Maria+Duran

Food & Culture
__Children's Fiction__ 1. Aardema, Verna. (1992) **Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain**. Puffin. 32 pages. Private Collection  //Annotation:// This book is about a drought that happened in Africa. A man named Ki-pat lives in Kapiti Plain. Because there is no rain the cattle get hungry and thirsty. There is a black rain cloud in the sky but no rain. Ki-pat makes an arrow from an eagle feather that had fallen from the sky and shoots into the cloud. The 'arrow' pierces through the cloud and they get rain in Kapiti Plain. The rain causes the grass to grow. The cows can now eat and get fat. Ki-pat’s son then follows him and does the same as he tends the cows so rain can fall down on Kapiti Plain. //Curriculum Integration:// I chose this book because it shows the African culture. They explained the illustrations. I liked how the illustrations are very colorful and show the African animals. It has good repetition and rhythm. I can use this book for geography by showing the students's where the continent of Africa is located on the world map. I can also use it in a rhyming words lesson. 2. Axtell, David. (1999) **We’re Going on a Lion Hunt.** Henry Holt and Co. 32 pages. Private Collection //Annotation:// This book is about two sisters that go on a journey to find a lion. They go through the grass and lake and into a dark cave. The book shows good noise words. When the two sisters find the lion they are looking for they run their way back through all they went through at first. //Curriculum Integration:// This book is good for explaining prepositions. For example; over, under, around, through, etc. I chose this book because it a good culture book. It shows the African culture. I can also use this book as an example of a scavenger hunt. I can do a letter scavenger hunt. I can also do a numbers scavenger hunt etc.

3. Barrett, Judi. (1978) **Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.** Children's Publishing Division. 30 pages. Balsz Elementary School Library //Annotation:// Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is about a grandfather telling a tall-tale bedtime story to his grandchildren. The story is about a town called Chewandswallow. In this town they get their food from the sky. It rains soup, juice, jelly, syrup, etc. It snows mashed potatoes. They have storms that contain hamburgers. One day the weather turns into chaos. They have a strange mixture of food. They get oversized portions and their city starts getting damaged so they are forced to evacuate. They sail across the ocean to a coastal city and build a shelter there. The two grandchildren stay awake all through the story then wake up to a snowy Sunday. //Curriculum Integration:// I chose this book because it talked about weather. I can introduce weather to my students by showing them it comes from the sky. This book also mentions food. It is mostly American food. It is linked with culture. I can do an activity that involves weather with the students. For example we can take cotton balls and use them as clouds, draw rain drops etc. I can also bring in ingredients to use for an American snack. For example, we can make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

 4. Daly, Niki. (1999) **Jamela’s Dress**. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 32 pages. Private Collection  //Annotation:// In this book Jamela, takes her mother's fabric that she will use for a special dress. She walks down the street with it. Soon the dress gets dirty and ripped. Jamela must tell her mom what happened to the fabric. Jamela's mom then washes and hangs the fabric. They sing and play together and after that Jamela's mom makes her a beautiful dress out of it. //Curriculum Integration:// I chose this book because it shows the African culture. It also talks about having a mom which can be integrated into a family lesson. I can also use this book to introduce manners and patience. I can do a following directions lesson. I would have steps for the student to follow.

5. Eric, Carle. (1969) **The Hungry Caterpillar. Philomel**. 32 pages. Educare Headstart Library //Annotation:// The Hungry Caterpillar talked about a small caterpillar that is growing and needs food. It goes on a journey and eats everything in its way. He eats and eats until it gets full. After it gets full it forms a cocoon and sleeps. Soon it turns into a butterfly. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">//Curriculum Integration:// This book includes the days of the week. It also counts the food the caterpillar eats. This book is great for counting numbers. The students practice using the visuals from the book. It also shows the life cycle of a butterfly. Great for a science lesson.

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">6. Falwell, Cathryn. (1993) **Feast for 10**. Houghton Mifflin Company. 30 pages. <span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Balsz Elementary School Library <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">//Annotation:// A Feast for Ten talks about preparing the feast of a African American family of ten. It helps with counting. It talks about family life when it mentions going to the grocery store and getting groceries needed to prepare the meal. This book starts by having counting up to 10 from the grocery store to loading the car. Then it starts counting again once again when they get home. It shows the process they take to cook ending with the big 10 hungry people that will share the meal. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">//Curriculum Integration:// I chose this book because it shows the African American culture. It also great for counting numbers. The book has a family that is getting ready for a feast. I can talk to them about how they play a role in their own and that they have family members too. They can point out and name the members of their own family. For example: sister, brother, mom, dad, etc.

