Here is the speech President Obama gave on September 8, 2009.

Antonio's Card/ La Tarjeta de Antonio by Rigoberto Gonzalez

Gonzalez, Rigoberto. 2005. Antonio's Card/ La Tarjeta de Antonio. Illus. by Cecilia Concepcion Alvarez. San Francisco: Children's Book Press. ISBN 0892392045.

Summary
Every day Leslie picks Antonio up from school. Leslie is his mother's partner. Leslie is a painter and very tall, with short hair. When other children at school make fun of Leslie for being tall and paint splattered, Antonio is not sure how to respond. For mother's day, Antonio makes a card for his mother and Leslie. When he discovers the cards are going to be put on display, it makes Antonio worry about what the other kids will say.

Analysis
This book is very well done. Antonio's embarrassment when the other kids make fun of Leslie is totally believable. When he is making the card for his mother and Leslie at school, he does so with love and affection which reflects the love his mother and Leslie have for him. When Leslie picks him up from school they read together and Antonio sits in Leslie's lap. Even though his family is not traditional, Antonio is well cared for. I especially like the part when Antonio confides in his mother that the other children made fun of Leslie. His mother asks him, "And how does Leslie dress, Antonio? And how does Leslie walk? Antonio thinks about it carefully. "Like Leslie, I guess (Gonzalez 2005. p. 17)." His mother doesn't try to brush aside his feelings. When he tells his mother that he is nervous about explaining who Leslie is to the other children, Antonio's mother tells him that he is old enough to decide what he wants to say. When Antonio visits Leslie's studio and she shows him the picture of the three of them she painted for a mother's day gift, Antonio understands that he is lucky to have a family that loves him. There is no political agenda in this book.

The illustration in this book are very good. The characters are portrayed realistically and non-stereotypically. Leslie has short hair, wears overalls and appears slightly masculine, but not overly so. Antonio's mother looks more feminine but both women look like everyone else. The artist does an excellent job of presenting the characters in a non-judgmental way. I recommend this book because it really shows that even though not all families are alike, they are still valuable.

This is a bilingual book, written in English and Spanish. Antonio's Card was a finalist for a Lambda Award in 2005.

Connections
This book could be used to learn about different kinds of families.
This book could be used by a counselor to teach acceptance.
This book could be part of a mother's day display or a mother's day celebration.

Review Excerpts
According to Kirkus Reviews, "As he begins to be ashamed of Leslie, he learns anew that all people and families are different, but united by love, when Leslie shows him the painting she has created for Mother's Day: the three of them picnicking and reading under a tree. While homosexual partners are the subtext of the story, the focus is not sexuality but individual difference."

School Library Journal says, "Still, even the negative peer pressure cannot keep him from drawing a lovely card for Mother's Day, a card for both of his mothers. When his teacher announces that the cards will be displayed in the lunchroom, the child becomes afraid all over again. It takes sharing a love of art and of family with Leslie for Antonio to feel ready to claim his family publicly."

Works Cited
2005. "Antonio's Card: La Tarjeta de Antonio." Kirkus Reviews 73, no. 6: 352-352. Academic Search Complete database. Last accessed August 6, 2009.

Gonzalez, Rigoberto. 2005. Antonio's Card/ La Tarjeta de Antonio. Illus. by Cecilia Concepcion Alvarez. San Francisco: Children's Book Press.

Welton, Ann, Trevelyn E. Jones, Luann Toth, Marlene Charnizon, Daryl Grabarek, and Dale Raben. 2005. "Antonio's Card/La tarjeta de Antonio." School Library Journal 51, no. 5: 118-118. Academic Search Complete database. Last accessed August 6, 2009.

Habibi by Naomi Shihab Nye

Nye, Naomi Shihab. 1997. Habibi. New York: Simon Pulse. ISBN 9780689825231.

Summary
Liyana lives in St. Louis with her parents and her brother. One day her father makes an announcement, the family is moving back to his country of birth, Palestine. Liyana and her brother don't speak Arabic and have never met their father's family. Once they arrive Liyana must learn how to live in a place that is totally different from where she grew up. There are no malls in sight, Liyana can no longer wear shorts and she must behave appropriately conservatively. Before arriving Liyana didn't know much about the Arab-Israeli conflict but with a refugee camp just down the road, she learns fast. While wandering around Jerusalem she meets and falls in love with a Israeli boy. Will her parents and family be able to accept their relationship?

