Nye, Naomi Shihab. 1997. HABIBI. New York: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers. ISBN: 0-689- 80149-1
Summary:
HABIBI is a story of fourteen year old Liyana and her family as they move to their father’s home Jerusalem. Liyana has lived her whole life in America. She is an Arab- American and her father feels it is time for the family to experience his side of the family. “He wanted them to know both sides of their history and become the fully rounded human beings they were destined to be.” Liyana remembers hearing the stories of her father when he came to this country as an immigrant and “now she would be the immigrant.” As Liyana and her family settle into their new life in Jerusalem, she looks for ways to make a difference. The difference may come through her friendship with Omer who is Jewish and gave her family concern. Liyana and Omer may just be the beginning of a new story between the Arabs and Jew people.
Analysis:
Habibi is Arabic for darling a term of endearment. Poppy said it all the time. Nye included many Arabic words that identified food and phrases that the family needed in their new home. Liyana, Rafik and her mother had spent their whole life in America and throughout the story the words are in italic and followed by a translation for the reader. The family and friends shared meals and stories and the names of foods such as hareesa, falafel, katayef, baba ghanoij, and hummus are just a few of the foods that were named. The family needed to learn some phrases in order to communicate with others quicker. Father taught the word “ana” to say I am when meeting others, “ yumken”- maybe, Liyana’s favorite was “Nos- nos” meaning half- half when explaining she is Arab- American and “souk” meaning market place. Learning the language of others is important and is one part of finding your place. “Language is one shiny key.”
Liyana had to adjust what was “appropriate” while living in Jerusalem. Women were not to wear shorts, no displays of affection such as kissing, and no coming wet hair in public were a few of the adjustments Liyana had to make. Father reminds her “It’s inappropriate for a girl to invite a boy anywhere in this part of the world.” Then there was the reminder of the Jewish and Arabs not to socialize. The license plates are color coded to identify whether you are from Arab or Jewish side, with blue for Arabs and yellow license for Jews.
Living conditions are differen,t not only are there sides to the city but some people live in refugee camps or on the land as the Bodouins that wander year to year. Liyana and Rafik meet Khaled and Nadine while walking past the refugee camp. After exchanging hellos in Arabic and English the four become good friends. Although Liyana and Rafik have friends at school but the only friends that visit their home are Nadine and Khaled.
Liyana meets a young boy in a favorite shop and when he introduces himself as “Omar”, Liyana thinks that it is an Arabic name. As she soon discovers it is “Omer with an “e”, not an “a”- which is a Jewish name. Liyana gets nervous and begins speaking fast, “I mean, this fighting is senseless, don’t you think? I have hope for peace, do you?” Omer answers, “Of course I do!” The friendship begins to grow.
The tension between the Jews and Arabs is escalated when there is a bombing in a Jewish marketplace. This is the first experience since arriving in Jerusalem that has touched the Abboud family and their friends. When their friend Khaled is shot because soldiers believe he may have been involved in the bombing and their father is taken to jail for helping it becomes real to the family.
Liyana finds strength in her family and her father’s family especially “Sitti” his mother. Sitti wants a peaceful future for all families. She welcomes Omer and calls him an “angel.” It is Omer, Sitti, insists that father bring with them on their trip to the Sea of Galilee. He speaks Hebrew and we may need it. Sitti like Liyana wants change and she sees in the tea leaves Omer needing to be “brave” because there are “hard days coming”, there are walls you can’t break, just find the doors in them.” The leaves promised Liyana a beautiful future. As Sitti touches Liyana”s forehead as dad translates, “She says you have a powerful world in there. Be strong. Keep letting it out.”
Reviews/Awards:
Book Links (A.L.A.) 01/01/09 Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.) 01/19/98
Booklist 09/15/97 Publishers Weekly starred 09/08/97
Books for the Teen Age (NYPL) 04/01/98 School Library Journal 09/01/97
New York Times 11/16/97 Wilson's Junior High School 07/01/98
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-9. An important first novel from a distinguished anthologist and poet. When Liyana's doctor father, a native Palestinian, decides to move his contemporary Arab-American family back to Jerusalem from St. Louis, 14-year-old Liyana is unenthusiastic. Arriving in Jerusalem, the girl and her family are gathered in by their colorful, warmhearted Palestinian relatives and immersed in a culture where only tourists wear shorts and there is a prohibition against boy/girl relationships. When Liyana falls in love with Omer, a Jewish boy, she challenges family, culture, and tradition, but her homesickness fades. Constantly lurking in the background of the novel is violence between Palestinian and Jew. It builds from minor bureaucratic annoyances and humiliations, to the surprisingly shocking destruction of grandmother's bathroom by Israeli soldiers, to a bomb set off in a Jewish marketplace by Palestinians. It exacts a reprisal in which Liyana's friend is shot and her father jailed. Nye introduces readers to unforgettable characters. The setting is both sensory and tangible: from the grandmother's village to a Bedouin camp. Above all, there is Jerusalem itself, where ancient tensions seep out of cracks and Liyana explores the streets practicing her Arabic vocabulary. Though the story begins at a leisurely pace, readers will be engaged by the characters, the romance, and the foreshadowed danger. Poetically imaged and leavened with humor, the story renders layered and complex history understandable through character and incident. Habibi succeeds in making the hope for peace compellingly personal and concrete...as long as individual citizens like Liyana's grandmother Sitti can say, "I never lost my peace inside."?Kate McClelland, Perrot Memorial Library, Greenwich, CT
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Kirkus Reviews
Liyana Abboud, 14, and her family make a tremendous adjustment when they move to Jerusalem from St. Louis. All she and her younger brother, Rafik, know of their Palestinian father's culture come from his reminiscences of growing up and the fighting they see on television. In Jerusalem, she is the only ``outsider'' at an Armenian school; her easygoing father, Poppy, finds himself having to remind her--often against his own common sense--of rules for ``appropriate'' behavior; and snug shops replace supermarket shopping--the malls of her upbringing are unheard of. Worst of all, Poppy is jailed for getting in the middle of a dispute between Israeli soldiers and a teenage refugee. In her first novel, Nye (with Paul Janeczko, I Feel a Little Jumpy Around You, 1996, etc.) shows all of the charms and flaws of the old city through unique, short-story-like chapters and poetic language. The sights, sounds, and smells of Jerusalem drift through the pages and readers glean a sense of current Palestinian-Israeli relations and the region's troubled history. In the process, some of the passages become quite ponderous while the human story- -Liyana's emotional adjustments in the later chapters and her American mother's reactions overall--fall away from the plot. However, Liyana's romance with an Israeli boy develops warmly, and readers are left with hope for change and peace as Liyana makes the city her very own. (Fiction. 12+) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title
Connections:
This is a book I would recommend for a read aloud to third or fourth grade students. As the teacher is reading the book- stop and go to the maps and follow their trip from St. Louis to Jerusalem. There are many opportunities to research the people, conflict, food, housing and family traditions.
Compare what is “appropriate” in America but not in other countries. What other customs are there? Are there certain phrases that would not be appropriate or appreciated in other countries? Make a list of important phrases or words to know when going to another country.
This is a good website for upper grade children to use a resource to learn more about Jerusalem.
http://kids.britannica.com/comptons/article-9276254/Palestine
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Saturday, July 23, 2011
THE PIRATE OF KINDERGARTEN- Lyon
Lyon, George Ella. 2010. THE PIRATE OF KINDERGARTEN. New York: Antheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 978-1-4169-5024-0
Summary:
Ginny is a kindergarten student who loves school and loves to read, but she runs into chairs and reads things twice. She doesn’t understand why she sees two of everything knowing “only half of them are real.” It is not until Vision Screening Day that Ginny finds out she has double vision. A trip to the eye doctor lets her know a patch, and new glasses will help her see only one of everything. Ginny gets her patch and becomes the Pirate of Kindergarten. The story is told through not only the words but the illustrations that give us the story from Ginny’s eyes.
Analysis:
THE PIRATE OF KINDERGARTEN is a story of an undiagnosed vision problem of a young child in kindergarten. The story is told through the eyes of Ginny through the illustrations that show what she sees. She saw two of everything but “she knew only half of them were real.” Ginny tried to “tightened her mind,” and close one eye. Ginny found when she “closed one eye, she saw one word.” Ginny “thought everyone saw this way.” There were many challenges presented for Ginny, just going to reading circle was hard. She saw the chairs, but she saw two of each and sometimes she ran into them and children laughed. Other challenges were using scissors –“Scissors were tricky,” and not knowing if she should read it once or twice. Through the words the reader gets an insight to how Ginny is feeling. Sometimes she is “afraid” or “mad.” The story takes place in a school setting and the teacher at times made things more confusing without meaning to. The teacher, Ms. Cleo said, “we read with our eyes, not our noses,” and “we read it just once,” confuses Ginny more and makes her afraid to read. These are examples of how a child with a disability is feeling and this gives the reader more insight to their feelings. As the story progresses Ginny’s vision problem is discovered during the schools Vision Screening Day and after being diagnosed with double vision she earned her patch. She becomes the Kindergarten Pirate and she is able to read, walk without bumping into chairs, write numbers and use scissors.
The illustrations tell the story of what it would be like to see two of everything. A young child will be able to understand how seeing two of everything would cause someone to have more challenges just walking in the classroom and then being able to participate in the school activities such as cutting, reading, and writing. The illustrations show young children that getting help can make things better. Ginny experiences growth in herself.
Review/Awards:
Booklist 05/01/10 Publishers Weekly starred 05/17/10
Horn Book 10/01/10 Schneider Family Book Award 01/01/11
Kirkus Review starred 06/01/10 School Library Journal 06/01/10
Library Media Connection 08/01/10 Wilson's Children 10/01/10
Full-Text Reviews
Booklist (May 1, 2010 (Vol. 106, No. 17))
Preschool-Grade 2. Ginny enjoys kindergarten, but she does have some difficulties, and occasionally children laugh when she runs into chairs or reads lines of text twice. Her teacher notices that the child closes one eye to read, but on Vision Screening Day, the school nurse discovers that Ginny has double vision. When the doctor gives her a temporary eye patch, Ginny wears it with style and becomes a “Kindergarten Pirate,” suddenly better at numbers, scissors, and reading and no longer tense from concentrating in order to avoid mistakes. Created with pastels, acrylics, and colored pencils, Avril’s bold and wonderfully vivid mixed-media illustrations sometimes portray the classroom through Ginny’s eyes, with overlapping images of chairs, books, and people, though they usually present an outside perspective. Based on Lyon’s own experience, the sensitively written story radiates empathy and good humor. Even children who have not experienced Ginny’s problem will understand her occasional frustration and find it intriguing that one person can literally see the world differently from another.
Horn Book (July/August, 2010)
Plainspoken text and sunny mixed-media illustrations present the confusing world of a child with double vision. Ginny loves reading circle, but getting there is an obstacle course when there are twice as many chairs and only half of them are real. Reading and math are heroic efforts when every word appears twice on the page and "numbers [hop] around like popcorn." A vision screening finally catches the problem, and Ginny's eye doctor outfits her with glasses and an eye patch ("for a while") to correct her vision: "So Ginny became a Kindergarten Pirate who could do numbers and scissors...and read and read and read." Avril's easygoing pic-tures in cheerful colors simultaneously depict a warm, inviting classroom and the chaos seen through Ginny's eyes. Ginny squints her way through the day, eager to learn and succeed at school, but her efforts and frustration are palpable. Lyon and Avril treat Ginny with the empathy and respect that all earnest kids facing a challenge deserve.
Horn Book starred (Fall 2010)
Plainspoken text and sunny mixed-media illustrations present the confusing world of a child with double vision. Ginny's doctor outfits her with an eye patch ("for a while"): "So Ginny became a Kindergarten Pirate who could...read and read and read." Easygoing pictures in cheerful colors simultaneously depict a warm, inviting classroom and the chaos seen through Ginny's eyes.
Connection:
This is a good book to use with young children when talking about how everyone is unique. The illustrations give a clear understanding of how not seeing things clearly can affect you at school. Vision problems are one of the most common problems we have and it seems to take the longest to diagnose with young children. They do not know how things are supposed to look and this book gives children the language to express vision problems.
Use the book to address how we treat our friends and classmates also. Having students find other ways to react when students stumble or trip over furniture and when reading or cutting may not be just right. Children can role play with small group, ways to encourage or help others that seem to be struggling in class.
Summary:
Ginny is a kindergarten student who loves school and loves to read, but she runs into chairs and reads things twice. She doesn’t understand why she sees two of everything knowing “only half of them are real.” It is not until Vision Screening Day that Ginny finds out she has double vision. A trip to the eye doctor lets her know a patch, and new glasses will help her see only one of everything. Ginny gets her patch and becomes the Pirate of Kindergarten. The story is told through not only the words but the illustrations that give us the story from Ginny’s eyes.
Analysis:
THE PIRATE OF KINDERGARTEN is a story of an undiagnosed vision problem of a young child in kindergarten. The story is told through the eyes of Ginny through the illustrations that show what she sees. She saw two of everything but “she knew only half of them were real.” Ginny tried to “tightened her mind,” and close one eye. Ginny found when she “closed one eye, she saw one word.” Ginny “thought everyone saw this way.” There were many challenges presented for Ginny, just going to reading circle was hard. She saw the chairs, but she saw two of each and sometimes she ran into them and children laughed. Other challenges were using scissors –“Scissors were tricky,” and not knowing if she should read it once or twice. Through the words the reader gets an insight to how Ginny is feeling. Sometimes she is “afraid” or “mad.” The story takes place in a school setting and the teacher at times made things more confusing without meaning to. The teacher, Ms. Cleo said, “we read with our eyes, not our noses,” and “we read it just once,” confuses Ginny more and makes her afraid to read. These are examples of how a child with a disability is feeling and this gives the reader more insight to their feelings. As the story progresses Ginny’s vision problem is discovered during the schools Vision Screening Day and after being diagnosed with double vision she earned her patch. She becomes the Kindergarten Pirate and she is able to read, walk without bumping into chairs, write numbers and use scissors.
The illustrations tell the story of what it would be like to see two of everything. A young child will be able to understand how seeing two of everything would cause someone to have more challenges just walking in the classroom and then being able to participate in the school activities such as cutting, reading, and writing. The illustrations show young children that getting help can make things better. Ginny experiences growth in herself.
Review/Awards:
Booklist 05/01/10 Publishers Weekly starred 05/17/10
Horn Book 10/01/10 Schneider Family Book Award 01/01/11
Kirkus Review starred 06/01/10 School Library Journal 06/01/10
Library Media Connection 08/01/10 Wilson's Children 10/01/10
Full-Text Reviews
Booklist (May 1, 2010 (Vol. 106, No. 17))
Preschool-Grade 2. Ginny enjoys kindergarten, but she does have some difficulties, and occasionally children laugh when she runs into chairs or reads lines of text twice. Her teacher notices that the child closes one eye to read, but on Vision Screening Day, the school nurse discovers that Ginny has double vision. When the doctor gives her a temporary eye patch, Ginny wears it with style and becomes a “Kindergarten Pirate,” suddenly better at numbers, scissors, and reading and no longer tense from concentrating in order to avoid mistakes. Created with pastels, acrylics, and colored pencils, Avril’s bold and wonderfully vivid mixed-media illustrations sometimes portray the classroom through Ginny’s eyes, with overlapping images of chairs, books, and people, though they usually present an outside perspective. Based on Lyon’s own experience, the sensitively written story radiates empathy and good humor. Even children who have not experienced Ginny’s problem will understand her occasional frustration and find it intriguing that one person can literally see the world differently from another.
Horn Book (July/August, 2010)
Plainspoken text and sunny mixed-media illustrations present the confusing world of a child with double vision. Ginny loves reading circle, but getting there is an obstacle course when there are twice as many chairs and only half of them are real. Reading and math are heroic efforts when every word appears twice on the page and "numbers [hop] around like popcorn." A vision screening finally catches the problem, and Ginny's eye doctor outfits her with glasses and an eye patch ("for a while") to correct her vision: "So Ginny became a Kindergarten Pirate who could do numbers and scissors...and read and read and read." Avril's easygoing pic-tures in cheerful colors simultaneously depict a warm, inviting classroom and the chaos seen through Ginny's eyes. Ginny squints her way through the day, eager to learn and succeed at school, but her efforts and frustration are palpable. Lyon and Avril treat Ginny with the empathy and respect that all earnest kids facing a challenge deserve.
Horn Book starred (Fall 2010)
Plainspoken text and sunny mixed-media illustrations present the confusing world of a child with double vision. Ginny's doctor outfits her with an eye patch ("for a while"): "So Ginny became a Kindergarten Pirate who could...read and read and read." Easygoing pictures in cheerful colors simultaneously depict a warm, inviting classroom and the chaos seen through Ginny's eyes.
Connection:
This is a good book to use with young children when talking about how everyone is unique. The illustrations give a clear understanding of how not seeing things clearly can affect you at school. Vision problems are one of the most common problems we have and it seems to take the longest to diagnose with young children. They do not know how things are supposed to look and this book gives children the language to express vision problems.
Use the book to address how we treat our friends and classmates also. Having students find other ways to react when students stumble or trip over furniture and when reading or cutting may not be just right. Children can role play with small group, ways to encourage or help others that seem to be struggling in class.
IN OUR MOTHERS' HOUSE- POLACCO
Polacco, Patricia. 2009. IN OUR MOTHERS’ HOUSE. New York: Philomel Books. ISBN: 978-0-399-25076-7
Summary:
Polacco’s, OUR MOTHERS’ HOUSE is a story about a family that has adopted an African American daughter, Asian American son and a Caucasian daughter that will be raised by two mothers. The family lives in a very diverse neighborhood. The neighbors, the Mardicians, the Yamagakis, the Kiernanas, the Goldsteins and the Abdullas come together for block parties and to help build the tree house known as “Thistle House.” The neighborhood seems perfect until Mrs. Lockner puts her feelings into words when she says in front of the neighborhood, “I don’t appreciate what you two are!” The children learn that not all people see the love and family that “their” family has and gives to the children. IN OUR MOTHERS’ HOUSE there is love and memories and our two moms. Will the son has moved his family into the house to keep the memories alive. The family gathers and realizes “all of our hearts find peace whenever we are there.” In this story the message of love, family and being different doesn’t mean being wrong is conveyed in a gentle way for young children to understand.
Analysis:
In OUR MOTHERS’ HOUSE there seems to be a multicultural theme in addition to being an example of gay literature for young people. The markers I found in this book are those of the family and the families in the neighborhood. The first marker is the family has two moms. Meema and Marmee are two professional woman in the medical field. Meema is a pediatrician and Marmee a paramedic living in a diverse neighborhood. The moms adopt three children, an African American daughter, An Asian American son and a Caucasian daughter that create their diverse family. Just like their immediate family is diverse the extended family adds even more diversity to their lives. Meema’s large Italian family spends holidays with the family where making “gnocchi” is a family event. Another family tradition is sitting at the table and being able “to speak their hearts, and we never measured words.” The family lived in a neighborhood of many cultures. The neighborhood party allows each family to share a little about their culture through the food brought to the food court. “The Mardicians brought stuffed grape leaves and ground lamb. The Polos brought spanakopita and Greek salads. The Abdullas brought hummus and tabouli. Nonno made a huge pot of spaghetti and fried schnitzels. The Yamagakis brought sushi.” The Barbers made fried clams and crawdads and corn on the cob. Food is used often as a cultural marker and being included in this book was important when Meema meant “our street everyone was so different.”
The story is set in contemporary time as we see a diverse neighborhood, adoption by a same sex couple, job opportunities not being limited by life style choices. The negative feelings of Mrs. Lockner is a limited view but one that is still part of life. Mrs. Lockner glares at the family, turns her back on them and pulls her children away from fun neighborhood activities just because of their life choice. The words “I don’t appreciate what you two are!” are voiced in front of children and neighbors. When the children become confused the moms explain “She is full of fear, sweetie. She is afraid of what she cannot understand; she doesn’t understand us.”
The illustrations compliment the text beautifully. The drawings show the diversity of the family members through facial features, hair and skin tones. The illustrations convey the love, family and friends and how all are different but the same in many ways. The illustrations will help young children see the diversity of the people and the ways that people come together.
The story is told from the oldest daughter’s point of view and she sees the good events that made her memories and only touched on the negative feelings she and her siblings may have encountered. The children grew up and left to make their way in the world. It was interesting that her Asian American brother left to study engineering, and her fiery red- head sister went to New York to be a fashion designer. It seemed almost stereotypical, but then again stereotypes cannot keep people from their dreams.
Side note: My daughter is in New York in the fashion industry and many of her classmates had a similar look, free spirited style and the artistic ability that Millie demonstrated on the wall of the living room.
