Suki’s Kimono by Chieri Uegaki was a good story that represented the salad bowl theory of multiculturalism. Suki wanted to wear her Kimono to school but her sisters frowned upon the idea. They told her she would be made fun of and it wasn’t a good idea. Suki wore her Kimono anyways because she liked it and it reminded her of her grandma and the festival they went to together. The story represents the magnificence of everyone being different.
Suki teaches her class something new by wearing her kimono and showing how people dance at the festival in Japan. Her classmates thought her outfit was weird at first because they were not familiar with Japanese culture. However, by the end of the day they had respect for Suki and appreciated her for her uniqueness.
People should not have to change their background to conform to mainstream culture. We can embrace these differences and encourage diversity so that we can began to see things and understand them from multiple perspectives. This is a wonderful book that shows what we can all learn from each other by bringing something different to the table.