Module 4 Book Reviews
THE GREAT BALL GAME: A MUSKOGEE STORY
a. BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA
Roth, Susan L. 1994. THE GREAT BALL GAME: A MUSKOGEE STORY. By Joseph Bruchac. New York: Dial Books For Young Readers. ISBN: 0-8037-1539-0
b. PLOT SUMMARY
The birds and the animals were fighting over which group was better than the other. The birds thought they were better than the animals due to their wings while the animals thought they were better than the birds since they had teeth. The leaders of each group decided to settle the argument with a sports game. The bat played a pivotal role in determining the outcome of the game.
c. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This fictional story contains a Muskogee legend. The illustrator used paper from around the world to create the animal characters, scenery, and stick ball game items. The illustrator uses textured, solid, and multicolored paper to create different layers. Some pictures look two dimensional; however, other pictures have many layers such as the scene that shows the birds flying south for the winter.
The animal characters in the story contain close to their natural shades of color that they would have in the wild. Fortunately, the animals are not dressed in buckskin clothes or wearing feathers in a headband on top of their heads since this would have been a negative Native Indian stereotype.
TRENDS
The language patterns vary in this story. Most of the time, the animals speak in simple, choppy sentences to one another. The Bear, the leader of the animals, and the Crane, the leader of the birds, used longer complex sentences as they discussed the rules and consequences of the stickball game. The Bear also had longer conversations with the Bat. “You are not very big, but sometimes even the same ones can help.”
Theme of cultural conflict and exclusion are included in this story. The animals with teeth and the animals with wings each feel superior over the other group. The birds told the animals, “We who have wings are better than you.” Of course the animals rebuffed their statement and declared their superiority. Bear agrees to accept the Bat on his team with the following conditions: “We will accept you as an Animal, but you must hold back and let the bigger Animals play first.” I think that many times outsiders must work twice as hard to prove themselves in order to become accepted by the majority group.
STRENGTHS
The animals in the illustrations are not dressed as Native Americans. Therefore, they are not perpetuating a stereotype. The author includes a note at the beginning of the book before the story and explains that various versions of this story exist. He shares where this particular version of the story originated. An “Oklahoma Muskogee elder” shared the tale with the author, yet it was the author’s choice to make the game a stickball game.
d. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Carolyn Phelan (Booklist, September 15, 1994 (Vol. 91, No. 2))
In this Muskogee Indian tale, the birds argue with the beasts about which are better--those with teeth or those with wings. When the quarrel escalates to the brink of war, both sides agree to settle their disagreement on the playing field. The first side to score a point will set the other's punishment. The bat, who has wings as well as teeth, is initially spurned by both sides, then permitted to join the beasts. He scores the goal and banishes the birds for half the year. "So it is that the Birds fly south each winter. . . . And every day at dusk Bat still comes flying to see if the Animals need him to play ball." Roth's dynamic collages combine cut papers of varied textures and hues to create a series of effective illustrations. Short and well told, this appealing pourquoi tale lends itself to reading aloud.
Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, 1994)
How the bat found its niche in the animal kingdom and why birds fly south in winter are explained in this Muskogee tale, one of a dozen similar stories on the topic found in Native American lore. In this version, a disagreement has arisen between the birds and the animals. They take to the stickball field (stickball here is a Native American game similar to lacrosse) to resolve the affair. The bat is spurned by the birds as too small, but the animals take him in, if only as an alternate. As twilight settles over the playing field, the bat comes into his element and scores the winning goal. He then levies a penalty on the birds: They must leave that land for six months every year, while the bats stay home and rest. As an explanation for migration, this story has it all over the stellar-geo-electromagnetic theory currently in vogue. Roth's distinctive collages have a Red Grooms busyness ranging from bright and appealing to appropriately subtle, rendered from elegant handmade papers gathered in Tibet, Italy, Japan, and Thailand. There is one problem, though. Many bats don't stay home and rest. They migrate, too. Oops. 1994, Dial, $14.99; PLB $14.89. © 1994 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.
Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, 1994)
The Birds and the Animals decide to settle a disagreement with a stickball game, and the first side to score sets the losers' penalty. Bat, originally excluded from both teams, flies at dusk to help the Animals win. The Birds' penalty? They must leave for half of each year, which explains why birds fly south each winter. Artful cut- and torn-paper collages feature creatures juxtaposed against brilliantly colored or patterned backgrounds. Category: Nonfiction. 1994, Dial, 32pp.. Ages 5 to 9. Rating: 2: Superior, well above average.
e. CONNECTIONS
In order to learn more about the author and his published books, children may view his homepage: http://www.josephbruchac.com/.
