Mrs. Katz and Tush

Mrs. Katz and Tush
By: Patricia Polacco
Multicultural Literature
Polacco, P. (1994). Mrs.katz and tush. New York, NY: Random House Children's Books.
This is a beautifully illustrated book. This book has a great story about a little boy named Larnel who befriends Mrs. Katz after her husband past away.  Mrs. Katz is from Poland and Larnel is African American. Larnel saves a kitten and gives it to Mrs. Katz to keep her company.  This story describes interactions between Mrs. Katz and Larnel through the years. Larnel attends passover at Mrs. Katz house and learns about the jewish tradition.  Mrs. Katz tells Larnel stories about life in Poland and her deceased husband.

 This is a great book to use to talk about diversity and the importance of accepting people with different backgrounds.  It is important for students to realize that different cultures have different customs and traditions.  Students can learn from one another.  Both the races discussed in this book suffered a lot in the past.  The polish were persecuted during the holocaust and Africans were forced into slavery.  This book could lead to discussions about the holocaust and slavery.

Favorite Quote:  " Like your people, my people were slaves, too.  They lived in a country where they didn't want to be.  They wanted freedom so much that they prayed to God to help him."