Reviews / Awards:
Book Links (A.L.A.) 01/01/10 Multicultural Review 05/01/10
Booklist 05/01/09 School Library Journal 05/01/09
Library Media Connection starred 10/01/09 Wilson's Children 10/01/10
Full-Text Reviews
Booklist (May 1, 2009 (Vol. 105, No. 17))
Grades 1-4. The oldest of three adopted children recalls her childhood with mothers Marmee and Meema, as they raised their African American daughter, Asian American son, and Caucasian daughter in a lively, supportive neighborhood. Filled with recollections of family holidays, rituals, and special moments, each memory reveals loving insight. At a school mother-daughter tea, for instance, the mothers make their first ever appearance in dresses. The narrator recalls, “My heart still skips a beat when I think of the two of them trying so hard to please us.” Only a crabby neighbor keeps her children away from their family. Meema explains, “She’s afraid of what she cannot understand: she doesn’t understand us.” The energetic illustrations in pencil and marker, though perhaps not as well-rendered as in some previous works, teem with family activities and neighborhood festivity.
Horn Book (Fall 2009)
The eldest of three siblings (each a different race) adopted by a lesbian couple recalls an idyllic childhood. The heavy-handed message is that same-sex parents are just like everybody else, but what real family is this perfect? The nostalgic adult tone and dearth of actual plot severely limit the child appeal of this well-intentioned story played out in Polacco's recognizable illustrations.
Kirkus Review (March 15, 2009)
The placement of the title's possessive apostrophe here is no typo: Two mothers own this house, and they have filled it with lots of love. Unfortunately, while this ambitious picture book seeks to offer an inclusive vision of family, it ultimately comes up short. Meema and Marmee's eldest daughter offers a sweeping narrative about three children embraced by their loving, interracial, adoptive family and multicultural community, with their "mothers' house" at the center of it all. It is outside of this safe haven that the children face overt and neatly contained homophobia in the character of one bad apple, who declares, "I don't appreciate what you two are!" The distillation of hate into a single character undermines the reality of systematic oppression faced by same-sex couples; furthermore, the flash-forward narration depicting each child grown and married into heterosexual, monoracial unions ironically presents this family as an anomaly. There is a desperate need for books that present queer families as just another part of the American quilt, but this title, despite its obvious good intentions, doesn't do it. (Picture book. 6-8)
Connections:
I really like this book. I think it does a nice job of showing how people can work and play together. The love the family shows to their children, extended family and neighbors is a wonderful example of finding the good in people. This book could be used in upper grades when included with other books that have examples of diverse families. The additional cultures in this book and showing how almost everyone works together could be a great way to make a connection to many classrooms. Mrs. Lockner is a character to look at closer. The discussions in upper grades could really bring awareness of how people’s actions affect others and possibly keep change from happening.
Since I teach first grade I am leaning towards the recommendation in our notes, “consider having this book in your library or classroom.” I can address individual students if there are questions. I think my students would not really understand the family dynamics from just looking at the pictures, but would enjoy the family fun pictures.
Summary:
Polacco’s, OUR MOTHERS’ HOUSE is a story about a family that has adopted an African American daughter, Asian American son and a Caucasian daughter that will be raised by two mothers. The family lives in a very diverse neighborhood. The neighbors, the Mardicians, the Yamagakis, the Kiernanas, the Goldsteins and the Abdullas come together for block parties and to help build the tree house known as “Thistle House.” The neighborhood seems perfect until Mrs. Lockner puts her feelings into words when she says in front of the neighborhood, “I don’t appreciate what you two are!” The children learn that not all people see the love and family that “their” family has and gives to the children. IN OUR MOTHERS’ HOUSE there is love and memories and our two moms. Will the son has moved his family into the house to keep the memories alive. The family gathers and realizes “all of our hearts find peace whenever we are there.” In this story the message of love, family and being different doesn’t mean being wrong is conveyed in a gentle way for young children to understand.
Analysis:
In OUR MOTHERS’ HOUSE there seems to be a multicultural theme in addition to being an example of gay literature for young people. The markers I found in this book are those of the family and the families in the neighborhood. The first marker is the family has two moms. Meema and Marmee are two professional woman in the medical field. Meema is a pediatrician and Marmee a paramedic living in a diverse neighborhood. The moms adopt three children, an African American daughter, An Asian American son and a Caucasian daughter that create their diverse family. Just like their immediate family is diverse the extended family adds even more diversity to their lives. Meema’s large Italian family spends holidays with the family where making “gnocchi” is a family event. Another family tradition is sitting at the table and being able “to speak their hearts, and we never measured words.” The family lived in a neighborhood of many cultures. The neighborhood party allows each family to share a little about their culture through the food brought to the food court. “The Mardicians brought stuffed grape leaves and ground lamb. The Polos brought spanakopita and Greek salads. The Abdullas brought hummus and tabouli. Nonno made a huge pot of spaghetti and fried schnitzels. The Yamagakis brought sushi.” The Barbers made fried clams and crawdads and corn on the cob. Food is used often as a cultural marker and being included in this book was important when Meema meant “our street everyone was so different.”
The story is set in contemporary time as we see a diverse neighborhood, adoption by a same sex couple, job opportunities not being limited by life style choices. The negative feelings of Mrs. Lockner is a limited view but one that is still part of life. Mrs. Lockner glares at the family, turns her back on them and pulls her children away from fun neighborhood activities just because of their life choice. The words “I don’t appreciate what you two are!” are voiced in front of children and neighbors. When the children become confused the moms explain “She is full of fear, sweetie. She is afraid of what she cannot understand; she doesn’t understand us.”
The illustrations compliment the text beautifully. The drawings show the diversity of the family members through facial features, hair and skin tones. The illustrations convey the love, family and friends and how all are different but the same in many ways. The illustrations will help young children see the diversity of the people and the ways that people come together.
The story is told from the oldest daughter’s point of view and she sees the good events that made her memories and only touched on the negative feelings she and her siblings may have encountered. The children grew up and left to make their way in the world. It was interesting that her Asian American brother left to study engineering, and her fiery red- head sister went to New York to be a fashion designer. It seemed almost stereotypical, but then again stereotypes cannot keep people from their dreams.
Side note: My daughter is in New York in the fashion industry and many of her classmates had a similar look, free spirited style and the artistic ability that Millie demonstrated on the wall of the living room.
Reviews / Awards:
Book Links (A.L.A.) 01/01/10 Multicultural Review 05/01/10
Booklist 05/01/09 School Library Journal 05/01/09
Library Media Connection starred 10/01/09 Wilson's Children 10/01/10
Full-Text Reviews
Booklist (May 1, 2009 (Vol. 105, No. 17))
Grades 1-4. The oldest of three adopted children recalls her childhood with mothers Marmee and Meema, as they raised their African American daughter, Asian American son, and Caucasian daughter in a lively, supportive neighborhood. Filled with recollections of family holidays, rituals, and special moments, each memory reveals loving insight. At a school mother-daughter tea, for instance, the mothers make their first ever appearance in dresses. The narrator recalls, “My heart still skips a beat when I think of the two of them trying so hard to please us.” Only a crabby neighbor keeps her children away from their family. Meema explains, “She’s afraid of what she cannot understand: she doesn’t understand us.” The energetic illustrations in pencil and marker, though perhaps not as well-rendered as in some previous works, teem with family activities and neighborhood festivity.
Horn Book (Fall 2009)
The eldest of three siblings (each a different race) adopted by a lesbian couple recalls an idyllic childhood. The heavy-handed message is that same-sex parents are just like everybody else, but what real family is this perfect? The nostalgic adult tone and dearth of actual plot severely limit the child appeal of this well-intentioned story played out in Polacco's recognizable illustrations.
Kirkus Review (March 15, 2009)
The placement of the title's possessive apostrophe here is no typo: Two mothers own this house, and they have filled it with lots of love. Unfortunately, while this ambitious picture book seeks to offer an inclusive vision of family, it ultimately comes up short. Meema and Marmee's eldest daughter offers a sweeping narrative about three children embraced by their loving, interracial, adoptive family and multicultural community, with their "mothers' house" at the center of it all. It is outside of this safe haven that the children face overt and neatly contained homophobia in the character of one bad apple, who declares, "I don't appreciate what you two are!" The distillation of hate into a single character undermines the reality of systematic oppression faced by same-sex couples; furthermore, the flash-forward narration depicting each child grown and married into heterosexual, monoracial unions ironically presents this family as an anomaly. There is a desperate need for books that present queer families as just another part of the American quilt, but this title, despite its obvious good intentions, doesn't do it. (Picture book. 6-8)
Connections:
I really like this book. I think it does a nice job of showing how people can work and play together. The love the family shows to their children, extended family and neighbors is a wonderful example of finding the good in people. This book could be used in upper grades when included with other books that have examples of diverse families. The additional cultures in this book and showing how almost everyone works together could be a great way to make a connection to many classrooms. Mrs. Lockner is a character to look at closer. The discussions in upper grades could really bring awareness of how people’s actions affect others and possibly keep change from happening.
Since I teach first grade I am leaning towards the recommendation in our notes, “consider having this book in your library or classroom.” I can address individual students if there are questions. I think my students would not really understand the family dynamics from just looking at the pictures, but would enjoy the family fun pictures.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
THE FIREKEEPERS SON- Linda Sue Park
Park, Linda Sue. 2004. THE FIREKEEPER’S SON. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN: 0-618-13337-2
Summary:
Sang- hee watched his father go every night to light the fire that started all the fires to let the king know all was well in the land. Sang – hee loved playing with his soldiers and knew if the fire was not lit the king would send the soldiers to fight. When father hurts his ankle and can get up the hill to light the fire, Sang – hee must go in his place. Sang- hee wonders if he didn’t light the fire would the soldiers come, after finding no threat that “maybe not all them would be angry… I could show him the beach… After that he might teach me a little about sword – fighting.” Sang – hee knows he must light the fire and with only one coal left he starts the fire. The author’s note explains about the bonfires and how it was recorded to work in 1800’s the time in which this story is set.
Analysis:
I believe the cultural markers for The FIREKEEPER’S SON comes from the story itself , that is rich in history. The story that is based on a historical tradition of lighting the bon fires in the 1800’s to let the king know that all was well. Additional cultural markers are from the illustrations rather than the use of Korean words in the text, food, or celebrations. The soft watercolor and pastel illustrations revealed the Korean style clothing and hair styles of the people in the village and the soldiers as the reader sees in the flames. The setting of the story is a village with mud and wood huts with a few cows, chickens and dogs in the dirt street, set at the foot of the mountain and next to the sea. The father is seen with his straw on his back and holding a handmade rake while his son plays with toy soldiers on the ground. A quiet and simple life style is seen through the illustrations. The story addresses a young boy and his struggle to do the right thing or do something selfish.
Sang – hee is faced with his desire to see the soldiers as he thinks, “If there is no fire, the soldiers will come. They will be angry when they find no enemies here.” But as a young boy he thinks “maybe – maybe not all of them will be angry,” and he can show them the beach and learn how to use a sword. It is a conflict that he must work through. Will he do what he desires or what is best for the village? As Sang – hee lights the fire and watches the flames “he saw a great battle- soldiers, their shining swords clashing…” Sang – hee does the right thing and somehow father knows he struggled with his decision. Father says “When I was a boy, I too wished the soldiers would come.” The author’s note explains the story is a simplified version of the signal fires and additional information about the mountains and provinces that gives the story authenticity.
Reviews/Awards:
Booklist 02/01/04 Library Media Connection 10/01/04
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 04/01/04 Publishers Weekly starred 02/16/04
Horn Book 10/01/04 School Library Journal 05/01/04
Kirkus Review 02/15/04 Wilson's Children 10/01/10
Booklist (February 1, 2004 (Vol. 100, No. 11))
K-Gr. 3. Park, who won a Newbery Medal for her novel A Single Shard (2001), tells a picture-book story set in Korea in the early 1800s about a young boy in a remote village who suddenly finds himself serving his country. At sunset Sang-hee's father always climbs the mountain and lights a fire that signals to another firekeeper on the next mountain to light his fire, and so on, all the way to the mountain at the palace of the king, who knows from the fire signals that all is well in the land. Then one evening Sang-hee's father breaks his ankle, and the boy must keep the light burning. Downing's handsome, watercolor-and-pastel double-page pictures personalize the history, showing realistic close-ups of the child, who plays soldiers and dreams of the excitement of battle. In contrast are the panoramic views far across the country as the boy tends the flame that preserves peace from mountain to mountain. Add this to those lighthouse stories about the brave child who must take over for adults.
Horn Book (Fall 2004)
Each night Sang-hee's father lights the mountaintop fire that begins the chain of bonfires informing the king that no enemy boats have been seen. When his father is hurt, Sang-hee must take his place. Aptly capturing a young boy's point of view, this well-written story, set in nineteenth-century Korea, is accompanied by handsome if somewhat romanticized illustrations.
Kirkus Review (February 15, 2004)
Drawing once again on her heritage, Newbery Medalist Park tells a tale rooted in the history of Korea. Centuries ago-and through the 19th century-the lighting of fires apprised the king of the safety of his country. Darkness warned of trouble. When Sang-hee's father is injured, Sang-hee must climb the mountain with the brass pot of hot coals to start the fire that signals all is well. The first night Sang-hee contemplates whether or not he should light the fire-after all, if he does not, the soldiers will come and he would like to see the soldiers just once. In the end both Sang-hee and his father are proud that Sang-hee has become a trustworthy fire-starter as his father and grandfather were before him. Even in the darkness the watercolor illustrations glow with vibrancy. The cover illustration is especially striking: Sang-hee bright-eyed at the orange-and-yellow fire flickering before him. A lovely telling that will bring readers back to read or hear this story one more time. (Picture book. 5-9)
Connections:
This book could be used for first grade.
This is a good book to start discussions on responsibility. What does it mean?
The signal fires is a way of communicating, what are other ways we communicate today?
Writing Activity: Change the ending. What if Sang-hee had not lit the fire?
Social Studies/Science- Locate Korea on the map. Research the history of the country.
List other uses for fire.
Summary:
Sang- hee watched his father go every night to light the fire that started all the fires to let the king know all was well in the land. Sang – hee loved playing with his soldiers and knew if the fire was not lit the king would send the soldiers to fight. When father hurts his ankle and can get up the hill to light the fire, Sang – hee must go in his place. Sang- hee wonders if he didn’t light the fire would the soldiers come, after finding no threat that “maybe not all them would be angry… I could show him the beach… After that he might teach me a little about sword – fighting.” Sang – hee knows he must light the fire and with only one coal left he starts the fire. The author’s note explains about the bonfires and how it was recorded to work in 1800’s the time in which this story is set.
Analysis:
I believe the cultural markers for The FIREKEEPER’S SON comes from the story itself , that is rich in history. The story that is based on a historical tradition of lighting the bon fires in the 1800’s to let the king know that all was well. Additional cultural markers are from the illustrations rather than the use of Korean words in the text, food, or celebrations. The soft watercolor and pastel illustrations revealed the Korean style clothing and hair styles of the people in the village and the soldiers as the reader sees in the flames. The setting of the story is a village with mud and wood huts with a few cows, chickens and dogs in the dirt street, set at the foot of the mountain and next to the sea. The father is seen with his straw on his back and holding a handmade rake while his son plays with toy soldiers on the ground. A quiet and simple life style is seen through the illustrations. The story addresses a young boy and his struggle to do the right thing or do something selfish.
Sang – hee is faced with his desire to see the soldiers as he thinks, “If there is no fire, the soldiers will come. They will be angry when they find no enemies here.” But as a young boy he thinks “maybe – maybe not all of them will be angry,” and he can show them the beach and learn how to use a sword. It is a conflict that he must work through. Will he do what he desires or what is best for the village? As Sang – hee lights the fire and watches the flames “he saw a great battle- soldiers, their shining swords clashing…” Sang – hee does the right thing and somehow father knows he struggled with his decision. Father says “When I was a boy, I too wished the soldiers would come.” The author’s note explains the story is a simplified version of the signal fires and additional information about the mountains and provinces that gives the story authenticity.
Reviews/Awards:
Booklist 02/01/04 Library Media Connection 10/01/04
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 04/01/04 Publishers Weekly starred 02/16/04
Horn Book 10/01/04 School Library Journal 05/01/04
Kirkus Review 02/15/04 Wilson's Children 10/01/10
Booklist (February 1, 2004 (Vol. 100, No. 11))
K-Gr. 3. Park, who won a Newbery Medal for her novel A Single Shard (2001), tells a picture-book story set in Korea in the early 1800s about a young boy in a remote village who suddenly finds himself serving his country. At sunset Sang-hee's father always climbs the mountain and lights a fire that signals to another firekeeper on the next mountain to light his fire, and so on, all the way to the mountain at the palace of the king, who knows from the fire signals that all is well in the land. Then one evening Sang-hee's father breaks his ankle, and the boy must keep the light burning. Downing's handsome, watercolor-and-pastel double-page pictures personalize the history, showing realistic close-ups of the child, who plays soldiers and dreams of the excitement of battle. In contrast are the panoramic views far across the country as the boy tends the flame that preserves peace from mountain to mountain. Add this to those lighthouse stories about the brave child who must take over for adults.
Horn Book (Fall 2004)
Each night Sang-hee's father lights the mountaintop fire that begins the chain of bonfires informing the king that no enemy boats have been seen. When his father is hurt, Sang-hee must take his place. Aptly capturing a young boy's point of view, this well-written story, set in nineteenth-century Korea, is accompanied by handsome if somewhat romanticized illustrations.
Kirkus Review (February 15, 2004)
Drawing once again on her heritage, Newbery Medalist Park tells a tale rooted in the history of Korea. Centuries ago-and through the 19th century-the lighting of fires apprised the king of the safety of his country. Darkness warned of trouble. When Sang-hee's father is injured, Sang-hee must climb the mountain with the brass pot of hot coals to start the fire that signals all is well. The first night Sang-hee contemplates whether or not he should light the fire-after all, if he does not, the soldiers will come and he would like to see the soldiers just once. In the end both Sang-hee and his father are proud that Sang-hee has become a trustworthy fire-starter as his father and grandfather were before him. Even in the darkness the watercolor illustrations glow with vibrancy. The cover illustration is especially striking: Sang-hee bright-eyed at the orange-and-yellow fire flickering before him. A lovely telling that will bring readers back to read or hear this story one more time. (Picture book. 5-9)
Connections:
This book could be used for first grade.
This is a good book to start discussions on responsibility. What does it mean?
The signal fires is a way of communicating, what are other ways we communicate today?
Writing Activity: Change the ending. What if Sang-hee had not lit the fire?
Social Studies/Science- Locate Korea on the map. Research the history of the country.
List other uses for fire.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
THE BOY IN THE GARDEN- Alan Say
Say, Allen. 2010. THE BOY IN THE GARDEN. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN: 978-0-547-21410-8
Summary:
THE BOY IN THE GARDEN begins with a father and his son going to Mr. Ozu’s house to wish him Happy New Year. As the Jiro walks through the garden he spots a beautiful crane that reminds him of The Grateful Crane a story his mother read to him. The boy’s curiosity leads him to the garden where he sees a crane. The crane is really a statue and Mr. Ozu and father find it humorous that he thought it was real and as they laughed,Jiro runs off. The boy finds a house and goes inside where his dreams and reality are woven together. As the father and son leave father says,” You know, son, for a moment that crane looked real.” Jiro smiles and says “It’s just a statue, Papa.”
Analysis:
Say has created a story through his words and his illustrations of a young boy and the story of a crane. The story begins with a Japanese folktale, The Grateful Crane, that Jiro’s mom read to him. The folktale and the young boy’s name introduce the reader to the Japanese culture that is woven throughout the book. The father and his son are going on the third of January to wish their Mr. Ozu a happy new year. The Japanese New Year is celebrated from January 1 – 3 and Jiro is handed a red envelop he “knew there would money in it.” This is a tradition during the New Year celebration. The reader is not told who Mr. Ozu is, the father tells his son “We are in a very famous a garden … and there are many treasures in the house…” The name Ozu is known in Japan as a well known Japanese film director. The home, gardens and architecture are a part of the Japanese culture. It is through the beautiful art work of Mr. Say that the mystery of the dream may seem so real. The boy is dressed in a kimono with the “obi” he could tie by himself and he is sitting in a small cottage with the fire pit in the middle with a fish hanging above. The fish “represents the literary motif of magic power, but a cultural symbol of good luck and prosperity” (p.209). He sees a “tall woman” dressed in the traditional kimono with dark straight hair and pale skin just as the picture of the woman from The Grateful Crane story taking the reader back to the time of the folktale that begins the book. The illustrations show a modern day father and son. Say’s illustrations were sensitive to the facial features of the characters. The skin tones included white and shades of brown or tan and the eyes were expressive. The book told a quiet story with little detail of the characters, but a strong tie to a folktale that a young boy remembers his mom read to him.