Analysis
This book is very well written. Naomi Shihab Nye is a poet and her prose is lyrical. Each chapter has a title and a subtitle. For example a chapter in the middle of the book is called "Donkey by the Road" and the subtitle is "Emily Dickinson never had to move across the sea." The chapters and subtitles reflect the character of Liyana because she is a writer. Her character is well written and the adjustment to a new country seems genuine. Her brother, Rafik, is also realistic.

While I liked the story, I do think it was biased towards the Palestinian point of view. When Liyana and her family arrive at the airport they are profiled and pulled aside by the Israeli soldiers. The books says that people of other nationalities pass through easily but not them, implying that they are being unfairly targeted. It goes on to say that they don't refer to the country as Israel, but Palestine. "Maybe one reason their father wanted them to be quiet is that they had trouble calling this country "Israel" to begin with (Nye, 1997 p. 36)." The largest and closest international airport to Jerusalem is Ben Gurion and it is in Tel Aviv, which is most certainly in Israel.

Liyana meets Omer, an Israeli boy. I find the whole relationship of Omer and Liyana unrealistic.
Omer is Jewish but Liyana doesn't realize it until they go to the Israel Museum and she hears him speak Hebrew. When Liyana's mother comes to pick her up, somehow Liyana's mother knows he is not Palestinian after one brief meeting. And Omer is not religious. That seems completely contrived.

Since apparently Liyana has heard only bad things about the Jews of Israel she asks him, "...of course I know that the Jewish people have suffered so much themselves, but don't you think it should have made them more sensitive to the sufferings of others too? (Nye, 1997. p. 166)." Wow. That goes right along with the representations of the Jews in the book. The Israeli soldiers are presented as uncaring thugs while the Palestinians are suffering needlessly at their hands. The book makes it seem as if the soldiers go around committing atrocities leaving the Palestinians no choice but to retaliate. For example, when there is a bombing in the market place Liyana thinks, " Did people who committed acts of violence think their victims and their victims' relatives would just forget? (Nye, 1997. p. 235)."

While this book is beautifully written, I would not recommend teaching with it in isolation because of the bias. I would pair it with a book about the Holocaust or another book about Jewish history.

Connections
This book could be used to study the modern history of Israel, but it should paired with a book about the Holocaust like The Big Lie by Isabella Leitner.
This book could be used to discuss bias and points of view in stories.

Excerpts
Rosemary Knapp in Book Report magazine says, "The move is, naturally, a culture shock for Liyana, her younger brother, and her American-born mother. The history of Jerusalem with its cross-section of cultures, the conflicts between the Israelis and Palestinians, the grandmother and extended family living on the West Bank whom Liyana has never met--all these contribute to the great upheaval in her life."

In Horn Book Magazine Jennifer Brabander says, "The leisurely progression of the narrative matches the slow and stately pace of daily life in this ancient land, and the text's poetic turns of phrase accurately reflect Liyana's passion for words and language."

Works Cited
Brabander, Jennifer M. 1997. "Habibi." Horn Book Magazine 73, no. 6: 683-684. Academic Search Complete database. Last accessed August 6, 2009.

Knapp, Rosemary. 1998. "Reviews: Fiction." Book Report 16, no. 5: 34. Academic Search Complete database. Last accessed August 6, 2009.

Nye, Naomi Shihab. 1997. Habibi. New York: Simon Pulse.

Looking Out for Sarah by Glenna Lang

Lang, Glenna. 2001. Looking out for Sarah. Watertown, MA: Talewinds. ISBN 0881066478

Summary
Looking out for Sarah is the job of Perry, a guide dog. The story is told from the point of view of Perry as he guides Sarah through a day in her life. They go to the grocery store, ride a train, do a presentation at the library and go to a restaurant. This book is based on a real blind woman named Sarah and her guide dog, Perry.

Analysis
The very best thing about this book is that Sarah doesn't seem different from anyone else. The illustrations are realistic and Sarah looks very normal. The activities she does in a day are things that anyone would do, blind or not. She goes through her day just like everyone else. Also the book does not show Sarah getting treated any differently because she can't see. No one stares at her, or gives her funny looks. The shop keeper and the people on the train don't respond to her differently. I really liked that about the book.

