Inside Out & Back Again

June 30, 2017

Inside Out and Back Again was written by Thanhha Lai and published in 2011. This book has won the Newberry Honor Award and National Book Award. Lai lived in Vietnam until the end of the Vietnam War. Her family fled to the United States and settled in Montgomery, Alabama. She had to relearn how to be successful in this new country and learn English. She captured the feelings she had during this time period with her book Inside Out and Back Again. Currently, she resides in Kansas with her family.

Lai created the character Ha in order to capture what she felt and saw during this one year period of her own life. Ha is a stubborn ten year old girl living with her mother and brothers in Vietnam. Her father is missing in action and the North is encroaching into the South. The people are terrified of the communist government and fleeing the country. Ha’s family is given an opportunity to leave the country on naval ships. They spend several weeks on a ship waiting to see if they are captured or rescued. Finally, Americans find them and take their boat to Guam.

In Guam, her mother must chose where to go. She decides that America will give her and her children the best opportunity to succeed. They are taken to Florida and then sponsored by a man that takes them to Alabama. They have to readjust to the new culture, religion and language with resistance from the local people. Eventually, everyone finds a place for themselves; Mother works at the sewing factory, Brother Quang works at a car dealership, and everyone else starts school. At school Ha has to learn how to survive being the new kid and viewed as dumb. The other students make fun of her. Things begin to change when she meets Mrs. Washington, her new tutor.

Mrs. Washington intervenes and has the teacher introduce two students to Ha that become her friends. She continues to be bullied by a boy, but her brothers help her escape the torment. She learns if she acts like she doesn’t care, then the other students won’t care. She soon begins to prove she is smart in school and gains more social acceptance. In the mean time, her mother accepts a sign that her father has passed on and he will never come join them. Her brothers all decide on careers and begin to work toward their goal. Their life in America is beginning.

Lia creates a narrative poem to tell her story. It is rich with figurative language and descriptive words. This helps the reader understand at an emotional level what is happening to her and her family as they are displaced out of one country and taken to a new one. She describes things to items she knows from Vietnam, “No longer pink/ he’s red,/ blood-orange red/ like a ripe papaya.”. (pg.220) Also, Lai does not correct what Ha hears and how she pronounces words. Instead of calling her friends Pam and Steven, she refers to them as “Pem” and “SSsi-Ti-Van” the same goes for her teachers. Ha is using phonetical spelling because she does not hear all the sounds we make in English during this time. Lai keeps Ha as authentic as she can for the reader to understand what she is going through.

I would use this novel in a small group for upper elementary, middle and high school students. I know that not every student would be able to connect to this story and would not find it enjoyable. I would focus on how the author used poetry to tell her story and elements of poetry she used. I would include supplemental informational text on the Vietnam War and immigration. It is a subject that would take more maturity that I do not think all of my 5th grade students could handle. It would be easy to use this novel as an example of how one can write a story with as few words, but as many descriptive words you can think of.

I would use this book to expand students’ knowledge on immigration and refugees. This story is told in first person for Ha’s perspective, it would make it easier for a reader to understand what she is going through. Inside Out and Back Again would give some one understanding of what other students might have endured to get to America, or what other kids around the world are currently going through as they try to escape their homeland and leave everything they know behind.

What roles do women and girls have — based on their own intelligence or initiative or on good looks/relationships? how are problems presented, conceived, resolved?

The women from this culture are supposed to be obedient and it appears as if males are supposed to be higher in society, but Ha challenges this idea. She pouts when told she cannot touch the floor first on Tet and only a male can bring good luck, so she “…decided/ to wake before dawn/ and tap my big toe/ to the tile floor/ first.” (pg. 2-3) On her birthday she wishes she “could do what boys of/ and let the sun darken my skin,/ and scars grid my knees.” Ha even mentions how she will not follow her mother’s orders and how it must be hard to have her for a daughter, “Other girls/ must be made/ of bamboo,/ bending whichever way/ they are too.”. (pg. 73- 74) This shows that there women are not equal to men in this culture, but Ha is challenging this idea.

Who or what was included and who or what was left out of the scope of the book?

The reader was only given Ha’s perspective. There were so many other voices left out of the story. The reader could inference what her brothers or mother thought, but it would have have been interesting to know how they were coping. There were parts in the story where I wanted to know more. What did the people think about Ha’s family converting to Christianity? Also, what did the African-American students think about Ha? It was mentioned how “On one side/ of the bright, noisy room,/ light skin./ Other side,/ dark skin.” (pg.143) She never interacted with African-American students in the story? Were they somewhere else or she just never had a relationship with one of them? Other than this one line, they were left out of the story all together.

How are family relationships depicted?