Reviews/ Awards:
Booklist 09/01/10 Library Media Connection starred 05/01/11
Horn Book 05/01/11 New York Times 02/13/11
Horn Book starred 09/01/10 Publishers Weekly starred 10/11/10
Kirkus Review starred 10/01/10 School Library Journal 10/01/10
From School Library Journal
Gr 2-5–Say takes the ancient legend about a crane magically transformed into a woman through an act of kindness and adds another layer of mystery to the story. A brief retelling of “the Grateful Crane,” as told to Jiro by his mother, sets the scene. The rest of the book traces the child and his father's visit to Mr. Ozu, who has a “famous garden and many treasures in his house.” Intrigued by the life-size bronze crane, Jiro investigates first the statue and then a small seemingly empty cottage on the property. When a tall, lovely Japanese lady appears, he finds himself playing out the tale. Is she the crane personified? Is he the woodcutter from the story? With the arrival of his father to take him home, he is left to ponder: Was this just a dream? The care and subtlety the artist employs to make the contemporary twist believable, in both text and illustration, is extraordinary. A final magnificent image depicts a crane flying through the night sky beneath a full moon. Carefully chosen words mesh seamlessly with dramatic and effective paintings, bringing both energy and tranquility to carry the story to its thought-provoking ending.Barbara Elleman, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, MA
© Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
From Booklist
Say’s book begins with a brief retelling of the Japanese folktale “The Grateful Crane,” in which a woodcutter frees a crane and later marries a mysterious woman. The woman weaves fabric that enriches the couple until her husband sees her at work, at which time she reverts to being a bird. In Say’s quixotic story, a boy and his father visit a rich man, Mr. Ozu. Young Jiro wanders the grounds and finds a statue of a crane. Remembering the tale, he thinks it’s real. His father and Mr. Ozu laugh, and the boy is humiliated. Then a mysterious cottage beckons, a beautiful woman appears, and so begins the boy’s own reenactment of “The Grateful Crane.” Although the mood is evocative in the manner of fairy tales, there’s a question here of audience. Jiro looks to be about six, yet the issues the book raises—about the illusion of story and the nature of reality—would probably be best contemplated by an older child. Still, Say’s artwork, with its clean, quiet scenes, always pleases, and the more perceptive child will take much away from this. Grades K-2. --Ilene Cooper
"A gently unsettling tale of the power of the imagination."—The Horn Book,starred review
"Say is at the height of his artistic achievement in this tale of a little boy named Jiro and the powerful impact that a story has on him....This is a beautiful, moving, quietly mysterious read, ripe with possibilities for interpretation and contemplation."—Kirkus Reviews,starred review
"Caldecott Medalist Say (Grandfather's Journey), his work always painstaking and poignant, ventures tentatively into the realm of fantasy....Pale colors and expanses of empty space contribute to the feeling of haunted charm. Did Jiro dream? Possibly—or possibly not."—Publishers Weekly,starred review
Connections:
I would use this book with second or third grade children.
Fairytales and Folktales are always a fun and educational way to connect cultures.
The Grateful Crane (Kodansha Nihongo Folktales) by Hiroko C. Quackenbush, Yasuji Mori and Kazue Ito
The Adventure of Momotaro, the Peach Boy (Kodansha's Children's Classics) by Ralph F. McCarthy and Ioe Saito (Sep 15, 2000)
Peach Boy and Other Japanese Children's Favorite Stories by Florence Sakade and Yoshisuke Kurosaki (Sep 15, 2008)
Momotaro: the Peach Boy (Storycard Theater) by David Battino, Hazuki Kataoka and Mario Uribe (Dec 30, 2003)
Little One-Inch and Other Japanese Children's Favorite Stories]
Florence Sakade & Yoshisuke Kurosaki
Summary:
THE BOY IN THE GARDEN begins with a father and his son going to Mr. Ozu’s house to wish him Happy New Year. As the Jiro walks through the garden he spots a beautiful crane that reminds him of The Grateful Crane a story his mother read to him. The boy’s curiosity leads him to the garden where he sees a crane. The crane is really a statue and Mr. Ozu and father find it humorous that he thought it was real and as they laughed,Jiro runs off. The boy finds a house and goes inside where his dreams and reality are woven together. As the father and son leave father says,” You know, son, for a moment that crane looked real.” Jiro smiles and says “It’s just a statue, Papa.”
Analysis:
Say has created a story through his words and his illustrations of a young boy and the story of a crane. The story begins with a Japanese folktale, The Grateful Crane, that Jiro’s mom read to him. The folktale and the young boy’s name introduce the reader to the Japanese culture that is woven throughout the book. The father and his son are going on the third of January to wish their Mr. Ozu a happy new year. The Japanese New Year is celebrated from January 1 – 3 and Jiro is handed a red envelop he “knew there would money in it.” This is a tradition during the New Year celebration. The reader is not told who Mr. Ozu is, the father tells his son “We are in a very famous a garden … and there are many treasures in the house…” The name Ozu is known in Japan as a well known Japanese film director. The home, gardens and architecture are a part of the Japanese culture. It is through the beautiful art work of Mr. Say that the mystery of the dream may seem so real. The boy is dressed in a kimono with the “obi” he could tie by himself and he is sitting in a small cottage with the fire pit in the middle with a fish hanging above. The fish “represents the literary motif of magic power, but a cultural symbol of good luck and prosperity” (p.209). He sees a “tall woman” dressed in the traditional kimono with dark straight hair and pale skin just as the picture of the woman from The Grateful Crane story taking the reader back to the time of the folktale that begins the book. The illustrations show a modern day father and son. Say’s illustrations were sensitive to the facial features of the characters. The skin tones included white and shades of brown or tan and the eyes were expressive. The book told a quiet story with little detail of the characters, but a strong tie to a folktale that a young boy remembers his mom read to him.
Reviews/ Awards:
Booklist 09/01/10 Library Media Connection starred 05/01/11
Horn Book 05/01/11 New York Times 02/13/11
Horn Book starred 09/01/10 Publishers Weekly starred 10/11/10
Kirkus Review starred 10/01/10 School Library Journal 10/01/10
From School Library Journal
Gr 2-5–Say takes the ancient legend about a crane magically transformed into a woman through an act of kindness and adds another layer of mystery to the story. A brief retelling of “the Grateful Crane,” as told to Jiro by his mother, sets the scene. The rest of the book traces the child and his father's visit to Mr. Ozu, who has a “famous garden and many treasures in his house.” Intrigued by the life-size bronze crane, Jiro investigates first the statue and then a small seemingly empty cottage on the property. When a tall, lovely Japanese lady appears, he finds himself playing out the tale. Is she the crane personified? Is he the woodcutter from the story? With the arrival of his father to take him home, he is left to ponder: Was this just a dream? The care and subtlety the artist employs to make the contemporary twist believable, in both text and illustration, is extraordinary. A final magnificent image depicts a crane flying through the night sky beneath a full moon. Carefully chosen words mesh seamlessly with dramatic and effective paintings, bringing both energy and tranquility to carry the story to its thought-provoking ending.Barbara Elleman, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, MA
© Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
From Booklist
Say’s book begins with a brief retelling of the Japanese folktale “The Grateful Crane,” in which a woodcutter frees a crane and later marries a mysterious woman. The woman weaves fabric that enriches the couple until her husband sees her at work, at which time she reverts to being a bird. In Say’s quixotic story, a boy and his father visit a rich man, Mr. Ozu. Young Jiro wanders the grounds and finds a statue of a crane. Remembering the tale, he thinks it’s real. His father and Mr. Ozu laugh, and the boy is humiliated. Then a mysterious cottage beckons, a beautiful woman appears, and so begins the boy’s own reenactment of “The Grateful Crane.” Although the mood is evocative in the manner of fairy tales, there’s a question here of audience. Jiro looks to be about six, yet the issues the book raises—about the illusion of story and the nature of reality—would probably be best contemplated by an older child. Still, Say’s artwork, with its clean, quiet scenes, always pleases, and the more perceptive child will take much away from this. Grades K-2. --Ilene Cooper
"A gently unsettling tale of the power of the imagination."—The Horn Book,starred review
"Say is at the height of his artistic achievement in this tale of a little boy named Jiro and the powerful impact that a story has on him....This is a beautiful, moving, quietly mysterious read, ripe with possibilities for interpretation and contemplation."—Kirkus Reviews,starred review
"Caldecott Medalist Say (Grandfather's Journey), his work always painstaking and poignant, ventures tentatively into the realm of fantasy....Pale colors and expanses of empty space contribute to the feeling of haunted charm. Did Jiro dream? Possibly—or possibly not."—Publishers Weekly,starred review
Connections:
I would use this book with second or third grade children.
Fairytales and Folktales are always a fun and educational way to connect cultures.
The Grateful Crane (Kodansha Nihongo Folktales) by Hiroko C. Quackenbush, Yasuji Mori and Kazue Ito
The Adventure of Momotaro, the Peach Boy (Kodansha's Children's Classics) by Ralph F. McCarthy and Ioe Saito (Sep 15, 2000)
Peach Boy and Other Japanese Children's Favorite Stories by Florence Sakade and Yoshisuke Kurosaki (Sep 15, 2008)
Momotaro: the Peach Boy (Storycard Theater) by David Battino, Hazuki Kataoka and Mario Uribe (Dec 30, 2003)
Little One-Inch and Other Japanese Children's Favorite Stories]
Florence Sakade & Yoshisuke Kurosaki
Friday, July 15, 2011
THE YEAR OF THE DOG- Grace Lin
Lin, Grace.2006. THE YEAR OF THE DOG. New York: Little Brown and Company. ISBN: 0-316-06000-3
Summary:
Lin tells a modern day story of a young girl who spends the year trying to find out what it means to “find yourself.” The story begins as Pacy also known as Grace and her family are celebrating Chinese New Year and mom tells her it is her year, “The Year of the Dog.” Pacy tries to balance the traditional Taiwanese / Chinese traditions and the American ways at home and school. Pacy tries to remember the lessons of the year of the dog as she looks for wealth, luck and her talent in order to find herself before the end of the year. It is through her family, friends and special assignment at school that she discovers herself. Pacy also known as Grace finds wealth when she wins the $400.00, a prize and most of all she found her talent. She was an author and an illustrator. Grace includes Author’s Note that lets the reader know what parts are true and what parts might have been switched. There is a reader’s guide that gives suggestions to extend the learning.
Analysis:
Grace is a modern day young girl who struggles with the same problems as many young girls have with siblings, boys, friends and family. Grace is Taiwanese American and struggles with what that means to her. She struggles with what others think and explains her confusion to her mother as she says, “It’s not fair. To Americans, I’m too Chinese, and to Chinese people, I’m too American. So what am I supposed to be?” Lin uses the year of the dog to show how Grace learns the lessons of her Taiwanese culture and traditions to find out who she is. Grace learns about her family and the lessons learned through stories mom would tell throughout the story. The stories were a way of letting Grace know her struggles are not hers alone and a time to pass down family stories to the children. There are many cultural markers woven throughout the book. Lin begins the book with Chinese New Year where Chinese is spoken to friends and relatives in the greeting, “Gong xi- gong xi!” heard over and over as dad greets those who were on the phone. At the Red Egg Celebration for baby Albert the family is heard to say “Ja- ba, bei?” which Grace knew as “Have you eaten yet?” but discovers it also means “How are you doing?” Lin incorporates the special foods used during the celebrations. Grace filled the New Year tray with the “special Chinese candy” and they ate fried fish, dumplings and “shrimp in a milky sauce.” For breakfast Grace ate “watery rice porridge and flaky dried pork.” Grace was surprised when visiting Melody that all Chinese food was not the same. The rice was brown and not white and the “tofu didn’t have any shiny sauce on it”, Grace wondered “Could a person get sick from eating too many healthy things?” Grace struggles with being Chinese American when she is told at the Wizard of Oz auditions, “You can’t be Dorothy … Dorothy is not Chinese.” This is the moment that Grace realizes there are no real books that have characters like her. Grace wrote her first book about the ugly fruit and included illustrations that she painted. The Year of the Dog is over and it has been a good year for Grace and now the family celebrates with new friends the Year of the Pig. “Gong xi-gong xi! Xin Nian Hao!” “Happy Chinese New Year!” Felix hands a crate of oranges, oranges for “money.” Why oranges, because the” Chinese word for oranges sounds like the word for wealth.” Another celebration with “roasted duck with its head still on… red marinated pork, and brownish black seaweed” on the table, the sounds of Chinese and English being spoken as friends and family share their culture and traditions with each other.
Reviews and Awards
2006 Fall Publisher's Pick
• Starred Booklist Review
• 2006 ALA Children's Notable
• 2006 Asian Pacific American Librarian Association Honor
• 2006 National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA) GOLD Winner
• 2007-2008 Texas Bluebonnet Award Masterlist
• 2007 Nene Awards Recommended List (Hawaii's Book Award Chosen by Children Grades 4-6)
• 2007 Cochecho Readers' Award List (sponsored by the Children's Librarians of Dover, New Hampshire)
• NYPL 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing 2006
• Kirkus Best Early Chapter Books 2006
•2006 Booklist Editors' Choice for Middle Readers
•Cooperative Children's Book Center Choice 2007
•Boston Authors Club Recommended Book
•2007-2008 Great Lakes Great Books Award nominee
•2007-2008 North Carolina Children's Book Award nominee
•2007-2008 West Virginia Children's Book Award nominee
•2009 Beverly Cleary Children's Choice Award (OR) nominee
•2009 Pacific Northwest Young Readers Choice Award (WA, OR, ID)nominee
Book Links starred 03/01/06 Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.) 01/01/07
Booklist starred 01/01/06 Publishers Weekly 01/02/06
Horn Book 03/01/06 School Library Journal 03/01/06
Horn Book starred 10/01/06 Wilson's Children 10/01/10
Booklist starred (January 1, 2006 (Vol. 102, No. 9))
Gr. 3-5. When Lin was a girl, she loved the Betsy books by Carolyn Hayward, a series about a quintessentially American girl whose days centered around friends and school. But Lin, a child of Taiwanese immigrants, didn't see herself in the pages. Now she has written the book she wished she had as a child. Told in a simple, direct voice, her story follows young Grace through the Year of the Dog, one that Grace hopes will prove lucky for her. And what a year it is!
Horn Book (March/April, 2006)
Pacy spends the Year of the Dog on a journey of self-discovery. Although sorting out her ethnic identity is important (she is Taiwanese-American in a largely non-Asian community), Pacy has another pressing question to answer: what should she be when she grows up? She likes coloring eggs for her new baby cousin Albert's Red Egg party -- maybe she will become a Red Egg colorer. Or how about a scientist (she and her best friend Melody get quite excited about their project for the science fair) or an actress (Pacy plays a munchkin in her school production of The Wizard of Oz)? Writing and illustrating her own book for a national contest makes her think that perhaps she can become an author of a "real Chinese person book." With a light touch, Lin offers both authentic Taiwanese-American and universal childhood experiences, told from a genuine child perspective. The story, interwoven with several family anecdotes, is entertaining and often illuminating. Appealing, childlike decorative line drawings add a delightful flavor to a gentle tale full of humor.
Horn Book starred (Fall 2006)
For Taiwanese-American Pacy, sorting out her ethnic identity is important, and she wonders what she should be when she grows up. Writing and illustrating a book for a national contest makes her think that perhaps she can become an author of a "real Chinese person book." Lin offers both authentic Taiwanese-American and universal childhood experiences, told from a genuine child perspective.
Kirkus Review (December 15, 2005)
…This comfortable first-person story will be a treat for Asian-American girls looking to see themselves in their reading, but also for any reader who enjoys stories of friendship and family life. (Fiction. 8-12)
Publishers Weekly (May 28, 2007)
"Lin creates an endearing protagonist, realistically dealing with universal emotions and situations," in this "autobiographical tale of an Asian-American girl's sweet and funny insights on family, identity and friendship," PW wrote. Ages 8-12. (May) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.
Connections:
This is a great book to help children think about the writing process. As educators we encourage to write about what you know. I wonder if I give my students the time they need to think about what to write. As Grace struggles with what to write she learns what is important to her and what she wants to say.
Grace Lin has included at the end of her book suggestions for extending the book. The suggestions are very good and I would use them with confidence.
On Grace Lin’s website I found these two lessons that I will incorporate into my first grade classroom next year. I suggest going to Grace Lin’s website and looking for more suggestions and find her other books to use with your students.
www.gracelin.com
Lesson Suggestion: Chinese Horoscopes
In the book, Pacy is fascinated by the symbolism of the Year of the Dog. Have students research the Chinese horoscope and read about the personality traits for the year she or he was born in. Have students discuss and then write a persuasive essay agreeing or disagreeing with the horoscope descriptions of themselves.
Need some resources? Try these:
Chinese Culture's Zodiac Page
China Today's Zodiac Page
Lesson Suggestion: Memoir Writing
Much of The Year of the Dog is based on Grace's personal experience. Discuss writing from life with the students and have them write their own memoirs from the past year. This can be combined with book making, also a subject in The Year of the Dog. Give students the opportunity to develop an understanding of who they are and where they come from, and how this is connected to the past and future, the near and far away. A memoir study focusing on time, such as a certain year, as a theme can provide this opportunity.
Summary:
Lin tells a modern day story of a young girl who spends the year trying to find out what it means to “find yourself.” The story begins as Pacy also known as Grace and her family are celebrating Chinese New Year and mom tells her it is her year, “The Year of the Dog.” Pacy tries to balance the traditional Taiwanese / Chinese traditions and the American ways at home and school. Pacy tries to remember the lessons of the year of the dog as she looks for wealth, luck and her talent in order to find herself before the end of the year. It is through her family, friends and special assignment at school that she discovers herself. Pacy also known as Grace finds wealth when she wins the $400.00, a prize and most of all she found her talent. She was an author and an illustrator. Grace includes Author’s Note that lets the reader know what parts are true and what parts might have been switched. There is a reader’s guide that gives suggestions to extend the learning.
Analysis:
Grace is a modern day young girl who struggles with the same problems as many young girls have with siblings, boys, friends and family. Grace is Taiwanese American and struggles with what that means to her. She struggles with what others think and explains her confusion to her mother as she says, “It’s not fair. To Americans, I’m too Chinese, and to Chinese people, I’m too American. So what am I supposed to be?” Lin uses the year of the dog to show how Grace learns the lessons of her Taiwanese culture and traditions to find out who she is. Grace learns about her family and the lessons learned through stories mom would tell throughout the story. The stories were a way of letting Grace know her struggles are not hers alone and a time to pass down family stories to the children. There are many cultural markers woven throughout the book. Lin begins the book with Chinese New Year where Chinese is spoken to friends and relatives in the greeting, “Gong xi- gong xi!” heard over and over as dad greets those who were on the phone. At the Red Egg Celebration for baby Albert the family is heard to say “Ja- ba, bei?” which Grace knew as “Have you eaten yet?” but discovers it also means “How are you doing?” Lin incorporates the special foods used during the celebrations. Grace filled the New Year tray with the “special Chinese candy” and they ate fried fish, dumplings and “shrimp in a milky sauce.” For breakfast Grace ate “watery rice porridge and flaky dried pork.” Grace was surprised when visiting Melody that all Chinese food was not the same. The rice was brown and not white and the “tofu didn’t have any shiny sauce on it”, Grace wondered “Could a person get sick from eating too many healthy things?” Grace struggles with being Chinese American when she is told at the Wizard of Oz auditions, “You can’t be Dorothy … Dorothy is not Chinese.” This is the moment that Grace realizes there are no real books that have characters like her. Grace wrote her first book about the ugly fruit and included illustrations that she painted. The Year of the Dog is over and it has been a good year for Grace and now the family celebrates with new friends the Year of the Pig. “Gong xi-gong xi! Xin Nian Hao!” “Happy Chinese New Year!” Felix hands a crate of oranges, oranges for “money.” Why oranges, because the” Chinese word for oranges sounds like the word for wealth.” Another celebration with “roasted duck with its head still on… red marinated pork, and brownish black seaweed” on the table, the sounds of Chinese and English being spoken as friends and family share their culture and traditions with each other.