The book is told from the dog's perspective and it is interesting how much he has to keep up with to guide Sarah safely. When she snaps his harness on, Perry knows it is time to work. He can't be distracted by food on the ground, noises, or other people. He has to keep Sarah safe.

When Sarah and Perry visit a school, Perry falls asleep and he dreams of the time he and Sarah walked from Boston to New York. In the author's note we find out that Perry and Sarah really did walk 300 miles to raise awareness about guide dogs. We also learn that Sarah and Perry enjoy many activities like swimming, sailing and camping.

In 2004 this book won a Schneider award in the young children book category.

Connections
This book can be used to teach children about blindness and guide dogs.
This book can be paired with My Pal Victor to show even if people have a disability, they can still participate in normal activities.

Review Excerpts
School Library Journal says, "There are bits of information about guide dogs throughout, such as the fact that they are allowed in restaurants and stores and that people should not pet and handle them while they are working. An interesting incident that only gets two sentences is the fact that Sarah and Perry once walked the 300 miles from Boston to New York to show "what a guide dog can do for a blind person."

Margaret Bush in Horn Book Magazine says, "The spare text and minimal detail in Lang's framed gouache paintings nicely convey the special personal/professional relationship between dog and owner. Perry is the focus throughout, from his cover portrait in working harness to his contented end-of-the-day sleep beneath Sarah's bed. Sarah's lack of sight is treated matter-of-factly with only the barest mention of her blindness until the author's short concluding note. Perry and Sarah's pleasant daily routine is punctuated with a flashback to a truly impressive accomplishment in which the two walked all the way from Boston to New York to demonstrate "what a guide dog can do for a person."

Works Cited
Bush, Margaret A. 2001. "Looking Out for Sarah." Horn Book Magazine 77, no. 5: 575-576. Academic Search Complete database. Last accessed August 4, 2009.

Howell, Margaret C., Trevelyn E. Jones, Luann Toth, Marlene Charnizon, Daryl Grabarek, and Jeanne Larkins. 2001. "Looking Out for Sarah (Book Review)." School Library Journal 47, no. 9: 193. Academic Search Complete database. Last accessed August 4, 2009.

Cockroach Cooties by Laurence Yep

Yep, Lawrence. 2000. Cockroach Cooties. New York: Hyperion. ISBN 0786804874

Summary
When Teddy's little brother Bobby talks back to the neighborhood bully, Teddy steps up to defend his little brother. "If you pick on my little brother, you make it my business (Yep, 2000 p 5-6)." Unfortunately the bully is bigger that Teddy. The boys accidentally discover that Arnie the bully is afraid of cockroaches and Bobby decides that keeping a cockroach as a pet is the best way to protect themselves. Sadly, Hercules the cockroach gets squished by the boys' father and they must devise a new plan to keep Arnie away. In the process they learn a lot about bugs and ultimately about Arnie too.

Analysis
This story takes place in Chinatown and all the characters in the book are Chinese. There are many cultural markers. Some of the cultural markers from the book... all three boys study Chinese at school. Teddy and Bobby go with their parents to a banquet. At the banquet everyone eats many courses with chop sticks. Bobby and Teddy's neighbor, Mr. Wong, brews medicines in his apartment. And Teddy and Bobby's father mentions Chinese time and American time. I have never heard this expression before but from the context I think he means arriving late. "Father tapped his watch. "I'm trying to set an example for the boys. They should use American time, not Chinese time (Yep, 2000. p. 70)."

The character who seems to contradict most Chinese stereotypes is Arnie, the bully. Arnie can barely read and write English, but he is great in Chinese school. "He'd gone from being the dummy in the American classes to being the star in the Chinese class (Yep, 2000. p. 31)." So Arnie is not the stereotypical good student. Arnie also comes from a poor, broken home. Teddy and Bobby discover that Arnie hates bugs so much because they are all over his apartment. His mother works two jobs to support them and when she has time off she must rest.

