Subway Sparrow by Leyla Torres

Summary:
An English-speaking girl, a Spanish-speaking man, and a Polish speaking woman might not be able to hold a conversation, but they will be able to work together to help a city sparrow escape from the subway car.
Reflection:
I highly recommend this book because students will relate to it since the setting-- a subway-- will be very familiar to city kids. The mixture of different languages adds multicultural value to the book.

Activities:
1. Discussion about how language does not have to be a barrier for different people to work together.

2. Students can write their own story in a different native language or try to write in any other language they know.

3. Read the Spanish version of the book: Gorrion del Metro. Then you can do a compare and contrast activity through Venn Diagrams, etc.

Social Justice Education domains:
This book addresses Respect for Others because it exposes kids to other cultures and different languages.
This book addresses Self-Love and Acceptance because it teaches kids that speaking different languages or being different is okay as they cooperate with each other.

Units: Science Connection
It can be used with writing, literature, and even science. Kids can explore the different birds found in the New York City and learn how these creatures survive in the city. Then kids can engage in various activities about habitats and how they can help city animals like the sparrow survive in a busy city.