Reviews and Awards
2006 Fall Publisher's Pick
• Starred Booklist Review
• 2006 ALA Children's Notable
• 2006 Asian Pacific American Librarian Association Honor
• 2006 National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA) GOLD Winner
• 2007-2008 Texas Bluebonnet Award Masterlist
• 2007 Nene Awards Recommended List (Hawaii's Book Award Chosen by Children Grades 4-6)
• 2007 Cochecho Readers' Award List (sponsored by the Children's Librarians of Dover, New Hampshire)
• NYPL 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing 2006
• Kirkus Best Early Chapter Books 2006
•2006 Booklist Editors' Choice for Middle Readers
•Cooperative Children's Book Center Choice 2007
•Boston Authors Club Recommended Book
•2007-2008 Great Lakes Great Books Award nominee
•2007-2008 North Carolina Children's Book Award nominee
•2007-2008 West Virginia Children's Book Award nominee
•2009 Beverly Cleary Children's Choice Award (OR) nominee
•2009 Pacific Northwest Young Readers Choice Award (WA, OR, ID)nominee
Book Links starred 03/01/06 Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.) 01/01/07
Booklist starred 01/01/06 Publishers Weekly 01/02/06
Horn Book 03/01/06 School Library Journal 03/01/06
Horn Book starred 10/01/06 Wilson's Children 10/01/10
Booklist starred (January 1, 2006 (Vol. 102, No. 9))
Gr. 3-5. When Lin was a girl, she loved the Betsy books by Carolyn Hayward, a series about a quintessentially American girl whose days centered around friends and school. But Lin, a child of Taiwanese immigrants, didn't see herself in the pages. Now she has written the book she wished she had as a child. Told in a simple, direct voice, her story follows young Grace through the Year of the Dog, one that Grace hopes will prove lucky for her. And what a year it is!
Horn Book (March/April, 2006)
Pacy spends the Year of the Dog on a journey of self-discovery. Although sorting out her ethnic identity is important (she is Taiwanese-American in a largely non-Asian community), Pacy has another pressing question to answer: what should she be when she grows up? She likes coloring eggs for her new baby cousin Albert's Red Egg party -- maybe she will become a Red Egg colorer. Or how about a scientist (she and her best friend Melody get quite excited about their project for the science fair) or an actress (Pacy plays a munchkin in her school production of The Wizard of Oz)? Writing and illustrating her own book for a national contest makes her think that perhaps she can become an author of a "real Chinese person book." With a light touch, Lin offers both authentic Taiwanese-American and universal childhood experiences, told from a genuine child perspective. The story, interwoven with several family anecdotes, is entertaining and often illuminating. Appealing, childlike decorative line drawings add a delightful flavor to a gentle tale full of humor.
Horn Book starred (Fall 2006)
For Taiwanese-American Pacy, sorting out her ethnic identity is important, and she wonders what she should be when she grows up. Writing and illustrating a book for a national contest makes her think that perhaps she can become an author of a "real Chinese person book." Lin offers both authentic Taiwanese-American and universal childhood experiences, told from a genuine child perspective.
Kirkus Review (December 15, 2005)
…This comfortable first-person story will be a treat for Asian-American girls looking to see themselves in their reading, but also for any reader who enjoys stories of friendship and family life. (Fiction. 8-12)
Publishers Weekly (May 28, 2007)
"Lin creates an endearing protagonist, realistically dealing with universal emotions and situations," in this "autobiographical tale of an Asian-American girl's sweet and funny insights on family, identity and friendship," PW wrote. Ages 8-12. (May) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.
Connections:
This is a great book to help children think about the writing process. As educators we encourage to write about what you know. I wonder if I give my students the time they need to think about what to write. As Grace struggles with what to write she learns what is important to her and what she wants to say.
Grace Lin has included at the end of her book suggestions for extending the book. The suggestions are very good and I would use them with confidence.
On Grace Lin’s website I found these two lessons that I will incorporate into my first grade classroom next year. I suggest going to Grace Lin’s website and looking for more suggestions and find her other books to use with your students.
www.gracelin.com
Lesson Suggestion: Chinese Horoscopes
In the book, Pacy is fascinated by the symbolism of the Year of the Dog. Have students research the Chinese horoscope and read about the personality traits for the year she or he was born in. Have students discuss and then write a persuasive essay agreeing or disagreeing with the horoscope descriptions of themselves.
Need some resources? Try these:
Chinese Culture's Zodiac Page
China Today's Zodiac Page
Lesson Suggestion: Memoir Writing
Much of The Year of the Dog is based on Grace's personal experience. Discuss writing from life with the students and have them write their own memoirs from the past year. This can be combined with book making, also a subject in The Year of the Dog. Give students the opportunity to develop an understanding of who they are and where they come from, and how this is connected to the past and future, the near and far away. A memoir study focusing on time, such as a certain year, as a theme can provide this opportunity.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
SALTYPIE- Tingle
Tingle,Tim. 2010. SALTYPIE A CHOCTAW JOURNEY FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT. Texas: Cinco Puntos Press. ISBN: 978-1-933693-67-5
Summary:
SALTYPIE A CHOCTAW JOURNEY FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT, tells the story of a young Tim Tingle as he remembers his childhood with memories of having “a bee sting on the bottom!” and the sweet smell of gardenias as his grandmother, Mawmaw, comforted him. Mawmaw says to him “That was some kind of saltypie…” Saltypie was the word his father had given said as “a way of dealing with trouble.” It is not until Tim is six years old that he realizes his “mawmaw” is blind and that was some kind of “saltypie.” The years and childhood memories tell the story of young boy who grows up in a loving family that comes together as Mawmaw has an eye transplant some fifty years later. “The whole Tingle clan was gathered to gether” waiting to hear the news about Mawmaw. They waited four days “catching up on the news, as laughing at old stories, as families do.” On the fourth day father walks back from talking to the doctor and says “No more saltypie… Mawmaw can see.” There is a wonderful section at the end of the book that tells more about the family history and Choctaw culture and brings awareness about American Indian stereotypes. The poetic language and beautiful illustrations tell a wonderful story of a family’s love.
Analysis:
Tingle tells the story of a modern Choctaw family with Native American culture woven into the words and illustrations. As the story is about the author’s life and family the sense of authenticity and intimacy comes through in the words. The history of the Choctaw national government that recognized “women as equals” is comes through in the words “My grandmother was a strong and special Choctaw woman.” As the family moves from Oklahoma to Texas they move to “a white wooden house” which is the type of home that the early Choctaw people lived in for years. The illustrations show Mawmaw and her grandson feeding the chickens and in the garage checking the eggs. Many Choctaw people had farms and gardens and this is seen throughout the pages. The strength of Mawmaw is seen in her ability to live her life in a way that her six- year old grandson did not know she was blind. The theme of family is throughout the story as we see “Aunt Bobbie at the house and “the whole Tingle clan [was] gathered together” in the hospital waiting room. As the family waits four days to hear about Mawmaw’s eye transplant, Tingle talks about how “the spirit of who we were as a Choctaw family was coming alive in the room” the bond the family has through their Choctaw heritage.
The clothes that were worn as seen in the illustrations were a marker of the modern day American Indian. The fashion is a way to break the stereotype of the Native American culture. The woman wore everyday dresses and aprons and the boys and men wore button up shirts and long pants, the same as others did at the time. The only difference in the young family that moved into the “wooden house on Strawberry Lane” was the color of their skin as we see in the illustrations. The only reason the boy threw the stone is because they were Indian. The story begins in 1914 and continues into the seventies were we find that “strong and special Choctaw woman” having an eye transplant. After a phone call her grandson drives “four hours” from his college to the hospital. We are reminded that Mawmaw was sent to an “Indian boarding school” where life was hard and then she went to “Tuskahoma Academy in Oklahoma” and was left at Christmas alone after her father’s death. The history of boarding schools had the goal of taking away your culture and heritage and it was usually through strict and harsh discipline that the goal was accomplished.
Reviews/Awards:
Booklist 05/01/10 Publishers Weekly 04/26/10
Kirkus Review 04/15/10 School Library Journal 05/01/10
Library Media Connection 11/01/10 Wilson's Children 10/01/10
Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.) 01/01/11
Full-Text Reviews
Booklist (May 1, 2010 (Vol. 106, No. 17))
Grades 3-5. Looking back to his childhood, Choctaw storyteller Tingle introduces his capable, comforting Mawmaw (grandmother); recalls his shock as a six-year-old at realizing that she was blind (possibly, he learns, as a result of a racially motivated assault in her own youth); and recounts a hospital vigil years afterward when she received an eye transplant. His strong, measured prose finds able counterpart in Clarkson’s subtly modeled, full-bleed close-ups of eloquently expressive faces and closely gathered members of the author’s large extended family. The title comes from a word invented by Tingle’s father as a stand-in for any sort of pain or distress, and its use serves to enhance the vivid sense of intimacy that pervades this reminiscence. A lengthy afterword provides more details about Tingle’s family and Choctaw culture, and offers much to think about regarding American Indian stereotypes.
Horn Book (Fall 2010)
The title refers to Tingle's family's "way of dealing with trouble...you just kinda shrug it off, say saltypie. It helps you carry on." The very loosely structured story focuses vaguely on Tingle's Choctaw grandmother, blinded by an act of violence and later granted an "eye transplant." Stiff and sentimental paintings illustrate the lengthy text; the appended afterword (in tiny type) is more compelling.
Kirkus Review (April 15, 2010)
A grandmother's life story centers this welcome depiction of a contemporary Choctaw family. A young boy's bee sting is soothed when the grandmother calls his hurt "saltypie." A flashback reveals the origin of the expression: A stone malevolently thrown at a young mother injures her, and her son, thinking the blood is like pie filling, tastes it and pronounces it "saltypie." When the bee-stung boy discovers his grandmother's blindness, possibly resulting from the blow, an uncle explains, "You just kind of shrug it off, say saltypie. It helps you carry on." Years later, the extended family gathers in a Houston hospital, sharing its collective past while the grandmother undergoes eye surgery: "No more saltypie ...Mawmaw can see." The grown boy realizes that his grandmother, "Blind as she was...taught so many how to see." The term "eye transplant," the cause of the blindness and the sequencing of events could be clearer. Nevertheless, Tingle provides a corrective view of contemporary Native American life, as his author's note reveals was his intent. Clarkson's evocative illustrations bathe each scene in a soft light that accentuates the warmth of the family's love. (author's note) (Picture book/biography. 5-10)
Connections:
SALTYPIE will be in my classroom library when school begins in August. I am excited to share Tingle’s words and Clarkson’s illustrations to show a modern American Indian Family. I think due to movies, games and books that have shown the Native American culture in very stereotypical way this book lets children see students are not the stereotype that may have in their head.
As recommended on Tim Tingle’s website www.timtingle.com I would begin by studying the “How Much Can We Tell Them?” This book can be used to discuss the stereotypes that children may have of Native American culture. The information that is provided will help teachers and parents understand better the history of the Choctaw. Then begin by showing the book and explaining that “Indians are modern people…Indians serve in the United /states military, as soldiers, sailors and marines. Indians are schoolteachers, lawyers….”
Bruchac’s CODE TALKERS would be a good follow up to the military connection.
Summary:
SALTYPIE A CHOCTAW JOURNEY FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT, tells the story of a young Tim Tingle as he remembers his childhood with memories of having “a bee sting on the bottom!” and the sweet smell of gardenias as his grandmother, Mawmaw, comforted him. Mawmaw says to him “That was some kind of saltypie…” Saltypie was the word his father had given said as “a way of dealing with trouble.” It is not until Tim is six years old that he realizes his “mawmaw” is blind and that was some kind of “saltypie.” The years and childhood memories tell the story of young boy who grows up in a loving family that comes together as Mawmaw has an eye transplant some fifty years later. “The whole Tingle clan was gathered to gether” waiting to hear the news about Mawmaw. They waited four days “catching up on the news, as laughing at old stories, as families do.” On the fourth day father walks back from talking to the doctor and says “No more saltypie… Mawmaw can see.” There is a wonderful section at the end of the book that tells more about the family history and Choctaw culture and brings awareness about American Indian stereotypes. The poetic language and beautiful illustrations tell a wonderful story of a family’s love.
Analysis:
Tingle tells the story of a modern Choctaw family with Native American culture woven into the words and illustrations. As the story is about the author’s life and family the sense of authenticity and intimacy comes through in the words. The history of the Choctaw national government that recognized “women as equals” is comes through in the words “My grandmother was a strong and special Choctaw woman.” As the family moves from Oklahoma to Texas they move to “a white wooden house” which is the type of home that the early Choctaw people lived in for years. The illustrations show Mawmaw and her grandson feeding the chickens and in the garage checking the eggs. Many Choctaw people had farms and gardens and this is seen throughout the pages. The strength of Mawmaw is seen in her ability to live her life in a way that her six- year old grandson did not know she was blind. The theme of family is throughout the story as we see “Aunt Bobbie at the house and “the whole Tingle clan [was] gathered together” in the hospital waiting room. As the family waits four days to hear about Mawmaw’s eye transplant, Tingle talks about how “the spirit of who we were as a Choctaw family was coming alive in the room” the bond the family has through their Choctaw heritage.
The clothes that were worn as seen in the illustrations were a marker of the modern day American Indian. The fashion is a way to break the stereotype of the Native American culture. The woman wore everyday dresses and aprons and the boys and men wore button up shirts and long pants, the same as others did at the time. The only difference in the young family that moved into the “wooden house on Strawberry Lane” was the color of their skin as we see in the illustrations. The only reason the boy threw the stone is because they were Indian. The story begins in 1914 and continues into the seventies were we find that “strong and special Choctaw woman” having an eye transplant. After a phone call her grandson drives “four hours” from his college to the hospital. We are reminded that Mawmaw was sent to an “Indian boarding school” where life was hard and then she went to “Tuskahoma Academy in Oklahoma” and was left at Christmas alone after her father’s death. The history of boarding schools had the goal of taking away your culture and heritage and it was usually through strict and harsh discipline that the goal was accomplished.
Reviews/Awards:
Booklist 05/01/10 Publishers Weekly 04/26/10
Kirkus Review 04/15/10 School Library Journal 05/01/10
Library Media Connection 11/01/10 Wilson's Children 10/01/10
Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.) 01/01/11
Full-Text Reviews
Booklist (May 1, 2010 (Vol. 106, No. 17))
Grades 3-5. Looking back to his childhood, Choctaw storyteller Tingle introduces his capable, comforting Mawmaw (grandmother); recalls his shock as a six-year-old at realizing that she was blind (possibly, he learns, as a result of a racially motivated assault in her own youth); and recounts a hospital vigil years afterward when she received an eye transplant. His strong, measured prose finds able counterpart in Clarkson’s subtly modeled, full-bleed close-ups of eloquently expressive faces and closely gathered members of the author’s large extended family. The title comes from a word invented by Tingle’s father as a stand-in for any sort of pain or distress, and its use serves to enhance the vivid sense of intimacy that pervades this reminiscence. A lengthy afterword provides more details about Tingle’s family and Choctaw culture, and offers much to think about regarding American Indian stereotypes.
Horn Book (Fall 2010)
The title refers to Tingle's family's "way of dealing with trouble...you just kinda shrug it off, say saltypie. It helps you carry on." The very loosely structured story focuses vaguely on Tingle's Choctaw grandmother, blinded by an act of violence and later granted an "eye transplant." Stiff and sentimental paintings illustrate the lengthy text; the appended afterword (in tiny type) is more compelling.
Kirkus Review (April 15, 2010)
A grandmother's life story centers this welcome depiction of a contemporary Choctaw family. A young boy's bee sting is soothed when the grandmother calls his hurt "saltypie." A flashback reveals the origin of the expression: A stone malevolently thrown at a young mother injures her, and her son, thinking the blood is like pie filling, tastes it and pronounces it "saltypie." When the bee-stung boy discovers his grandmother's blindness, possibly resulting from the blow, an uncle explains, "You just kind of shrug it off, say saltypie. It helps you carry on." Years later, the extended family gathers in a Houston hospital, sharing its collective past while the grandmother undergoes eye surgery: "No more saltypie ...Mawmaw can see." The grown boy realizes that his grandmother, "Blind as she was...taught so many how to see." The term "eye transplant," the cause of the blindness and the sequencing of events could be clearer. Nevertheless, Tingle provides a corrective view of contemporary Native American life, as his author's note reveals was his intent. Clarkson's evocative illustrations bathe each scene in a soft light that accentuates the warmth of the family's love. (author's note) (Picture book/biography. 5-10)
Connections:
SALTYPIE will be in my classroom library when school begins in August. I am excited to share Tingle’s words and Clarkson’s illustrations to show a modern American Indian Family. I think due to movies, games and books that have shown the Native American culture in very stereotypical way this book lets children see students are not the stereotype that may have in their head.
As recommended on Tim Tingle’s website www.timtingle.com I would begin by studying the “How Much Can We Tell Them?” This book can be used to discuss the stereotypes that children may have of Native American culture. The information that is provided will help teachers and parents understand better the history of the Choctaw. Then begin by showing the book and explaining that “Indians are modern people…Indians serve in the United /states military, as soldiers, sailors and marines. Indians are schoolteachers, lawyers….”
Bruchac’s CODE TALKERS would be a good follow up to the military connection.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
CODE TALKER- BRUCHAC
Bruchac, Joseph. 2005. CODE TALKER: A NOVEL ABOUT THE NAVAJO MARINES OF WORLD WAR TWO. New York: Scholastic. ISBN: 13: 978-0-439-89100-4
Summary:
Bruchac’s CODE TALKERs is about a young Navajo boy who leaves his family to go and learn the ways of the “bilagaanaa” the white man. He is quickly stripped of his Navajo name “Daghaatbahi Biye” and given a white man’s name “Ned Begay.” Ned and the other Navajo children were severely disciplined for using their Navajo language or ways. Even though Ned has been told his Navajo ways were worthless and treated badly at the school, when he heard on the radio that Japan had attacked America he wanted to go and fight for America. At 16 Ned Begay joins the Marines and immediately after boot camp is taken to learn about the secret mission he and other Navajos would be involved in. Ned discovers that the Marine’s need his Navajo language, the same language he was forbidden to use, to deliver messages to those fighting for our country. Ned Begay became a Code Talker and used his native language to save countless lives. The resources, acknowledgement, and language activities at the end of the book are wonderful resources to learn more about this Marine Division that was allowed to speak of their contributions to the war for many years.
Analysis:
Bruchac tells the story of the Navajo Marines of World War Two and a special Divison, known as the “Code Talkers.” Bruchac establishes the setting of the story through the words of the grandfather who is telling the story some fifty years later. A time in our history that stayed silent for many years. It was “December 7, 1941” and from the radio the students hear America has beed attatcked, the young boy that arived at the school as “Daghaatbahi Biye” and now known by his white man’s name of Ned Begay is ready to join the fight. Despite the “bilagaanaa”, white people’s ways of discilpining and stripping the Navajos of their culture and heritage Ned still remembers the words of the “Tribal Council”, Navajo Indians stand ready”…”to aid and defend our government.” Ned is small and has the nickname of “Wolachii”, “ant” and has to wait until he is older to join. After a year, Ned is not yet seventeen ,but his parents allow him to join the Marines. Before he leaves he takes part in a Navajo tradition known as the “Hozhooji, the Blessingway”. This tradition involves friends and family in a ceremony that “was to be given as the utmost help and protection againist all dangers that might come.” The Navajo fashion was described as the children arrived at the Rehoboth Mission. The children stood dressed in their finest, “the deerskin mocassins”, family jewlry made of silver, inset with turquoise and agate and jet, their bracelets, belts, and hair ornaments” are signs of love and the Navajo culture. “Their long black hair” that glistened in the sun are all connected to the Navajo culture. The traditions, fashion and contributions to America’s defense during World War Two are explained further in the Acknowledgemens at the end of the book. Bruchac spent time to research and time to listen and learn from the Navajo Code Talkers and their families.
Reviews/Awards:
Book Links (A.L.A.) 01/01/07 Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.) 01/01/06
Booklist starred 02/15/05 School Library Journal 05/01/05
Kirkus Review starred 01/15/05 Wilson's Junior High School 01/09/10
Library Media Connection starred 02/01/06 Wilson's Senior High School 10/01/07
Booklist starred (February 15, 2005 (Vol. 101, No. 12))
Gr. 6-9. Six-year-old Ned Begay leaves his Navajo home for boarding school, where he learns the English language and American ways. At 16, he enlists in the U.S. Marines during World War II and is trained as a code talker, using his native language to radio battlefield information and commands in a code that was kept secret until 1969. Rooted in his Navajo consciousness and traditions even in dealing with fear, loneliness, and the horrors of the battlefield, Ned tells of his experiences in Hawaii, Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Guam, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. The book, addressed to Ned's grandchildren, ends with an author's note about the code talkers as well as lengthy acknowledgments and a bibliography. The narrative pulls no punches about war's brutality and never adopts an avuncular tone. Not every section of the book is riveting, but slowly the succession of scenes, impressions, and remarks build to create a solid, memorable portrayal of Ned Begay. Even when facing complex negative forces within his own country, he is able to reach into his traditional culture to find answers that work for him in a modern context. Readers who choose the book for the attraction of Navajo code talking and the heat of battle will come away with more than they ever expected to find.
Horn Book (Fall 2005)
Unconvincingly framed as reminiscence that a WWII veteran shares with his grandchildren, this novel is larded with military history, information about the Navajo code-talkers, and awkwardly set passages about the beauty and natural wisdom of Navajo life. There is no plot, characterization is generic, and while real people are part of the story, their dialogue is fictionalized and unlikely. Bib.