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">7. Golden Gelman, Rita. (1977) **More Spaghetti I Say**. Scholastic Inc. 32 pages. Private Collection <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">//Annotation:// This book is about two monkeys; one female monkey, Minnie, and one male monkey, Freddy. At the beginning of the book Freddy wants to play with Minnie but she is in love with spaghetti and all she wants to do is eat spaghetti with and on everything. Then one day Minnie gets sick and cannot eat anymore spaghetti so then Freddy takes the spaghetti away and falls in love with it. At the end of the book Minnie is now the one that wants to play with Freddy but now Freddy just wants to eat spaghetti. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">//Curriculum Integration:// I chose this book because it talked about American food. It also showed a friendship bond. This book can be used for a feelings lesson. Minnie, from the book, feels really happy but Freddy is not so happy because he has to wait around for Minnie to play with him. This book also talked about American foods. The children will be able to relate it to what they eat at home.

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">8. May, Eleanor. (2008) **Mac & Cheese Pleeeeze.** Kane Press Inc. 32 pages. Balsz Elementary School Library <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">//Annotation:// In this story the main character, Caitlin, does not want to enter a lunch election made up by her teacher, Mr. Moore. It is a participation assignment. The assignment consists of students coming up with a dish to have for the Spring Fest. Caitlin does not want to enter at first but then sees that her favorite Mac and Cheese is not on the menu so she claims it as her meal. She goes around the school and playground to get friends and neighbors to vote for mac and cheese. She makes posters to encourage people in the school hallway. She even offers small services like pushing a child on a swing. She keeps track of her votes using mental math. He friend Luna also helps her keep track of everyone running for election. At the end of the book two students are tied ahead of her but their actions make them lose their own vote therefore making Caitlin win. They have Mac and Cheese for the Spring Fest. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">//Curriculum Integration:// This book shows good mental math strategies and tips. This book shows American food. It shows how elections work. It shows data recording. It is good for counting. It shows the school system with a teacher and students. I can also use it to show the students about the environment and the things around them.

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">9. Reynolds, Aaron. (2005) **Chick**<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">**s and Salsa**. Bloomsbury USA Children's Books. 30 pages. <span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Balsz Elementary School Library <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">//Annotation:// This book is about chickens making salsa. At the Nuthatcher's Farm the rooster wants to solve a dilemma. They are tired of eating their usual animal food. The rooster gets the idea to make salsa from a cooking show Mrs. Nuthatcher was watching. They had a chips and salsa meal that night. Then the ducks were tired of their usual pond food so then they headed to the garden and made guacamole. Then the pigs were not happy with their food and decided to sneak into the garden and made nacho cheese sauce. Soon after that the rooster gathered everyone for a fiesta! They decorated the barn and made enchiladas. The animals tried to sneak into the garden but all the supplies had been picked. The Nuthatchers had decided to make tamales for the county fair. So then the roster creeped into the kitchen while they were gone and made a recipe from a French book. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">//Curriculum Integration:// I chose this book because it talked about cooking in a farm. It also mentioned Mexican words and included Southwestern cuisine. I can use this book to introduce the students to a farm, what a farm contains and farms are most common in a map. I can also talk about the farm animals feelings and how they solved a problem they had. It is a good book that contains culture as well. The animals have a fiesta and Mexican snacks.

