International Literature- You Hold Me Up

You Hold Me Up

Written by Monique Gray Smith and Illustrated by Danielle Daniel

Orca Book Publishers, 2017

International Literature

     International Literature is a great way to teach your students about different cultures, perspectives, and countries. In this book, children are encouraged to "hold each other up" through many different ways. This book teaches children the value of friendship, kindness, and encouragement. The author does a great job of conveying a sense of accountability among students. This book gives many examples of how we can hold each other up in the good times and bad. Check this book out if you want to build a strong community of encouragement in your classroom!

     The illustrations in this book have very bright and colorful drawings. The pictures are very simple with many straight lines and circles. The illustrator used watercolors and acrylics for the pictures in the book. Each picture promotes diversity by including children from different countries. These illustrations showcase different cultures by portraying a family meal in a different country. Each pictures focuses on one person helping another person. The illustrator did such a wonderful job of promoting empathy and support through every single picture.

     I would read this book to Kindergarten for an English lesson. This would be a great book to read at the beginning of the school year to help create a safe and supporting learning environment. The students could learn about concepts of print or retelling of story details. This would also be a great lesson on ways to support each other in the classroom. The bright and touching pictures captivate the children and let them think about the way they treat others. You could let your students come up with ways to hold each other up in and out of the classroom. Also, this book allows the students to see a new culture and how to accept those different cultures. This book is a great way to introduce inclusion to your students.

Here is a picture of the book! I encourage you to read it to your students!