Inclusivity in the Classroom

This week our readings focused around inclusivity in the classroom, especially with Spanish literature. We read two books, Dear Primo, A Letter to my Cousin written and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh and Stella Diaz Never Gives Up written and illustrated by Angela Dominguez. Both of these Spanish bilingual books tells the story of Mexican children living in the United States.

In Dear Primo, a Letter to my Cousin, two cousins, Charlie and Carlitos, who write letters back and forth that compare their lives in Mexico and in a city in America. The illustrations in this book first off are so unique and inviting. He does a great job at representing the spoken Spanish words in the illustration, and even labeling them to help students understand the meaning. His technique surely stands out from all others, and he draws unlike any other illustrator I have seen before. The story shows both of the boys lives and talks about the different ways they live their life- how they get to school, how they play, things they eat, and special things about the places they live. They come to find out that even though they have different activities, the activities are very similar in different ways. For example, Carlitos' town holds fiestas, where there are Mariachi bands and fireworks. Charlie tells Carlitos about how his city has big parades, which is also a form of celebration. The two cousins grew very fond of each other's lives and hope that they are able to come visit each other's homes! I think this book is an awesome tool to use in the classroom because it shows our students that though people may have differences, there are probably more similarities than we think! It is a great way to show students that people are different all over the world, but there are most likely many similarities you may share with someone from a place that is different from your home.

This book could serve as mirrors and windows for students in every class. Since there is a constant comparison of the two different kinds of lives, most children will be able to relate to either Charlie or Carlito. There will be familiar and unfamiliar characters for everyone, which is how this book could serve as a window. Fewer students will be able to read this book as a mirror- they will see their own life and customs reflected through the pages and be able to relate to the things that Charlie or Carlito says. This can create conversations in the classroom about how students relate to the story if they do at all. A great activity to perform afterwards would be for students to converse with one another on how they relate to a certain side more, and how people who grow up in two different places live's can be similar.

Stella Diaz Never Gives Up was a fabulous read, even for a twenty-two year old. This is a story about a young girl, Stella, who is starting her summer vacation. She is an avid ocean lover and spends a lot of time hanging out with her mother, brother, and two friends Jenny and Stanley. She ends up participating in a summer camp in a local museum that is all about Earth conservation and protecting the ocean and the animals who live there. The summer camp ends up being amazing, where she made new friends and create a club about protecting and saving the ocean: The Sea Muskateers! Although Stella doubts her abilities throughout the book, she ends up feeling strong and accomplished at the end of the book after her club raised money during a bake sale at her best friend Jenny's dance recital. Something I found very special about this book was that Stella often narrates her feelings and anxiety throughout the book. She talks about how she is nervous to start new things or even speak in front of people. She talks about how she is worried about losing a friend because they have different interests, and ends up learning that it's okay to have different interests. This children's novel is a perfect way to show students that basically everyone has worries and fears, but if you work toward things you love, you will probably make many friends along the way. Stella's family is Mexican, and they are actually able to visit Mexico during this book. Something that resonated with me greatly is a line on page 56 of the book.

It reads, "As we pass people on the street, I notice many of their faces look like mine. This makes me more than ever want to fit in, like I belong in the place where I was born."

This made me reflect on my life as someone who was born and raised in America, and also being white. During my experiences in school, there has always been people who look like me in the books we read, in my classes, out in public, and on the streets. Until I grew up, I never thought about what it may be like to not look like me and to grow up in a place where not many people do. This a huge reason why I plan on using this book in my classroom. I want my students to read about a girl who is their age and feels the way they do. As a future teacher, I want to make sure I include enough bilingual or inclusive books and lessons in my classroom so I can avoid making my students feel like they do not belong.

The week before this we read a book called We are Water Protectors, written by Carole Lindstrom and illustrated by Michaela Goade. This book was also about conserving the environment, especially our water. Not only was it about protecting the environment, but it was from the perspective of an indigenous culture. I attached a link to this blog post here so you can read more about how this book provides inclusivity in the classroom from the perspective of another culture.

All three of these children's books are authentic within their own culture. They depict the correct customs that can be found within their culture, and the perfect example is in Dear Primo, a Letter to my Cousin. This book goes through all kinds of Mexican customs, like Mariachi bands at fiestas, different foods like quesadillas, and even cultural games like Canicas and Trompo. The integration of natural language use is very prevalent in Stella Diaz Never Gives Up. The mother in this story uses Spanish to communicate very often, but it is just like you are in the home of someone who is Spanish English bilingual. She will say small phrases or words of affirmation in Spanish, and then when she is talking for longer periods of time, she will speak to Stella in English. This is very common in bilingual households, especially when the child is not as fluent as the parents are in Spanish. I have a very close friend to me who is Mexican, and this book reminded me a lot of being in her home. In We are Water Protectors, the illustrator obviously kept the culture in mind because there are specific outfits and customs that align with the Ojibwe culture. One in particular is the feather that the young girl is holding up in the air during the portion of the book where they are "standing" up for the water. She also transitions from wearing pants to wearing a long skirt which represents her becoming a woman. They show pages with people using drums, which was common for ceremonial purposes. This book also has representation of idealogical morals. If you read in the back of the book, in this certain tribe the women protect the water and the men protect the fire. You can see this throughout the book because most of the illustrations show women. All of these authors and illustrators did a great job representing the cultures they are speaking out for.

Naturally I researched the authors and illustrators of Stella Diaz Never Gives Up and Dear Primo, a Letter to my Cousin. Angela Domingez is the author of Stella Diaz Never Gives Up. According to her personal website, it says that Angela was born in Mexico City and raise in Texas. She is the recipient of New York Public Library and a Chicago Public Library pick for Best Books for Kids in 2018, Sid Fleischman Award winner, and an ALA Notable (Dominguez, 2020). Her page is linked here. Duncan Tonatiuh is the author and illustrator of Dear Primo, a Letter to my Cousin, and he also was born in Mexico City, Mexico. According to his personal website, he has received many awards such as Pura Belpré Medal, the Sibert Medal, The Tomás Rivera Mexican-American Children's Book Award, The Américas Award, the Jane Addams Children's Book Award and the New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book Award (Tonatiuh, 2014). His blog is linked here for you to visit.

Both of these books are great tools for sparking conversation about different cultures and even conversation on how we can save our environment. I would love to read Stella Diaz Never Gives Up in class and have the students create their own conservation pledges. I would also read Dear Primo and have students discuss the many ways that these two cultures are actually similar. Having students engage in this conversation will show them that inclusivity is natural and important. Both of the books also do a great job at being fully inclusive. Although they do use the Spanish language, they both have their own way of explaining each Spanish word so that all students have the opportunity to understand the story line. I can't imagine any student reading one of these books and feeling as if they are under represented or left out even.

Dominguez, A. (2020). Biography on Angela Dominguez. https://www.angeladominguezbooks.com/about.

Tonatiuh, D. (2014). About Duncan Tonatiuh. http://www.duncantonatiuh.com/about.html.