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">10. Soto, Gary. (1993) **Too Many Tamales**. Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated. 32 pages. Educare Headstart Library  <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> //Annotation:// This book is about a family making tamales on Christmas Eve. The family includes gets together for the holidays. Maria helps her mother make the tamales because she feels like she is grown-up. She wants to wear her mothers ring so she puts it on for a while. While making the tamales the child thinks she has lost her mother's ring in the masa. The tamales finish cooking when she realizes she does not have the ring on her finger. She goes and tells her cousins that they will have to eat all the tamales to find the ring. They eat the tamales and do not find. Finally she decides to tell her mother that she has lost the ring. Her mother tells her that it had slipped out of her finger and she had put it away. Maria was relieved. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">//Curriculum Integration:// I chose this book because it shows a Mexican family and how they celebrate Christmas. I can use it for a culture lesson. We can also talk about holidays of the year. For example in this case it would be Christmas. I would ask them how they celebrate it or not celebrate it. I can also talk about doing the right thing when you are in a tough situation. This book can also be used to discuss about family members. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">__Children's Non Fiction__ <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">11. Greenberg, Janet. (1994) **California.** Rourke Publications, Inc. 48 pages. <span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Balsz Elementary School Library <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">//Annotation:// This book includes the Western area. It begins by giving an introduction to the state of California. It gives the population number as well as a few demographics. Then it goes into the history about California including facts about the gold rush. This book also includes special events that take place in California. For example, in San Francisco they celebrate the Chinese New Year. The have rich agriculture in California. Their produce grows well and their cattle are well fed. They showed food customs from California. This book talked about how the fishing industry and how its ve<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">ry important for them. They mentioned that tomatoes are very important in most of their dishes. This book was very informative. At the end of the book it included some common food recipes from California. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">//Curriculum Integration:// I chose this book because it shows a lot of information on a Western state. I like that it gave some background and history on it. I can use this book for multiple activities. This book mentioned American cooking. It had a little Southern recipes. It also showed some California geography. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">12. McCulloch, Julie. (2001) **A World of Recipes: Mexico**. Heinenmann Library. 48 pages. <span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Balsz Elementary School Library  <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">//Annotation:// This book was about cooking Mexican foods. It shows you how to make Mexican food dishes step by step. Every recipe has a small introduction at the beginning. It also gives you an outline of what you need and what you do in numbered steps. At the end of the finished product they also give tips on other ways you can eat this same meal. It is an easy read book and also includes pictures. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">//Curriculum Integration:// I chose this book because it shows the Mexican culture. In the Mexican culture food plays a huge roll. Just like every other culture, there are common dishes that are cooked. I can introduce the Mexican culture in class. I can have the students try a Mexican snack. They can also help make it by following the recipe step by step directions. I can also show them some geography about Mexico. For example, where it is on a world map. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">13. Wagner, Lisa. (2007) **Cool Foods.** Abdo Consulting Group, Inc. 32 pages. Balsz Elementary School Library <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">//Annotation:// This cool recipes book included easy recipes for fun fiestas. It has easy recipes for kids to cook on their own, under adult supervision. They show what will be expected of the cook,what tools will be needed, some cooking terms, and the ingredients that the book contains. It also has allergy alerts. It gives suggestions on how to serve. Since some of these recipes have Spanish names they have included terminology page where they included the names are spelled out by how they sound as well. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">//Curriculum Integration:// I chose this book because it talked about the different foods kids can cook in America. It showed different common snacks that are well known in the states. It shows the American culture. I can also use this book for a lesson on following directions. They can make a simple recipe. The book also shows easy language terminology. They can enjoy reading a different kind of book genre.

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">14. Wagner, Lisa. (2011) **Cool African Cooking.** ABDO Publishing Company. 32 pages. <span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Balsz Elementary School Library <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">//Annotation:// Cool African cooking was about fun and tasty recipes for kids. It begins by showing the continent of Africa. They give some information on the continent about countries and languages in it. They even tell some geography about it. They show what will be expected of the cook,what tools will be needed, some cooking terms, and the ingredients that the book contains. It also has allergy alerts. It even gives suggestions on how to serve <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">//Curriculum Integration:// I chose this book because it talked about the African culture. It includes common African dishes. The book showed some information about Africa. I can use this book for a history lesson about Africa. I can also do some geography with the students and show them where Africa is on a world map. I can show them what they may find there too, if they ever get to travel.

