Written and Illustrated by Jeannie Baker
Baker, Jeannie. Mirror. Walker Books, 2010.
Lexile Level: AD 600L
Grades: 1st - 4th
Domain: Affective
Here is the link for my selling tool: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_KwnekUWbI
Summary:
This book compares a day in the life of two children in two parts of the world, Morocco and Australia. The actual book design is quite different from most typical books. The book is actually two books in one. When you open the book, each side of the open book is about one world either Morocco or Australia. This style allows the reader to see the parallels between the children’s lives. The introduction for the Moroccan side is in Arabic while the Australian side of the book’s introduction is in English.
Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.9
Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in stories.
Goal:
Students will gain an appreciation, tolerance and respect for other nationalities, ethnicities, and cultures.
Objective:
Students will identify two differences and two similarities between the daily activities of the two children in Mirror.
Students will identify the similarities and differences between their daily life and the daily life of a child in urban Australia.
Students will identify the differences and similarities between their daily life and the daily life of a child in the Moroccan desert.
Outcome:
Students will compare the differences and similarities between life in the Moroccan desert and life in urban Australia by completing a VENN diagram.
Students will compare the differences and similarities between life in the Moroccan desert or urban Australia and their life by completing a VENN diagram.
Procedure:
Start by asking the students these questions:
What would it be like to grow up in a different country?
Do they do the same things as we do?
What does their world look like?
Read the book Mirrors to the students. Students will work in pairs and discuss the differences and similarities they find. Each student group will share some of the differences and similarities that they found between life in the Moroccan desert and urban Australia. The teacher will guide the whole class as they create a VENN diagram to highlight these differences and similarities. The students will then create their own VENN diagram by comparing their life to either life in the Moroccan desert or urban Australia.
*This book could also be used for Social Studies in a variety of ways.
Read alikes:
Material World: A Global Family Portrait by Peter Menzel
What the World Eats by Faith D’Aluisio
Wake Up World! A Day in the Life of Children Around the World by Beverly Hollyer
Awards for Mirror:
Children's Book Council of Australia
Picture Book of the Year 2011
Australian Indie Award
Best Children's Book 2011
The English Assoc and the UK Literary Assoc 4-11 Award
Best Children's Illustrated Book (non fiction) 2011
International Youth Library
White Ravens Award 2011
