All of Chris Soentpiet's books can be used as part of your teaching curriculum to meet the Common Core State Standards. It can open dialogue on topics such as immigration, cultural diversity, city life, war, adoption, community. Use the books to celebrate Lunar New Year (aka: Chinese New Year), African-American history, US History.

Get the entire school involved - including teachers, media specialists, administrators and parents should all have a chance to contribute good ideas. Have a cultural festival, a book party or even make a paper dragon.

If you are preparing for Chris to visit your school, we encourage you to make use of the links below as a springboard to planning your classroom project. Art activities pertaining to Chris' books increase the interest and excitement of reading. Encourage your students to follow-up with story writing and more reading and discussion. They can look for more of his books in the public library and to watch out for a new publication.

Chris’ books offer many opportunities to study historical and multi-cultural topics. The lesson plans identify state’s educational standard that relate to each book’s content and offer activities that will help your students reach them.