The Sandwich Swap

 

The Sandwich Swap is a multicultural book written by Kelly DiPucchio and Queen Rania Al Abdullah. Illustrated by Tricia Tusa.

The book is about two best friends who come from different backgrounds. Their differences never interfered before, until one day at lunch they came clean about how gross they thought each others sandwiches are. One girl ate a peanut butter and jelly while the other ate a hummus and pita. Both girls took offense to the thought of having a gross sandwich. They finally made up by trying each others lunch and realizing being different makes friendship fun. This story shows that all cultures have their own version of "normal" and that's okay!

The genre of this book is Contemporary Realistic Fiction. The actions that took place in this story could happen in real life and the characters seem real. The illustrations in this book bring to life the lunchtime conflict between the girls. This book is intended for children preK- 2nd grade. 

Activity:

After reading this book in a classroom I think a great way to get kids involved would be having each student write down their favorite lunchtime food or snack and comparing all the answers. To make this more interesting, you could split the class into different groups and give each group a food from different cultures for them to learn about. The class could work together to organize a "picnic". Each group could be responsible for making a food using paper and markers. Then each group could present their item for the picnic to the class.

This book can be used as an example to teach children how important it is to respect one another. Although we may look different on the outside, we all have the same feelings on the inside. Sometimes we are scared of things that are different to us simply because they are unfamiliar. For example, the sandwich seemed "gross" but turned out to be a delicious way for friends to learn more about each other. It is very important to teach children to respect differences. Respecting others can start with respecting yourself. You could have the children write down the top 2 reasons why they love themselves, including what their "superpower" would be. This can then be used to show that each child has different talents and "powers" and no talent is greater than another.

Reader Response Questions:

Why did the girls think the sandwich that was not theirs looked gross? 

Why do you think it's important to be yourself?

How would you feel if someone made you feel bad about eating your favorite food?

Do you think it is important to learn about other cultures?

This book had two contributing authors, one of which is the Queen Consort of Jordan. Queen Rania fights for the rights of women and education. The Sandwich Swap has been named a New York Times Best Seller.

Queen Rania has also written 3 other children's books. All of the books have been published in Arabic and most in English as well. 

These books are:
Eternal Beauty 
Maha of the Mountains
The King's Gift

Co-author Kelly DiPucchio has written over a dozen children's books including:
Grace for President
Antoinette
Gaston

Books. Retrieved September 1, 2016, from http://www.kellydipucchio.com/books.html

DiPucchio, K., Abdullah, R. A., Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, & Queen Rania of Jordan Al Abdullah (2010). The sandwich swap. New York: Disney-Hyperion.

(n.d.). Retrieved September 01, 2016, from http://www.biography.com/people/queen-rania-23468#bridging-the-gap

Website, Q. R. (n.d.). The Sandwich Swap | Queen Rania. Retrieved September 01, 2016, from http://www.queenrania.jo/en/rania/publications/sandwich-swap