Related books
Students could read the following book that includes another Muskogee tale.
Annesley,Robert. 1997. SPIDER SPINS A STORY: FOURTEEN LEGENDS FROM NATIVE AMERICA. edited by Jill Max. Flagstaff: Rising Moon. ISBN: 0873586115.
The next book provides another folktale that explains how the chipmunk came to have stripes.
Aruego, Jose and Ariane Dewey. 2001. HOW CHIPMUNK GOT HIS STRIPES: A TALE OF BRAGGING AND TEASING. as told by Joseph Bruchac & James Bruchac. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 0803724047.
Activities
Children could read about other folktales and legends that relate to specific Native American tribes. Children could try to write their own legend to explain an idea such as why is the sky blue.
Children’s responses
Since I had a book fair at school this week, I did not have a chance to read this story to students. My almost three year old liked the fact that the main characters were animals; however, she did not understand why the animals were fighting. She has not read a story that contained a plot with animals fighting. She thought the illustrations with the bear and bat with white ziz-zag teeth made the animals look scary.
JINGLE DANCER
Book Review
a. BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA
Hu, Ying-Hwa and Wright, Cornelius Van. 2000. JINGLE DANCER. by Cynthia L. Smith. New York : Morrow Junior Books. ISBN: 0688162428.
b. PLOT SUMMARY
As Jenna ate honey on fry bread, she dreamed about wearing a jingle dress and dancing in the powwow. The story shows how Jenna learned how to perform the jingle dance and how she obtained jingles for her jingle dress. Throughout the story, Jenna’s family supports and encourages her to complete her goal of creating a jingle dress and dancing the jingle dance in the powwow.
c. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
THEMES
The positive message of perseverance was shown through the theme of family closeness. Jenna practiced her jingle dancing even when she did not have a jingle dress to wear. “When Grandma bounce-stepped on TV, Jenna bounce-stepped on family room carpet.” Jenna’s family members shared some of their own jingles with Jenna so she would be able to perform in the powwow.
CULTURAL MARKERS
Fry bread and Indian taco are two foods that are mentioned in the story. The music of the jingles is described throughout the story. “Clattering tinks,” “jingles clanked,” and “jingles sang, tink, tink, tink, tink” are some of the sounds the jingles made. The characters have similar brown skin tones. Many of the women and young girls wear their long hair pulled back in a low pony tail or in a clip on top of their head. Jenna’s Grandma and Great Aunt Sis appear to have short hair. Some of the girls at the powwow wear two braids in their hair.
The facial expressions of the women in Jenna’s family are happy and kind. Both Jenna and her family members embrace frequently. The women wear different clothing such as suits, casual clothes, solid shirts and pants, jeans and printed blouses. In many of the rooms in their houses, a symbol of their culture can be found. Fry bread on Jenna’s plate, a basket on a table, a jingle dress hanging up on a door, moccasins, or a blanket with a Native American pattern can be seen in some of the rooms. The homes of Jenna’s family members are neat and uncluttered.
STRENGTHS
The author’s note in the back of the book provides additional knowledge about the heritage of the main character, Jenna. One paragraph provides a detailed explanation of the design of the jingle dress. The author does include a short glossary on the last page that defines the following words: fry bread, Indian taco, powwow, and regalia.
WEAKNESSES
I thought that the text was awkward when the story switched between narrating the time of day, “as Moon kissed Sun good night” and the main story of the little girl’s desire to perform the jingle dance at the powwow, “I want to dance the jingle dance too.” The modern day language, “every night that week,” clashes with the traditional language, “as moon glowed pale.” I felt as that the two stories were accidently mixed together.
PERSONAL OPINION
I was fascinated by the story of the jingle dressed, but the text irritated me as I mentioned in the previous section. The illustrations are beautiful: soft, warm, and inviting. After reading THE GREAT BALL GAME and understanding the story of the animals verse the birds, I do not think that having Great-aunt Sis briefly mention the tale added to the story of JINGLE DANCER. The first time I read this book was before I read THE GREAT BALL GAME. I did not really understand what the Great-aunt Sis was referring to with her tale about the bat. I do not think that the author’s note on the last page clarified the tale either.
d. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Connie Fletcher (Booklist, May 15, 2000 (Vol. 96, No. 18))
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. Category: For the Young. 2000, Morrow, $15.95 and $15.89. Ages 4-7.
Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, April 15, 2000 (Vol. 68, No. 8))
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) 2000, Harcourt Brace, $15.95. Category: Picture book. Ages 5 to 9. © 2000 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.
Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, 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. Category: Picture Books. 2000, Morrow, 32pp, $15.95, $15.89. Ages 4 to 9. Rating: 4: Recommended, with minor flaws.
e. CONNECTIONS
Students may enjoy reading other books that incorporates a dance performed at a powwow.
Raczek, Linda Theresa. 1999. RAINY’S POWWOW. Flagstaff: Rising Moon/Books for Young Readers from Northland Publishing. ISBN: 0873586867.
Doney, Todd L.W. 1996. RED BIRD. By Barbara Mitchell. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books. ISBN: 0688108601.
Activities
Students could investigate the Muscogee Nation and Ojibway. Student could also learn about other foods that members of these two different tribes eat. Students could compare the foods that Jenna’s tribe eats to food that they traditionally eat.
In order to learn more about the author and his published books, children may view her homepage: http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
Module 3 Book Reviews
CANTO FAMILIAR
a. Bibliographic data
Nelson, Annika. 1995. CANTO FAMILIAR. by Gary Soto. New York: Harcourt Brace and Company. ISBN: 0152000674
b. Plot summary
CANTO FAMILIAR is a collection of twenty-five poems which the author refers to as songs. The poems are written in first person and address the normal everyday life and thoughts of a young Latino or Latina child. Illustrations accompany some, but not all of the poems. The descriptive poems contain both visual and auditory descriptions that allow the reader to easily visual and vicariously enter the life of the Hispanic child in each poem.
c. Critical analysis
The characters’ skin tones are varying shades brown. The characters have oval eyes and different styles of hair. Young girls wear their hair long in pigtails and braids. The mothers and teacher depicted in the poems wear their straight hair cut at varying lengths above the shoulders or pulled back in a bun. The boys’ hair styles are similar: short, wavy, and parted to the side. Their hair colors are varying shades of brown.
The facial features of most of the people are content with exception of the boy washing dishes in the poem, “Doing Dishes.” The characters in the story are slim and dressed in colorful clothes. The characters’ dresses, jumpers, shirts, pants, and skirts contain solid, deep colors such as purples, pinks, reds, blues, and yellows. The settings of many of the illustrations are inside a family’s kitchen. Other places include inside the living room or outside at a picnic.
The pictures add to the poems since many themes have to do with family, food, and celebrations. Food is an important part of a Hispanic family’s life. Papi’s Menudo is about a father enjoying a nice bowl of “menudo.” Many Hispanics savor their meals as portrayed in this poem. Papi, “dips sprinkles his menudo with onion,” “tears a piece of tortilla and dips it into his menudo,” and “slurps.”
The poems, “Christmas Angel” and “Tortilla’s Like Africa” illustrate a bond between siblings. An older sister breaks off a small part of a Christmas cookie and puts it in the mouth of her six-month-old little brother in order to share a Christmas tradition with him. In “Tortilla’s Like Africa” two brothers laughed as they made imperfect tortilla’s that were tasty, but not exactly like the tortillas their mom made. A young girl eats a large, slice of watermelon in the poem, “Sandia.”
The names of the characters are Spanish kinship terms: mami, papi, bebe, abuelito are used in the poems. The terms were not overused or translated, so they added to the Hispanic authenticity of the text. Also, characters have Hispanic names such as Enrique, Senor Cisneros, and Maria. Gary Soto successfully intersperses Spanish sentences and phrases in his poems without redundancy. In the poem, “Que hora es?” the poet mixes Spanish terms within the English text, but the reader can gather their meaning based on the context clues. The question, “What time is it?” is asked in Spanish in the second and fourth stanza and in English in the fifth stanza. In this collection of poems, the Spanish language adds to the authenticity of the poems.
