Chocolate Milk, Por Favor! Celebrating Diversity with Empathy

This book reminds me of when I had a new kid in my class. It is scary going to school, and even scarier being a new student in a new school with lots of new faces. Chocolate Milk, Por Favor is a good book that shows how when people choose kindness and think positively about others that you can make friends and make a difference in how that person feels. Johnny first thinks Gabe is crybaby, but then he realizes what it feels like to be alone. So, Johnny decides that even tho the new kid Gabe doesn’t know much English, one this is for sure, they can bond over a carton of chocolate milk, and learn about each other’s differences and find similarities. Johnny hopes to learn cool soccer moves from Gabe, and Gabe hopes to make new friends at his new school. The fun illustrations portray the many feelings students can have both as a new student in a classroom and as a student in a classroom when a new child is introduced. My favorite part of the books is when Johnny brings Gabe chocolate milk and Gabe has learned to say “Thank you.”