Why I Picked It Up:
A whole post would be needed to explain the closeness that Jakarta International School (JIS) alumni feel, but that connection is why I had the opportunity to review this delightful book, American Desi. Jyoti and I are former JIS Dragons, and once a Dragon, always a Dragon! Having grown up as a “third culture kid” (kids who were raised in a culture other than their parents or the culture of their country of nationality), I was excited to read a book about cultural confusion.
Why I Finished It:
The comparison and contrast between the two cultures the little girl experiences in American Desi captured my attention. I immediately made connections to people I have known who were both Indian and from another culture. It was a pleasure to read this story and it was comforting to the littles I read it to because of the rhyme and rhythm. I love the visuals as well; the illustrator, Supriya Kelkar, created bold and colorful pictures with a sense of texture.
Who I Would Give It To:
Since I teach in international schools, this was an obvious fit for me! Many of our students are discovering the many cultures and experiences that define them. Hearing that someone else is experiencing the exact same thing is always comforting. This book should be in every primary school in the country as America is a country of many cultures. This story would be powerful for the students with Indian heritage, as well as informative for those who have been in America for generations.
Integration Ideas:
Word Choice
I have to admit – I didn’t even notice the high-level vocabulary after reading it the first time. I love when authors do this! The vocabulary is easy to understand from context and pictures, yet the text offers an opportunity to teach strong language!
Color imagery is prominent in American Desi. Throughout the story, the idea of “the different colors of me” is communicated as Jyoti describes colors in a myriad of ways. The cultural Indian clothing is “garnet red,” and the “shimmery blue” is typical of the character’s American clothing. Check out some of these other picture books that focus on color and imagery (plus, these posts offer some great teaching ideas!):
In addition to color, there are many high-powered adjectives in this story…jaunty, jangly, crinkly, and more … so much more. This is a perfect opportunity to create anchor charts with strong adjectives. Find the words you are TIRED of, like pretty, happy, sad, etc. Then use thesauruses (depending on age), discussion, and other mentor texts to brainstorm other words.
One of my favorite activities is levels of meaning. Kids, K-12, love this activity and beg to do it again and again. The best part is, I find that after this activity, most of my students use higher leveled words in both reading and writing.
Another teaching idea for adjectives is to act out different scenarios and have the students use the words that were brainstormed to describe the scene. An example would be to walk in a certain way (quickly, slowly, oddly, etc.) and have students describe how you are moving. Repeat with other actions. Have students act out something as well.
As always, bring this new vocabulary into reading and writing. When discussing another text, use the new adjectives to describe the characters, and also be sure to have students write descriptions in their own writing.
Visualization – Sensory Description
There is a ton of sensory vocabulary in this text to go along with the powerful vocabulary. Read aloud parts of the book that address one or more of the senses and ask students to close their eyes and explain what they hear, see, smell, taste, and touch. Have students share what made them experience that? One example from the story is “Bell chimes, bare feet, sacred space. Flowers, incense fill the air.”
Social Studies – Research
If you have many cultures in your classroom, or even if you don’t, this is a great time to research a little bit about Indian culture (or others)! In this story, Jyoti shares clothing, dancing, language, and food from her heritage. Students can research more about these items, or choose a country that is meaningful to them and look up different aspects of the culture. Remember that when researching, it could be as simple as asking questions and searching for answers all the way to writing essays and presenting the information. This does not need to be over the top, just a fun learning experience!
Compare and Contrast
There is a lot to compare and contrast in American Desi. Just remember culture is a delicate subject, so know your audience and be careful of the words used. At the beginning of this story, there are many 2-page spreads that have traditional Indian culture on one side and traditional American culture on the other. The pages describe cricket on one side and American football on the other, Bollywood on one side and hip-hop on the other, mac n’ cheese and dosas, etc. This is a great time to introduce Venn Diagrams or just have conversations about comparing and contrasting. Older students can examine this as a nonfiction text structure.
Theme – Message: Identity/Belonging
I’m sure you know by now that the message of this story is super important! I love that younger students can just enjoy the two different cultures, while older students can dig into the meaning of the text with beautiful figurative language. The main character describes how there are blurring lines, worlds colliding, and the need to be seen. There is so much to discuss, – think about the knots and strings within you based on your experiences and things that shape you, that pull you in different directions and how you come out as an individual. In the social studies standards, there is a lot of focus on social and cultural groups, as well as finding your own identity. American Desi covers BOTH!
I like this blog. Suggestion: I almost didn’t read it because I frankly don’t have time to read book reviews. I’m looking for teaching materials, fast. Can you, under the picture, put a line that just says Teaching Points: Word Meaning, Culutural Identity, Word Choice, etc.? Then the rest of the blog as is? I will read it if I know up front it is going to talk about how I can teach with it somewhere in the blog post. I love everything else about it!
I love this suggestion. I added an index to the top. Is this helpful?