Research in a Local Library

I choose to go to Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library in Falls Church, Virginia.  This library is near Tysons Corner Mall and right off of I-66.  The first thing I noticed about this library was the diverse population that were using the facilities.  There were also several children looking up material for classes and getting books to read for pleasure.  The staff were centrally located and asked several times if I needed any help finding anything.  I didn't need to ask for help though, since there were so many options available.

I found many more books that represented varies cultures at this library than I did at my local Barnes and Noble.  It was like night and day.  The children's section was immediately to the left once you entered the library.   The section didn't look too large, but had many books in its small area.  This made it a bit difficult to navigate the area since there were a lot of people browsing and not a lot of space to move in.  There were various sections within the children's section of the library.   There was the fall display up front, where I found one book that had a main character that was not Caucasian.  The following sections were part of the children's section of the library; video/DVD,  books on tape/CD,  non-fiction, fiction, religious, books in Spanish,  graphic novels,  pictures books, magazines,  early readers, new books, teen fiction,  and the larger series (Magic Tree House, Babysitters Club) were separated from the books that were organized alphabetically by author.  

The following books were ones that represented diverse cultures.  While I found many, these were the ones that I was unfamiliar with and could see myself using in my classroom.  I did not see any cultural stereotypes in these books.

1. What Kings of Seeds Are These? Written by Heidi Bee Roemer

This book was found in the fall display at the front of the children's section.  It was the only book that had a character who was not Caucasian or an animal.  The main character is a Hispanic girl who is learning about seeds and that they produce plants.  The main characters friends are also diverse, one boy is Asian, and another boy is Caucasian.  The watercolor paintings are beautiful and the rhyming within the book will make it enjoyable for children to read.  

2. You're Not My Real Mother!  Written by Molly Friedrich 

When reading about the author I found it interesting that she came up with this book because her own adopted daughter uttered these words to her.  I have a few students in my class who are adopted and sometimes ask me questions about this.  In this book the mother is Caucasian and the daughter is Asian.  The daughter does not understand why she looks different than her mother.  The book goes through how it doesn't matter if you do not look the same as long as you are supportive and love each other.  I found this book in the picture book section.  

3. Northeast Indians Written by Craig A. Doherty and Katherine M. Doherty

I liked this book because it was one of the few that I found in the non-fiction section on Indians.  The book had pictures from the past and present along with lots of rich information.  A timeline was included along with further reading suggestions and historic sites and museums that the children could visit.  This is part of a series that included many other interesting cultures such as the Plateau Indians and the Arctic People. This book was found in the new books section.

4. Planting the Trees of Kenya,  The Story of Wangari Maathai  Written by Claire A. Nivola

This book has beautiful illustrations and a wonderful story.  I have always been interested in Kenya so I was drawn to this book right away.  The book is about Wangari Maathai, the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner.  It tells the story of how she grew up in Kenya, came to the United States for college, and then returned to Kenya to see that the environment and people had changed. The people were malnourished, the rivers had dried up, and the trees had died.  The story goes on to explain how Wangari Maathai made a difference by teaching people to care for their land, and in turn care for themselves.  I loved how this African woman made such a difference and she was such a powerful figure.  I think she is a great role model for African American girls. This book was found in the new books section.

5.  Extraordinary Black Americans, From Colonial to Contemporary Times Written by Susan Altman (1989)

This book was fantastic because it showed African Americans from as early as the 1500's who played an important role in society.  The book discusses Estevanico, a black explorer in the 1500's,  Lucy Terry Price, Poet (1733-1821), Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable, Frontier Trader and Fur-Trapper (1745-1818), a large section on Martin Luther King, Jr., Toni Morrison, Novelist and Editor, Guion Stewart Bluford, Jr., Pilot and Astronaut, and ending with Jesse Jackson, Minister and Civil Rights Leader.  I liked how it also represented both male and female African Americans.  This book was found in the non-fiction section.  

6. Black Scientists Written by Lisa Yount 

This book focuses on scientists who were African American.  Again,  I liked this book because it shows successful African Americans.  The book includes information about Daniel Hale Williams, George Washington Carver, Earnest Everett Just, Percy Lavon Julian, Charles Richard Drew, James Cooke Wright, Bertram O. Fraser-Reid, and John P. Moon.  This book was found in the non-fiction section.  It was right by the Extraordinary Black Americans, From Colonial to Contemporary Times. 

7. I Am Muslim Written by Jessica Chalfonte

This book explains the fundamentals of Islam through a Muslim child living in the United States.  The pictures were great since they illustrated each of the sections and the people were wearing clothing that represented the culture.  The book discusses Islam, Allah, Muhammad, Islamic Law, Ramadan, among many other topics.  I was happy to see a book focusing on Islam since I teach it in my class and I have students who are Muslim.  

8. Judaism Written by Michael Keene

I found this book in the non-fiction section as well.  This book included pictures that would be helpful for a child learning about this culture.  I liked how the book discussed both the history of Judaism along with a section about being Jewish today.  This is a culture that I teach in my classroom and find that students have a lot of questions about.  This would be a great resource book.  

These books were easy to locate once I spent about 20 minutes figuring out the layout of this section of the library.  There were many books available about diverse cultures.  I think I was able to find one that represented every culture in my classroom.  I liked how there was a variety of easy and more advanced books on most of the cultures.  The area I found the most success in finding these was the non-fiction section.  I also found the non-fiction section a bit easier to navigate since it seemed to be organized a bit better than the other sections.  The library did only have bilingual books in Spanish.  However, there were only 63 available books written in Spanish.  I did not see any books in any other language in the children's section.  I think it would be beneficial for the library to have books in other languages as well, since this area has so many children who come here from other countries.  Overall, I was impressed with Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library.