I enjoyed these poems. Even though I did not grow up in a Hispanic family, I could relate to some of the common childhood concerns: pets, chores, siblings, teachers and family. I remember my childhood cat, Mittens, and his kitten antics, or the iron that spit and sputtered water on my clothes. Since some of the poems do not contain any illustrations, Spanish words, or Latino character names, the narrator could be of any race.
d. Review excerpts
From School Library Journal
Grade 3 Up? Who could imagine that such joyous rhythm could be found in the familiar moments of life, such as washing dishes or spotting a teacher in the market? In this companion volume to Neighborhood Odes (Harcourt, 1992), Soto not only imagines the musical beat, but also captures the energy and tranposes it into poetic songs. Imagery abounds, as in the hot iron that "snorts like a bull." Nelson's distinctive block prints bounce off white pages with vibrant magentas and bold blues outlined with thick black lines. The result is a harmony of words and pictures to be anticipated and savored. Although the landscape may be unfamiliar, readers are guided to this Mexican-American neighborhood, welcomed inside this home, and invited to share a child's thoughts about these universal experiences. Even with Spanish words woven throughout, the messages need no special interpretation to be understood. Pair this title with Soto's picture book Too Many Tamales (Putnam, 1993) or use it as an introduction to his novels for older readers. Read it, sing it, share it.
Sarabeth Kalajian, Venice Public Library, FL
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Gr. 4-6. A companion to Soto's Neighborhood Odes (1992), this collection of simple free verse captures common childhood moments at home, at school, and in the street. Many of the experiences are Mexican American ("Spanish is seeing double" ), and occasional Spanish words are part of the easy, colloquial, short lines. The first-person voices are immediate, physical, and joyful, celebrating music, dancing, cats, friends, family. For example, it's weird and embarrassing to bump into your teacher at the supermarket. It's boring doing dishes. It's fun to eat while reading. The occasional full-page, richly colored woodcuts by Annika Nelson capture the child's imaginative take on ordinary things. This is a collection to read aloud and get kids writing about themselves. Hazel Rochman
Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, 1995)
This humorous, tender collection of 25 poems and full-color linocuts about the daily life of Mexican-American children is a companion book to Soto's Neighborhood Odes (1992). Invoking ordinary domestic and community incidents, it's a fine introduction not only to poetry but to Chicano culture. In "Papi's Menudo," a father enjoys a favorite dish; the narrator of "Music for Fun and Profit" gets paid not to play an instrument; and "My Teacher in the Market" explores the amazement of a child upon seeing a teacher outside of class. The poems are generally descriptive rather than abstract, more concerned with communicating feelings than with literary style, and most are free verse, without regular cadence or rhyme scheme. Nelson debuts with scenes--homey, comfortable, bright--that make the book even more accessible. 1995, Harcourt Brace, $17.00. Starred Review. © 1995 Kirkus Reviews
Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, 1995)
In this companion volume to the widely acclaimed 'Neighborhood Odes' (Harcourt), Soto continues his reveries in poems that illuminate the minutiae of everyday childhood experience. Some refer specifically to his own Mexican-American boyhood, while most describe moments that will spark recognition in any child. Accompanied by colorful illustrations, the poems are marked by short, point-blank phrasing and unrhymed vernacular. Category: Nonfiction. 1995, Harcourt, 79pp.. Ages 9 to 12. Rating: 2: Superior, well above average.
e. Connections
I read the poem, “My Teacher in the Market” to a class of fourth graders. They could relate to seeing their teachers at Walmart, Kohls, and Big Lots and feeling embarrassed. Some of the students admitted that they were playing in the store when they saw their classroom teacher. Two girls actually admitted hiding from their teacher when they saw her at the public library. They told me that they did not know what to say to her, so they just hide and watched her. The girls’ teacher eventually spotted them from across the room and waved.
Students may want to read more books written by Gary Soto. They could visit her author website: http://www.garysoto.com/.
I would challenge students to write their own poem about a common activity, person, or event in their daily lives. The teacher could work on a poem together with the class to model the writing process and build the students’ confidence in writing poetry. After the students publish their poems, then they should illustrate their poems.
Students may also enjoy reading another books of poetry such as CONFETTI: POEMS FOR CHILDREN by Pat Mora and illustrated by Enrique O. Sanchez.
Carlson, Lori M., ed. Cool Salsa: Bilingual Poems on Growing Up Latino in the United States. Introduction by Oscar Hijuelos. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1994. ISBN: o-805-03135-9.
Soto, Gary. A Fire in My Hands: A Book of Poems. Illustrated by James M. Cardillo. New York: Scholastic, 1990. ISBN: 0-590-45021-2.
Neighborhood Odes. Illustrated by David Diaz. San Diego: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, 1992.ISBN: 0-15-256879-4.
