The Color of Home by Mary Hoffman

This book is about a young boy named Hassan who just came to America from Somalia. He has a hard time adjusting to school because it is so different and he hardly speaks any English. At school, he draws a picture of his home and family when he lived in Somalia. Then, he smudges his uncle out of the picture, adds men with guns, and adds dark colors. The next day at school an interpreter is there to help Hassan communicate. He explains the picture to his teacher and tells about all the bloodshed in Somalia and the difficult journey his family had to make to America. After talking he paints a new picture-a happy picture of his cat that he had to leave behind. Talking about his difficulties helped him move on.

This is a great book to have in the classroom because more than likely there will be kids in your classroom who have had similar experiences. It is also great to read to the class as a whole and talk about some of the things that go on around the world. Many children don't understand the life in other countries and may have a hard time relating to students who come from other countries. Reading this book helps prepare all students. This is a good book for an ELL classroom because it is multicultural and it is a kid's book so it would be easier to read. One of the ways to help ELL students learn is to have them read books that they can relate to. It makes it more interesting and gives them a sense of pride. There may be some ELL students who have had similar experiences and may need to talk about it to help them heal. This book can be a good book to help open conversation.

I like the way Karin Littlewood did her illustrations. Her use of watercolors does a great job of showing how Hassan feels. On pages that Hassan talks about the troubles in Somalia, she uses a lot of black and red to help convey how Hassan is feeling. On more happier pages she uses a lot of bright colors.