This family was close and helped each other. Their mother always expected the best from them, she did not accept moving countries, losing everything and not knowing a language as an excuse to not finish school and go college. The mother loved her kids and that was shown through the book. The brothers helped in any way they could. Brother Quang translated and worked to bring in money. Brother Vu helps teach Ha self defense and Brother Khoi took her to school and picked her up to help protect her from bullies.

The Crossover

June 29, 2017

Kwame Alexander has written a highly, engaging story that middle and high school students will want to read. This book was published in 2014 and won the John Newberry Medal in 2015 and the Loretta Scott King Award. Alexander lives in Herndon, Virginia, but travels around the word spreading his message on poetry and writing. He believes that poetry can change the world. He led a delegation of writers and activists in Ghana to help the teachers there, deliver books and build libraries. His writing program in the United States has helped create more than 300 student authors.

The Crossover is a narrative poem and contemporary realistic fiction that includes different types of poetry and elements throughout the book. The protagonist is twelve year old basketball superstar, Josh Bell, who is struggling with all of the emotions and challenges of being in middle school. At the beginning of the book Josh goes by the nickname Filthy McNasty that his dad gave him and is in separable from his twin brother Jordan. Soon Jordan gets a girlfriend and things change. Jordan chooses to spend more time with her and leaves Josh at lunch, the walk home and in the evenings. Also, he has always slightly beat out his brother in basketball, but now his brother is catching up. All of this causes Josh to feel isolated, angry and jealous.

He ends up making a bad decision one game and drills the basketball into his brothers nose. This leaves him suspended from the team and wedge put farther between him and his brother. As he learns to deal with his new emotions his dad is  having heart problems that continue to worsen. One day, Josh and his dad are on the court when he has a stroke and is taken to the hospital. Josh is left feeling angry that his dad let his health deteriorate to this point and blames himself for not having a better crossover move that would have prevented his dad from stealing the ball and trying to go for a dunk.

Josh is given permission to play in the championship with his team the night that his father has another heart attack. His team wins the championship and his father passes away. Josh has to learn how to navigate his new life and emotions. He patches up strained relationships with his friends and brother and learns that many people are there for him. At the end of the book he tries to break his dad’s record of consecutive free throws and realizes he feels closer to his dad while playing basketball.

Alexander wrote this story using only poetry. The vivid, descriptive language used helps the reader understand the story through Josh’s eyes. We hear what he hears, smell what he smells, sees what sees and feels what he feels. Not only is there the use of similes, metaphors and onomatopoeias, but he uses concrete poetry to help the read visualize what is happening. For example, the opening page is not written in the form of an object, but it is written how the author visualizes dribbling. A reader who does not know anything about basketball can now relate more to the feeling of dribbling after reading this poem.

The author chose vernacular that kids would easily relate to. These words are used amongst students in their everyday language, “OH, SNAP!” (pg. 38) is something kids say to one another. Also, the word choice connects with their lives and allows them to read the book for pleasure and not make it a chore. The words in the story do not rhyme, but there is a rhythm that the author uses. The opening poem starts with powerful, short, descriptive words that rhyme and sets the reader up to read it as a rap. All of this plays into the urban and pop culture.

This book could be used in upper elementary grades through 12th grade. Obviously, a teacher could teach poetry with this book. The concentration could be on figurative language or the different types of poems. In the higher grades, the teacher could focus more on the author’s word choice and how it affects the poem and makes it relatable to students. You could then create a writing lesson based off of his concrete poems or the ode to his hair. In my own classroom, I would create a lesson on character traits. Alexander created a character that goes through multiple emotional shifts and the students can see how other characters, setting, and problems change a character.

I would want to share this book to my students to show different relationships and how everyone struggles. You are not always going to get along with your best friend, family or significant other. You might even lash out as Josh does, but you need to learn how to mend the problems. This is a coming of age book, when a kid feels like they are stuck between two worlds and any middle schooler can relate to this.

I would caution not to use this book to a young audience. I think middle school or the right upper elementary class would be a good grade for this.

How are family relationships depicted?

Family relationships are strong in this book. The brothers have a falling out, but come together in the end. The mother and father love their kids very much and it is shown in the story. I liked how Alexander included “Miss Sweet Tea’s” family, too. It showed that a mother and father split and how she is living between the two houses.

Are minorities shown exclusively in poverty situations?

No minorities are not only shown in poverty. Actually, the characters are asked several times if they are rich from the days their dad played in the professional European basketball league.

What roles do women and girls have — based on their own intelligence or initiative or on good looks/relationships? how are problems presented, conceived, resolved?