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">15. Wagner, Lisa. (2011) **Cool Mexican Cooking.** ABDO Publishing Company. 32 pages. <span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Balsz Elementary School Library <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">//Annotation:// The Cool Mexican Cooking book was about cooking Mexican recipes.It started by showing geographic information about Mexico. It talked about how the produce came to Mexico and it gave a little extra history about the country. They show what will be expected of the cook, what tools will be needed, some cooking terms, and the ingredients that the book contains. It showed step by step pictures including the finished product. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">//Curriculum Integration:// I chose this book because it included Mexican recipes for children to cook. In the Mexican culture food plays a huge roll. I can introduce the Mexican culture. The students try a Mexican snack. They can also help make it by following the recipe step by step directions. I can also show them some geography about Mexico. For example, where it is on a world map. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">__Teacher Resources__ <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">16. Ada, Alma Flor. (1993) **Me Llamo Maria Isabel**. Simon & Schuster New York. 60 pages. <span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Balsz Elementary School Library <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">//Annotation:// This book comes in Spanish and English. It is about a young girl in elementary school that does not want to be called Mary by her teacher because her name is Maria. They are having a winter festival soon that she is looking forward to but her actions of not listening to the teacher are leading to bad consequences on her part. In her last assignment two days before the festival she write about what she wishes for and in it includes that she wishes for her name to be Maria Isabel Salazar Lopez. She gives a detailed description of why she loves it so much and why it has a strong meaning to her. At last she gets to sing at the winter festival while her parents watch her on the stage. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">//Curriculum Integration:// I chose this book primarily because it was a Spanish book about a Spanish school winter festival. It mentioned a lot of Spanish foods that they were going to have at the winter festival. I can use this book for language literacy. For example, I can use it while studying cultures in the classroom. I can also use it for identifying names. They can write about how they feel about their name as well as practice writing their name since Maria found her name very valuable to her.

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">17. Ehlert, Lois. (1992) **Growing Vegetable Soup.** Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 32 pages. Private Collection <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">//Annotation:// This book is about putting together vegetable soup but first they will have to grow the vegetables to cook them. This book take the children through the process of gardening and planting. Everything is labeled in the book pictures. For example, the carrots, seeds, gloves, etc. After they plant the seeds they wait until the vegetables are ready to harvest. Then they collect the vegetables, wash, and cut them. They make vegetable soup! The book also includes a recipe for vegetable soup at the end as well. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">//Curriculum Integration:// I chose this book because I will use it to show how foods grow. I can talk about cooking using this book. This book shows plant growth and development. This would be a fun science experiment for my students; planting a seed. I can also do an activity that involves naming each vegetable, their color, and how they grow.

<span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">18. Hoffman, Mary. (2003) **The Colour of Home**. Frances Lincoln Children's Books. 32 pages. Private Collection <span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">//Annotation:// In this book Hassan and his family have fled Somalia because of war and moved to live in England. He is in a different place where people speak a different language. Hassan starts seeing the colors of his environment once he paints at school. He is a refugee along with his family looking for a place to settle down. He paints a picture his colorful Somalian home and they hang it up on the wall. <span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">//Curriculum Integration:// I chose this book because it showed the Somalian culture perfectly. I have a few students in my classroom that this book can relate to. It is also good to use for the English language. I can also use it to show where these places are- geography.

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">19. Menzel, Peter.(2008) **What the World Eats**. Tricycle Press. 160 pages .<span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Balsz Elementary School Library <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">//Annotation:// This book talked about the different foods around the world. It includes 25 families, 21 countries, and 525 meals. There are photos of the families displayed with what their country food looks like in front of them. Some photos even show how they grow and cook their foods. This book also went on about talking about each countries. They also put some facts about each country that includes population and average temperature. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">//Curriculum:// I can integrate this book in my curriculum by showing the students that people eat different foods in all different parts of the world. I can talk to them about having a healthy diet. I can also show them that everyone's families look and dress differently around the world. I can show them a world map and point out where each of the families are from. I can also give them a lesson about compare and contrast your family with the ones from the book. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">20. Spier, Peter. (1980) **People.** Doubleday New York. 40 pages. Balsz Elementary School Library <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">//Annotation:// This book was about diversity in people and cultures. It starts by showing a variety of people in different sizes, color, shapes, etc. It also talks about people around the world. It mentioned how people dress, what they like to do and how some parts of the world look. This book even had examples of things each country had for example matadors from Spain. Differences among the 4 billion people on individuality, personality, and culture. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">//Curriculum Integration:// I chose this book because it is great to show children about the world cultures. I can use this book to show how people are individually different. I can also talk about cultures. The book also showed the special places around the world. I can use that as a geography lesson. I can also use it to show them about their own environment.