Book Annotations

Biography Annotation

Helen Keller: A Photographic Story of a Life

By Leslie Garrett

2004

DK Publishing

Biography – Characteristic of Difference – Ability / Disability – Deaf and Blind

121 pages

Summary:

As can be expected from a biography, this was a look at Helen Keller’s life, but also that

of her teacher, Annie Sullivan. The book began with a look at what Helen Keller accomplished

in her life but then went back to what caused her to become both deaf and blind. There was then

information about the start of Annie Sullivan’s life and what brought her to the Keller’s

household. The remainder of the book looked at what Annie did to teach Helen, how Helen’s

education continued beyond what Annie taught her, how the two women worked to spread

awareness of Helen’s condition and that of others who are deaf and blind, and looked at the final

days of both Helen’s and Annie’s lives.

Personal Response:

This book hit on so many areas of Helen’s life that I did not know about, such as her

work on the behalf of those in poverty and others affected with blindness, that it was really a

learning experience for me as well. I have heard the basic story of Helen Keller, how she was

deaf and blind and became a terror for her family until Annie Sullivan came along, but I had no

idea that she had accomplished so much with her life and met so many important and influential

people. The sheer number of presidents that she had met with at one point or another amazed me,

and kind of reminded me of the Queen of England. All in all, I enjoyed this book.

Strengths / Weaknesses:

The main strength of this book is that it looks at the rest of Helen Keller’s life, not just

that which is typically discussed. It also has a lot of photographs which helps to make the life of

Helen Keller seem more real and makes her world more accessible to students. The writing is

also extremely straight-forward which makes it easier for younger students to understand.

Finally, there is a notation on the back cover that this book “supports the Common Core State

Standards” which means that it is easy to incorporate into a curriculum.

The only weakness that I could really find with this book is that there are a couple of

minor grammatical errors, missing prepositions and improper verb tenses, which distracted me

while I was reading. For students who are reading very fluently, they likely would not notice

these errors. However, for students who are still focusing on reading every single word one word

at a time, it may confuse them or throw them off.

How this book might be used:

Based on how simple the language of the book is but also looking at the length of the

book (there are eighteen chapters), I would most likely use it starting in third grade, potentially

with advanced second graders, though I would also be willing to use it as a resource for any

grade above third. As it is a biography, it is always easy to say that it would be used as part of a

biography unit in which students would select a biography to read and then do additional

research about that person. However, I would also be willing to use this book as a read aloud,

and would definitely drop it to second grade at that point (with a few parts of the story left out),

due to the fact that she did leave an incredibly interesting life and I think it is important that

students know more than just a couple facts about Helen Keller, especially since I learned so

much from reading this book.

Fantasy / Science Fiction Annotation

Tuesdays at the Castle

By Jessica Day George

2011

Bloomsbury Books for Young Readers

Fantasy – Characteristic of Difference – Gender – Female Main Character

225 pages

Summary:

Celie is the youngest child of the King of Glower and the one that the Castle of Glower

likes the best. The Castle of Glower is similar to a living, breathing object – it changes and adds

rooms, decorations, and hallways to suit the needs of the royal family or to demonstrate the

needs and wants of the castle. A long time ago, the younger son, Rolf, was selected to be the next

king and the older son to join the College of Wizardry. One day, the king and queen travel to see

their older son graduate and are attacked by a group of bandits on the way back. Suddenly, Rolf

is forced to become king with a regency council made up of people who want him dead. The

only person who has enough knowledge of the castle is Celie and she is the only one who can

use the castle to the advantage of her family in order to save her brother’s life and bring the rest

of her family back.

Personal Response:

I really loved that the concept of the book was based around a castle that can move and

grow because I think that’s a topic that really has not ever been explored, at least not in any

books that I have encountered. I also really got drawn into Celie’s story and her relationship with

the castle. The fact that she was always able to find the passage that she wanted and that the

castle worked in her favor helped to demonstrate how being kind can benefit in ways that you

never expected.