Girls are noticed in this books for their beauty. All the boys notice the new girl at school and want to know if she “is a knockout or just beautiful, a hottie or a cutie…” (pg.54). Later in the book, Josh’s friend, Vaughn, gets a girlfriend and her looks are noted, “with skinny legs and a butt as big as Vermont..” (pg.162). The only girl that is shown to be smart is the main character’s mother, who is the assistant principal of the school and holds a doctorate degree. Miss Sweet Tea is athletic, but it isn’t mentioned except for a few pages, yet her looks are mentioned multiple times.

 

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

June 23, 2017

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon was written and illustrated by Grace Lin. It was published in 2009 and received the Newberry Honor in 2010. Lin is from a small town and was the only Asian in her classroom. She did not want anything to do with her Asian heritage by the time she was eleven. Her mother did not push the culture on her, but kept books about Chinese folktales and fairytales on the shelf for Lin to read. As Lin grew older she wanted to visit Hong Kong, Taiwan and China. The Chinese fairytales came back to her, but she decided to add more details as she was inspired by what she saw during her travels.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a story about a young girl, Minli, who goes on an adventure to change her family’s fortune. Her Ma and Ba are very poor and live in the Valley of Fruitless Mountain. Minli’s father tells her great stories of fairytales every night and she is captivated by them. One day she buys a goldfish from a peddler and then decides to let it go because they are too poor to feed it. When she lets the fish go it speaks to her and tells her how she can find the Old Man of the Moon and change her family’s fortune. Minli decides to strike out at once in hopes of making her Ma and Ba happy.

 

On the way she frees a dragon who can’t fly and he decides to accompany her. They continue on the adventure together outwitting monkeys, finding guardians of a city, surviving poisonous tigers and making it to the top of Never Ending Mountain. As they travel, they meet many new people and learn of their backgrounds and past. All of their lives are connected to the stories of old that her Ba told her. She learns that the fairytales are true. Meanwhile, her mother learns that she was a fool to be unhappy and grumble about their fortune, “For all the time that she had been longing for treasure, she had already had the one most precious.”. (p 254) She finally learns that Minli was all she needed to be happy and even with all the money in the world she will still be unhappy if Minli is not there.

 

Once Minli reaches the Old Man of the Moon she has to make a difficult decision, for she can only ask one question, “Dragon is my friend, Minli said to herself. What should I do?” (pg. 249). Minli chooses her friend over improving her family’s fortune and Dragon is finally able to fly. The result is him finding Fruitless Mountain and completing the myth. Mother Dragon is finally reunited with her child and began to bear vegetation again. All of this did change Ma and Ba’s fortune.

Lin is able to include many Chinese fairytales and folktales into her story. With these stories she creates foreshadowing that hints to the reader how everyone is connected and who they truly are. Lin choses to use language and vocabulary that is more traditional in Chinese. Instead of naming Minli’s father pa as an American reader might be more familiar with, she chose to call him Ba which is more traditional for Chinese children. Also, she chose to create characters and settings that were similar to those of the Chinese culture. For example, Da- A- Fu are the two lucky children displayed during the Lunar New Year. Lin created characters that represented these children and named them accordingly, A-Fu and Da-Fu.

In my own classroom I would like to teach this book in its entirety, but I think due to time constrictions and length I would have to chose parts of it to teach. I would focus on the Chinese fairytales and folktales. With these I could focus on theme and character analysis. It would be easy to compare and contrast the Chinese fairytales to European ones and American tall-tales.

Folktales and fairytales are a great way to capture a child’s interest and teach a very real lesson. In Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, there is the constant theme family is worth more than money and not to be greedy. Most of the characters either showed how greed got in the way or how they were content with their life as it was. This would be applicable to a reader’s own life. Also, it would be interesting to show students how the same themes are shown around the world and how humans are connected by the same basic needs.

How are family relationships depicted?

Family relationships are depicted in two different ways. They show families that are not content and want more and those that are happy with their life the way it is. At the beginning Minli sees that her Ma is unhappy with the fortune in their family and thinks money will make her happy. At the end, Minli and her mother realize that money will not make them happy and they should content with their fortune as it is. The father is an example of unconditional love. He continuously strives to make his daughter happy and never blames his wife for Minli running away.

Who has the power? How is this power shown?

Greed and love have the power in this book. The characters are split between the two. The monkeys, tiger, Wu Kang and magistrate were driven by greed. In the end, all of them fell due to the disscontempt in their lives for not having enough. On the other hand, love was the opposing force that had power over greed. The twins were from a family who was happy and had love for one another, they were able to defeat the tiger. The Magistrate was banished by his own son because of the love he had in his life. Minli found fortune and wealth once she let love overcome her desire to gain more wealth.

What attitudes are shown toward people, animals, and even the land?

