Books That Celebrate Diversity #2: The Christmas Menorahs: How a Town Fought Hate

Tolerance of all religious beliefs is only the beginning of true cultural awareness. The Christmas Menorahs: How a Town Fought Hate, text by Janice Cohn and illustrated by Bill Farnsworth speaks to the need to defend religious beliefs that are different from an individuals beliefs. The United States Constitution specifically protects freedom of religion; most students never think of religious freedom in locales that are predominantly Christian because the issue is never raised. This book re-tales the contemporary true story of a town in Montana that fought bigotry and hate directed toward its Jewish community in 1993. The story is told from the point of view of an eleven year old Jewish boy(perfect for a fifth grade class studying American history and government) whose town fights against violent anti-semitism.

When homes displaying menorahs are vandalized the town takes a stand by having all homes, Christian and Jewish, display the menorah. Soon business and churches of all faiths join the crusade and menorahs are suddenly everywhere in this predominantly Christian community.

The lessons of tolerance reach beyond religion and can be extended to issues of race, gender, and disabilities. My fifth grade students love this story and how it allows them to see how they can make large differences through small acts of solidarity.

I first became aware of this story when I saw the made for television movie Not in This Town, which is based upon the book. The video can be purchased at Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/Not-This-Town-Kathy-Baker/dp/0783222513/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=video&qid=1246300712&sr=8-1) for a very reasonable price.

There are several websites that have lesson plans based upon this book and film. I have listed several for your perusal: http://hastings.ci.lexington.ma.us/Library/Yes/Lessons/Community/communit.htm and http://ctp.facinghistory.org/book/export/html/12

Books That Celebrate Diversity #1: And Tango Makes Three

Teaching an appreciation for the diverse world in which we live can be a daunting task, especially when the diversity involves controversial issues. No one would argue that racial, ethnic, and religious diversity should be addressed in schools, however, the issue of what constitutes a family can be a minefield to transverse. The publication of And Tango Makes Three in 2005 was both applauded and criticized for its content. The American Library Association reports that And Tango Makes Three, written by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson and illustrated by Henry Cole, was the most challenged book in 2006, 2007, and 2008.

The story, based on actual events, takes place at the Central Park Zoo in New York City. Two male chinstrap penguins form a family unit that lasts six years. The book chronicles the events that occur during this time frame. The zoo keepers notice that the two penguins try unsuccessfully to hatch an egg- an egg that turns out to be a rock. The zoo keepers provide an egg from another couple that had two eggs and had been unable to hatch two eggs in the past.

The nurturing couple successfully care for, hatch, and raise a baby penguin named Tango. The family unit described in this book is loving, nurturing, and headed by a same-sex couple.

This book provides an excellent opportunity to introduce the idea that families are as diverse as the world in which we live. The younger student will appreciate the story of loving parents and the older student will be introduced to the diversity that exists in today's world. The illustrations will also engage the young and older reader-after all, who doesn't love a penguin!

I would be remiss if I did not warn of the possible controversy that the inclusion of this book could cause for the media center brave enough to add this wonderful book to their collection. The ALA offers, on it's website, steps to address attempts to ban and censor books(http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/index.cfm).

The Lorax: Lessons in Going Green

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss is a didactic children's book addressing the issues of conservation, pollution, greed, and possible redemption by those who once blithely squandered their natural resources. In the "green times" of today, it is hard to imagine the controversy that the publication of this book in 1971 once caused. The story resembles a fable in which an entire community perishes due to over harvesting of the local resource, namely the Truffula trees. Pollution, climate change, deforestation, and the all too common human emotion of greed play a role in the eventual destruction of a once beautiful and vibrant community. The story ends on a hopeful note of rebirth. The Once-ler, the story's antagonist, has saved one Truffula seed- perhaps enough to allow a regrowth of the community that had been destroyed by a capricious and callous use of limited natural resources.

A Cat in the Hat film version of The Lorax can be accessed in its entirety on Youtube at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GECJcW2Ifm4.

Contemporary children's literature continues to be didactic in nature. Most social issues have been visited in books written for the youth market. Prejudice, bullying, the changing family, and conservation have all been addressed in recent literature. TheGreat Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest and A Christmas Tree in the White House are two recent books that tell stories of environmental conservation.

The Cat in the Hat and If You Give a Pig a Pancake

A contemporary children's book that embodies the tension between the good sense and nonsensee found in Dr. Seuss's The Cat in the Hat is the delightful If You Give a Pig a Pancake by Laura Numeroff and illustrated by Felicia Bond. The pig in question, much like the cat, takes a simple situation and makes more and more outrageous requests- eventually creating chaos-before making a circular route back to the beginning.

Children of all ages will enjoy this book- the illustrations make it impossible to not fall in love with the antagonist. The requests begin benignly enough, syrup for the pancake, only to become more and more complex as the book progresses. The host becomes more and more frazzled, much like the children in

The Cat in the Hat, as she attempts to placate her guest. The logical, yet ridiculous, requests will have students engaged in guessing what could be next.

Extension lessons could include sequencing, making predictions, and word recognition. Several websites offer lesson plans using this book series.

http://www.thevirtualvine.com/ifyougivea.html

http://www.lessonplanspage.com/LACircularStoriesK1.htm
http://atozteacherstuff.com/Themes/If_You_Give_a_____Books/index.shtml

Pictures of Hollis Woods: Newbery #1

I chose my Newbery winner based upon the cover art of the novel- it touched me in a poignant way that is rarely explainable. Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Griff was a 2003 Newbery Honor winner. The story of Hollis was indeed as poignant as the book cover promised.

