My Painted House My Friendly Chicken and Me

MY PAINTED HOUSE MY FRIENDLY CHICKEN AND ME
by MAYA ANGELOU


Summary: The book is from the point of view of a 8 year old Ndebele girl from South Africa named Thandi, meaning hope. She describes her life in the village: her best friend who is a chicken, the houses that they paint in the village, and also the beads that her mother wears. She is asking the reader to embrace her life and become her friend. The photographs in the book are real photographs, making the reader feel so close to the village. The books is also interestingly designed because the layout of each page is very different. Not only do the layout of the pictures change but the fonts size and style also changes.

Activities: 1)Students can make a book about their culture and customs in the same form as this book. They can write it as if they were talking to Thandi or someone who has never experienced their lifestyle
2)Students can find similarities between their life and Thandi's life
3) Students can describe their best friends and what characteristics make a good friend

Social Justice Education: This book addresses Respect for Others because it exposes kids to another culture and different It also addresses Self-Love and Acceptance because it teaches kids that being different is okay and one should be proud of it.