Kirkus Review starred (January 15, 2005)
Sixteen-year-old Ned Begay detested life in the Navajo mission school where he was sent. There, "anything that belonged to the Navajo way was bad, and our Navajo language was the worst." However, in one of the greatest ironies in American history, when WWII broke out, Navajos-victims of the US Army effort to destroy them in the 1860s and the harshness of the mission schools in the 20th century-were recruited by the Marine Corps to use their native language to create an unbreakable code. Navajo is one of the hardest of all American Indian languages to learn, and only Navajos can speak it with complete fluency. So, Ned Begay joined a select group of Navajo code talkers to create one code the Japanese couldn't break. Telling his story to his grandchildren, Ned relates his experiences in school, military training, and across the Pacific, on Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Guam, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. With its multicultural themes and well-told WWII history, this will appeal to a wide audience. (author's note, bibliography) (Fiction. 10+)
Connections:
This book is recommended for age 10 and up. This a good book for both girls and boys, I would recommend this book to the young boys and any reluctant male readers. The story has a historical background and insight into World War 2 from a male perspective.
This book creates a natural curiousity to learn more about the Code Talkers and I believe that can lead to a research project that could include many different focuses, including the Navajo culture, World War 2, Marines,Japan, Pearl Harbor, and to learn more about Code Talkers.
Older students can create a code. Use it to send a message.
Using theliterature circle questions listed at the end of the book would create wonderful conversation and deeper understanding of the book.
Summary:
Bruchac’s CODE TALKERs is about a young Navajo boy who leaves his family to go and learn the ways of the “bilagaanaa” the white man. He is quickly stripped of his Navajo name “Daghaatbahi Biye” and given a white man’s name “Ned Begay.” Ned and the other Navajo children were severely disciplined for using their Navajo language or ways. Even though Ned has been told his Navajo ways were worthless and treated badly at the school, when he heard on the radio that Japan had attacked America he wanted to go and fight for America. At 16 Ned Begay joins the Marines and immediately after boot camp is taken to learn about the secret mission he and other Navajos would be involved in. Ned discovers that the Marine’s need his Navajo language, the same language he was forbidden to use, to deliver messages to those fighting for our country. Ned Begay became a Code Talker and used his native language to save countless lives. The resources, acknowledgement, and language activities at the end of the book are wonderful resources to learn more about this Marine Division that was allowed to speak of their contributions to the war for many years.
Analysis:
Bruchac tells the story of the Navajo Marines of World War Two and a special Divison, known as the “Code Talkers.” Bruchac establishes the setting of the story through the words of the grandfather who is telling the story some fifty years later. A time in our history that stayed silent for many years. It was “December 7, 1941” and from the radio the students hear America has beed attatcked, the young boy that arived at the school as “Daghaatbahi Biye” and now known by his white man’s name of Ned Begay is ready to join the fight. Despite the “bilagaanaa”, white people’s ways of discilpining and stripping the Navajos of their culture and heritage Ned still remembers the words of the “Tribal Council”, Navajo Indians stand ready”…”to aid and defend our government.” Ned is small and has the nickname of “Wolachii”, “ant” and has to wait until he is older to join. After a year, Ned is not yet seventeen ,but his parents allow him to join the Marines. Before he leaves he takes part in a Navajo tradition known as the “Hozhooji, the Blessingway”. This tradition involves friends and family in a ceremony that “was to be given as the utmost help and protection againist all dangers that might come.” The Navajo fashion was described as the children arrived at the Rehoboth Mission. The children stood dressed in their finest, “the deerskin mocassins”, family jewlry made of silver, inset with turquoise and agate and jet, their bracelets, belts, and hair ornaments” are signs of love and the Navajo culture. “Their long black hair” that glistened in the sun are all connected to the Navajo culture. The traditions, fashion and contributions to America’s defense during World War Two are explained further in the Acknowledgemens at the end of the book. Bruchac spent time to research and time to listen and learn from the Navajo Code Talkers and their families.
Reviews/Awards:
Book Links (A.L.A.) 01/01/07 Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.) 01/01/06
Booklist starred 02/15/05 School Library Journal 05/01/05
Kirkus Review starred 01/15/05 Wilson's Junior High School 01/09/10
Library Media Connection starred 02/01/06 Wilson's Senior High School 10/01/07
Booklist starred (February 15, 2005 (Vol. 101, No. 12))
Gr. 6-9. Six-year-old Ned Begay leaves his Navajo home for boarding school, where he learns the English language and American ways. At 16, he enlists in the U.S. Marines during World War II and is trained as a code talker, using his native language to radio battlefield information and commands in a code that was kept secret until 1969. Rooted in his Navajo consciousness and traditions even in dealing with fear, loneliness, and the horrors of the battlefield, Ned tells of his experiences in Hawaii, Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Guam, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. The book, addressed to Ned's grandchildren, ends with an author's note about the code talkers as well as lengthy acknowledgments and a bibliography. The narrative pulls no punches about war's brutality and never adopts an avuncular tone. Not every section of the book is riveting, but slowly the succession of scenes, impressions, and remarks build to create a solid, memorable portrayal of Ned Begay. Even when facing complex negative forces within his own country, he is able to reach into his traditional culture to find answers that work for him in a modern context. Readers who choose the book for the attraction of Navajo code talking and the heat of battle will come away with more than they ever expected to find.
Horn Book (Fall 2005)
Unconvincingly framed as reminiscence that a WWII veteran shares with his grandchildren, this novel is larded with military history, information about the Navajo code-talkers, and awkwardly set passages about the beauty and natural wisdom of Navajo life. There is no plot, characterization is generic, and while real people are part of the story, their dialogue is fictionalized and unlikely. Bib.
Kirkus Review starred (January 15, 2005)
Sixteen-year-old Ned Begay detested life in the Navajo mission school where he was sent. There, "anything that belonged to the Navajo way was bad, and our Navajo language was the worst." However, in one of the greatest ironies in American history, when WWII broke out, Navajos-victims of the US Army effort to destroy them in the 1860s and the harshness of the mission schools in the 20th century-were recruited by the Marine Corps to use their native language to create an unbreakable code. Navajo is one of the hardest of all American Indian languages to learn, and only Navajos can speak it with complete fluency. So, Ned Begay joined a select group of Navajo code talkers to create one code the Japanese couldn't break. Telling his story to his grandchildren, Ned relates his experiences in school, military training, and across the Pacific, on Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Guam, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. With its multicultural themes and well-told WWII history, this will appeal to a wide audience. (author's note, bibliography) (Fiction. 10+)
Connections:
This book is recommended for age 10 and up. This a good book for both girls and boys, I would recommend this book to the young boys and any reluctant male readers. The story has a historical background and insight into World War 2 from a male perspective.
This book creates a natural curiousity to learn more about the Code Talkers and I believe that can lead to a research project that could include many different focuses, including the Navajo culture, World War 2, Marines,Japan, Pearl Harbor, and to learn more about Code Talkers.
Older students can create a code. Use it to send a message.
Using theliterature circle questions listed at the end of the book would create wonderful conversation and deeper understanding of the book.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
JINGLE DANCER- Smith
Smith, Cynthia Leitich. 2000. JINGLE DANCER. New York: Morrow Junior Books. ISBN: 0-688-16241-X
Summary:
Jenna dreams of dancing at the next powwow, but does not have the jingles to make her dress “sing.” She goes from one important woman in her life to the next asking to “borrow enough jingles to make a row.” Each time Jenna asked for just one row “not wanting to take so many that (each of the woman’s) dresses would lose its voice.” Jenna will dance for Great- aunt Sis whose legs ached”, “Mrs. Scott who sold fry bread”, “Elizabeth who worked on her big case”, and for “Grandma Wolfe, who warmed like Sun.” Jenna was able to dance the Jingle Dance and carry on the tradition she loved watching her grandma do on the television.
Analysis:
Smith has set this book in a contemporary neighborhood as we see the houses when Jenna walks down the street to see “Great-Aunt Sis” to ask for jingles and in Mrs. Scott’s kitchen of her “brand – new duplex” with modern appliances and then Jenna helps her cousin Elizabeth “late from the law firm” into her apartment. Within the words and the illustrations we see friends, neighbors and family in contemporary settings. Smith identifies the Native American heritage through food and sounds as Jenna is daydreaming “at the kitchen table tasting honey on fry bread,” and continues with “her heart beating to the brum, brum, brum of the powwow drum. Jenna wants to “jingle dance” and hear the tink ,tink, tink of the jingles. Jenna holds a feather in her hand and thinks about the rows of jingles she needs. The number four is important as Smith lets the reader know in the Author’s Notes section because many “Native people” believe four symbolizes the “four seasons, four directions, four stages of life and four colors of man” and the four women that give Jenna a row of jingles. Smith continued are authenticity of the tradition of the Jingle Dance as she Jenna and Grandma worked together on the “dance regalia.” Wright and Hu illustrate the dress with the jingles, the moccasin boots, scarf around her neck and the feather in her hand and the reader can see her hair in one long braid. The beautiful watercolor illustrations fill in the details of the full “dance regalia.” Smith uses many phrases that express the time of day such as, “As Moon kissed the Sun good night”, ”As Sun arrived at midcircle,” “As Sun caught a glimpse of the moon,” and “As Moon glowed Pale,” as Jenna goes to the four women to borrow the jingles. There was one reference of “Muscogee Creek” in the story her Great – aunt Sis tells about the bat. We find out in the Author’s Note that Jenna was a member of the “Muscogee (Creek) Nation. The Author’s Note and glossary were very helpful in bringing a better understanding to significance of the jingle dance and the powwow.
Reviews & Awards
Book Links (A.L.A.) 03/01/04 Publishers Weekly 05/15/00
Booklist 05/15/00 School Library Journal 07/01/00
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 07/01/00 Teacher Librarian 02/01/09
Choice 01/01/01 Wilson's Children 10/01/10
Booklist (Vol. 96, No. 18 (May 15, 2000))
Ages 4-7. This contemporary Native American tale highlights the importance of family and community through a young girl's dream of joining the dancers at the next powwow. Jenna is a girl of Muscogee (Creek) and Ojibway (Chippewa/Anishinabe) descent. She has practiced the steps for the jingle dance by following her grandmother's moves on a video. Now she must get enough jingles (traditionally made of tin, aluminum, or gold canning lids rolled into cones) to sew on her dress to make a satisfying "tink, tink" as she dances. The way Jenna gathers her jingles (borrowing enough to make a row, but not so many that the lender's dress will "lose its voice"), and her promise to dance for the women who cannot dance for themselves illustrate the importance of family and community ties. The colorful, well-executed watercolor illustrations lend warmth to the story. A note explaining Jenna's heritage and a brief glossary are appended.
Horn Book (Fall 2000)
Jenna, who lives in a suburban Oklahoma neighborhood, is of Muscogee and Ojibway descent. She borrows jingles--metal cones--from four important women in her life, so that her jingle dress will have its own voice for her first powwow dance. Dance regalia and modern-day life are ably depicted in fluid watercolors. The text's folkloric style is sometimes at odds with the contemporary story. Glos.
Kirkus Review (April 15, 2000)
A contemporary Native American girl follows in her grandmother's footsteps (literally and figuratively), dancing the traditional jingle dance at the powwow. Jenna, a member of the Creek Nation in Oklahoma, dreams of dancing the jingle dance with the women of her tribe and is delighted when her grandmother tells her that she can dance with the other girls at the next powwow. But there is one problem--there won't be enough time to order the materials to make the four rows of jingles that are attached to the dress. If Jenna wants to hear the tink, tink, tink sound that the tin jingles make, she'll have to figure out a way to get the jingles on her own. Fortunately, Jenna is resourceful and knows just what to do. She visits great-aunt Sis, her friend Mrs. Scott, and cousin Elizabeth and borrows a row of jingles from each of them. (Jenna can only borrow one row of jingles apiece--otherwise each dress will lose its "voice.") While the problem of finding the jingles on her own doesn't seem challenging enough for the approbation Jenna receives at the end of the story for her resourcefulness, children will enjoy watching her figure out the solution to her problem. The watercolor illustrations clearly and realistically depict what is happening in the story. The layout of the book is straightforward--mostly double-page spreads that extend all the way to the edges of the paper. Jenna lives in what looks like a nice suburban house, the others seem solidly middle-class, and cousin Elizabeth is a lawyer. The author is deliberately showing us, it would seem, that all Native Americans are not poor or live on rundown reservations. A useful portrayal of an important cultural event in a Creek girl's year. (author's note, glossary) (Picture book. 5-9)
Connections:
This is an excellent read aloud book for first grade students.
After going to Cynthia Leitich Smith’s website I have so many more Ideas to use in my classroom,
I could rewrite many of the suggestions she has for JINGLE DANCER,but I recommend going to her website and investigating all the activities she has in her teacher guides for JINGLE DANCER.
The guide includes: Overview, Pre- reading, Comprehension and Multiple Intelligence
There are additional websites that include dancing and powwows, music, video, teaching guides.
http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/index.html
I am looking forward to including this book and the activities in my teaching next year.
Summary:
Jenna dreams of dancing at the next powwow, but does not have the jingles to make her dress “sing.” She goes from one important woman in her life to the next asking to “borrow enough jingles to make a row.” Each time Jenna asked for just one row “not wanting to take so many that (each of the woman’s) dresses would lose its voice.” Jenna will dance for Great- aunt Sis whose legs ached”, “Mrs. Scott who sold fry bread”, “Elizabeth who worked on her big case”, and for “Grandma Wolfe, who warmed like Sun.” Jenna was able to dance the Jingle Dance and carry on the tradition she loved watching her grandma do on the television.
Analysis:
Smith has set this book in a contemporary neighborhood as we see the houses when Jenna walks down the street to see “Great-Aunt Sis” to ask for jingles and in Mrs. Scott’s kitchen of her “brand – new duplex” with modern appliances and then Jenna helps her cousin Elizabeth “late from the law firm” into her apartment. Within the words and the illustrations we see friends, neighbors and family in contemporary settings. Smith identifies the Native American heritage through food and sounds as Jenna is daydreaming “at the kitchen table tasting honey on fry bread,” and continues with “her heart beating to the brum, brum, brum of the powwow drum. Jenna wants to “jingle dance” and hear the tink ,tink, tink of the jingles. Jenna holds a feather in her hand and thinks about the rows of jingles she needs. The number four is important as Smith lets the reader know in the Author’s Notes section because many “Native people” believe four symbolizes the “four seasons, four directions, four stages of life and four colors of man” and the four women that give Jenna a row of jingles. Smith continued are authenticity of the tradition of the Jingle Dance as she Jenna and Grandma worked together on the “dance regalia.” Wright and Hu illustrate the dress with the jingles, the moccasin boots, scarf around her neck and the feather in her hand and the reader can see her hair in one long braid. The beautiful watercolor illustrations fill in the details of the full “dance regalia.” Smith uses many phrases that express the time of day such as, “As Moon kissed the Sun good night”, ”As Sun arrived at midcircle,” “As Sun caught a glimpse of the moon,” and “As Moon glowed Pale,” as Jenna goes to the four women to borrow the jingles. There was one reference of “Muscogee Creek” in the story her Great – aunt Sis tells about the bat. We find out in the Author’s Note that Jenna was a member of the “Muscogee (Creek) Nation. The Author’s Note and glossary were very helpful in bringing a better understanding to significance of the jingle dance and the powwow.
Reviews & Awards
Book Links (A.L.A.) 03/01/04 Publishers Weekly 05/15/00
Booklist 05/15/00 School Library Journal 07/01/00
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 07/01/00 Teacher Librarian 02/01/09
Choice 01/01/01 Wilson's Children 10/01/10
Booklist (Vol. 96, No. 18 (May 15, 2000))
Ages 4-7. This contemporary Native American tale highlights the importance of family and community through a young girl's dream of joining the dancers at the next powwow. Jenna is a girl of Muscogee (Creek) and Ojibway (Chippewa/Anishinabe) descent. She has practiced the steps for the jingle dance by following her grandmother's moves on a video. Now she must get enough jingles (traditionally made of tin, aluminum, or gold canning lids rolled into cones) to sew on her dress to make a satisfying "tink, tink" as she dances. The way Jenna gathers her jingles (borrowing enough to make a row, but not so many that the lender's dress will "lose its voice"), and her promise to dance for the women who cannot dance for themselves illustrate the importance of family and community ties. The colorful, well-executed watercolor illustrations lend warmth to the story. A note explaining Jenna's heritage and a brief glossary are appended.
Horn Book (Fall 2000)
Jenna, who lives in a suburban Oklahoma neighborhood, is of Muscogee and Ojibway descent. She borrows jingles--metal cones--from four important women in her life, so that her jingle dress will have its own voice for her first powwow dance. Dance regalia and modern-day life are ably depicted in fluid watercolors. The text's folkloric style is sometimes at odds with the contemporary story. Glos.
Kirkus Review (April 15, 2000)
A contemporary Native American girl follows in her grandmother's footsteps (literally and figuratively), dancing the traditional jingle dance at the powwow. Jenna, a member of the Creek Nation in Oklahoma, dreams of dancing the jingle dance with the women of her tribe and is delighted when her grandmother tells her that she can dance with the other girls at the next powwow. But there is one problem--there won't be enough time to order the materials to make the four rows of jingles that are attached to the dress. If Jenna wants to hear the tink, tink, tink sound that the tin jingles make, she'll have to figure out a way to get the jingles on her own. Fortunately, Jenna is resourceful and knows just what to do. She visits great-aunt Sis, her friend Mrs. Scott, and cousin Elizabeth and borrows a row of jingles from each of them. (Jenna can only borrow one row of jingles apiece--otherwise each dress will lose its "voice.") While the problem of finding the jingles on her own doesn't seem challenging enough for the approbation Jenna receives at the end of the story for her resourcefulness, children will enjoy watching her figure out the solution to her problem. The watercolor illustrations clearly and realistically depict what is happening in the story. The layout of the book is straightforward--mostly double-page spreads that extend all the way to the edges of the paper. Jenna lives in what looks like a nice suburban house, the others seem solidly middle-class, and cousin Elizabeth is a lawyer. The author is deliberately showing us, it would seem, that all Native Americans are not poor or live on rundown reservations. A useful portrayal of an important cultural event in a Creek girl's year. (author's note, glossary) (Picture book. 5-9)
Connections:
This is an excellent read aloud book for first grade students.
After going to Cynthia Leitich Smith’s website I have so many more Ideas to use in my classroom,
I could rewrite many of the suggestions she has for JINGLE DANCER,but I recommend going to her website and investigating all the activities she has in her teacher guides for JINGLE DANCER.
The guide includes: Overview, Pre- reading, Comprehension and Multiple Intelligence
There are additional websites that include dancing and powwows, music, video, teaching guides.
http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/index.html
I am looking forward to including this book and the activities in my teaching next year.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Partly Cloudy Poems of Love and Longing
Soto, Gary. 2009. PARTLY CLOUDY; POEMS OF LOVE AND LONGING. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing. ISBN: 978-0-15-206301-6
Summary:
PARTLY CLOUDY is a collection of 79 poems written about young love both real and fake, jealousy, first kisses, and lost love. It appeals to young adults around the age of 13 both boys and girls. Soto has divided his poems into two sections, “A Girl’s Tears, Her Songs and “A Boy’s Body, His Words.” The poems express the feelings from both the girl’s and boy’s perspectives. As we read about fleeting love from the girl’s section in the poem, “The Big Chill”, (“We have lost something. /In September your hand squeezed mine”) and continues through the months until we read, (“In December the snow will erase/ Our footsteps. You’ll be gone.”). Then we find in the boy’s section, “Eternal Love”, (“What’s the meaning of time?/ You said , “I’ll be with you forever,”/ We lasted two weeks, one afternoon, / A half hour, a few minutes,”) time was different but pain felt from the loss of a love is the same. PARTLY CLOUDY is a wonderful collection of free verse poems that will appeal to the teenagers. There are poems that deal with jealousy, fitting in and sacrifices made for love. In “Jealousy” , (“When I turn to spy on her, I see she also turned-/ Tall as me, brown hair and eyes like me,/And both of us baring our teeth.”) speaks to the hurt and anger that jealousy brings to your life, while in the poem , “So Much Like Me” we see how fitting in becomes important as we read “ Because of you I wore a shirt with buttons,/Polished my shoes, and combed my hair,”) and some have given up favorite foods for young love as seen in, “Vegan for Your Love”, (“No chicken or chops,/No burger or chow mein with pork,/ No milk shakes thick as wet cement.”). Soto has included poems that touch the feelings and lives of many teenagers.