TOMAS AND THE LIBRARY LADY
a. Bibliographic data
Colon, Raul. 1997. TOMAS AND THE LIBRARY LADY. by Pat Mora. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. ISBN: 0-679-90401-8.
b. Brief plot summary
Tomás comes from a family of migrant workers. His grandfather told Tomas and his brother stories for years. However, one day when Tomas finished the end of the story for his grandfather, his grandfather told him it was time for him to learn some new stories to share with the family. Tomas went to the cool, comfortable library where the librarian helped him select interesting books. Tomas spent the hot days in the library drinking cool water, reading fascinating books, and letting his imagination wander.
c. Critical analysis with specific consideration of cultural markers for each book.
The scratch board illustrations show the family has the same brown skin tone. The “library lady” has a light cream color of skin in a muted tone. The boys have the same straight, brown hair that is combed and parted on the side. The grandpa has white hair and a white mustache. The mother’s hair is tied back in a bun at the nape of her neck.
The family looks happy throughout the story. Only Tomás expressions are pensive and sad as he leaves Texas in the beginning of the story and once again as he says good-bye to his friend, the Library Lady, in preparation to leave Iowa. The family’s love of storytelling and Papa Grade’s urging convinced Tomás to explore the public library and fill his mind with new stories that he could share with the family.The brothers wear shirts with collars, pants, and dressy casual shoes even when playing soccer. The story was a traditional story that portrayed a common theme in Hispanic literature: migrant workers. However, this family was not downtrodden. Even though Tomás and his family sleep on cots, drive a “tired, old car,” and look for iron and books at the city dump, his family has dignity. Those elements of the story are simply facts.
Tomás’s family values storytelling and reading. They entertain each other with stories and make the best of their situation. Tomás’s mother sews her sons a soccer ball from an old teddy bear. The teddy bear soccer ball helps make the story authentic to me. Many Latino boys love soccer and will play with any material of soccer ball as long as it rolls. As a child, my Argentine husband used to play with soccer balls made of old T-shirts held together with duct tape or taped balls of paper.
The setting takes place in both an urban and rural contexts. The family lived and worked on the farmland and drove on both country dirt roads and city roads as they traveled between Texas and Iowa. Tomás also went to the plain library and to the city dump with his family to look for books. The family’s mode of transportation was a “rusty car.” After looking at some old cars on the Internet, the car in the story looked like it was from the 1940s.
Spanish is mixed into the text. Terms of kinship such as the names of characters: Papa, mama, papa grande add a Hispanic flavor to the text. Both of the boys have Hispanic names: Tomas and Enrique. Tomás taught the Library Lady words in Spanish: libro, pájaro, and adios, and he would teach her words in English.
I thought it was usual that the librarian did not have a name. Since Tomás spent so much time in the library, I am sure he would have learned her name. Perhaps, the author wanted to downplay the importance of the librarian in order to avoid the “Anglo-savior” stereotypical theme. The librarian was simply called the “library lady.” When it was time to say good-bye, Tomás gave the library lady a gift of pan dulce.
After looking at different cars from that decade. I would place this store around the 1940s. Therefore I thought it was strange that the children only brought water to their parents working in the field. In the 1940s, the children from farms or low socioeconomic positions usually helped their parents by working alongside them in the field.
I thought this story was culturally authentic. The Spanish words, food, and actions of the characters (teddy bear soccer ball) prevent an illustrator from simply changing the race of the characters. Even though the theme of migrant workers is a common one, this story portrayed a strong, happy family of humble, honorable migrant workers. I liked that the family valued literacy and made the best of their situation. They did not have much money, but being poor did not define this family.
d. Review excerpts
From School Library JournalGrade 2-4? Tomas Rivera, who at his death in 1984 was the Chancellor of the University of California at Riverside, grew up in a migrant family. Here, Mora tells the fictionalized story of one summer in his childhood during which his love of books and reading is fostered by a librarian in Iowa, who takes him under her wing while his family works the harvest. She introduces him to stories about dinosaurs, horses, and American Indians and allows him to take books home where he shares them with his parents, grandfather, and brother. When it is time for the family to return to Texas, she gives Tomas the greatest gift of all?a book of his own to keep. Colon's earthy, sun-warmed colors, textured with swirling lines, add life to this biographical fragment and help portray Tomas's reading adventures in appealing ways. Stack this up with Sarah Stewart and David Small's The Library (Farrar, 1995) and Suzanne Williams and Steven Kellogg's Library Lil (Dial, 1997) to demonstrate the impact librarians can have on youngsters.?Barbara Elleman, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WICopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
e. Connections
Both the classroom teachers and I have encouraged the third, fourth, and fifth graders to visual the story as the read. Consequently, some students in a third grade class were eager to point out that Tomas was visualizing the stories as he read them since the illustrations showed Tomas seeing tigers and Native Americans.
