Read and Understand, Celebrating Diversity, Grades 1-2 contains 22 stories, including:
- Biographies—Jim Abbott, Susan Butcher, Evelyn Cisneros, George Washington Carver, Martin Luther King, Jr. and others
- Fiction—My Granny's Bread, The Game, Going to the Library, Count with Us
- Nonfiction—The Pinata, How Does It Grow? (corn, wheat, rice), What's Your Favorite (3 ethnic recipes), The Great Melting Pot
Each of the stories is followed by four pages of activities:
- comprehension
- vocabulary
- an activity that allows students to connect the story to their own lives
- a cross-curricular activity