Analysis:
As I look for cultural markers in Soto’s poems I believe they are in the diversity of the settings and the emotions of the boys and girls. .”The contemporary settings include the classroom, (“I went to the class, sat in a chair”) and the theater, (“We missed the half – price/ Matinee. But it was ok.”) and “At McDonald ‘s ,/The one place we can afford.” The experiences of going to the “Fall Dance” “You cooed, We’ll waltz,”/ I smiled, swallowed,” “Worried. What was/ A waltz? I learned when”, and the baseball field, “I see you walking/ Across the baseball diamond,’ and after football practice all places that first loves begin and end, the sweet moments of “I saw what you did-/ You pretended to drink/ From the straw,” at the McDonalds. The humor and awkwardness of a dad explaining “The Birds and the Bees”, (“Let me tell you about girls,” /Dad began, and then said”) in a home that seems to be like many other homes during this time. There was one reference made to a relationship in the poem “Barriers”, “Who will understand us?/ Not your parents or mine, / As I am Japanese/ And you’re Mexican,” and in the poem “Playing Football” (For a while I liked/ Boys with curly hair,/And then straight hair,/Short Afros, or daring boys/ With green spiky hair,” that leads the reader to these poems reflecting the late 1980’s – 1990’s. The culture was teenage boys and girls as they navigate the waters of emotions that come with first love and heartbreak of rejection and love lost. Soto is able to touch both boys and girls with his words and thoughts and humor.
Reviews & Awards:
Booklist 02/15/09 School Library Journal 03/01/09
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 02/01/09 Voice of Youth Advocates (V.O.Y.A.) 02/01/09
Horn Book 10/01/09 Wilson's Junior High School 01/09/10
Publishers Weekly 03/09/09 Wilson's Senior High School 06/01/10
Full-Text Reviews
Booklist (February 15, 2009 (Vol. 105, No. 12))
Grades 6-9. “If only you would turn / And see me / Seeing you.” In rapid, clear free verse, young teens, both girls and boys, speak about falling in love—the jealousy, loneliness, and hurt of rejection and breaking up, as well as the romantic bliss. The speakers are as varied as their hairdos, which include curls, straight locks, Afros, or green spikes; and the contemporary settings are diverse, too, from the classroom (“I secretly open my cell / And look at you, digitally caught”) and cafeteria (“Lucky fork touched your lips”) to the forest (“where boys go / When a girl says no”) and town streets, where the speakers skateboard. The sex is minimal, mostly dreams (“Her hair against my throat / And the pink bud of her tongue”), and even parents’ discussion of sex isn’t direct; in one poem, a dad tries, and fails, to talk about the birds and the bees. Young teens will enjoy the “love sick” puns and the metaphors, lyrical and sad, that show there is poetry in the way they speak.
Horn Book (March/April, 2009)
Soto is well known for his range, but here's a first for him: seventy-seven original poems all about teenage love. Divided into two sections, "A Girl's Tears, Her Songs" and "A Boy's Body, His Words," the free-verse poems all somehow ring true: appropriately corny, rich with image, accessible and believable. They describe a range of emotions and experience, from "Not Yet" ("I a small tree, / You a taller, bending / Tree. The sun / Will roll over us, / And if a cloud / Of worry throws lightning, / Let's remember our fear") to "Imagination" ("Mr. Fried, you're a nice man, / But, please, you pick up the book / And float on an iceberg to Norway! / ...I don't want to read / About love, but feel love -- / Her hand in mine, / Her hair against my throat, / And the pink bud of her tongue..."). Humor, devastation, tenderness, jealousy...if any theme seems to repeat, it's Soto's soft spot for the date that can't afford the date, like the guy who orders a strawberry milkshake (her favorite) and only pretends to sip his half. Inevitably, readers will be drawn more to some poems than to others, but the simple, open design encourages browsing, and readers flipping through are bound to find the right words when they need them.
Horn Book starred (July, 2009)
Soto presents seventy-seven original poems about teenage love. Divided into two sections, "A Girl's Tears, Her Songs" and "A Boy's Body, His Words," the free-verse poems all ring true: appropriately corny, rich with image, accessible and believable. The simple, open design encourages browsing, and readers flipping through are bound to find the right words when they need them.
Connections:
PARTLY CLOUDY is not a book I would be able to use in my classroom, but it is one that I can recommend to our fifth grade and middle school teachers. Bringing in more age appropriate poetry is important in getting more of our students interested in reading and writing poetry.
For older students, choose a type of poetry as your theme for the month. Then read an example of that type of poem and discuss its characteristics at the beginning of each day. At the end of the month, have students create their own poem. Collect the poems each month, and by the end of the year, students will have their own anthologies.
Summary:
PARTLY CLOUDY is a collection of 79 poems written about young love both real and fake, jealousy, first kisses, and lost love. It appeals to young adults around the age of 13 both boys and girls. Soto has divided his poems into two sections, “A Girl’s Tears, Her Songs and “A Boy’s Body, His Words.” The poems express the feelings from both the girl’s and boy’s perspectives. As we read about fleeting love from the girl’s section in the poem, “The Big Chill”, (“We have lost something. /In September your hand squeezed mine”) and continues through the months until we read, (“In December the snow will erase/ Our footsteps. You’ll be gone.”). Then we find in the boy’s section, “Eternal Love”, (“What’s the meaning of time?/ You said , “I’ll be with you forever,”/ We lasted two weeks, one afternoon, / A half hour, a few minutes,”) time was different but pain felt from the loss of a love is the same. PARTLY CLOUDY is a wonderful collection of free verse poems that will appeal to the teenagers. There are poems that deal with jealousy, fitting in and sacrifices made for love. In “Jealousy” , (“When I turn to spy on her, I see she also turned-/ Tall as me, brown hair and eyes like me,/And both of us baring our teeth.”) speaks to the hurt and anger that jealousy brings to your life, while in the poem , “So Much Like Me” we see how fitting in becomes important as we read “ Because of you I wore a shirt with buttons,/Polished my shoes, and combed my hair,”) and some have given up favorite foods for young love as seen in, “Vegan for Your Love”, (“No chicken or chops,/No burger or chow mein with pork,/ No milk shakes thick as wet cement.”). Soto has included poems that touch the feelings and lives of many teenagers.
Analysis:
As I look for cultural markers in Soto’s poems I believe they are in the diversity of the settings and the emotions of the boys and girls. .”The contemporary settings include the classroom, (“I went to the class, sat in a chair”) and the theater, (“We missed the half – price/ Matinee. But it was ok.”) and “At McDonald ‘s ,/The one place we can afford.” The experiences of going to the “Fall Dance” “You cooed, We’ll waltz,”/ I smiled, swallowed,” “Worried. What was/ A waltz? I learned when”, and the baseball field, “I see you walking/ Across the baseball diamond,’ and after football practice all places that first loves begin and end, the sweet moments of “I saw what you did-/ You pretended to drink/ From the straw,” at the McDonalds. The humor and awkwardness of a dad explaining “The Birds and the Bees”, (“Let me tell you about girls,” /Dad began, and then said”) in a home that seems to be like many other homes during this time. There was one reference made to a relationship in the poem “Barriers”, “Who will understand us?/ Not your parents or mine, / As I am Japanese/ And you’re Mexican,” and in the poem “Playing Football” (For a while I liked/ Boys with curly hair,/And then straight hair,/Short Afros, or daring boys/ With green spiky hair,” that leads the reader to these poems reflecting the late 1980’s – 1990’s. The culture was teenage boys and girls as they navigate the waters of emotions that come with first love and heartbreak of rejection and love lost. Soto is able to touch both boys and girls with his words and thoughts and humor.
Reviews & Awards:
Booklist 02/15/09 School Library Journal 03/01/09
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 02/01/09 Voice of Youth Advocates (V.O.Y.A.) 02/01/09
Horn Book 10/01/09 Wilson's Junior High School 01/09/10
Publishers Weekly 03/09/09 Wilson's Senior High School 06/01/10
Full-Text Reviews
Booklist (February 15, 2009 (Vol. 105, No. 12))
Grades 6-9. “If only you would turn / And see me / Seeing you.” In rapid, clear free verse, young teens, both girls and boys, speak about falling in love—the jealousy, loneliness, and hurt of rejection and breaking up, as well as the romantic bliss. The speakers are as varied as their hairdos, which include curls, straight locks, Afros, or green spikes; and the contemporary settings are diverse, too, from the classroom (“I secretly open my cell / And look at you, digitally caught”) and cafeteria (“Lucky fork touched your lips”) to the forest (“where boys go / When a girl says no”) and town streets, where the speakers skateboard. The sex is minimal, mostly dreams (“Her hair against my throat / And the pink bud of her tongue”), and even parents’ discussion of sex isn’t direct; in one poem, a dad tries, and fails, to talk about the birds and the bees. Young teens will enjoy the “love sick” puns and the metaphors, lyrical and sad, that show there is poetry in the way they speak.
Horn Book (March/April, 2009)
Soto is well known for his range, but here's a first for him: seventy-seven original poems all about teenage love. Divided into two sections, "A Girl's Tears, Her Songs" and "A Boy's Body, His Words," the free-verse poems all somehow ring true: appropriately corny, rich with image, accessible and believable. They describe a range of emotions and experience, from "Not Yet" ("I a small tree, / You a taller, bending / Tree. The sun / Will roll over us, / And if a cloud / Of worry throws lightning, / Let's remember our fear") to "Imagination" ("Mr. Fried, you're a nice man, / But, please, you pick up the book / And float on an iceberg to Norway! / ...I don't want to read / About love, but feel love -- / Her hand in mine, / Her hair against my throat, / And the pink bud of her tongue..."). Humor, devastation, tenderness, jealousy...if any theme seems to repeat, it's Soto's soft spot for the date that can't afford the date, like the guy who orders a strawberry milkshake (her favorite) and only pretends to sip his half. Inevitably, readers will be drawn more to some poems than to others, but the simple, open design encourages browsing, and readers flipping through are bound to find the right words when they need them.
Horn Book starred (July, 2009)
Soto presents seventy-seven original poems about teenage love. Divided into two sections, "A Girl's Tears, Her Songs" and "A Boy's Body, His Words," the free-verse poems all ring true: appropriately corny, rich with image, accessible and believable. The simple, open design encourages browsing, and readers flipping through are bound to find the right words when they need them.
Connections:
PARTLY CLOUDY is not a book I would be able to use in my classroom, but it is one that I can recommend to our fifth grade and middle school teachers. Bringing in more age appropriate poetry is important in getting more of our students interested in reading and writing poetry.
For older students, choose a type of poetry as your theme for the month. Then read an example of that type of poem and discuss its characteristics at the beginning of each day. At the end of the month, have students create their own poem. Collect the poems each month, and by the end of the year, students will have their own anthologies.
MY ABUELITA- Tony Johnston
Johnston, Tony. 2009. MY ABUELITA. Illus. Morales, Yuyi. Florida: Harcourt Children’s Books. ISBN: 978-0-15-216330-3.
Summary
MY ABUELITA is narrated by the young boy and he begins with my abuelita says she is “as old as the hills” and “as round as a calabaza, a pumpkin and I live with her. The day starts early as Abuelita, Frida Kahlo, the cat and the boy get up and stretch “limbering up for work.” There are hints to Abuelita work throughout the pages. Abuelita says “being round gives me a good round voice” and it is “just the voice for my work.” Abuelita sings in the shower “like a frog” and hums “like a great big bee” as she dries off and yodels while making huevos estrellados,starry eggs. There is love, fun and joy as Abuelita prepares for work. But what is her work? Abuelita “puts her on a flowery grown and bright red shoes and a scarf like a cloud that flows down to the ground,” and looks around for “what is missing?” Where is Abuelita going in her flowery dress with a carcacha, her jalopy, filled with “a king and queen as brown as beans,” a “magnificent plumed snake,” and “one feathered crown?’ It is not until the very end that we find out Abuelita’s work is being a storyteller.
Analysis
From the cover of MY ABUELITA the reader can see the connection to Mexico and its culture. Morales use of polymer clay characters is reminiscent of the Mexican folk art style of dolls and toys. The characters are dressed in bright colors with the patterns that are seen in not only on the clothing but on the furniture, placemats, rugs and dishes. Yuyi weaves in cultural markers throughout the pages of MY ABUELITA to compliment Johnston’s words. Johnston names the cat “Frida” Kahlo after the well known artist Frida Kahlo from Mexico, who was famous for her portraits. The reader sees Frida Kahlo portrait on the first page on a pillow that Abuelita to holding in her hands. The beautiful mirrors with the metal work around them are another marker to Mexico and the art. Morales has Abuelita’s reflection in the mirror as a “calabaza”, a pumpkin to entertain and explain. The illustrations continue to entertain as we see a line of bedroom slippers as Abuelita yodels about “Pantuflas, Pantuflas”. Johnston uses many Spanish words to bring authencity to the family and connection to Mexico. As Abuelita prepares breakfast she has “homemade tortillas” with “queso” and “ huevos estrellados” , “starry eggs” all familiar foods to the culture. The Spanish words are written in a different font to set the Spanish words apart from the English text. This makes the language connection easy to see and understand. It is the details in the illustrations that create the warm feeling of the family in a warm and brightly colored house that reflects the family’s culture and heritage. The painted chests, the ornately decorated mirrors, the fabrics used on the bedding, shower curtain, curtains and Abuelita’s “gown” give continuity to the culture. As Abuelita and her grandson leave she packs her “carcacha”, her jalopy with the props she will need for her work. The “king and queen as brown as beans”, a “calaca”, skeleton that is popular when celebrating the “Dia de los Muertos”, Day of the Dead, and the “feathered crown” all items closely tied to the Mexican culture of the story. As I researched Mexican folk art, I found the type of illustrations used and the details in both the art and words were authentic and respectful to the culture and heritage of Mexico.
Reviews & Awards
Booklist 08/01/09 Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.) 01/01/10
Horn Book 04/01/10 Publishers Weekly 08/31/09
Kirkus Review 08/01/09 School Library Journal 08/01/09
Library Media Connection 05/01/10
Wilson's Children 10/01/10
2010 Pura Belpre Illustrator Honor Book
Full-Text Reviews
Booklist (August 2009 (Vol. 105, No. 22))
Grades 1-3. A young boy narrates an affectionate ode to his beloved grandmother in this fanciful picture book. As day begins, Abuelita, who is round and “robust . . . like a calabaza,” readies for work. Together with the boy and her cat, she stretches and eats “huevos estrellados, starry eggs.” Finally, when they’re dressed and the jalopy is packed, they set off for Abuelita’s storytime, where she captivates an audience with words “as wild as blossoms blooming.” The book lacks a glossary and pronunciation guide, but the many Spanish terms are well defined within the boy’s engaging and poetic narrative, in which he conveys his admiration and affection for his appealingly peppy grandmother. Some of the verbal imagery may be a bit esoteric for younger or more literal readers, but the eye-catching, mixed-media illustrations, sparked with bright patterns, textures, and color, will help reinforce the meaning in the words. A charming tribute to family and the joys and inspiration that storytelling can bring.
Horn Book (Spring 2010)
A boy describes his abuelita's daily routine as she prepares for work. The confusing but lyrical text, deftly incorporating some Spanish words, leads to the story's big reveal: Abuelita is a storyteller. Aptly, Johnston's wordplay provides opportunities for storytellers as a lively read-aloud. Morales's unique mixed-media illustrations (clay, wire, wood, acrylic, etc.) were photographed and computer manipulated.
Kirkus Review (August 1, 2009)
A Mexican-flavored story of a small child who lives with a lovely and extravagant grandmother. He calls her "Abuelita," the affectionate word that Spanish-speaking children and children of Hispanic origin use to name their grandmas. The attentive child expresses a genuine admiration for his Abuelita's job, describing her daily rituals to get ready to work: The child and Abuelita's cat (Frida Kahlo) follow her while she takes a shower, prepares breakfast, exercises her voice and dons (after a reminder) a special gown. Then, after besitos for Frida Kahlo, they leave in an old car, a "carcacha," full of the unusual objects she needs to perform her work: a sun, a moon, a skeleton, a king and a queen. The digital photographs of Morales's unique polymer-clay sculptures, surrounded by elements and colors distinctive of traditional Mexican crafts, create a surrealistic atmosphere that transforms the locations where this story take place--a humble home and a school--into fantastic places. Children and adults, especially those who love listening and telling stories, will be thrilled to discover Abuelita's enchanting profession.
Connections:
This module has really made me reflect on what books I read to students in first grade. My read alouds and activities need to reflect my student population better.
I am excited about the books I have read and discovered in this module so far. MY ABUELITA is a beautiful book that all children can connect to. For my Hispanic students it will be a book to see children and family that look like them.
There are two immediate activities I can see using with my students using this book.
The first activity would be the introduction of storytelling. Oral language is so important to young children and retell is a part of reading assessments so beginning early with storytelling will benefit the children.
The second activity is one I found on the scholastic website listed below. It is a plan on how to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage which is celebrated September 15 to October 15 each year. The lessons on Scholastic .com are for all grade levels K- 5 with booklists for additional literature to introduce and use during this celebration.
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/hispanic/tguide/desc_obj.htm
I found another site for booklist for children and it was the Oprah Book club for Children site.
: http://www.oprah.com/oprahsbookclub/Books-for-6-to-9-Years-Old-2010-Kids-Reading-List/4
Summary
MY ABUELITA is narrated by the young boy and he begins with my abuelita says she is “as old as the hills” and “as round as a calabaza, a pumpkin and I live with her. The day starts early as Abuelita, Frida Kahlo, the cat and the boy get up and stretch “limbering up for work.” There are hints to Abuelita work throughout the pages. Abuelita says “being round gives me a good round voice” and it is “just the voice for my work.” Abuelita sings in the shower “like a frog” and hums “like a great big bee” as she dries off and yodels while making huevos estrellados,starry eggs. There is love, fun and joy as Abuelita prepares for work. But what is her work? Abuelita “puts her on a flowery grown and bright red shoes and a scarf like a cloud that flows down to the ground,” and looks around for “what is missing?” Where is Abuelita going in her flowery dress with a carcacha, her jalopy, filled with “a king and queen as brown as beans,” a “magnificent plumed snake,” and “one feathered crown?’ It is not until the very end that we find out Abuelita’s work is being a storyteller.
Analysis
From the cover of MY ABUELITA the reader can see the connection to Mexico and its culture. Morales use of polymer clay characters is reminiscent of the Mexican folk art style of dolls and toys. The characters are dressed in bright colors with the patterns that are seen in not only on the clothing but on the furniture, placemats, rugs and dishes. Yuyi weaves in cultural markers throughout the pages of MY ABUELITA to compliment Johnston’s words. Johnston names the cat “Frida” Kahlo after the well known artist Frida Kahlo from Mexico, who was famous for her portraits. The reader sees Frida Kahlo portrait on the first page on a pillow that Abuelita to holding in her hands. The beautiful mirrors with the metal work around them are another marker to Mexico and the art. Morales has Abuelita’s reflection in the mirror as a “calabaza”, a pumpkin to entertain and explain. The illustrations continue to entertain as we see a line of bedroom slippers as Abuelita yodels about “Pantuflas, Pantuflas”. Johnston uses many Spanish words to bring authencity to the family and connection to Mexico. As Abuelita prepares breakfast she has “homemade tortillas” with “queso” and “ huevos estrellados” , “starry eggs” all familiar foods to the culture. The Spanish words are written in a different font to set the Spanish words apart from the English text. This makes the language connection easy to see and understand. It is the details in the illustrations that create the warm feeling of the family in a warm and brightly colored house that reflects the family’s culture and heritage. The painted chests, the ornately decorated mirrors, the fabrics used on the bedding, shower curtain, curtains and Abuelita’s “gown” give continuity to the culture. As Abuelita and her grandson leave she packs her “carcacha”, her jalopy with the props she will need for her work. The “king and queen as brown as beans”, a “calaca”, skeleton that is popular when celebrating the “Dia de los Muertos”, Day of the Dead, and the “feathered crown” all items closely tied to the Mexican culture of the story. As I researched Mexican folk art, I found the type of illustrations used and the details in both the art and words were authentic and respectful to the culture and heritage of Mexico.
Reviews & Awards
Booklist 08/01/09 Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.) 01/01/10
Horn Book 04/01/10 Publishers Weekly 08/31/09
Kirkus Review 08/01/09 School Library Journal 08/01/09
Library Media Connection 05/01/10
Wilson's Children 10/01/10
2010 Pura Belpre Illustrator Honor Book
Full-Text Reviews
Booklist (August 2009 (Vol. 105, No. 22))
Grades 1-3. A young boy narrates an affectionate ode to his beloved grandmother in this fanciful picture book. As day begins, Abuelita, who is round and “robust . . . like a calabaza,” readies for work. Together with the boy and her cat, she stretches and eats “huevos estrellados, starry eggs.” Finally, when they’re dressed and the jalopy is packed, they set off for Abuelita’s storytime, where she captivates an audience with words “as wild as blossoms blooming.” The book lacks a glossary and pronunciation guide, but the many Spanish terms are well defined within the boy’s engaging and poetic narrative, in which he conveys his admiration and affection for his appealingly peppy grandmother. Some of the verbal imagery may be a bit esoteric for younger or more literal readers, but the eye-catching, mixed-media illustrations, sparked with bright patterns, textures, and color, will help reinforce the meaning in the words. A charming tribute to family and the joys and inspiration that storytelling can bring.