The strengths of this book are that it takes a rather played out theme, royal families who

have surrounding regions attempt to invade them, but does it in a new and exciting way. I also

think this book is a fantasy book that does not read like a typical fantasy book because the

fantastical features are so naturally woven into the story. This makes it a good book for students

who are reluctant to read the fantasy genre.

The main weakness of this book is that the names of characters and places are rather

strange and do not necessarily follow the typical pronunciation of English words, which could be

frustrating for students who are still relying heavily on sounding words out to understand how to

pronounce it because it might not sound the way they expect.

Both a strength and a weakness of this book is how simple the vocabulary used is. It is a

strength in that it can help struggling readers to read a longer book because they will know most

of the words without a problem. However, for stronger readers, there is nothing to challenge

them in the reading of the book and the storyline is not challenging to follow either.


I would most likely use this book as a read aloud or as a book for small group discussion,

mainly based on the length of it. I think that it could be used easily in any classroom 3rd grade

and up because the students will be interested in the story and able to read it themselves. I think

it is really good for introducing the topic of fantasy because it is not a “typical” fantasy book so

students may not even realize that it is a fantasy book until discussion happens.

Historical Fiction Annotation

Is It Night or Day?

By Fern Schumer Chapman

2010

R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company

Realistic Fiction – Characteristic of Difference – Immigration and Religion – Judaism

260 pages

Summary:

Edith is Jewish and living in Germany in 1938. Her family conspires to find a way to get

her to America, specifically Chicago, in order to join her uncle and her older sister. The book

covers her journey through Germany, during Hitler’s rise to power, as well as what life is like for

her in America. Throughout the book, she receives letters to provide updates on how her family

that stayed behind is doing. This book provides a very unique look at the terror of the Holocaust

through the eyes of a child who manages to survive early on, a perspective not generally

examined or even always acknowledged.

Personal Response:

I loved the perspective of this book which is really what drew me to it in the first place as

well as the fact that it is a book dealing with the Holocaust, my personal favorite time period in

history. Both of these aspects kept me reading the book, however I really struggled to really get

into the book. I don’t think this is a result of the story, writing, etc., but rather my personal

response to reading this past week. This is definitely a book that I will make sure to read again in

the future when I have the chance to fully appreciate the story and actually get into it.


The main strength of this book is that it looks at the Holocaust through a perspective that

is generally fairly ignored. I think that this book would be able to spark good discussions on what

other perspectives we might be missing out on as well as how many people actually would have

had a similar experience to Edith’s. This book also deals with living in a new country where you

don’t speak the language which may resonate with others, demonstrating how the problems that

kids face can be universal, even when it seems to be specific to a certain time period.

The main weakness of this book is the fact that there are lots of German and Yiddish

phrases throughout the book. While this is to be expected from a book dealing with a different

country, it can make it challenging, and occasionally distracting, to read the book since the

English translation immediately follows.


I am not entirely sure when students begin learning about the Holocaust but I would

probably try and use it during a Holocaust unit with 5th or 6th graders. The book itself is really

easy to read, so I might even use it with younger students but the content is certainly more

challenging. I would likely use this book (Is it Night or Day?) as well as My Family for the War

and Number the Stars as book club books during the Holocaust unit. Each book deals with a

different aspect of how Jewish children made it through the Holocaust and World War II and the

individual books would lend easily into large group discussions beyond just the book club

groups. I would also make sure the book was available on my bookshelf for grades 4 and above,

even if the Holocaust is not discussed, since the horrors are of the Holocaust are not really the

focus of this book. Therefore, it would act as a decent introduction to the topic without hitting all

of the heavy stuff instantly.

Nonfiction Annotations

Social Studies Text

Title: George vs. George – The American Revolution as seen from Both Sides

Author: Rosalyn Schanzer

Illustrator: Rosalyn Schanzer

Publisher: The National Geographic Society

Year Published: 2004

Pages: 57

Summary: This book looks at the entirety of the American Revolution from the sides of

the Americans and the British. It begins with background information about King George

III and George Washington, comparing their upbringing and their basic beliefs. Next is

information about what really caused the American Revolution, the various taxes, and

looked at how and why each side made the choices that they did. Then the actual

revolution is talked about, including some of the major battles as well as how each army

was set up / the resources they had available. It then talks about how the nation of

America was actually created, from the Continental Congress to the final battles. Finally,

the remainder of King George III and George Washington’s lives are mentioned.