Students may want to read more books written by Pat Mora. They could visit her author website: http://www.patmora.com/.
Students can read about a young African American boy’s struggle to borrow books from the library at a time it was illegal for him to check out books.
RICHARD WRIGHT AND THE LIBRARY CARD
by William Miller.
If students want to read a humorous book about a town that would rather watch TV instead of check out library books, then students can read LIBRARY LIL by Suzanne Williams.
Students may want to read more books about migrant workers.
FIRST DAY IN GRAPES / by L. King Perez ; illustrated by Robert Casilla.
LIGHTS ON A RIVER / Jane Resh Thomas ; illustrated by Michael Dooling.
Durbin, William. THE JOURNAL OF C.J. JACKSON : A DUST BOWL MIGRANT
Holyfield, John. THE HARD TIMES JAR. by Ethel Footman Smothers
Diaz, David. GOING HOME. by Eve Bunting.
Altman, Linda Jacobs. MIGRANT FARM WORKERS:THE TEMPORARY PEOPLE / Linda Jacobs
Diaz, David. CESAR: SI, SE PUEDE! = YES, WE CAN! by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand.
Altman, Linda Jacobs. Amelia's Road. Illustrated by Enrique Sanchez. New York: Lee and Low Books, 1993. ISBN: 1-880000-04-0. 29 p. Grade K-2.
de Ruiz, Dana Catharine, and Richard Larios. La Causa: The Migrant Farmworkers' Story. Illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez. Stories of America, Alex Haley, general editor. Austin: Steck-Vaughn Publishers, 1993. ISBN: 0-8114-7231-0. 92 p. Grade 3-5.
Students can use the Britannica Online School Edition database to research Migrant Workers.
http://school.eb.com/elementary/article?articleId=353253&query=migrant%20workers&ct=
BEFORE WE WERE FREE
a. Bibliographic data
Alvarez, Julia. 2002. BEFORE WE WERE FREE. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. ISBN: 0375915443.
b. Brief plot summary
Anita’s extended family members leave the family compound in the Dominican Republic to move to the United States. Anita later learns that her relatives left for their own safety. The Trujillo's dictatorship suppresses the freedoms of her family until an American embassy employee and his family comes to live with Anita’s family at the compound. Anita and her mother are the last members of her family to leave their country after her father and uncle’s failed attempt to overthrow the dictatorship.
c. Critical analysis
The only illustrations are the black and white cover of the book and two maps at the front of the book. The photograph of the front cover shows a young girl with long, straight hair looking out the screen of an open window of a simple cement house. The young girl has a sad, frustrated expression on her face and is resting her head in one hand. The girl had light colored skin in contrast with the blackness inside the house, but it is impossible to know the color of her skin since the photograph was taken in black and white.
One map at the being of the story show Anita’s family compound with a description of which family members lived in each house. Another map shows the Mancinis’s house with a description of each room. The reader is able to see the closet Anita and her mom lived in and the bathroom window from which they used to spy on their friends.
Even though Anita’s family lives on a large family compound, they are not wealthy. Her parents do not have money to send her sister, Lucinda, to the doctor when she has a bad rash on her neck. Anita wears Lucinda’s clothes to her quinceañera. The family does use a car to drive around town.
From the beginning of the story Spanish kinship terms such as tia, tio, papi, and mami are used. Spanish words are mixed throughout the novel. The dictator is referred to as El Jefe and the SIM are the “policía secreta.” The native Dominicans have Spanish names while the American children in the school have American names. Anita’s first crush, Sam, and his family from the United States also have American names.
Anita shows her limited understanding of English, when she’s confused at Sam’s remark of “something fishy” is going on after they discovered someone living in Tio Toni’s casita. Even though, Sam explained that the meaning of the expression is that “something strange is going on” Anita explains that there are a lot of fish on the compound. English idioms and expressions are difficult for second language learners; therefore, this mistake adds authenticity to the story.
