Summary
On Kanzi’s, a young Egyptian immigrant, first day of school, she is afraid of looking and being different from her classmates. One of her classmates, Molly, starts to make fun of the way Kanzi’s mom speaks. Kanzi’s teacher teaches the class the value of being bilingual and assigns a class project which is to make a quilt with all the students names written in Arabic.
Theme(s):
Acceptance, Friendship, Cultural Identity
Personal Response
This story is a beautiful story. This book is a teaching lesson for all students about the value of being being different and educates students on different cultures and traditions. This book gives children a different viewpoint of others cultures and makes students more aware. It is important for students to learn acceptance and that not everyone is the same at such a young age as well. This book is great for students of all ages as well.
Teaching Ideas
A great activity that teachers can do after reading this book is to make a quilt with their class. Students can create their square about their cultures and traditions with their name however they like. Students can share their story with the class about who they are and once put all together the quilt can hang in the classroom to show that even though everyone is different and comes from different backgrounds, they are all one and make up a beautiful class.
Recommended Reading Level
Grade 01, Grade 02, Grade 03, Grade 04, Grade 05, Grade 06, Grade 07, Grade 08, Grade 09