Related CCSS, Iowa Core or Professional Standard:

From Iowa Core Social Studies Standards: Understand how and why people create,

maintain, or change systems of power, authority, and governance. (SS.3-5.H.2)

Understand the role of individuals and groups within a society as promoters of change or

the status quo. (SS.3-5.H.4)

Understand the effect of economic needs and wants on individual and group decisions

(SS.3-5.H.5)

From Core Knowledge: 4th Grade Social Studies Curriculum

1. The American Revolution

A. Background: The French and Indian War

Also known as the Seven Years’ War, part of an ongoing struggle

between Britain and France for control of colonies in various regions

around the world (in this case, in North America)

Alliances with Native Americans

The Battle of Quebec

British victory gains territory but leaves Britain financially weakened

B. Causes and Provocations

British taxes, “No taxation without representation”

Boston Massacre, Crispus Attucks

Boston Tea Parth

The Intolerable Acts close the port of Boston and require Americans to

provide quarters for British troops

First Continental Congress protests to King George III

Thomas Paine’s Common Sense

C. The Revolution

Paul Revere’s ride, “One if by land, two if by sea”

Lexington and Concord

The “shot heard ‘round the world”

Redcoats and Minute Men

Bunker Hill

Second Continental Congress: George Washington appointed

commander in chief of Continental Army

Declaration of Independence

Primarily written by Thomas Jefferson

Adopted July 4, 1776

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,

that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,

that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Women in the Revolution: Elizabeth Freeman, Deborah Sampson,

Phillis Wheatley, Molly Pitcher

Loyalists (Tories)

Victory at Saratoga, alliance with France

European helpers (Lafayette, the French fleet, Bernardo de Galvez,

Kosciusko, von Stueben)

Valley Forge

Benedict Arnold

John Paul Jones: “I have not yet begun to fight.”

Nathan Hale: “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my

country.”

Cornwallis: surrender at Yorktown

Age/ Grade Level: 4th

How It Would Be Used: The book would be read throughout the entirety of a unit on the

American Revolution, as opposed to reading the entire book through at one time. The

teacher could choose to use the book as a read aloud or have students use the book as a

basis of research for a topic from the American Revolution that they find most

interesting. The book can also be used as a way to tie literacy and social studies together,

without necessarily making an explicit connection between the two. The teacher could

read a section or two a few days before or after a similar topic is discussed within the

social studies time period.

Science Text

Title: Science: Witness the Events that Changed the Course of History

Author: Glenn Murphy

Illustrator(s): Alamy, Corbis, Getty, Hedgehog House, iStock Photo, Minden Pictures,

NASA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, The Photo Library, Public

Domain, Shutterstock, Top Foto, and Trinity University Cambridge (the preceding

locations are credited with providing the illustrations and photographs for the book)

Publisher: Weldon Owen Pty Ltd.


Pages: 61

Summary: This book provides information on the following topics: laws of motion,

natural selection, engines and machines, atomic theory, plate tectonics, powered flight,

and electric power. Each topic has its own section of the book and each section talks

about the history of the topic, important people in the field, and the turning point (how

one person’s discovery completely changed our understanding or ability to use that

knowledge). There are also lots of infographics and short paragraphs on each page, which

makes it easy to find the information that you most want to learn.


From the Next Generation Science Standards – LS4.B: Natural Selection – Natural

selection leads to the predominance of certain traits in a population, and the suppression

of others. (MS-LS4-4)

LS4.C: Adaptation – Adaptation by natural selection acting over generations is one

important process by which species change over time in response to changes in

environmental conditions. Traits that support successful survival and reproduction in the

new environment become more common; those that do not become less common. Thus,

the distribution of traits in a population changes. (MS-LS4-6)

Age/ Grade Level: Middle School (based on the standard specifically)

How It Would Be Used: Since each of the topics is so diverse, and cover topics that are

not necessarily covered in a single grade level, it would be challenging to use the entire

book in a single classroom. I selected the natural selection topic mainly because it is a

middle school standard and most of the other topics would have been covered previously.

