![](https://www.bookelicious.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Blog-Post-Header-Katharine-Hsu.jpg)
Katharine Hsu’s Bookshelf
I often think through three questions whenever I select books for my students. The first question I ask myself is, can my students access the vocabulary and language across the book? Secondly, are my students’ appearances and/or cultures represented in the story? And lastly, could the story excite my kids to share their own stories with each other? In other words, I look at vocabulary, representation, and relatability. When a book meets all three components, my heart explodes. I’ve found a gem, a book that I might buy multiple copies of over the years because the kids might want their own copy to read and re-read. There’s nothing more special than a story that makes a child feel that they belong both in our classroom and in our country.
![img](https://bookelicious-prod-django-admin.s3.amazonaws.com/book_cover_image/9781547602377.gif)
Ruby Finds a Worry (Big Bright Feelings) by Tom Percival
![img](https://bookelicious-prod-django-admin.s3.amazonaws.com/book_cover_image/9780316431248.gif)
Thank You, Omu! by Oge Mora
![img](https://bookelicious-prod-django-admin.s3.amazonaws.com/book_cover_image/9781250798350.gif)
Outside, Inside by Leuyen Pham
![img](https://bookelicious-prod-django-admin.s3.amazonaws.com/book_cover_image/9781250232212.gif)
I Am Perfectly Designed by Karamo Brown
![img](https://bookelicious-prod-django-admin.s3.amazonaws.com/book_cover_image/9781467798433.gif)
Niko Draws a Feeling by Robert Raczka
![img](https://bookelicious-prod-django-admin.s3.amazonaws.com/book_cover_image/9781452106168.gif)
Round Is a Tortilla: A Book of Shapes by Roseanne Greenfield Thong
![img](https://bookelicious-prod-django-admin.s3.amazonaws.com/book_cover_image/9781452136448.gif)
Round Is a Mooncake: A Book of Shapes by Roseanne Thong
![img](https://bookelicious-prod-django-admin.s3.amazonaws.com/book_cover_image/9780316431279.gif)
Saturday by
![img](https://bookelicious-prod-django-admin.s3.amazonaws.com/book_cover_image/9781736274415.gif)
How to Fold a Taco: Como Doblar un Taco (Bilingual English/Spanish) by Naibe Reynoso
![img](https://bookelicious-prod-django-admin.s3.amazonaws.com/book_cover_image/9780374303679.jpg)
Home Is in Between by Mitali Perkins
Katharine Hsu is an elementary teacher at a Title I school right outside Washington, D.C., and has a passion for working with multilingual learners. She has taught grades 2-8, and has previously worked as an Instructional Tech Coordinator for middle school and a Sr. Professional Development Manager for Newsela, Inc. Katharine is an Apple Distinguished Educator and was honored LCE 40 under 40 in 2017.