Cilla Lee-Jenkins: Future Author Extraordinaire

Cilla Lee-Jenkins: Future Author Extraordinaire | Susan Tan

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The third one in this series arrived in my library and in my ongoing quest to read diverse authors and have another great chapter book to recommend to my students I brought this one home and gave it a try. It‘s good writing and I liked the blending of two cultures plus Cilla is a pretty interesting and independent character. Will I read the next two to find out more...? Yes I will.

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MeganKlein

Cilla Lee-Jenkins: Future Author Extraordinaire | Susan Tan

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Written by Susan Tan & illustrated by Dana Wulfekotte, Priscilla “Cilla” Lee-Jenkins is a 9yo girl who is half Chinese and half Caucasian. Cilla is on her way to literary greatness as she fulfills her dreams of becoming an author. However, Cilla is on a deadline because she wants to become a best-selling author before her baby sister is born. This RF novel tells numerous stories about Cilla Lee-Jenkins & what makes her who she is. #ucflae3414su19

MeganKlein This novel is a Children‘s Literature Award Winner (from the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association). I chose to read this book because as soon as I found out that the main character was half Chinese and half Caucasian I knew I had to read it! This book serves as a mirror for myself, and Cilla experiences some of the same social/cultural dilemmas that I faced as a biracial child. This novel would be perfect for a LC, RA, or IR. 6y

MeganKlein ELL strategy 30 (encourage the use of drawings and diagrams as aids to identify and see relationships) can easily be aligned with this text because students can create family trees to show Cilla‘s family dynamics. Students could then create family trees of their own to represent relationships in their own families. UDL principle 9.3 (develop self-assessment and reflection) also aligns with this text, and students can reflect on their own life 6y

MeganKlein experiences that may be similar to Cilla‘s (e.g. growing up with a younger sibling, having a close relationship with your grandparents). Although the following link does not relate specifically to this book, it does discuss the importance of creating a culturally diverse classroom library. Personally, this book provided a mirror for me and I wish this book was something I could‘ve read as a child. I struggled with my own identity, and I think 6y

MeganKlein a lot of biracial students also go through these same struggles. Just like Cilla Lee-Jenkins, I am also half Chinese and half Caucasian, and I also know what it is like to be confused by my cultural identity. I will, without a doubt, add this book to my classroom library because we need more diverse books like this one!! https://www.edutopia.org/article/why-diverse-classroom-libraries-matter (edited) 6y

DrSpalding Your posts are excellent! Nice job aligning the universal design and English learner strategies easily to your high-quality book selections. Excellent resource in using Edutopia! Please do add this to your classroom library. 6y

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