This way, the section about natural selection can be used throughout the unit, with the

teacher reading small sections of the text each day, for areas that will be covered that day

in class or reminders of what was covered previously. The book itself would then be

available in the classroom to be examined at the desire of the students as a review of

topics that they have studied previously. The teacher could also use it to reactivate

students’ prior knowledge of the topics if necessary for a different topic of study.

Math Text

Title: Positively Skewed

Author: Juliet Aiken

Illustrator: Juliet Aiken

Publisher: Juliet Aiken


Pages: 36

Summary: A little sample, who happens to be positively skewed, gets teased by its

friends for not being normal. Its population has a conversation with it about how all

samples are special and unique. The positively skewed sample then realizes that it has

friends who are bi-modal, platykurtic, and also slightly skewed. The sample then realizes

that most samples are non-normal.


From the Common Core Math Standards: CCSS.Math.Content.6.SPA.2 – Understand

that a set of data collected to answer a statistical question has a distribution which can be

described by its center, spread, and overall shape.

Age/ Grade Level: 6th

How It Would Be Used: The book would be read as a way to introduce some of the

vocabulary that can be used to describe bell curves (normal, skewed, bi-modal, and

platykurtic) while providing a visual representation. The students would then be able to

sketch out what they think each kind of curve looks like based on what they heard and

were shown in the book.

Age / Grade Level: Kindergarten – 3rd

How It Would Be Used: While this book would not be appropriate for a focus on math in

these ages, it is a good way to talk about diversity and how everyone is special and

different without calling attention to specific differences in students. The book can be

used as a way of talking about respecting everyone through the description of the graphs,

as opposed to descriptions of particular kids, religions, races /ethnicities, skill-sets, etc.

Poetry File

Poem – Science

Continental Promises by Lisa Westberg Peters

Dear

Africa,

Stay close!

We’ll be

friends

forever.

Love,

South America

Dear

South America,

My coastlines

are your

coastlines.

My deserts

are your

deserts.

We’re rock-solid.

Love,

Africa

Source: Peters, L. (2003) Earthshake: Poems from the Ground Up – pg. 9

Why: The concept that all of the continents used to be connected in one giant landmass, Pangea,

has always been one that interests me. I was thrilled to see a poem based on that topic. I also

liked that the poem was written as short letters because I thought that would lend itself easily to

being a model for various writing structures, both poem and letters, which easily connects

science and language arts together.

How and Who: I would most likely use this for students in 4th – 6th grade, since the concept of

Pangea and/or continental drift can be a rather challenging one to wrap their minds around. I

would most likely have the student start by examining a map and making comparisons amongst

the coast lines of the continents. Once they notice that South America and Africa seem to fit

together, I would read the poem aloud while showing the page of the book so that the set-up of

the poem comes across. We would then have a discussion about what the poem might mean and

discuss Pangea and why the continents may look like they fit together.

Poem – Language Arts

Story by Eloise Greenfield

I step into the story,

I leave my world behind,

I let the walls of story

Be the walls around my mind.

New faces and new voices,

I listen and I see,

and people I have never met

mean everything to me.

I worry when they worry,

I quake when danger’s near,

I hold my breath and hope

that all their troubles disappear.

I don’t know what will happen,

I never know what I’ll find,

when I step into a story

and leave my world behind.

Source: Greenfield, E. (2004) In the Land of Words – pg. 32

Why: This poem almost perfectly sums up how I feel about reading in general and why I love it

so much. It also has rhymes which is how I have always preferred my poems, it just seems easier

to read a rhyming poem.