Most of the people show love toward the land. The people that live in the Valley of Fruitless Mountain care and tend to the land and live a simple life. The family that lives in the Village of Moon Rain plant seeds that they find in order to spread the beauty of the trees that grow. The King showed love toward his people by taking from the greedy peach seller and giving to his own people. Minli shows love toward all of the animals and people she meets in the story.

 

 

 

Last Stop on Market Street

June 22, 2017

Last Stop on Market Street is a modern fantasy picture book written by Matt de la Pena and illustrated by Christian Robinson. This book was published in 2015 and has won several awards; the 2016 Newberry Medal, it is a 2016 Caldecott Honor book, and a 2016 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor book.

Matt de la Pena writes young adult and children picture books. He grew up in San Diego as a biracial child, half Mexican and half white. While in school he lacked confidence in reading and played the persona of a tough guys. After he started college a professor handed him a book to read and once he did, he fell in love with literature. He continued school and received his MFA in creative writing from San Diego State University. Currently, he lives in Brooklyn, NY where he teaches creative writing. Many of his stories features working class, multiracial characters and he is asked to travel across the country, many times to speak at urban schools. http://mattdelapena.com/bio/

Last Stop on Market Street follows a little boy, CJ, and his grandmother on their way from church to the soup kitchen. de la Pena structures the setting around CJ’s neighborhood, turning it into a magical land that includes trees drinking from straws, riding on a bus that breathes fire like a dragon, and magic. Robinson uses bright illustrations to draw the reader in and understand the beauty that the grandmother is able to see. Throughout the story CJ compares himself to the other kids he knows and complains about what he doesn’t own and has to do on Sundays. His grandmother never fusses at him, instead she points out the beauty in each action they do. The kids that have a car will never have a “..bus that breathes fire, and old Mr. Dennis , that always has a trick for you.”.

As they get onto the bus Robinson illustrates a scene that includes all kinds of people of different races, ages, and backgrounds. de la Pena uses the illustrations to help support his text and tell the story. “CJ watched as they moved on by and stood in back. ‘Sure wish I had one of those,’ he said.” . This line never states what the boys have, but the picture shows them holding a device that plays music. The grandmother then points out that there is a passenger on the bus that can play his guitar. That is when CJ feels the beauty that his grandmother continues to talk about. Once they finally make it to the soup kitchen he is glad they came.

 

de la Pena uses his words to take what could be a realistic fiction and creates a modern fantasy instead. He heavily uses personification and imagery to make the normal world come alive and feel like a magical place. For example, his nana asks, “Don’t you see that big one drinking through a straw?”. de la Pena chooses for his nana to create a magical world for her grandson, instead of saying that the trees need rain. The bus is completely personified, it breathes fire, sighs and sags as it comes to a stop. de la Pena even includes a blind character that reminds the reader to use their ears and nose to help understand the world around them. He used imagery to ensure that what CJ felt during the song was not lost to the reader, “He saw sunset colors swirling over crashing waves. Saw a family of hawks slicing through the sky.”. The beauty that the grandmother sees in the neighborhood is captured by de la Pena through imagery and personification.

This book would be best used in the elementary grades. Since it is a picture book with bright colors it would captivate emerging readers. Students would be able to connect this neighborhood to their own and the different types of people who make up their community. The teacher could point out how students can help others in their neighborhood, as CJ and his nana did. As you move through the grades you could introduce figurative language and how it helped create the story. Students would also be able to discover the theme of the story, appreciate what you have and always look for the beauty in things.

This story could be used to enrich a child’s life on diversity. There were many different people of races, age, and socio-economical backgrounds captured in this book. The grandmother helped show the reader that none were better than the others. Also, this could lead to a discussion of technology and how it is changing our world. All the things that CJ was upset about not having were technological items. If he did own those items then he would have missed the beauty in the world around him.

Who has the power? How is this power shown?

Technology has the power in this book. It stops people from noticing the world and others around them. It is shown through the secondary characters that CJ notices and complains about in the book. He wants to be like them, but then he would miss the beauty of the world that his nana is able to see.

What attitudes are shown toward people, animals, and even the land?

The grandmother has a positive attitude toward all people and the land. She is trying to show her grandson how to see this beauty and have the same positive attitude. CJ has a more difficult time seeing the land and people. He views the reality of the world and expresses his discontent for not having what other do. In the end, he finally looks at the neighborhood as his grandmother does and sees not just the dirty buildings, but the beautiful rainbow.

Who or what was included and who or what was left out of the scope of the book?

The author included background characters like many others do, but did not leave them out of the narration. Any character that CJ noticed was mentioned again. The author included everyone and everything that the main character came into contact with in the story.

Chains

June 16, 2017

 

Chains is a historical fiction written by Laurie Halse Anderson. It was published in 2008 and has won the National Book Award Finalist and the 2009 Scott O’Dell Award.  She is a descendent of many soldiers who fought in the American Revolutionary War. American history is her passion and she has written several historical fiction novels that are used throughout the nation in classrooms today. Currently, she lives in up state New York where she works in her cottage on a variety of young adult and historical fiction books.

