The following is a selection of titles recently acquired by the Marymount Middle and Lower School libraries that address issues in diversity in thought-provoking and informative ways. We encourage everyone in our community to peruse the list and explore these illuminating books!
Middle School
Fiction
• The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had by Kristin Levine
Harry “Dit” Sims and his newest friend Emma Walker work together to come up with a plan that could save the town barber, an African-American, who is on put on trial and faces a horrible end. This book is also Marymount’s January 2010 Book of the Month.
• The Girl Who Threw Butterflies by Mick Cochrane
Eighth-grader Molly’s ability to throw a knuckleball earns her a spot on the baseball team, which not only helps her feel connected to her recently deceased father, who loved baseball, but helps in other aspects of her life as well.
• Piggy by Mireille Geus
Lizzie struggles to overcome the closed, internal world of autism when a new girl moves into her neighborhood, befriends her, then insists that Lizzie join her in seeking revenge on the boys who tease them.
Lower School
Non-Fiction
• Around the World Cookbook by Abigail Dodge
This book contains over fifty recipes from around the world for kids to make and includes information about food, culture, and other aspects of life in different countries.
• Before John was a Jazz Giant by Carole Boston Weatherford
This biography of John Coltrane focuses on his childhood and adolescent years and discusses his inspirations, influences, family, the development of his musical talent, and more.
• Dancing to Freedom: The True Story of Mao’s Last Dancer by Li Cunxin
The author describes his experiences training and performing as a dancer, discussing his acceptance into the Beijing Dance Academy as a child, travels in America, supportive family, and other related topics.
• Families in Many Cultures by Heather Adamson
In this lively title in the Life around the World series, the text celebrates diversity and connection. Opposite each full-page, brightly colored photo of a happy family, a simple global map shows where its members live, and two short sentences in clear type name the country and talk about how the family is much like families everywhere.
• If America Were a Village: A Book about the People of the United States by David J. Smith
This book presents a metaphor for the United States, simplifying it as a village of one hundred people in order to assist with the understanding of ethnic origins, religions, family profiles, wealth, occupations, belongings, and other demographic details.
• A Man for All Seasons: The Life of George Washington Carver by Stephen Krensky
This book profiles the African American scientist George Washington Carver, who not only put the peanut on the map but was also one of the first advocates of recycling.
• Planting the Trees of Kenya: The Story of Wangari Maathai by Claire A. Nivola
This book relates the true story of Nobel Prize–winner Wangari Maathai, a native Kenyan who taught the people living in the highlands how to plant trees and care for the land. The book is also Marymount’s November 2009 Book of the Month.
Picture Books
• A Chair for Always by Vera Williams
Rosa is excited when her new cousin, Benji, is born, but when Grandma wants to remove a beloved armchair, Rosa puts her foot down and insists that the chair, just like Benji, is a member of the family.
• The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
In this wordless retelling of an Aesop fable, an adventuresome mouse proves that even small creatures are capable of great deeds when he rescues the King of the Jungle.
• Anansi and the Magic Stick by Eric Kimmel
In this book, loosely based on a Liberian story called “The Magic Hoe,” Anansi the Spider steals Hyena’s magic stick so he won’t have to do the chores, but when the stick’s magic won’t stop, he gets more than he bargained for.
• La Chenille Qui Fait des Trous by Eric Carle (The Very Hungry Caterpellar—French)
This book follows the progress of a hungry little caterpillar as he eats his way through a varied and very large quantity of food until, full at last, he forms a cocoon around himself and goes to sleep. Die-cut pages illustrate what the caterpillar eats on successive days.
• Oso Pardo, Oso Pardo, que Ves Ahi? by Bill Martin (Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?—Spanish)
In a question-and-answer game, a teacher and her group see a variety of animals, each one a different color.
• El Pez Arco Iris y la Cueva de los Monstruos by Marcus Pfister (Rainbow Fish—Spanish)
In order to find healing algae for the ailing bumpy-backed fish, Rainbow Fish volunteers to brave the dreaded Sea Monsters’ Cave.