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This teacher needs your help!

Mr. Chard from Portland, ME is requesting books through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Mr. Chard is requesting

Building a Multicultural Classroom Library for Second Graders

Help me give my students books that reflect the glorious diversity in my class.

  • 8 donors
  • $559 goal

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Hooray! This project is fully funded

Mr. Chard has another project! Donate to Ready to Learn: Stocking Up on the Basics to help his classroom.

$303 - complete this project and be a hero
Help Mr. Chard

Mr. Chard has another project! Donate to Ready to Learn: Stocking Up on the Basics to help his classroom.

$303 - complete this project and be a hero

My Project

In my second-grade classroom, my students are curious, thoughtful, and eager to learn about the world around them. They come from a variety of cultural backgrounds and family structures, and I want our classroom library to reflect and celebrate that diversity.

By adding a collection of multicultural picture books, my goal is to create a safe, inclusive, and welcoming learning environment where all students see their own experiences reflected and gain appreciation for the experiences of others.

This project will fund a collection of books that highlights holidays, family traditions, and celebrations from around the world, including:

Religious holidays like Ramadan, Diwali, Hanukkah, and Christmas

Cultural celebrations like Chinese New Year, Holi, and Haitian Freedom Soup traditions

Books that represent diverse family structures, including same-sex parents, blended families, and immigrant families

Stories that foster understanding of intergenerational relationships, identity, and belonging

Through these stories, my students will:

See themselves and their families represented in literature

Develop empathy by learning about cultures and traditions

Build a classroom community where every child feels celebrated

Representation matters. When students see characters who look like them, celebrate the same holidays, and face similar challenges, they feel validated and empowered. At the same time, when students read about traditions and families different from their own, they gain empathy and curiosity — essential skills for becoming compassionate global citizens.

Our school values diversity and inclusion, but our classroom library does not yet fully reflect the wonderful range of backgrounds my students come from. These books will help change that.

Your support will help my students see themselves, understand each other, and celebrate the beautiful diversity that makes our classroom — and our world — so special. Thank you for helping us create a space where every student feels seen, heard, and valued.

Mr. Chard East End Community School Grades PreK-2

Celebrate Black teachers and kids! This project supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of students are Black.

Equity Focus

This project directly supports students at a historically underfunded school. Learn more about our Equity Focus.

This project will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

More about Mr. Chard

Portland, ME View local requests

More than half of students from low‑income households Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more

20 students impacted 8donors

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Expand the "Where your donation goes" section below to see exactly what Mr. Chard is requesting.

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
Christmas Eve Tree • Amazon Business $19.86 1 $19.86
Every Month Is a New Year: Celebrations Around the World • Amazon Business $19.76 1 $19.76
My First Ramadan (My First Holiday) • Amazon Business $8.99 2 $17.98
Oskar and the Eight Blessings • Amazon Business $15.80 1 $15.80
One Green Apple • Amazon Business $14.84 1 $14.84
A Moon for Moe and Mo • Amazon Business $14.39 1 $14.39
The Remember Balloons • Amazon Business $13.69 1 $13.69
Big Red Lollipop • Amazon Business $13.47 1 $13.47
My Two Border Towns • Amazon Business $13.29 1 $13.29
An Orange for Frankie • Amazon Business $12.99 1 $12.99
Lailah's Lunchbox: A Ramadan Story • Amazon Business $12.98 1 $12.98
Nine Days to Christmas: A Story of Mexico (English Edition) • Amazon Business $12.37 1 $12.37
Festival of Colors • Amazon Business $11.83 1 $11.83
The Hula-Hoopin' Queen • Amazon Business $11.52 1 $11.52
The Runaway Wok: A Chinese New Year Tale • Amazon Business $11.16 1 $11.16
A World of Cookies for Santa: Follow Santa's Tasty Trip Around the World: A Christmas Holiday Book for Kids • Amazon Business $11.14 1 $11.14
Drawn Together • Amazon Business $10.66 1 $10.66
Stella Brings the Family • Amazon Business $10.33 1 $10.33
A Big Mooncake for Little Star (Caldecott Honor Book) • Amazon Business $9.41 1 $9.41
Last Stop on Market Street • Amazon Business $9.31 1 $9.31
Julián Is a Mermaid • Amazon Business $8.99 1 $8.99
And Tango Makes Three: Book and CD • Amazon Business $8.37 1 $8.37
Diwali (Celebrate the World) • Amazon Business $8.32 1 $8.32
Shante Keys and the New Year's Peas • Amazon Business $7.99 1 $7.99
Holidays Around the World: Celebrate Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur: With Honey, Prayers, and the Shofar • Amazon Business $7.99 1 $7.99
The Trees of the Dancing Goats (Aladdin Picture Books) • Amazon Business $7.64 1 $7.64
My Family Celebrates Kwanzaa (Holiday Time (Early Bird Stories ™)) • Amazon Business $7.46 1 $7.46
Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns: A Muslim Book of Colors (A Muslim Book Of Concepts) • Amazon Business $7.43 1 $7.43
Freedom Soup • Amazon Business $7.28 1 $7.28
Bringing In the New Year (Read to a Child!) • Amazon Business $7.19 1 $7.19
A Chair for My Mother: A Caldecott Honor Award Winner (Reading Rainbow Books) • Amazon Business $7.08 1 $7.08
My First Kwanzaa (My First Holiday) • Amazon Business $7.08 1 $7.08
Tia Isa Wants a Car • Amazon Business $6.99 1 $6.99
The Legend of the Poinsettia • Amazon Business $6.99 1 $6.99
The Night of Las Posadas (Picture Puffin Books) • Amazon Business $6.89 1 $6.89
Love Makes a Family • Amazon Business $6.44 1 $6.44
Mango, Abuela, and Me • Amazon Business $6.39 1 $6.39
The Family Book • Amazon Business $6.37 1 $6.37
My First Chinese New Year (My First Holiday) • Amazon Business $5.99 1 $5.99
Too Many Tamales • Amazon Business $4.42 1 $4.42
Together for Kwanzaa (Pictureback) • Amazon Business $3.99 1 $3.99

Materials cost

$414.07

Vendor shipping charges

 $3.98

Sales tax

 $20.70

3rd party payment processing fee

$6.21

Fulfillment labor & materials

$30.00

Total project cost

$474.96

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$83.82

Total project goal

$558.78

How we calculate what's needed

Total project goal

 $558.78

7 Donors

-$555.25

Donations toward project cost

-$474.96

Donations to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

-$80.29

Excluded support for DonorsChoose

-$3.53

Still needed View calculationHide calculation

 $0.00

Our team works hard to negotiate the best pricing and selections available.

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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mr. Chard and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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