Summary

Chains follows the story of a young slave girl, Isabel, during the American Revolutionary War. The story opens with her visiting her mother’s grave on the way to bury her current master. She is nervous about what is in store for her and her sister, Ruth, because her deceased master wrote in her will that they are to be freed. The lawyer that possess the will has fled and instead they are sold to a new master, the Locktons. The Locktons are rich Loyalists that are cruel to Isabel and Ruth. They take them to their house in New York City on the southern part of Wall Street.

Upon arriving, Isabel meets a young slave, Curzon, whose master is a rebel. Curzon is her only friend in the new city and tries to sway her to the side of the rebels. Madam Lockton does her best to dehumanize Isabel. She strips away her name, ” ‘Ridiculous name,’ Madam said. She opened her fan and waved it in front of her face. ‘You are called Sal Lockton now. It’s more suitable.'” (p. 55) and uses Ruth to control her. Isabel decides to listen to Curzon and help the rebels because of the promise of freedom. While spying on the Locktons Ruth has a seizure and is sold by Madam. Isabel threatens her master and runs, but is denied any help from the Patriots. She is then beaten, put on trial and branded with an “I” for insolence.

Curzon leaves to fight with the rebels, leaving Isabel by herself. She then turns to the invading Redcoats in search for freedom. She is denied freedom because her masters are Loyalists and they are only providing freedom to slaves of Patriot masters. During this time she grows close with Lady Seymour who saved her life once. The Redcoats start to win more battles and capture many Patriot soldiers, Curzon being one of them, and throws them into holding cells. Curzon is on his deathbed and Isabel stops in the morning to feed them scraps. When Madam finds out she threatens Isabel saying, “‘But she’ll be soon gone, one way or another, and Elihu will be in England… That is the day you should fear, girl.'”. (p. 245)

She decides she cannot stop helping Curzon and is drawn in again to the Patriot’s side. She is caught by her Loyalist mistress and runs for her life. She frees Curzon on the way and sails across the Hudson River to freedom.

Language

This book is heavy with figurative language. Anderson uses similes, metaphors, idioms and symbolism to help the reader understand. It is difficult for a young modern reader to fully understand the setting of 1776. There are so many differences that a reader would have difficulty comprehending such as electricity, the houses, transportation, treatment amongst genders and race are different. The author has to paint a picture for the reader to gain a true understanding of the story and the characters perspective that figurative language is a great way to do that.

Lessons

This book would be more for upper elementary, middle and high school grades. If used in upper elementary I would suggest as a read aloud so the teacher can help explain the tough subjects of slavery, war, gender roles, old English language, and the figurative language. In the upper grades I would use this for the entire class to read or in literature circles. A teacher can pull in informational text to supplement the story. Just by looking at the primary document excerpts at the beginning of each chapter helps the students understand this was a real event for people. The teacher could focus on the figurative language used in the book, the character development, plot, or theme.

This book is written to gain the readers attention on slavery during the American Revolutionary War. It is a fun way for students to learn about the topic. The teacher then can enrich the students understanding by pulling in those primary documents and informational text to supplement and support what Anderson has written.

I would be cautious about the reality of war and slavery presented in this book. Anderson did not sugarcoat slavery. There was no hero for the protagonist to turn to. There were people who were nice to her, but no true hero. Also, she showed the affects of war; prisoners of war, rampant disease, starvation, wounds, and death.

What information does the author assume the reader knows?

The author expects the reader to have a basic understanding of the American Revolution. She describes a few things, but to start reading this book without any knowledge of two sides, politics or slavery would be very confusing.

Are sex roles incidental or critical to characterization or plot? Could the story be told if the sex roles were reversed?

The sex roles for this time period are critical to the characters. Madam Lockton is abused by her own husband and told what she can and cannot do. In turn she then shows the little power she does hold over Isabel. Also, Isabel pleaded with Colonel Regan to take her, but he said he needed men for ditch digging and not a woman. My heart sunk when I read that line. There was a chance she could have escaped if she were a man instead of a woman.

Who has the power? How is this power shown?

Isabel holds absolutely no power. The most powerful are rich, white males. The males make all of the decisions and rule the government and military. Even amongst those that are in the military, officers held more power are thought of as gentlemen versus the regular soldiers. The officers were put under house arrest while the soldiers were crammed into holding cells with no food. The women during this time period held no power either, they were technically owned by their husbands. A slave had the least amount of power of all. Isabel learned that she did have some power and was able to change her fate because of her education. She was taught to read and write and this helped her escape the confinements of slavery.