How and Who: I would use this poem at the very beginning of the year for kindergarteners

and/or 1st graders in order to have a conversation about the joy of reading and what readers can

get out of texts / connect with texts. I would make sure not to say that it was poetry, because I

wouldn’t want students to bring in any feelings about poetry or construct any negative views, but

I would ask them to listen to the sounds of my voice and how they hear the section flow. I would

also make lots of personal connections to the poem and talk about books, at a kindergarten or

first grade reading level, that I have experienced the same feelings with. I would then ask the

students if they had had any similar experiences or if there were any books that they expect

would make them feel such a deep connection.

Poem – Math

Arithmetic by Carl Sandburg

Arithmetic is where numbers fly

like pigeons in and out of your head.

Arithmetic tells you how many you lose or win

if you know how many you had

before you lost or won.

Arithmetic is seven eleven all good children

go to heaven---or five six bundle of sticks.

Arithmetic is numbers you squeeze from your

head to your hand to your pencil to your paper

till you get the right answer . . .

If you have two animal crackers, one good and one bad,

and you eat one and a striped zebra

with streaks all over him eats the other,

how many animal crackers will you have

if somebody offers you five six seven and you say

No no no and you say Nay nay nay

and you say Nix nix nix?

If you ask your mother for one fried egg

for breakfast and she gives you

two fried eggs and you eat

both of them, who is better in arithmetic,

you or your mother?

Source: Stockland, P. (2004) Recess, Rhyme, and Reason: A Collection of Poems about School –

pg. 13

Why: When I read this poem, it reminded me of my personal struggle with understanding word

problems, all of the words mixed in with a few numbers, and I had that feeling all over again the

first time that I read this poem. I realized that I probably was not the only student to ever feel

incredibly confused by word problems and that this poem could be a fun way to talk about

common challenges and sources of confusion with word problems.

How and Who: Since young students are the ones learning how to do word problems, I would

use this for kindergarteners through 2nd graders. Depending on the reading level of the students, I

would either read the poem aloud or allow the students to read it in partners and try to determine

the meaning of the poem, of which there isn’t really one. We would then work on ways to turn

different stanzas of the poem into word problems as practice of what word problems look like

and how they aren’t scary to work with.

Poem – Social Studies

Maria Tallchief by W. Nikola-Lisa

Here comes Maria

to take center stage.

It’s a place she craved

from a tender young age.

For Maria loved to dance,

to leap, and to soar;

to spring toward the sky;

to fly across the floor.

She could have been a singer—

a clear-throated soprano—

or a professional musician

playing concert piano.

But dance was what she lived for.

Dance was who she was.

And when Maria took flight

the audience was a-buzz.

Yes, Maria was smart—

so incredibly dignified;

she used movement to show

what she felt deep inside.

Are you smart like Maria?

Source: Nikola-Lisa, W. (2006) How We Are Smart – pg. 4

Why: The book that the poem was selected from, How We Are Smart, talks about a lot of

famous, and not-so-famous, people from America and how they used their individual skills to be

smart. This is a concept that I feel is very important and it was really hard for me to select a

single poem out of the book. However, I selected the one about Maria Tallchief because I did

ballet for sixteen years so I felt a more personal connection to that poem.

How and Who: This poem could be used as a good introduction to studies on famous/important

women as well as that of Native American heritage. What I like about this poem is that it does

not emphasize the fact that Maria Tallchief was a woman or a Native American, it simply talks

about what she did and how smart she was. I know that many curriculums provide a specific time

to talk about women and/or Native Americans but this poem helps to show that there does not

need to be a specific time. Maria Tallchief was just like everyone else, other than the fact that we

know her name, which means that all students can connect with her. The rest of the book can

also be used to help students to find their particular type of “smart.”

Poem – Art

Whoosh! by Justine Rowden; Based on an untitled painting by Mark Rothko

The rosy red that starts

At the bottom

Is like a softened breeze,

A gentle wind that brushes

Against the cheeks of a daffodil

And makes the petals laugh.

The red in the middle

Is a bustling wind

That makes branches

Reach out in huge leaps

To tag the next tree

And quickly whip back and hide.

At the very top;

The rich dark red

Is a wild, furious gust

That makes kites somersault,

And pull even higher

To catch a passing plane

And race it through to a cloud.