While there are so many cultural markers in this story like setting, characters, and food, the Chinese culture represented is more of a backdrop rather than a main focus. The boys act like any set of young siblings. Bullies are everywhere and being bullied at school is not a unique problem. The author does a good job of presenting a good story with an authentic Chinese-American background. I recommend this book.

Connections
This book could be used to discuss bullying.
The kids could read this book as part of an author study.
The kids could do a compare/contrast of Teddy and bobby's family and their own.
Since there are so many insect facts worked into the story, this book could be used to build science lessons about bugs.

Review Excerpts
In School Library Journal Elizabeth Maggio says, "Set in the Chinatown section of San Francisco, this modern-day tale is about two brothers, eight and nine, previously featured in Later, Gator (Hyperion, 1995). Teddy, the older child, narrates. Bobby feels responsible for getting Teddy involved with a treacherous bully at school, so he devises a plan to scare the fiend with a cockroach that he obtains from "The Bug Lady," a neighbor studying entomology."

Publishers Weekly says, "Full of the sights and sounds of San Francisco's Chinatown, the tale zips along at a brisk pace, percolating with snappy dialogue."

Works Cited
Forecasts. 2000. "forecasts: Children's Books." Publishers Weekly 247, no. 7: 200. Academic Search Complete database. Last accessed July 31, 2009.

Maggio, Elizabeth. 2000. "Cockroach Cooties (Book Review)." School Library Journal 46, no. 5: 159. Academic Search Complete database. Last accessed July 31, 2009.

Yep, Lawrence. 2000. Cockroach Cooties. New York: Hyperion.

Nothing but the Truth (and a few white lies) by Justina Chen Headley

Headley, Justina Chen. 2006. Nothing but the Truth (and a few white lies). New York: Little Brown and Company. ISBN 0316011282

Summary
Patty Ho is fourteen, extremely tall, has a difficult mother, a popular brother, and doesn't fit in. Anywhere. Since her mother is from Taiwan and her father is white, Patty doesn't feel Taiwanese or white. "It's as if God cruised through one of those Chinese fast-food buffets and bought Abe the full meal deal so he can pass for Mama's beloved son. When it came to my turn, all that was left was one of those soggy egg rolls that doesn't qualify as real Chinese food (Headley, 2006 p. 21)." Patty's brother is off to Harvard in the fall, and Patty's Taiwanese mother is determined that Patty will excel. So Patty gets sent to math camp at Stanford. During her first extended trip away from home Patty will make new friends, have her first kiss, and learn the truth about her family.

Analysis
At the beginning of this book the character of Patty's mother seemed very stereotypical. Her character speaks in short sentences with few pronouns. "You need, you need. When I was little, we so poor even though my father was a dentist. But who could pay him? Not with money (Headley, 2006. p. 12)." She brags about her son getting into Harvard and puts pressure on Patty to succeed academically. But Patty's mother turns out not to be stereotypical at all. Patty imagines that her parent's divorce is her mother's fault. Patty imagines that her mother drove her father away but that is not what happened. Patty's mother left and took her children because Patty's father is abusive. We also find out that Patty's grandparents disowned Patty's mother for marrying a white man. Patty's mother is not the stereotypical docile Chinese woman.

Patty's mother was the only character that bordered on a caricature, the other characters seem true to life. Patty and her friends seem like normal teenage girls. Patty's struggles with being mixed come across as very genuine. When Patty learns the truth about her mother and father, it gives her permission to embrace her Taiwanese heritage and it doesn't seem contrived. This book was very funny. I recommend it.

Connections
For compare and contrast this book could be paired with The House you Pass on the Way by Jacqueline Woodson, or Mexican White Boy by Matt de la Pena.
This book could also be paired with biographies of famous people of mixed heritage like Tiger Woods or Barack Obama.

Review Excerpts
In School Library Media Connection, Shelley Glantz says, "Following an incident of racial discrimination where a fellow student spits upon her, she continues to struggle with the stereotypes forced upon her by her classmates. Her over-protective, overlypushy
mother forces her into attending a summer math camp at Stanford where she meets
others from similar situations, many of whom have found ways of coping."

School Library Journal says, " This novel is a mostly successful exploration of teen "hapa" (half white, half Asian) life and the struggles unique to those who live between two distinct cultures. High school sophomore Patty Ho feels like she doesn't fit in anywhere: in her family, she is a distant second to her older brother; she sometimes feels out of place among her white friends; and she is decidedly concerned about fitting in a the math camp that she's getting ready to attend.