 

 

El Deafo

June 16, 2017

El Deafo is a brightly illustrated Graphic novel that is written and illustrated by Cece Bell. It was published in 2014 and won the John Newberry Medal in 2017. Bell grew up deaf after suffering a sickness and learned how to cope with her new disability. She has stayed in the hearing world and continues to do so, viewing her hearing loss as just a nuisance. Bell had to accept and embrace her difference during a time period when every child wants to do nothing more than fit in. She grew up in Salem, Virginia and continues to live in Virginia today.

Summary 

El Deafo is a fun story that follows the life of young Cece through her elementary school years as she learns to fit in while being deaf. Bell created the story based off of her own life, not all of the events and people are true, but the feelings that are represented by the main character, Cece, are an accurate representation of what Bell felt and endured during her own childhood. Bell takes the reader through Cece’s elementary school life and how self conscious she is of her Phonic Ear box, “I wear my favorite stripped shirt. And underneath that shirt… well hidden, I hope, is my brand-new, super powerful, just-for-school hearing aid.” Throughout the story, Bell explains the rules and etiquette one should follow when speaking to a deaf person. For example on page 31 and 32 of the story Bell uses Cece to show that shouting and exaggerating words does not help, lips need to be seen in order to understand, and group discussions are impossible to follow. This is a comical way to show a real problem that deaf people face daily.

Relationships are a huge part of this story. As Cece tries to find acceptance among her peers, she makes several friends. Just as any person learns, there are pros and cons to each relationship. She meets Laura who is very pushy and bossy, Ginny shows her off as her deaf friend and finally Martha becomes her one true friend. She even develops a crush on a boy in her class, Mike, and the reader gets to watch her try to build a relationship with him. Each friendship had its ups and downs and Cece has to learn how to navigate them. The one relationship that remains the same throughout the story is that of her family. Her family is always there to help her through difficult times. Her home is where she feels the most safe and comfortable.

As the story progresses, Cece learns to accept her deafness as a superpower. With the Phonic Ear box she has to wear, there is a microphone that the teachers need to wear for her to be able to hear them clearly. She quickly learns that it is a powerful microphone that allows her to hear everything that teacher does throughout the school. One night while watching TV with her siblings, Cece sees an actor like her being picked on. She finds the demeaning name, deafo, hilarious and turns it around to name her superhero, El Deafo. She finally reveals her superpowers to Mike, and they use it to benefit everyone in the class. Finally, she feels accepted by her peers and shows she is comfortable with her deafness.

Language Choice

The author chose language that was simple and appropriate for the age of the main character. The book is written as a graphic novel that includes a lot of dialogue amongst the characters. Through the dialogue the characters use slang with one another, such as “ya’ll, huh, y’know, don’tcha, d’ya, who’dja” . Not only does the author use common slang, but she includes pauses that inference to the reader how Cece might actually be feeling. For example, when Laura demands Cece to do things, “Um, sure”  or “um….yeah” are the way she answers. This helps the reader understand she truly does not want to do this, but says yes anyways. Bell uses phonetic spelling during the times when Cece is having trouble hearing the other characters. She does this to help the reader understand how the character is hearing the words spoken to her.

Learners

El Deafo would be great for secondary elementary students. It would be easy for students to understand because of the pictures and low level vocabulary. Since students would be able to easily understand the story it would be a great opportunity to work on analyzing the text. Relationships are a consistent theme throughout this book that students can connect to and discuss Students could also identify the development of the main character throughout the story. How her character changes and the causes of those changes.

This novel enriches students’ lives by introducing them to the world of deaf people. This is a topic that is not usually discussed, nor to the level that Bell does. It allows students to understand how people with hearing difficulties feel and what they go through on a daily basis. This is a great book for diversity and character development. It is an engaging, fun book that touches upon serious topics that all readers can relate to.

Questions

How are family relationships depicted?

Cece’s family is shown to have a strong relationship. They help support Cece in whatever way they can. Her older sister and brother and typical teenagers, going off to do their own thing, but the author still shows how they will come together to watch TV and help explain what Cece might have missed on the show. The mother is supportive and pushes Cece to learn sign language to help better herself. Her dad does not play a huge role in the story, but he is there and supports her when it is needed.

Who has the power? How is this power shown?

The power shifted during the story. At the beginning of the book, when she first learns that she is deaf, she allows the disability to have power over her. As the story progresses, Cece slowly takes the power back. She creates a superhero version of herself and tries to act as the superhero does. Finally, at the end of the book, she feels accepted by her peers and she has accepted her disability  showing she now holds the power over her life.

What roles do women and girls have — based on their own intelligence or initiative or on good looks/relationships? how are problems presented, conceived, resolved?

