My Little Island
From Reading Rainbow · 1987
27 minK1st2nd3rdReading & Writing (ELA)Social Studies
Summary
Frane Lessac's picture book follows Lucca as he visits the small Caribbean island where his family is from. LeVar Burton explores the vibrant culture, food, and landscape of the Caribbean — a perfect springboard for geography and cultural studies.
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All ages
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
Lucca visits his family's home island in the Caribbean for the first time.
- How is the island different from where Lucca normally lives?
- What foods, animals, or traditions did you notice in the story?
- Have you ever visited a place that felt very different from your home? How did it feel?
- What parts of your own neighborhood or heritage are you proud of?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: Caribbean, island, heritage, culture, tropical.
Try it: Draw a map of an island and label four features you would find there. Write one sentence describing how life on an island is different from life in a city.