Source: Rowden, J. (2005) Paint Me a Poem: Poems Inspired by Masterpieces of Art – pg. 15

Why: I really liked the entire book because it used paintings to inspire the poems. I looked

through the book at the paintings and selected the painting that I liked best and then read the

associated poem. Luckily, I liked the poem as well as the painting so it was easy to pick this

poem out of all of the ones that were available.

How and Who: For students in kindergarten, and possibly 1st grade as well, this was a good

poem (when combined with the painting itself) to use to talk about colors. The painting also has

different shades and the poem addresses these, so it is possible to talk about shades of colors as

well. In 1st and 2nd grade, I would use this poem and the painting to talk about modern art and

how it is different from other types of art, such as realism and surrealism. By having the poem,

there is a more concrete connection to the painting as opposed to just looking at the painting. For

either topic, I would provide a copy of the painting for the students to look at. I would have them

write their own response to the painting, how they feel, what they notice, etc. I would then read

the poem aloud to the students and have a conversation about how their responses are similar and

different from the poem. I would then put up another, similar, painting and have the students

respond again.

Poem – Health

The Etiquette of Going to Sleep by David Greenberg

What parents don’t appreciate

(And never ever will)

Is that sleep is bad for children—

Sleep makes children ill.

Sleep will make you grumpy,

Sleep will give you zits,

Sleep will make you jumpy,

Give you hissy fits.

So after you’re tucked in

And they’ve begun to snore,

Slither out of bed,

Scamper out the door.

Watch television reruns,

Enjoy the solitude,

Then call an all-night restaurant

To order Chinese food.

Have your buddies over

And when everyone has dined

Bake cookies for dessert

(Leave the mess behind).

Skateboard through the house

Or pogo-stick instead,

Then send your buddies home

And sneak back into bed.

Your mom and dad will wake you

With a gentle, loving tap

And then it’s off to school, young man

(Just the place to nap!).

Source: Greenberg, D. (2006) Don’t Forget Your Etiquette! The Essential Guide to Misbehavior

– pg. 24 – 25

Why: I loved how this poem took a humorous look at going to sleep, rather than being super

serious and “boring.” I think it would be far more interesting for children to listen to or look at

and it would certainly be more enjoyable to read aloud.

How and Who: Sleep, and getting enough sleep, is a very important topic for students of all ages,

but I think that students in 3rd grade and up are the ones who most need to hear about how much

sleep they should be getting. I would read this poem aloud and ask the students to keep track of

all of the things that are wrong with this poem, all of the things that they shouldn’t be doing. The

class would then learn about how much sleep they should be getting each night and ways to

make it easier to fall asleep.

Realistic Fiction Annotation - Revised

Listen, Slowly

By Thanhhà Lại

2015

HarpersCollins Children’s Books

Realistic Fiction – Characteristic of Difference – Ethnicity – Vietnamese / Vietnamese-American

260 pages

Summary: Mai/Mia (Home/School names) is surprised with a trip to Vietnam on her very first day

of summer vacation, a trip that she is not thrilled about. She is to escort her Bà (grandmother) to

the village her grandmother grew up in, in order to determine whether or not Mai’s Ông

(grandfather) is still alive. Her Ông was declared missing in action during the Vietnam War but a

detective has now found out additional information about some of his whereabouts near the end

of the war. While in Vietnam, Mai is convinced that she should not enjoy her trip but she begins

to realize that the Vietnamese culture suits her well and she feels comfortable with the “maybe-

relatives” in her Bà’s village, far more comfortable than she did with her friends back home. She

makes a new best friend, Út, and the two work together to make Út’s sister and Mai’s self-

proclaimed translator, Anh Minh, fall in love. Together Mai and Út teach each other about their

personal cultures until Mai completely falls in love with Vietnam and realizes that it is truly her

home.

