Elena's Serenade by Campbell Geeslin

Illustrated by Ana Juan.40 p., Atheneum/Schwartz, 2004. Anger at prejudice can provide the energy for creativity and success. Such is the case for Elena, who is furious when her father tells her that she can't be a glassblower like him because she is a girl. Elena disguises herself as a boy in her brother's old clothes and sets out to learn glassblowing. On her way, she discovers with delight that she can make music with her glassblowing pipe. She uses her music to help the animals she meets along the way, and they encourage and support her. When she reaches a glassblowing factory, then men don't think she's capable of anything, but she and they find that when she plays music through her pipe, she creates glass objects related to the song - for example, when she plays a song called "Estrellita," she blows a little glass star - and her glass stars become wildly popular. Eventually Elena returns home, gliding on the back of a large glass bird she has blown, and shows her father what she can do. Her father accepts her as a colleague. The warmly colored acrylic and crayon illustrations express the magic of this story, which encourages children not to accept "girls can't" as an answer and to find support for following their dreams. Ages 4-7

Uncle Rain Cloud by Tony Johnston

Illustrated by Fabricio VandenBroeck. 32 p., Charlesbridge, 2001.

Carlos's Tío Tomás nearly always seems to be grumpy. He is a monolingual Spanish speaker and resents the use of English all around him. Carlos enjoys Tío Tomás's brief better moods, when he tells Carlos stories from Mexico about Aztec gods. When Tío Tomás is the only adult available to attend Carlos' parent-teacher conference, his teacher asks third-grader Carlos to serve as interpreter. That night, Carlos asks for an Aztec story, and Tío Tomás expresses the belief that Carlos only likes English, and explains that he is ashamed of his fear of speaking English. Carlos empathizes, telling Tío Tomás that he has been teased about the limitations of his own English. Tío Tomás is impressed by Carlos's courage, and finds within himself the ability to allow Carlos to help him learn. Eventually, Tío Tomás proposes that Carlos keep teaching him English and he keep telling Carlos stories from Mexico, in Spanish. Carlos is delighted, because this will double the knowledge of both. This story will help children understand that culture doesn't have to be an "either-or" attribute - it can be "both/and," to the person's benefit.

Ages: 6-10
Cultural Context: multicultural

Margaret and Margarita by Lynn Reiser

32 pages. Greenwillow, 1993.

Margaret, who speaks only English, and Margarita, who speaks only Spanish, both tell their mothers it is NOT a beautiful day to go to the park, because there is no one there to play with. Then they find each other, and in this bilingual book, they find ways to communicate and play. They agree to be friends, and they look forward to future trips to the park. This story shows children that they can find ways to communicate with kids who initially seem different from them - and that when they do, it's possible to find a good friend.

Ages: 3-7
Cultural Context: multicultural

The Rainbow Tulip by Pat Mora

Illustrated by E. Sayles. 32 pages. Viking, 1999.

A first-generation Mexican American girl, called Estelita at home and Stella at school, works through her sense of being different from her first-grade classmates and her neighbors because of her Mexican heritage. She experiences her family as comforting, and yet at the same time she's also drawn to the English-speaking culture in which she lives outside her house. Her wish for more connection between the cultures is suggested by her wish that her mother and her teacher could speak the same language. When the girls in her class have to dress as tulips for a May Day parade, she finds that she's the only multicolored tulip - much as she's the only child who contains more than one culture. At first, she's ashamed, but as she senses her mother's pride, she too feels proud and competent. When her mother empathizes with her mixed feelings about being the only rainbow tulip, Estelita/Stella feels the strength of her connection to her Mexican heritage, which allows her to accept the ambivalent experience of being different. This story offers empathy to Mexican-American children who have felt the way Estelita/Stella does and to others who feel "different", along with a way to honor their uniqueness.

Ages: 4-8
Cultural Context: multicultural