I would recommend Mitali Perkins' Rickshaw Girl to students in 4th - 6th grade (contemporary realistic fiction). Rickshaw Girl portrays a story that takes place far away from Massachusetts, but the reader is drawn into the book and into life in this far away country through the relatable personality and struggles of its main character, 10-year-old Naima.
Naima lives in a village in Bangladesh (a country bordering India) with her sister and parents. Naima is talented painter of traditional alpana designs, which she likes to paint whenever and wherever she can. Her parents can no longer afford to send Naima to school, and women and girls do not typically work to earn money, so Naima tries to find a way to keep busy and also help her father's struggling rickshaw business (a rickshaw is like a bicycle taxi). Naima first tries to help her tired father by driving his rickshaw while he rests, but she quickly finds out that this causes more trouble than good. Naima tries to fix things by using her talent at painting alpana designs, which leads her to unexpected success...but will her family allow her to break the traditions of her culture, in which women rarely work outside of the home?
I learned a lot about what life and culture are like in Naima's Bangladesh village, which is very different from the way many people live in the United States. However, I also learned that, in some ways, Naima is not so different from students here. She loves her family but is struggling to prove to them that she is growing up. Naima also has friendships that grow and change as she gets older, like her relationship with her friend Saleem. Naima faces some different challenges in her village, including the lack of access to education as well as different views about girls' and women's roles in her community, but she overcomes these challenges with creativity and strength that I also see in students in my school community.
This short chapter book is told from the perspective of a child (Naima) and contains illustrations and brief chapters that make the book a manageable and enjoyable read for children. At the same time, the book approaches difficult and complex issues such as the culture, tradition, and changing role of women in Bangladesh. The author's note offers some additional, helpful background about these themes. The book provides rich learning opportunities about culture in Bangladesh- this book could provide a connection to social studies lessons about lifestyles, education, and jobs in other parts of the world. I would recommend this as an independent read for students in 4th - 6th grade or for a small reading group in a classroom, with guided discussions about Naima's community, lifestyle, and the challenges she overcomes.
You can learn more about author Mitali Perkins and her book Rickshaw Girl at Perkins' colorful and easy-to-browse website (http://www.mitaliperkins.com/rickshaw_girl.html). The website even includes a "Contests" feature, where students can submit their own poetry or prose about the joys and challenges of growing up in a multicultural family or community. You can borrow Rickshaw Girl through the Minuteman Library Network (search for Rickshaw Girl, http://library.minlib.net/search/). You can also purchase Rickshaw Girl through Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/Rickshaw-Girl-Mitali-Perkins/dp/1580893082).
Thanks for reading; enjoy!
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