Horn Book (Spring 2010)
A boy describes his abuelita's daily routine as she prepares for work. The confusing but lyrical text, deftly incorporating some Spanish words, leads to the story's big reveal: Abuelita is a storyteller. Aptly, Johnston's wordplay provides opportunities for storytellers as a lively read-aloud. Morales's unique mixed-media illustrations (clay, wire, wood, acrylic, etc.) were photographed and computer manipulated.
Kirkus Review (August 1, 2009)
A Mexican-flavored story of a small child who lives with a lovely and extravagant grandmother. He calls her "Abuelita," the affectionate word that Spanish-speaking children and children of Hispanic origin use to name their grandmas. The attentive child expresses a genuine admiration for his Abuelita's job, describing her daily rituals to get ready to work: The child and Abuelita's cat (Frida Kahlo) follow her while she takes a shower, prepares breakfast, exercises her voice and dons (after a reminder) a special gown. Then, after besitos for Frida Kahlo, they leave in an old car, a "carcacha," full of the unusual objects she needs to perform her work: a sun, a moon, a skeleton, a king and a queen. The digital photographs of Morales's unique polymer-clay sculptures, surrounded by elements and colors distinctive of traditional Mexican crafts, create a surrealistic atmosphere that transforms the locations where this story take place--a humble home and a school--into fantastic places. Children and adults, especially those who love listening and telling stories, will be thrilled to discover Abuelita's enchanting profession.
Connections:
This module has really made me reflect on what books I read to students in first grade. My read alouds and activities need to reflect my student population better.
I am excited about the books I have read and discovered in this module so far. MY ABUELITA is a beautiful book that all children can connect to. For my Hispanic students it will be a book to see children and family that look like them.
There are two immediate activities I can see using with my students using this book.
The first activity would be the introduction of storytelling. Oral language is so important to young children and retell is a part of reading assessments so beginning early with storytelling will benefit the children.
The second activity is one I found on the scholastic website listed below. It is a plan on how to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage which is celebrated September 15 to October 15 each year. The lessons on Scholastic .com are for all grade levels K- 5 with booklists for additional literature to introduce and use during this celebration.
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/hispanic/tguide/desc_obj.htm
I found another site for booklist for children and it was the Oprah Book club for Children site.
: http://www.oprah.com/oprahsbookclub/Books-for-6-to-9-Years-Old-2010-Kids-Reading-List/4
Yum! Mmmm!Que Rico!: Americas' Sproutings
Mora, Pat. 2007. YUM! ¡ MmMm! ¡ QUE RICO! AMERICAS’ SPROUTINGS. Ilus. Lopez, Rafael. New York: Lee & Low Books Inc. ISBN: 13: 978-1-58430-271-1.
Summary:
Mora’s story is a delightful combination of facts and poetry put into a picture book. Each page contains information on the origin of many foods that are native foods to America including the Spanish and English names and give a rich history to even the youngest reader about foods that are a part of Americans lives. The short but very informative section about the food has very interesting facts that connect to readers of all ages. Mora then takes the rich history and creates the most wonderful Haiku for each page. This Japanese form of poetry, Haiku, is a wonderful surprise. The fifteen Haiku poems connect children to the food through the wonderful words such as “Brown magic melts on your tongue” as the reader learns about chocolate, and the fiery heat from the chiles as “dad bites, green mouth- fire.” Mora’s words feed the mind with knowledge and Lopez’s illustrations are a feast for the eyes. Mora says “I love variety,” and “I like diversity in people and poetry,” and YUM! MmMm! QUE RICO! has both.
Analysis:
In Yum! Mmmm! Que Rico!: Americas’ Sproutings, Mora begins her book with a brief acknowledgement to those who helped with the authenticity of the food and their origins used in this picture book. Mora, also used “numerous books, dictionaries, and Internet sources” to have the most authentic and correct information for her readers. The Spanish language used was to support the authenticity of the information and add to the reader’s knowledge of the origin of the variety of foods introduced in the book. The foods chosen represent many areas of the Latino culture. Mora included blueberries from North America, chilies from Mexico, and papayas from Central America and potatoes that are “native to the Andean mountains of Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador in South America.” There is as much diversity in the origins of the food as there is in the diversity of the people.
Rafael Lopez’s bright and vivid colors complement the words beautifully. It is the pictures that bring the Haiku to life. When “dad bites the green mouth – fire” the picture shows a man with dark brown skin and a western style hat with tears coming from his eyes and fire out of his mouth holding the chile in his hand. In this picture the reader sees a man and child experiencing the fiery delight of the chile that makes you think of Mexico, the origin of the “chilli.” Lopez’s landscapes of dry lands with tall mesas and hills are also seen in the Haikus titled “Corn”, and “Prickly Pear”, while other landscapes show rich soil, green fields or tropical landscapes showing the variety of cultures as well as foods featured in the Haiku. Lopez’s bright colors and attention to details adds to the authentic but whimsical feel of the book. Rafael Lopez’s style and use of color is influenced by his own background of growing up in Mexico City where he enjoyed the rich cultural heritage and the native color of the street life. His cultural influences are seen in images on each colorful page. Mora and Lopez have created a picture book that teaches and entertains the mind and delights the eyes. The words offer interesting facts and trivia about a variety of foods and the illustrations bring them to life.. As Pat Mora says, “The world’s variety is amazing – and delicious.” Yum! Mmmm! Que Rico!: Americas’ Sproutings is a wonderful example of variety and diversity for children and adults to experience.
Reviews & Awards
Book Links (A.L.A.) 01/01/09 Horn Book 04/01/08
Book Links starred 01/01/08 Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.) 01/01/08
Booklist starred 12/01/07 School Library Journal 09/01/07
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 12/01/07 Wilson's Children 10/01/10
Booklist starred (December 1, 2007 (Vol. 104, No. 7))
Grades 1-4. This inventive stew of food haiku celebrates the indigenous foods of the Americas. Each of the 13 poems appears on a gloriously colorful double-page spread, accompanied by a sidebar that presents information about the origin of the food. From blueberries to prickly pears to corn, the acrylic-on-wood-panel illustrations burst with vivid colors and stylized Mexican flair. The poems capture the flavor of the item in a way children can easily understand—Chocolate: Fudge, cake, pie, cookies. / Brown magic melts on your tongue. / Happy, your eyes dance; Pineapple: A stiff, spiky hat / on thick prickly skin, inside / hide syrupy rings. The print of the text in the sidebars is too small, but otherwise this will provide lots and lots of lip-smacking fun that teachers can use to supplement social studies and language arts units; they can also share one poem at a time, between other subjects. An author’s note, which addresses lingering scientific debate about the geographical origins of some of the featured foods, also includes a warm celebration of diversity: We do know that all these plants were grown and enjoyed . . . long before Christopher Columbus or any other Europeans had ever tasted such wonderful foods. The world’s variety is amazing—and delicious.
Horn Book (Spring 2008)
Fourteen haiku celebrate blueberries, chiles, chocolate, corn, pineapples, and other foods from North and South America. The language is light and kid-friendly: "Round roly-poly / squirts seedy, juicy splatter. / Red bursts in your mouth." Sidebars provide notes on each food. Acrylic on wood-panel illustrations dance with color and whimsy, complementing the high-spirited, playful descriptions of food in all its delicious diversity. Bib.
Kirkus Review (September 15, 2007)
Haiku celebrating the diversity of edible plants native to the Americas--blueberries, chocolate, prickly pears, pecans and more. Each spread includes an informative paragraph explaining the probable origin, history and some trivia for the plant described in the poem. (The word pecan, for example, comes from a French word meaning, "nut to be cracked on a rock.") L-pez's vibrant, folklorish illustrations make the book a visual feast, but the haikus are uneven. Some (Chiles: "Dad bites green mouth-fire / laughs when tears fill his eyes, sighs / 'Mmmm! This heat tastes good' ") evoke the essence of their subject; others (Potato: Underground magic. / Peel brown bundle, mash, pile high. / Salt and pepper clouds) are just confusing. More interesting as social science than as poetry, but visually gorgeous. (Nonfiction/poetry. 7-12)
Library Media Connection (February 2008)
… This is sure to be a hit with almost every reader. The curriculum connections are many, food, haiku, and geography. Teachers and media specialists will love having this book in their collections. Recommended. Ruie Chehak, Library Media Specialist, Sallie Jones Elementary School, Punta Gorda, Florida
Connections:
This is a new book to me, but one that will be added to my library this summer. There are many educational connections to use with this book. Connections can be made in Social Studies and Language Arts (reading, writing, and spelling).
I would use this book to introduce nonfiction and the Japanese form of poetry known as Haiku.
The state standards include more poetry in the curriculum and exposure to nonfiction text for first graders.
Making a list of foods and locating information about the foods begins the research process for young children. I can see collaborating with the art teacher to look at the influence of illustrators own cultural heritage on their artistic style. After researching the food use the information to write a Haiku. Have students illustrate their Haiku and make a class book or children could just make a list of foods and write a Haiku about one.
Summary:
Mora’s story is a delightful combination of facts and poetry put into a picture book. Each page contains information on the origin of many foods that are native foods to America including the Spanish and English names and give a rich history to even the youngest reader about foods that are a part of Americans lives. The short but very informative section about the food has very interesting facts that connect to readers of all ages. Mora then takes the rich history and creates the most wonderful Haiku for each page. This Japanese form of poetry, Haiku, is a wonderful surprise. The fifteen Haiku poems connect children to the food through the wonderful words such as “Brown magic melts on your tongue” as the reader learns about chocolate, and the fiery heat from the chiles as “dad bites, green mouth- fire.” Mora’s words feed the mind with knowledge and Lopez’s illustrations are a feast for the eyes. Mora says “I love variety,” and “I like diversity in people and poetry,” and YUM! MmMm! QUE RICO! has both.
Analysis:
In Yum! Mmmm! Que Rico!: Americas’ Sproutings, Mora begins her book with a brief acknowledgement to those who helped with the authenticity of the food and their origins used in this picture book. Mora, also used “numerous books, dictionaries, and Internet sources” to have the most authentic and correct information for her readers. The Spanish language used was to support the authenticity of the information and add to the reader’s knowledge of the origin of the variety of foods introduced in the book. The foods chosen represent many areas of the Latino culture. Mora included blueberries from North America, chilies from Mexico, and papayas from Central America and potatoes that are “native to the Andean mountains of Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador in South America.” There is as much diversity in the origins of the food as there is in the diversity of the people.
Rafael Lopez’s bright and vivid colors complement the words beautifully. It is the pictures that bring the Haiku to life. When “dad bites the green mouth – fire” the picture shows a man with dark brown skin and a western style hat with tears coming from his eyes and fire out of his mouth holding the chile in his hand. In this picture the reader sees a man and child experiencing the fiery delight of the chile that makes you think of Mexico, the origin of the “chilli.” Lopez’s landscapes of dry lands with tall mesas and hills are also seen in the Haikus titled “Corn”, and “Prickly Pear”, while other landscapes show rich soil, green fields or tropical landscapes showing the variety of cultures as well as foods featured in the Haiku. Lopez’s bright colors and attention to details adds to the authentic but whimsical feel of the book. Rafael Lopez’s style and use of color is influenced by his own background of growing up in Mexico City where he enjoyed the rich cultural heritage and the native color of the street life. His cultural influences are seen in images on each colorful page. Mora and Lopez have created a picture book that teaches and entertains the mind and delights the eyes. The words offer interesting facts and trivia about a variety of foods and the illustrations bring them to life.. As Pat Mora says, “The world’s variety is amazing – and delicious.” Yum! Mmmm! Que Rico!: Americas’ Sproutings is a wonderful example of variety and diversity for children and adults to experience.
Reviews & Awards
Book Links (A.L.A.) 01/01/09 Horn Book 04/01/08
Book Links starred 01/01/08 Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.) 01/01/08
Booklist starred 12/01/07 School Library Journal 09/01/07
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 12/01/07 Wilson's Children 10/01/10
Booklist starred (December 1, 2007 (Vol. 104, No. 7))
Grades 1-4. This inventive stew of food haiku celebrates the indigenous foods of the Americas. Each of the 13 poems appears on a gloriously colorful double-page spread, accompanied by a sidebar that presents information about the origin of the food. From blueberries to prickly pears to corn, the acrylic-on-wood-panel illustrations burst with vivid colors and stylized Mexican flair. The poems capture the flavor of the item in a way children can easily understand—Chocolate: Fudge, cake, pie, cookies. / Brown magic melts on your tongue. / Happy, your eyes dance; Pineapple: A stiff, spiky hat / on thick prickly skin, inside / hide syrupy rings. The print of the text in the sidebars is too small, but otherwise this will provide lots and lots of lip-smacking fun that teachers can use to supplement social studies and language arts units; they can also share one poem at a time, between other subjects. An author’s note, which addresses lingering scientific debate about the geographical origins of some of the featured foods, also includes a warm celebration of diversity: We do know that all these plants were grown and enjoyed . . . long before Christopher Columbus or any other Europeans had ever tasted such wonderful foods. The world’s variety is amazing—and delicious.
Horn Book (Spring 2008)
Fourteen haiku celebrate blueberries, chiles, chocolate, corn, pineapples, and other foods from North and South America. The language is light and kid-friendly: "Round roly-poly / squirts seedy, juicy splatter. / Red bursts in your mouth." Sidebars provide notes on each food. Acrylic on wood-panel illustrations dance with color and whimsy, complementing the high-spirited, playful descriptions of food in all its delicious diversity. Bib.
Kirkus Review (September 15, 2007)
Haiku celebrating the diversity of edible plants native to the Americas--blueberries, chocolate, prickly pears, pecans and more. Each spread includes an informative paragraph explaining the probable origin, history and some trivia for the plant described in the poem. (The word pecan, for example, comes from a French word meaning, "nut to be cracked on a rock.") L-pez's vibrant, folklorish illustrations make the book a visual feast, but the haikus are uneven. Some (Chiles: "Dad bites green mouth-fire / laughs when tears fill his eyes, sighs / 'Mmmm! This heat tastes good' ") evoke the essence of their subject; others (Potato: Underground magic. / Peel brown bundle, mash, pile high. / Salt and pepper clouds) are just confusing. More interesting as social science than as poetry, but visually gorgeous. (Nonfiction/poetry. 7-12)
Library Media Connection (February 2008)
… This is sure to be a hit with almost every reader. The curriculum connections are many, food, haiku, and geography. Teachers and media specialists will love having this book in their collections. Recommended. Ruie Chehak, Library Media Specialist, Sallie Jones Elementary School, Punta Gorda, Florida
Connections:
This is a new book to me, but one that will be added to my library this summer. There are many educational connections to use with this book. Connections can be made in Social Studies and Language Arts (reading, writing, and spelling).
I would use this book to introduce nonfiction and the Japanese form of poetry known as Haiku.
The state standards include more poetry in the curriculum and exposure to nonfiction text for first graders.
Making a list of foods and locating information about the foods begins the research process for young children. I can see collaborating with the art teacher to look at the influence of illustrators own cultural heritage on their artistic style. After researching the food use the information to write a Haiku. Have students illustrate their Haiku and make a class book or children could just make a list of foods and write a Haiku about one.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
FEATHERS- Jacqueline Woodson
Woodson, Jacqueline. (2007). FEATHERS. New York: Puffin Books. ISBN: 978-0-399-23989-2
Woodson’s novel FEATHERS is a story of hope and change. In less than 120 pages Woodson tackles such issues as religion, prejudice, family, friends and disability. It all begins with the arrival of the “new boy” and a line from Emily Dickinson’s poem, “Hope is the thing with feathers.” Frannie didn’t understand how her life would change when she wrote those words, but it did in a good way. It was in the quiet moments with her friend Samantha that she questioned her own faith, and then finds hope when she tells Samantha “Maybe Jesus is the hope you were feeling.” Hope grows as Frannie and her brother Sean make dinner while mama rests, and she sees her brother’s strength and hope for the future, not his disability. Hope replaces sadness when mama finds out everything is fine with the baby. Something changed for Frannie that day when the new boy dubbed “Jesus Boy” came into her class from across the highway. Her friendships and family, but most importantly she found the meaning of “Hope is the thing with feathers.”
Woodson weaves many cultural markers throughout the story that connect the reader to the African American culture. She uses language to give the reader a sense of the times. As we read about Frannie we know that she is a young girl in the sixth grade of a school that is “across the highway” with no white students. There are no real clues as to where the school is located, but we know from the reaction of the students that the school is located in an all black community and the highway is what divides the “white side “ from the African American side of town, When the “white boy enters the class with is white or “pale” skin and long hair it causes the class bully to question why he is there and when Trevor gets no response he says” You better learn how to answer a soul brother when they be talking to you, Jesus Boy.” Phrases such as “soul brother”, “jive turkey”, ‘brother man”,” Black Power”, and “Black is Beautiful” are markers of the language used in 1971. The references Frannie made to having her hair in an Afro was popular in the 70’s. She talked about having a “pick with the red, black and green Black Power fist can be traced back to the late 60’s and the very early 1970’s. At that time the Black Power fist was seen as a symbol for hope. Sean speaks about Wilt Chamberlain as he makes NBA history something that would not be recognized with such coverage just a few years earlier. The music of African American musical groups such as the 5th Dimension and the Jackson 5 were heard more often on the radio. I believe Woodson uses the references to organizations, music and people that show the change that is happening in the country and as examples of “hope.” Frannie’s brother Sean makes the comment,” Everything is changing”, but the change is slow as in 1971 it had been several years since the Civil Rights Movement and there are still segregated schools and communities. Woodson’s story shows the change in Frannie as she discovers the words she wrote on her paper on that winter day mean; “Hope is the thing with feathers.” Frannie begins to look forward and see how hope and change can be wonderful.
Reviews & Awards
Book Links (A.L.A.) 07/01/08 Publishers Weekly starred 01/08/07
Horn Book starred 10/01/07 School Library Journal starred 04/01/07
Newbery Medal/Honor 01/01/08 Wilson's Children 10/01/10
Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.) 01/01/08 Wilson's Junior High School 08/01/07
Full-Text Reviews
Booklist (November 15, 2006 (Vol. 103, No. 6))
There's a lot going on in this small, fast-moving novel that introduces big issues--faith, class, color, prejudice, family, disability, and friendship. Woodson tells her story with immediacy and realism through the stirring first-person narrative of a young girl, Frannie, growing up in 1971. The new boy in school is the only white kid in Frannie's sixth-grade class, and she wonders why he doesn't go to the white school across the highway. He's pleased when some of the kids call him Jesus Boy, and Frannie's devout friend, Samantha, thinks he may be the savior. A few of the boys harass him, especially bullying Trevor--who looks white himself. When the new kid turns out to be far from perfect, Frannie wonders: Was he God's child? Aren't we all? In her loving home, filled with light, hope, and laughter, a deaf older brother has always enriched her life, but Frannie realizes that she still has bridges of prejudice to cross. A good choice for discussion.
Horn Book (March/April, 2007)
As sixth-grader Frannie puzzles over the meaning of a line from an Emily Dickinson poem, "Hope is the thing with feathers," lots of questions start coming up. What does the music her deaf brother hears sound like? Why is Mama so tired during the day? How come the new white boy in class named Jesus says he's not white, and could he possibly be the Jesus, as Frannie's friend Samantha thinks? How does it feel to have that kind of faith, anyway? Frannie eventually works out her own answers, finding hope not in Samantha's big miracles but in everyday bits of goodness-the "moments" her teacher tells her to write about. Woodson deftly, even lyrically, weaves some large ideas through her story, set in the 1970s during a snowy winter, but as in much of her work it's those small moments-sitting on Grandma's lap one afternoon watching the sky outside turn gray-that linger so profoundly.
Kirkus Review (February 1, 2007)
One wintry day, a white boy with long curly hair enters Frannie's sixth-grade classroom. "Jesus Boy" is told he's on the "wrong side of the highway," and becomes a catalyst for a shift among friends and enemies in the classroom, all observed from Frannie's point of view. She's also got her eye on things at home: Suddenly her mother is strangely weary, while her older brother, who is deaf, seems impossibly quick to recover when girls attracted to his good looks are turned off by his silence. Frannie's questions about faith, friendship and bridging differences are expressed in a vibrant and accessible narrative set in the early 70s. The theme of "hope" recurs in the description of the Black Power movement, and in Frannie's musings on the Emily Dickinson poem, "Hope is the thing with feathers." Developing this metaphor, Woodson captures perfectly the questions and yearnings of a girl perched on the edge of adolescence, a girl who readers will take into their hearts and be glad to call their friend. (Fiction. 9-13)
School Library Journal (April 1, 2007) Gr 4-7-"Stepped through that door white and softly as the snow," notes sixth-grader Frannie, on the arrival of a pale, long-haired boy to her predominantly black middle school on a winter day in 1971. He is dubbed the Jesus Boy by the class rowdy, and the name seems to suit the newcomer's appearance and calm demeanor. Frannie is confused, not only by declarations that he's NOT white, but that her friend Samantha, daughter of a conservative Baptist minister, also seems to believe that he is Jesus. In light of this and other surprises in her life, Frannie questions her own faith and, most of all, the meaning of the Emily Dickinson poem that she is studying in class, "Hope is a thing with feathers/that perches in the soul/-." How does she maintain hope when her newly pregnant mother has lost three babies already?