Hollis Woods, named for the place she was abandoned as a baby, is a child whose perspectives have been influenced and skewed by the foster care system in which she has been raised. The fact that every year I have at least three students in the foster care system, makes this book a must read for me- and for any teacher who deals with children placed in this flawed, albeit, sometimes life saving system. This book allows an outsider into the thought process of a child who views the concept of family in a way that those born into one never will.

Hollis's early life is spent moving from family to family until she is placed with the Regan family. What appears to be a perfect fit between child and family is soon destroyed by the perceptions of a child who assumes, misinterprets, and does not understand that families work problems out--they do not run from them. Although Hollis's intentions are admirable-to save a family from her actions-they are misplaced. In fact, the Regan's love Hollis and she is not to blame for the problems with Steven.

So often children misunderstand or misinterpret what adults say- it should be a lesson to all to be very careful when speaking around young children. I remember when my son, who is now 19 years old, was in the fourth grade and I decided to go back to school and get a teaching degree. The conversation in the home had centered around my ability to quit work and return to school. My husband and I knew it would be financially tight-but doable. You can only imagine my shock (embarrassment) when I went to his fourth grade open house and read his self-written profile. Under the heading of "I worry about", my precious child had written "paying our bills" and then displayed his work for all to see!! This reminded me of Hollis and made me want to cry just a little-cry for Hollis and for my child who had worried so unnecessarily at the age of nine.

Hollis leaves the Regans and eventually finds acceptance and love with an elderly woman named Josie. Hollis and Josie share an artistic bent that allows Hollis to begin to become the artist she is meant to become. Unfortunately, Josie begins to show signs of Alzheimer disease which Hollis deals with by becoming invisible. She goes to school, causes no trouble, and tries to stay under the radar of social services. Eventually Hollis decides she and Josie must run in order to remain together as a family. Where she runs to and the discoveries she makes are the climax of this book.

The Pinballs, A Child Called It, Anne of Green Gables, The Great Gilly Hopkins, and Bud, Not Buddy are books that deal with children in foster care situations.

Pictures of Hollis Woods was made into a Hallmark movie in 2007. The film starred Sissy Spacek. I have not seen the film and therefore cannot recommend it at this time.

Patricia Griff also wrote the 1998 Newbery Honor book Lily's Crossing, the Polk Street School series, and Willow Run.

Jerry Pinkney: The Ugly Duckling

Jerry Pinkney is a multi-award winning illustrator and author. He has won numerous Caldecott Honors, Coretta Scott King Awards, and ALA Awards. His website, http://www.jerrypinkneystudio.com/frameset.html, has excellent examples of his work in children's literature. His adaptation and illustration of Hans Christian Anderson's The Ugly Duckling was published in 1999.

The classic tale of self-actualization focuses on the trials of the self-described animal "too ugly even for a dog to eat" to the beautiful swan he was destined to become. Pinkney's illustrations are large, two page spreads that are filled with details that will engage children for hours. The illustrations are colorful, yet subtle in presentation, as watercolor tends to be.

The timeless tale of adversity, bullying, and eventual triumph as the duckling blossoms and fulfills his destiny as a swan can give hope to child who find themselves in similar situations. Too short, too tall, too heavy, too skinny, glasses, braces; these are situations that many students worry constantly over and stories like The Ugly Duckling may provide a brief respite for them. This would be an excellent book to read the first day of school and have students write about their own visions of themselves in the future--this would give the classroom teacher insight to the individual student; their fears and their dreams. A Spanish version of the book is available.

An entertaining and informative interview of Pinkney for children can be found at http://www.rif.org/kids/readingplanet/bookzone/pinkney.htm. The author and illustrator is pictured to the right.

Yoshiko Uchida: The Bracelet

The Bracelet by Yoshiko Uchida tells the story of U.S. Government internment of Japanese-Americans following the outbreak of World War II as seen through the eyes of a seven year old Japanese-American girl. The story is based upon the real-life experiences of the author and her family. The story follows Emi and her family as they are forced to leave their home and friends and settle into squalid living conditions that were common in the internment camps of the era. I can not recommend this book, which was based on a short story, for several reasons. As much as I wanted it to, the story does not create a feeling of empathy towards the characters in the story. The mother and sister are never fleshed out in terms of character or despair, in fact, the main character, Emi, leaves me wanting more emotionally. The illustrations by Joanna Yardley lack emotion, in fact, almost every page has more empty space than used space.

The friendship between Emi and Laurie is almost a side story, contrived, to allow the introduction of the bracelet. I never get a feeling of this relationship and why is appears to be lost. I would assume that a better lesson would be how a friendship can survive despite distance and events.

I am not quite sure the intended age group this book would appeal to. Very young students will not understand the concept of internment and older students will have to be given historical context to fully appreciate the situation the book attempts to describe. My fifth grade students would not be engaged by a seven year old protagonist and seven year olds may not be able to grasp the concepts of racism, prejudice, and fear based upon threat of wartime uncertainty.

Uchida is a prolific writer of children's books that address her experiences as a Japanese-American. She has been awarded honors from School Library Journal, the American Library Association, and the New York Public Library. Her notable children's books include Best Bad Thing, Jar of Dreams, and Journey to Topaz. Her complete bibliography of children's books includes over seventeen titles.