Many times cultures/races don't get along. Why? Sometimes we are taught not to like other races. Sometimes we don't take time to get to know them. There are examples in children/young adult books where humans and other fictional races don't get along.



Harry Potter Series:
Link to Harry Potter, book 1
In the first book Hagrid shows up to ensure that Harry receives his letter from Dumbledore. When he finds out Harry knows nothing about his past, he's upset. Yet Uncle Vernon spouts bitterness and rage when he explains that they want nothing to do with the "magic world."

Link to Harry Potter, book 2
In the second book Malfoy calls Hermoine a "mudblood" and we learn that the term is a really bad one to call people of non-magical descent.

But here is a great example of a character changing his mind:

Inheritance Trilogy -- Eragon, Eldest, and [still waiting]
Link to Eldest
I have been re-reading The Inheritance trilogy (Eragon, Eldest) this summer. Last night I read in Eldest where Eragon tested the minds of three Urgals in order to know their true intent of joining his side of the fight against the empire. He had a great hatred for all Urgals. Yet after working his way through their memories and such, "Eragon doubted that he would ever like an Urgal, but the iron certitude of his prejudice only a few minutes before now seemed ignorant, andhe could not retain it in good conscience." (pg. 620). A few paragraphs later Eragon has this thought about a good friend of his who doesn't trust the Urgals either. ". . . it would be impossible to convince Orik that the Urgals were not rapacious killers when he himself had refused to consider the possibility until sharing an Urgal's memories." (p. 620-621)

So, how can we "share memories" with those we don't like? We must spend time with them. Sometimes we already think someone is ok, but once we spend time with them, they find a place in our heart and we know they are wonderful.

I think we've got a winner

Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine has beautiful illustrations. Kadir Nelson is quite a talented artist. I hope to see this book nominated for the 2008 Caldecott Medal.

Summary: A fictionalized account of how in 1849 a Virginia slave, Henry "Box" Brown, escapes to freedom by shipping himself in a wooden crate from Richmond to Philadelphia.

You can check out more of Kadir's artwork at www.kadirnelson.com. I liked this quote from his website: Nelson’s works are instantly recognizable by the emotion and strength of his varied subject matter. “My work is all about healing and giving people a sense of hope and nobility. I want to show the strength and integrity of the human being and the human spirit.”

Why I like this book: I am taking a class of valuing diversity and I have learned how important it is for books to accurately reflect the culture about which it speaks. We have read articles that suggest that only people of the culture can write about the culture accurately. We have debated that viewpoint. I understand that sometimes it takes a person from a culture to accurately reflect a mindset, but I also do not underestimate the ability of an experienced author to interview and research those in a culture in order to accurately represent them.

Kadir Nelson's illustrations appear wonderfully respectful of this time period and seem to capture the emotions of Henry as his life progresses.