Connections:
As a first grade teacher I would not be able to use this book in my classroom, but will be able to recommend this book to the upper grade teachers. After reading FIRST PART LAST by Angela Johnson I found that I was recommending it to not only middle school teachers I knew but to colleagues and friends with teen aged children. FEATHERS is another book I will recommend to colleagues and friends. . It tells a story of a time that really was not that long ago, in a way that I believe will make young adults think about how slow change can happen.
I noticed that Woodson included some excellent questions for discussion at the end of the book to use with older students to begin conversations. Having the students look for connections to the issues that are still relevant today; making connections. Questions for discussion is an excellent resource.
Woodson’s novel FEATHERS is a story of hope and change. In less than 120 pages Woodson tackles such issues as religion, prejudice, family, friends and disability. It all begins with the arrival of the “new boy” and a line from Emily Dickinson’s poem, “Hope is the thing with feathers.” Frannie didn’t understand how her life would change when she wrote those words, but it did in a good way. It was in the quiet moments with her friend Samantha that she questioned her own faith, and then finds hope when she tells Samantha “Maybe Jesus is the hope you were feeling.” Hope grows as Frannie and her brother Sean make dinner while mama rests, and she sees her brother’s strength and hope for the future, not his disability. Hope replaces sadness when mama finds out everything is fine with the baby. Something changed for Frannie that day when the new boy dubbed “Jesus Boy” came into her class from across the highway. Her friendships and family, but most importantly she found the meaning of “Hope is the thing with feathers.”
Woodson weaves many cultural markers throughout the story that connect the reader to the African American culture. She uses language to give the reader a sense of the times. As we read about Frannie we know that she is a young girl in the sixth grade of a school that is “across the highway” with no white students. There are no real clues as to where the school is located, but we know from the reaction of the students that the school is located in an all black community and the highway is what divides the “white side “ from the African American side of town, When the “white boy enters the class with is white or “pale” skin and long hair it causes the class bully to question why he is there and when Trevor gets no response he says” You better learn how to answer a soul brother when they be talking to you, Jesus Boy.” Phrases such as “soul brother”, “jive turkey”, ‘brother man”,” Black Power”, and “Black is Beautiful” are markers of the language used in 1971. The references Frannie made to having her hair in an Afro was popular in the 70’s. She talked about having a “pick with the red, black and green Black Power fist can be traced back to the late 60’s and the very early 1970’s. At that time the Black Power fist was seen as a symbol for hope. Sean speaks about Wilt Chamberlain as he makes NBA history something that would not be recognized with such coverage just a few years earlier. The music of African American musical groups such as the 5th Dimension and the Jackson 5 were heard more often on the radio. I believe Woodson uses the references to organizations, music and people that show the change that is happening in the country and as examples of “hope.” Frannie’s brother Sean makes the comment,” Everything is changing”, but the change is slow as in 1971 it had been several years since the Civil Rights Movement and there are still segregated schools and communities. Woodson’s story shows the change in Frannie as she discovers the words she wrote on her paper on that winter day mean; “Hope is the thing with feathers.” Frannie begins to look forward and see how hope and change can be wonderful.
Reviews & Awards
Book Links (A.L.A.) 07/01/08 Publishers Weekly starred 01/08/07
Horn Book starred 10/01/07 School Library Journal starred 04/01/07
Newbery Medal/Honor 01/01/08 Wilson's Children 10/01/10
Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.) 01/01/08 Wilson's Junior High School 08/01/07
Full-Text Reviews
Booklist (November 15, 2006 (Vol. 103, No. 6))
There's a lot going on in this small, fast-moving novel that introduces big issues--faith, class, color, prejudice, family, disability, and friendship. Woodson tells her story with immediacy and realism through the stirring first-person narrative of a young girl, Frannie, growing up in 1971. The new boy in school is the only white kid in Frannie's sixth-grade class, and she wonders why he doesn't go to the white school across the highway. He's pleased when some of the kids call him Jesus Boy, and Frannie's devout friend, Samantha, thinks he may be the savior. A few of the boys harass him, especially bullying Trevor--who looks white himself. When the new kid turns out to be far from perfect, Frannie wonders: Was he God's child? Aren't we all? In her loving home, filled with light, hope, and laughter, a deaf older brother has always enriched her life, but Frannie realizes that she still has bridges of prejudice to cross. A good choice for discussion.
Horn Book (March/April, 2007)
As sixth-grader Frannie puzzles over the meaning of a line from an Emily Dickinson poem, "Hope is the thing with feathers," lots of questions start coming up. What does the music her deaf brother hears sound like? Why is Mama so tired during the day? How come the new white boy in class named Jesus says he's not white, and could he possibly be the Jesus, as Frannie's friend Samantha thinks? How does it feel to have that kind of faith, anyway? Frannie eventually works out her own answers, finding hope not in Samantha's big miracles but in everyday bits of goodness-the "moments" her teacher tells her to write about. Woodson deftly, even lyrically, weaves some large ideas through her story, set in the 1970s during a snowy winter, but as in much of her work it's those small moments-sitting on Grandma's lap one afternoon watching the sky outside turn gray-that linger so profoundly.
Kirkus Review (February 1, 2007)
One wintry day, a white boy with long curly hair enters Frannie's sixth-grade classroom. "Jesus Boy" is told he's on the "wrong side of the highway," and becomes a catalyst for a shift among friends and enemies in the classroom, all observed from Frannie's point of view. She's also got her eye on things at home: Suddenly her mother is strangely weary, while her older brother, who is deaf, seems impossibly quick to recover when girls attracted to his good looks are turned off by his silence. Frannie's questions about faith, friendship and bridging differences are expressed in a vibrant and accessible narrative set in the early 70s. The theme of "hope" recurs in the description of the Black Power movement, and in Frannie's musings on the Emily Dickinson poem, "Hope is the thing with feathers." Developing this metaphor, Woodson captures perfectly the questions and yearnings of a girl perched on the edge of adolescence, a girl who readers will take into their hearts and be glad to call their friend. (Fiction. 9-13)
School Library Journal (April 1, 2007) Gr 4-7-"Stepped through that door white and softly as the snow," notes sixth-grader Frannie, on the arrival of a pale, long-haired boy to her predominantly black middle school on a winter day in 1971. He is dubbed the Jesus Boy by the class rowdy, and the name seems to suit the newcomer's appearance and calm demeanor. Frannie is confused, not only by declarations that he's NOT white, but that her friend Samantha, daughter of a conservative Baptist minister, also seems to believe that he is Jesus. In light of this and other surprises in her life, Frannie questions her own faith and, most of all, the meaning of the Emily Dickinson poem that she is studying in class, "Hope is a thing with feathers/that perches in the soul/-." How does she maintain hope when her newly pregnant mother has lost three babies already?
Connections:
As a first grade teacher I would not be able to use this book in my classroom, but will be able to recommend this book to the upper grade teachers. After reading FIRST PART LAST by Angela Johnson I found that I was recommending it to not only middle school teachers I knew but to colleagues and friends with teen aged children. FEATHERS is another book I will recommend to colleagues and friends. . It tells a story of a time that really was not that long ago, in a way that I believe will make young adults think about how slow change can happen.
I noticed that Woodson included some excellent questions for discussion at the end of the book to use with older students to begin conversations. Having the students look for connections to the issues that are still relevant today; making connections. Questions for discussion is an excellent resource.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Goin' Someplace Special- MisKissack
McKissack, Patricia,C. 2001. GOIN’ SOMEPLACE SPECIAL.illus. Pinkney, Jerry. New York: Antheneum Books for Young Children. ISBN: 0-689-81885-8
Summary
The story begins with a very excited ‘Tricia Ann getting ready to make her first trip to the place she always refers to as “Someplace Special.” As Mama Frances, her grandmother ties her sash she reminds her to “hold yo’ head up” and “act like you b’long to somebody.” ‘Tricia Ann’s journey was not an easy one. She experiences the anger of having to “sit in the back of the bus”, the embarrassment of being yelled at, in the hotel and the fear she would not have the courage to finish her trip to the Special Place.’ ‘Tricia Ann was experiencing the injustice of the “Jim Crow” laws without her grandmother for the first time. It was the supportive words and kindness of friends from her neighborhood and the special message from Blooming Mary” to listen close” to hear her grandmother’s voice, that she found the courage from within to keep going. It is not until the end that we find out the “Special Place” is the Public Library where the words “ALL ARE WELCOME’ tells us why it is a “Special Place”. The author’s note tells us the story was based on Patricia McKissack’s childhood.
Analysis
There are many connections to the African American cultural through language. Mckissack expresses the emotions of a young girl who going on her first trip to “Someplace Special” alone. The words of her wise and loving grandmother, Mama Frances, give her courage and strength as she is confronted with the injustice of the “Jim Crow laws” along the way. Mama Frances sends her on her way with these words “hold yo’ head up and act like you b’long to somebody.” ‘Tricia remembered these words as she boarded and had to sit in the “Colored Section” of the bus. As her anger rose she heard the words that Mama Frances had told her “Those signs can tell us where to sit, but they can’t tell us what to think.” The irony of the “Jim Crow” laws, is realized when Jimmy Lee points to the restaurant and says, “ My brother cooks all the food they serve, but do you think we can sit at one of their tables and have a BLT and a cup of coffee together?” When ‘Tricia is swept inside the hotel, “What makes you think you can come inside? No colored people are allowed!” dissolve her confidence in herself and discourages her from making to her “Special Place” until she is reminded by Blooming Mary to listen close to hear her grandmother’s words; “ You are somebody, a human being- no better, no worse than anybody in this world.” When ‘Tricia is asked by a small boy if she is going to the movie, his sister reminds him that “ Colored people can’t come in the front door” and that she would have to sit in the “Buzzard’s Roost” she responds “ In the last three rows of the balcony? Why, I wouldn’t sit up there even if watermelons bloomed in January.” It is all of the references to Jim Crow laws along with the illustrations that allow the reader to connect the story to the 1950’s.in the South.
Pinckney’s illustrations are a beautiful compliment to McKissack’s words. He has ‘Tricia Ann in a bright teal and yellow dress that stands out on each page as the others pale in comparison. The details of the setting are told through the pictures in the authentic drawings of the bus, cars, the clothing, and the buildings seen throughout the book. The subtle yet very important signs we see in the windows, and on the park bench bring a greater understanding to the words and the times. The historical connections to the African American population under the “Jim Crow” laws is understood through the words and felt through the illustrations. McKissack and Pinkney strike a wonderful balance in the text and illustrations that tell the story of love, support, and determination of a young girl as she experiences the unfairness of segregation on her own.
Awards / Reviews
Book Links (A.L.A.) 01/01/07 Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.) 01/01/02
Booklist starred 08/01/01 Publishers Weekly 08/06/01
Coretta Scott King Award/Honor 01/01/02 School Library Journal 09/01/01
New York Times 02/10/02 Wilson's Children 10/01/10
Booklist starred (August 2001 (Vol. 97, No. 22))
Ages 5-8.-… Pinkney's watercolor paintings are lush and sprawling as they evoke southern city streets and sidewalks as well as Tricia Ann's inner glow. In an author's note, McKissack lays out the autobiographical roots of the story and what she faced as a child growing up in Nashville. This book carries a strong message of pride and self-confidence as well as a pointed history lesson. It is also a beautiful tribute to the libraries that were ahead of their time.
Horn Book (November/December, 2001)- …There are many books about a child's first trip alone, and many books about racism and the struggle for civil rights, but this book is about more than either: it is the story of a child facing a difficult time sustained by the support of the adults in her life. McKissack and Pinkney strike just the right balance in a picture book for young readers and listeners: informative without being preachy; hopeful without being sentimental.
Kirkus Review (September 15, 2001)-… Every plot element contributes to the theme, leaving McKissack's autobiographical work open to charges of didacticism. But no one can argue with its main themes: segregation is bad, learning and libraries are good. Pinkney's trademark watercolors teem with realistically drawn people, lush city scenes, and a spunky main character whose turquoise dress, enlivened with yellow flowers and trim, jumps out of every picture. A lengthy author's endnote fills in the background for adults on McKissack's childhood experiences with the Nashville Public Library. This library quietly integrated all of its facilities in the late 1950s, and provided her with the story's inspiration. A natural for group sharing; leave plenty of time for the questions and discussion that are sure to follow. "(Picture book. 5-9)"
Horn Book starred (Spring, 2002)
This is the story of a child facing a difficult time sustained by the support of the adults in her life. Going alone for the first time, 'Tricia Ann is off to Someplace Special--the public library where "All Are Welcome." The journey isn't easy: she must face the indignities of life in the Jim Crow South. The text and art strike just the right balance: informative without being preachy; hopeful without being sentimental.
Connections
I have used this book in my first grade classroom within the theme of the courage and determination of children and how the events in their childhood influenced them as adults. Although this story is fiction it is based on Patricia McKissack’s childhood memories. After reading the story, the discussion begins. The children are able to identify the unfair laws and unkind words that ‘Tricia Ann encounters, but more importantly it shows the courage and determination to move forward to a better place. In this story it is the Public Library where “All Are Welcome.” I like to ask the students “Did her love for the “Special Place” have any influence on her becoming an author?” Opening discussion.Some of the people we read about are; Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Lincoln, Louise Braille, Clara Barton, Ruby Bridges, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Harriet Tubman. The list grows each year.
Writing Activity- GOIN’ SOMEPLACE SPECIAL can be introduced during writer’s workshop as an example of how authors write about what they know. This is an example of a memory she had as a young girl and she created her story around it. As young children struggle with what to write this book can spur many new ideas that can be developed into a story. Some ideas have been: a time when you were sad or angry, a time you got to do something alone, a trip to the library or riding on the bus. Let the conversation flow and record the different topics that come up.
Art Activity- Spotlight Award winning iluustrator Jerry Pinkney. Have the students create a pencil and watercolor picture of a setting that will be used in a story the children write.
Summary
The story begins with a very excited ‘Tricia Ann getting ready to make her first trip to the place she always refers to as “Someplace Special.” As Mama Frances, her grandmother ties her sash she reminds her to “hold yo’ head up” and “act like you b’long to somebody.” ‘Tricia Ann’s journey was not an easy one. She experiences the anger of having to “sit in the back of the bus”, the embarrassment of being yelled at, in the hotel and the fear she would not have the courage to finish her trip to the Special Place.’ ‘Tricia Ann was experiencing the injustice of the “Jim Crow” laws without her grandmother for the first time. It was the supportive words and kindness of friends from her neighborhood and the special message from Blooming Mary” to listen close” to hear her grandmother’s voice, that she found the courage from within to keep going. It is not until the end that we find out the “Special Place” is the Public Library where the words “ALL ARE WELCOME’ tells us why it is a “Special Place”. The author’s note tells us the story was based on Patricia McKissack’s childhood.
Analysis
There are many connections to the African American cultural through language. Mckissack expresses the emotions of a young girl who going on her first trip to “Someplace Special” alone. The words of her wise and loving grandmother, Mama Frances, give her courage and strength as she is confronted with the injustice of the “Jim Crow laws” along the way. Mama Frances sends her on her way with these words “hold yo’ head up and act like you b’long to somebody.” ‘Tricia remembered these words as she boarded and had to sit in the “Colored Section” of the bus. As her anger rose she heard the words that Mama Frances had told her “Those signs can tell us where to sit, but they can’t tell us what to think.” The irony of the “Jim Crow” laws, is realized when Jimmy Lee points to the restaurant and says, “ My brother cooks all the food they serve, but do you think we can sit at one of their tables and have a BLT and a cup of coffee together?” When ‘Tricia is swept inside the hotel, “What makes you think you can come inside? No colored people are allowed!” dissolve her confidence in herself and discourages her from making to her “Special Place” until she is reminded by Blooming Mary to listen close to hear her grandmother’s words; “ You are somebody, a human being- no better, no worse than anybody in this world.” When ‘Tricia is asked by a small boy if she is going to the movie, his sister reminds him that “ Colored people can’t come in the front door” and that she would have to sit in the “Buzzard’s Roost” she responds “ In the last three rows of the balcony? Why, I wouldn’t sit up there even if watermelons bloomed in January.” It is all of the references to Jim Crow laws along with the illustrations that allow the reader to connect the story to the 1950’s.in the South.
Pinckney’s illustrations are a beautiful compliment to McKissack’s words. He has ‘Tricia Ann in a bright teal and yellow dress that stands out on each page as the others pale in comparison. The details of the setting are told through the pictures in the authentic drawings of the bus, cars, the clothing, and the buildings seen throughout the book. The subtle yet very important signs we see in the windows, and on the park bench bring a greater understanding to the words and the times. The historical connections to the African American population under the “Jim Crow” laws is understood through the words and felt through the illustrations. McKissack and Pinkney strike a wonderful balance in the text and illustrations that tell the story of love, support, and determination of a young girl as she experiences the unfairness of segregation on her own.
Awards / Reviews
Book Links (A.L.A.) 01/01/07 Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.) 01/01/02
Booklist starred 08/01/01 Publishers Weekly 08/06/01
Coretta Scott King Award/Honor 01/01/02 School Library Journal 09/01/01
New York Times 02/10/02 Wilson's Children 10/01/10
Booklist starred (August 2001 (Vol. 97, No. 22))
Ages 5-8.-… Pinkney's watercolor paintings are lush and sprawling as they evoke southern city streets and sidewalks as well as Tricia Ann's inner glow. In an author's note, McKissack lays out the autobiographical roots of the story and what she faced as a child growing up in Nashville. This book carries a strong message of pride and self-confidence as well as a pointed history lesson. It is also a beautiful tribute to the libraries that were ahead of their time.
Horn Book (November/December, 2001)- …There are many books about a child's first trip alone, and many books about racism and the struggle for civil rights, but this book is about more than either: it is the story of a child facing a difficult time sustained by the support of the adults in her life. McKissack and Pinkney strike just the right balance in a picture book for young readers and listeners: informative without being preachy; hopeful without being sentimental.
Kirkus Review (September 15, 2001)-… Every plot element contributes to the theme, leaving McKissack's autobiographical work open to charges of didacticism. But no one can argue with its main themes: segregation is bad, learning and libraries are good. Pinkney's trademark watercolors teem with realistically drawn people, lush city scenes, and a spunky main character whose turquoise dress, enlivened with yellow flowers and trim, jumps out of every picture. A lengthy author's endnote fills in the background for adults on McKissack's childhood experiences with the Nashville Public Library. This library quietly integrated all of its facilities in the late 1950s, and provided her with the story's inspiration. A natural for group sharing; leave plenty of time for the questions and discussion that are sure to follow. "(Picture book. 5-9)"
Horn Book starred (Spring, 2002)
This is the story of a child facing a difficult time sustained by the support of the adults in her life. Going alone for the first time, 'Tricia Ann is off to Someplace Special--the public library where "All Are Welcome." The journey isn't easy: she must face the indignities of life in the Jim Crow South. The text and art strike just the right balance: informative without being preachy; hopeful without being sentimental.
Connections
I have used this book in my first grade classroom within the theme of the courage and determination of children and how the events in their childhood influenced them as adults. Although this story is fiction it is based on Patricia McKissack’s childhood memories. After reading the story, the discussion begins. The children are able to identify the unfair laws and unkind words that ‘Tricia Ann encounters, but more importantly it shows the courage and determination to move forward to a better place. In this story it is the Public Library where “All Are Welcome.” I like to ask the students “Did her love for the “Special Place” have any influence on her becoming an author?” Opening discussion.Some of the people we read about are; Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Lincoln, Louise Braille, Clara Barton, Ruby Bridges, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Harriet Tubman. The list grows each year.
Writing Activity- GOIN’ SOMEPLACE SPECIAL can be introduced during writer’s workshop as an example of how authors write about what they know. This is an example of a memory she had as a young girl and she created her story around it. As young children struggle with what to write this book can spur many new ideas that can be developed into a story. Some ideas have been: a time when you were sad or angry, a time you got to do something alone, a trip to the library or riding on the bus. Let the conversation flow and record the different topics that come up.
Art Activity- Spotlight Award winning iluustrator Jerry Pinkney. Have the students create a pencil and watercolor picture of a setting that will be used in a story the children write.
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