Being more responsive to culture in the classroom can benefit not only you as a teacher but your students in the class greatly. Incorporating multicultural books can be very beneficial not only because you would be breaking the "norm" but they encompass every genre and are easy to access. These books allow students to see outside of their typical culture, or fit right into what they live everyday. Many of the books will encompass the familial norms, dress, sex roles, and values in these cultures and for many students it can open their eyes to what else is in the world. Also, as a teacher reading these, it can give basic background knowledge into the lives of some students.
In a social studies classroom these books can help out a lot with seeing the particular historical event, or economic event, or what have you, from the "other sides" perspective. Many of these books are written in the American "white"/Caucasian view point, and expanding outside of that will allow students to grasp the entire concept and see both sides of each spectrum.
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