One part of the story touches upon gender roles for young girls. While at a sleepover, the girls want to perform a makeover on Cece. The author shows how young girls are already obsessed with their looks and how makeup can help them look pretty. “Cee-Cee, we think you are cute? But you could be cuter! We want to do your hair and makeup!” Cece does not give in and protests against the girls. She has to create a lie in order to do so, but it shows that she did not give into peer pressure.

Trombone Shorty

June 15, 2017

Trombone Shorty is a biography written by Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews and illustrated by Bryan Collier. He grew up in the Treme neighborhood of New Orleans where he was constantly surrounded by music. He continuously strived to be a musician himself and acquired a trombone by the age of four. He continued to grow and practice music and eventually started his own band. He caught the eye of Lenny Kravitz and was invited to tour with his band. Today he is known as Trombone Shorty and plays around the world, but always returns home to help inspire kids in his own neighborhood.

This picture book won the Caldecott Medal in 2017 and the Coretta Scott King Award. It was published in 2015 and is meant for young readers in the primary and secondary grades. The plot follows the life of a young Troy Andrews in his hometown of New Orleans in the Treme neighborhood. Andrews creates the setting for the reader to understand how they speak and the musical influences on his life. Music was a huge part of that particular neighborhood because the people did not have much money and music allowed for people to “forget their troubles for a little while.”

It is written in first person, so the reader understand all of the thoughts and feelings that Andrews had during his childhood. He describes how he desperately wanted to be in a band like his older brother James, “…my friends and I would pretend to be in the band, too.” He speaks about he is persistent to play music like the real musicians by playing without an instrument until he finally finds one. Andrews then takes the reader through his relationship with the new trombone. He even sleeps with it and plays it along with people at the parades, that is when he receives his nickname Trombone Shorty given by his brother.

Then one day at a concert, Bo Diddly asks him to come up and play on the stage with him. During this scene, Andrew shows his boldness and confidence, “‘What so you want to play?’ Bo Diddly asked. ‘FOLLOW ME,’ I said.” . He was later noticed by another musician and began to tour around the world. He continues to travel home and lead the parade where it all began.

At the beginning of this book the author uses regional slang, “Where y’at?”. He introduces it to the reader drawing them into his own world. He continues peppering in the regional slang throughout the book and providing definitions. My favorite part of the entire book is the title page. Instead of having the traditional author and illustrator text, he uses “words by” and “pictures by”. These simple change in words allows more students to connect to the story because it feels more modern and personal. A few times he uses some similes to help the reader understand the feelings he was trying to convey.

This book can be used for any grade. The teacher can have the students learn how to sequences events, identify the theme, look at language and word choice, or how the setting affects the character. A teacher could also use this biography to help pull some other informational articles on musicians such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Bo Diddly, etc. Students will be able to make many different connections with this text. They can relate to the theme of persistence, the regional slang, poverty or music. This story of Andrews life is like a fairy tale. A little boy from a poor section of New Orleans is noticed and becomes a famous musician. These are dreams that every kid holds and hopes to accomplish.

Are minorities shown exclusively in poverty situations?

No, this is a story that shows how an African-American boy, from a poor section of New Orleans, was persistent in learning to play music and rose out of poverty and became a famous musician known world wide.

Who has the power? How is this power shown?

Trombone Shorty has the power in this book. The story centers around him and the choices he makes to become a musician. These decisions leads him to a life of music and stardom. Only he could change his life.

Do depictions of all cultures avoid oversimplification or offer genuine insights?

This story offers genuine insight. Not only is the story a biography picture book written by Trombone Shorty, but it includes pictures of his real life. The illustrator, Bryan Collier, used watercolor paintings and pictures from Andrews life to create collages that represented his culture. Also, Andrews uses regional slang and creates a setting that shows the culture of the area. He describes the food, music and activities people do to forget their problems. This was a true glimpse into the life of someone who lives in New Orleans.

 

The Farmer and the Clown by Marla Frazee

June 9, 2017

Marla Frazee is the author and the illustrator of the fiction picture book, The Farmer and the Clown. She introduces the idea that the feeling of home can be in one or more places. It is not so much just a physical place you live, but it is where you feel comfortable and loved. She states that home can be in her studio, kitchen, or alone. Her book won the Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Illustration.

The book is a very touching story about a little clown that falls off the circus train into a farmer’s field. The farmer decides to take the clown in and look after him. At the end of the book the clown’s family returns to pick him up and the little clown shows that he is happy to be returned to his family, but is grateful for the farmer taking him in. This entire story is told through pictures alone. There are no words, only very descriptive illustrations that guide the reader through an emotional story.

Ultimately, this book can be used throughout all grades. I would use this book to show entering readers how a student can read without being able to read text, yet. It is a perfect example to explain how pictures help tell the story at this level. It helps students build confidence that they can read and understand a story.

