign of her faith full time.

Critical Analysis
Amal is Austrailian-Muslim-Palestinian and in the 11th grade. She has made the decision to wear a hijab full time as a sign of her faith and the novel is about how she deals with the reaction she gets from her classmates, family and friends who are also of Arab descent. Her Muslim faith is a big part of her life. She prays five times a day and observes Ramadan. One classmate in particular, Tia, bullies her about her culture and faith. Adam, who Amal has a crush on, is genuinely interested in knowing more about her faith and culture and getting to know her.

The setting of the book is Australia and a few locations are mentioned. Amal lives in a Casmberwell, a suburb of Melbourne Australia and goes rollerblading at St. Kilda beach. She has an uncle who wants to assimilate completely and tries to talk with the Aussie accent and used stereotypical sayings. Other than that, the setting could have easily been anywhere in the United States. There was mention of a few American actors, movies and TV shows.

There are many cultural markers about Amal’s Aussie-Palestinian heritage. Her mother wears a hijab, they have family friends who are also Muslim but from other countries. The family cooks and eats ethnic food such as makloba, mansaf, fatoosh and warak aneb. Amal washes before praying every day, five times a day. Amal is an only child but she has a friend, Leila who is also Muslim and of Turkish descent. Leila’s mother wants her to marry young and doesn’t understand why she wants to study and lets her brother do whatever he wants without question. Amal explains it as a cultural difference not a religious difference. Amal befriends a Greek Orthodox elderly neighbor, Mrs. Vaselli and develops a close relationship with the woman discussing life and religion.

This was a novel about a teenage girl finding her identity as a young Australian-Palestinian Muslim girl. At the end of the book Amal says “….it’s mainly been the immigrants in my life who have inspired me to understand what it means to be an Aussie. To be a hyphenated Australian.”

Awards/Honors
Winner - Australian Book Industry Awards 2006 - Australian Book of the Year for Older Children
Notable Book - Selected as a Notable Book by the Children's Book Council 2006
Long listed for the UK Galaxy Book Awards 2006
Short listed for the Grampian Children’s Book Awards UK 2006

Review Excerpts
The New York Times Book Review v. 112 no. 37 (September 16 2007) p. 18
"There aren't a lot of modern Muslim women's voices in contemporary fiction, so it's refreshing to hear this one. . . . Amal, sassy and spirited, knows a mere piece of fabric isn't a barrier to ambition. . . . Inasmuch as Abdel-Fattah uses Amal to defeat stereotyping of Islam, this is a valuable book, occasionally an entertaining one. But it would have been more valuable and entertaining if it weren't so very clear that Abdel-Fattah is using Amal. The book too often veers into an eat-your-peas preachiness that makes it less of a novel and more of a tract. The author also lacks a genuine ear for high school nuance."- Brooks, Geraldine

The Horn Book v. 83 no. 4 (July/August 2007) p. 389
"Though the lengthy analyses on everything from female body image to Palestinian food give the book more message than momentum, the girls' thoughts and dreams are authentically adolescent, providing a bridge between cultures—as the author clearly intends."- Adams, Lauren

Connections
Abdel-Fattah,Randa. 2010. Ten Things I Hate About Me. Orchard Books. ISBN 978-0545050562

Janmohamed, Shelina. 2010. Love in a Head Scarf. Beacon Press. ISBN 978-0807000809

Kahf, Mohja. 2006. The Girl in the Orange Scarf: A Novel. PublicAffairs. ISBN 978-0786715190