Personal Response: I really liked the way that this book was written, it could very easily have come directly

from the mind of a twelve-year old, the age of the main character, which made the entire story

far more relatable. I felt as though I was personally experiencing Mai’s struggles with the

language barrier and new foods and experiences right alongside her. I was able to feel her

discomfort and her personal response to everything which really gave me the sense that I was in

Vietnam for the first time as well. I really wish there would have been some kind of

pronunciation guide for some of the more common Vietnamese words used in the book, such as

Bà and Ông, because I would not feel comfortable talking about this book with someone who

actually speaks Vietnamese for fear that I would accidentally insult them while describing the

book and the characters.

Strengths / Weaknesses: The main strength of this book is that it tackles the experience of being in a new country

from the perspective of someone who looks like they should fit in but still don’t based on their

upbringing. I think this is a topic that is not explored as fully as it ought to be, especially because

many students will likely experience a similar culture shock at some point in their lives, no

matter what their background is.

The main weakness of this book, as previously mentioned, is that there is not a

pronunciation guide for the most frequently used Vietnamese words. I would not feel confident

enough to inform students of how to pronounce the words and, since Vietnamese is a tonal

language, it is highly possible for students to say an improper word and insult someone.

How this book might be used: I would most likely use this book in a 4th or 5th grade classroom because I think Mai is a

very relatable character to students in that age range and the vocabulary used (that is not

Vietnamese) is likely understandable at that reading level, mainly just as a book that I would

have on my shelf. Again, since there is not a pronunciation guide, I would not feel comfortable

explicitly teaching using the book or even using it as a read aloud. However, I would make sure

to direct students from a variety of cultures and backgrounds to the book as a way of attempting

to understand other people and cultures.

Traditional Literature Annotation

Domitila: A Cinderella Tale from the Mexican Tradition

Adapted by Jewell Reinhart Coburn

Illustrated by Connie McLennan

2000

Shen’s Books an imprint of Lee & Low Books Inc.

Traditional Literature – Characteristic of Difference – Ethnicity – Hispanic

34 pages

Summary:

Domitila is a young girl who lives and works with her mother and father, building

houses, cooking, leather-crafting, and so much more. One day, there is a terrible storm that ruins

their house and causes her mother to fall ill. Domitila is sent to work in the Governor’s house as

a cook. She makes a traditional “peasant” dish there that the Governor’s son absolutely loves but

when he tries to find her to talk about it, she has gone home because her mother is too sick and

soon dies. The Governor’s son ends up searching the whole Mexican desert to find Domitila and

tells many people about her. One woman sees her chance to have her daughter marry the

Governor’s son so she convinces Domitila’s father to marry her. This plan does not work though

because the Governor’s son ends up smelling Domitila’s cooking at a festival, figures out where

she is, and the two talk and eventually get married.

Personal Response:

I really loved how the underlying theme of this book was “do every task with care, and

always add a generous dash of love” as opposed to the Disney version where you just need a

fairy godmother to get the prince. The story seems much more important and relatable this way

and I could definitely imagine using it with my own children someday. I also loved how Spanish

words were integrated right into the story because I love books that involve other languages, it

helps me to better understand the culture/setting as well as work on picking up words from

various languages.


The strengths of this book are that it differs enough from the basic Cinderella tale to be

interesting but still follows the basic plot structure. This makes it possible for students to create

their own predictions about what they think will happen and to easily see how stories may

change from culture to culture. The words, aside from those in Spanish, are also not too

challenging which means young children could read it on their own.

The weaknesses of this book are that there are no pronunciation guides for the Spanish

words which means that students will likely struggle with the words and not be able to

pronounce them correctly. While that is not detrimental to the students’ understanding of the

story, it does mean that they would not be able to use the words when they want to because they

would be using the words incorrectly.


I believe this book would work well in a comparison study of other Cinderella tales

because it is different enough to remain interesting while still being similar enough to make a

good comparison study. This would be a good unit for talking about how people interpret things

differently and how writing style comes into play for authors. I would most likely use it in a first

or second grade classroom so that students should be able to read a majority of the book on their

own (Spanish words aside for most students) and will likely still be excited about reading a lot of

Cinderella tales. It could also be used to introduce some Spanish words into the classroom and as

an introduction to Spanish/Mexican culture.

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