Kek is a young African boy that has lost his father, brother, mother, and now his homeland. He is shipped to Minnesota in the middle of winter to live with his aunt and cousin. He has no clue what snow, an airplane, or even a washing machine is used for, but through a new friendship with a "white" girl he finds his heart still is alive. I love how he calls an airplane a "flying boat", and snow "frozen milk". This book is full of laughs, tears, and thought provoking pages.
The book focuses closely on how African culture differs from American culture. Kek describes the wars in Africa in intense ways that makes all readers feel sadness. The diversity covered in this book relate to: ethnicity, race, SES, and education.
My students loved this book and allowed many deep discussions in our classroom about wars and death. I recommend this book as a read aloud as it has many tough topics. After reading this book to my children, I went out to buy it immediately!
No comments:
Post a Comment