Works Cited
Glantz, Shelley. 2007. "Nothing but the Truth (and a Few White Lies)." Library Media Connection 25, no. 4: 75-75. Academic Search Complete database. Last accessed July 30, 2009.

Headley, Justina Chen. 2006. Nothing but the Truth (and a few white lies). New York: Little Brown and Company.

Pattee, Amy S. 2006. "Nothing but the Truth (and a Few White Lies)." School Library Journal 52, no. 7: 104-104. Academic Search Complete database. Last accessed July 30, 2009.

Allison by Allen Say

Say, Allen. 1997. Allison. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 039585895

Summary
Allison is happy living with her parents and her doll Mei Mei. One day Allison gets a package with a kimono. When she puts it on, she realizes that she doesn't look at all like her parents, she looks like her doll. Her parents explain to her that they went to another country and brought Allison and Mei Mei home. "Father said, "Mommy and I went there and brought you and Mei Mei home with us (Say, 1997)." Allison has a difficult time accepting that her parents are not her biological parents. She also questions whether or not her parents really love her. Rescuing a stray cat helps Allison understand that she is an important, loved part of the family.

Analysis
Allen Say is an amazing artist. The watercolor illustrations that accompany the text are very realistic. Each character's emotions are clearly shown on their faces. Allison is depicted with a pageboy hair cut. Her hair is straight and black and her eyes are almond shaped dark brown. Her parents are an Anglo couple. The illustrations are not stereotypical or hackneyed, but true to life. Allison's doll, Mei Mei, appears to be a porcelain type doll. Mei Mei is shown as having dark hair and eyes that are similar to Allison's. Mei Mei is wearing a kimono.

I think the author wanted to tell an adoption story and it is a nice adoption story, but there are a few issues. Where is Allison originally from? The first guess is China. Many little girls are adopted from China every year. According to the State Department, Americans adopted more than 3,000 children from China in 2008. In 2005, more than 7,000 children were adopted from China (http://adoption.state.gov/news/total_chart.html). In contrast only about 40 children annually are adopted from Japan. Japan has very strict adoption rules and only a child who is an orphan can be adopted to a foreign country (http://adoption.state.gov/country/japan.html#statistics). Allison gets a kimono and her doll wears a kimono. Kimonos are the traditional dress in Japan, not China. So that suggests that Allison is from Japan. But if she were, she would be an orphan and then her parents would explain that in the story but they don't. Also, Allison's doll is called Mei Mei. Mei means plum in both Japanese and Chinese but Mei Mei is typically a Chinese name (http://www.encyclo.co.uk/define/Mei). While I think the story is nice and the illustrations are amazing, the book is Pan-Asian. There is no particular culture represented, but rather a mix of Chinese and Japanese.

Connections
This book could be used to talk about different kinds of families and adoption.
Since Allison rescues a stray cat, this book could also be used to teach about animal adoptions.
This book could also be part of a study about families.

Review Excerpts
In Horn Book Magazine, Roger Hutton says, " Allison's parents adopted her abroad (just where is not stated, a distracting obscurity), and upon realizing that she does not look like her (Caucasian) parents, Allison becomes angry and spiteful, tearing up her parents' prized souvenirs of their own childhoods."

In School Library Journal Wendy Lukehart says, "It is finally the "adoption" of a stray cat, whose appearances frame the story, that helps Allison understand and appreciate her family While Say's watercolors are powerful--the skill with which he captures determination and longing in the muscles surrounding Allison's mouth, for example--and her anger is a believable reaction, the conclusion is abrupt and somewhat contrived."

Works Cited
Intercountry Adoption, Office of Child Issues, United States Department of State. 2009. http://adoption.state.gov Last accesses July 30, 2009.

Lukehart, Wendy. 1997. "Preschool to grade 4: Fiction." School Library Journal 43, no. 10: 109. Academic Search Complete Database. Last accessed July 30, 2009.

Say, Allen. 1997. Allison. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Sutton, Roger. 1998. "Allison." Horn Book Magazine 74, no. 1: 69-69. Academic Search Complete Database. Last Accessed July 30, 2009.