Summary
In the book, Red Shoes, the character Malika gets a new pair a red shoes, gifted to her by her Nana. She loves her new red shoes and wears them everywhere, to school, to Christmas, and to birthday party. Soon, she outgrows the shoes and decides to resale the shoes for someone else to enjoy. The story follows the shoes has they are regifted to Amina, a young girl who lives in Africa and who fasted for Ramadan. Amina also loves her new red shoes and enjoys wearing them for special occasions.
Theme(s):
Change, Renewal (Circle of Life), Identity,
Personal Response
This book was such a cute story! The story connects two young girls together from different places. I was able to relate to both Malika and Amina, because I love getting new shoes. Sometimes, like Malika, I want to wear them everyday, but other times, like Amina, I want to save my shoes for special occasions. The story did a great job with showing how Malika loves and is attached to her shoes. I like how the shoes were then gifted to another young girl, Amina, who loves them just as much.
Teaching Ideas
For teaching, I would use this book for a read aloud activity. This book gives students the opportunity to see how we are connected. After the read aloud, I would make a Venn diagram and have students share similarities and differences from the two characters, Malika and Amina. This book could also be used as an extension to explore Africa and teach students about different customs and traditions like Ramadan.
Recommended Reading Level
Birth-PreK, Grade 01, Grade 02