As you move up through the grade levels, this picture book is a blank canvas for teachers to use for any writing standard. You can have students practice writing in complete sentences and using basic punctuation, adding dialogue between characters, writing in different points of view and perspectives, or writing to include a theme or plot line. Any teacher can use this book at any grade level and alter their lesson accordingly.

This book helps students think about what home is to them. Is it one place, two places or more? Many students have parents that are divorced and live in two houses. They may consider two different places home and this brings up the discussion. At my current school, many students are military and have no permanent address. Their definition of home would be very different from others. They may consider many places or just being with their family as home.

How are family relationships depicted?

In The Farmer and the Clown, the book starts with the reader understanding that the clown came from a family and fell off the train. It then precedes to the farmer taking the clown in and taking care of it. This part shows how a trusting, loving relationship is built and how a new type of family relationship can emerge. The clown still has his biological family that he leaves with at the end, but that does not change his feelings for the farmer and the bond they have built to create this new feeling of home.

What do you notice about stereotypes?

The farmer falls under the stereotype of a typical farmer. Frazee illustrates an old man with a long beard to fulfill the typical image. He takes the child in, but cares for it in his own way by feeding him, washing him, and having him work. Most of the activities he does with the child falls under the stereotype of a farmer.

What information does the author assume the reader knows?

The author assumes the reader knows how to create a story by understanding pictures and the emotions shown on the character’s face. In my experience, not all children understand this concept and have difficulty reading emotions. This is something that can hinder an emerging readers understanding of the story.

The Family Book

June 8, 2017

Todd Parr is an author and illustrator for numerous children picture books that are geared toward emerging readers. His books use brightly colored drawings and modern themes to attract his audience. He promotes character growth and helps kids feel accepted by celebrating their differences. He has won many awards throughout the years such as The Green Earth Book Award, 2001 National Parenting Publications Award, and an award by the Family Equality Council. The Family Book, won the 2004 Openheim Toy Portfolio Best Book award. He has expanded his career to include a pre-school television show, ToddWorld, that has reached a worldwide audience. http://www.toddparr.com

The Family Book is a picture book that is a contemporary realistic fiction that captures the modern day definition of a family. It shows how families are diverse and unique in many different ways. Every child should be able to connect to this book and find their version of family.  He shows traditional families, step-parents, adoptions, single parents, loss of a family member, and same-sex parents. Every child in a classroom comes from a different background and may have a difficult time connecting to a book only about traditional families. This book allows every child to become excited and identify “their” family on the pages. Also, Parr does a great job including many different looking characters. He uses brightly colored people and different animals in order to avoid race and ethnicities.

I would be able to use this book in multiple ways in a Kindergarten classroom. First, the colored font that Parr uses on several of the pages would make it easy to work on word to word correspondence. There is a plethora of vocabulary words that a Kindergarten student is supposed to know included in this book. For example: big, small, near, far, same, and different. Along with these specific vocabulary words students can recognize sight words within the book. Also, I can use this story during a read aloud by working on comparing and contrasting information. Students can list all the ways families are different and similar according to Parr.

It would be easy to include math standards with this book. The bold colors and large characters make it easy to review colors and numbers. This book helps broaden a students understanding of their neighborhood and community.The prominent discussion would be about the uniqueness of each person’s family. It would allow for us to discuss adoption, losing a family member, step-parents and same sex parents. These are topics that students need to be aware of and how to handle them emotionally and socially. This would allow for students to understand diversity, accept it and grow emotionally. The only caution I would give with this book is to be aware of the region’s religion. Currently, I teach in a small, farming town in the Bible belt and I know many parents would be upset that I exposed their children to the idea of same-sex marriage. If I was in a large city with more perspectives and backgrounds then I feel it would be more accepted.

• How are family relationships depicted?

Family relationships are depicted in a variety of ways with some common traits. Parr introduced all the different types of families that children can have while showing what all families have in common. According to Parr all families hug, sad to lose a loved one, celebrate special days, and help each other. Although the people that create your family might be different than everyone else’s, the relationships are the same.

• Who or what was included and who or what was left out of the scope of the book?

The Family Book does a great job illustrating the different ways a family can be made and how they should act. I feel there would be at least one child that will not be able to completely connect to this book. They might be able to find a physical representation of their family, but not the emotional or social way that Parr explains. Not every child receives a hug or helps each other on a continuous bases. It is still a phenomenal book that I would use in my own classroom, but you might have to be prepared for that one student to not be able to connect.

• What information does the author assume the reader knows?

The author does a great job showing what a family is, but he does expect the reader to come knowing his or her own family. Parr assumes you know that you what makes your family and how is unique compared to others.