Notable Trade Book Lesson: Be My Neighbor Available to Purchase

The following lesson is an example of how to begin a unit of study on cultural universals through the accessibility of quality literature. Be My Neighbor (2004) by Maya Ajmera and John Ivanko is an NCSS Notable Book (2005) that attempts to bring the world closer to readers’ homes and lives through the theme of being a neighbor to people around the world; the book provides vivid examples of cultural universals related to the theme. Following the lesson are ideas for developing related instructional units and relevant websites and literature to assist in creating such a curriculum.