Some themes in the story are strong family bonds, food, celebrations, and immigration. During the quinceañera, the young children listen to rock-and-roll and the older adults listen to cha-cha. The family supports each other in the Dominican Republic during the attempt to overthrow the dictator. Tio Toni hides out on the compound while Anita’s family keeps it a secret from the Washburn family. When Anita and her mother move to the America, they have the choice of living with her grandparents or moving in with the Garcias.
Since I’ve read novels and nonfiction books on the dictatorships in Argentina and Chile, I enjoyed reading this book. However, I did not like when the book changed styles, and I had to read the story from her diary. I realize that the author wanted to convey the chaos and uncertainty in Anita’s life; therefore, Anita’s choppy diary entries help portray her and her mother’s dire situation. This story depicts how children are not immune to the harsh conditions and cannot escape the stresses of dictatorships.
d. Review excerpts
From Publishers Weekly
In her first YA novel, Alvarez (How the Garc¡a Girls Lost Their Accents) proves as gifted at writing for adolescents as she is for adults. Here she brings her warmth, sensitivity and eye for detail to a volatile setting the Dominican Republic of her childhood, during the 1960-1961 attempt to overthrow Trujillo's dictatorship. The story opens as 12-year-old narrator Anita watches her cousins, the Garc¡a girls, abruptly leave for the U.S. with their parents; Anita's own immediate family are now the only ones occupying the extended family's compound. Alvarez relays the terrors of the Trujillo regime in a muted but unmistakable tone; for a while, Anita's parents protect her (and, by extension, readers), both from the ruler's criminal and even murderous ways and also from knowledge of their involvement in the planned coup d'‚tat. The perspective remains securely Anita's, and Alvarez's pitch-perfect narration will immerse readers in Anita's world. Her crush on the American boy next door is at first as important as knowing that the maid is almost certainly working for the secret police and spying on them; later, as Anita understands the implications of the adult remarks she overhears, her voice becomes anxious and the tension mounts. When the revolution fails, Anita's father and uncle are immediately arrested, and she and her mother go underground, living in secret in their friends' bedroom closet a sequence the author renders with palpable suspense. Alvarez conveys the hopeful ending with as much passion as suffuses the tragedies that precede it. A stirring work of art. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, June 15, 2002 (Vol. 70, No. 12))
A 12-year-old girl bears witness to the Dominican Revolution of 1961 in a powerful first-person narrative. The story opens as Anita's cousins (the Garcia girls of Alvarez's 1991 adult debut, How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents), hurriedly pack to leave the country. This signals the end of childhood innocence for Anita. In short succession, her family finds the secret police parked in their driveway; the American consul moves in next door; and her older sister Lucinda is packed off to join her cousins in New York after she attracts the unwelcome attention of El Jefe Trujillo, the country's dictator. Anita's family, it seems, is intimately involved with the political resistance to Trujillo, and she, perforce, is drawn into the emotional maelstrom. The present-tense narrative lends the story a gripping immediacy, as Anita moves from the healthy, self-absorbed naïveté of early adolescence to a prematurely aged understanding of the world's brutality. Her entree into puberty goes hand in hand with her entree into this adult world of terror: "I don't want to be a se-orita now that I know what El Jefe does to se-oritas." According to an author's note, Alvarez (How T'a Lola Came to Visit Stay, 2001, etc.) drew upon the experiences of family members who stayed behind in the Dominican Republic during this period of political upheaval, crafting a story that, in its matter-of-fact detailing of the increasingly surreal world surrounding Anita, feels almost realer than life. The power of the narrative is weakened somewhat by the insertion of Anita's diary entries as she and her mother take shelter in the Italian Embassy after her father's arrest. The first-person, present-tense construction of the diary entries are not different enough from the main narrative to make them come alive as such; instead, the artifice draws attention to itself, creating a distraction. This is a minor quibble with a story that imagines so clearly for American readers the travails of all-too-many Latin nations then and now. 2002, Knopf, $15.95. Category: Fiction. Ages 10 to 14. © 2002 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.
Hazel Rochman (Booklist, Aug. 1, 2002 (Vol. 98, No. 22))What is it like for a 12-year-old girl living under a ruthless dictatorship in the Dominican Republic in 1960? Alvarez draws on her own cousins' and friends' experiences to tell the political story through the eyes of Anita, whose father is involved in a plot to assassinate the dictator and bring democracy to the island. This doesn't have the passionate lyricism of Alvarez's great adult novels. The pace, at least for the first half of the book, is very slow, perhaps because the first-person, present-tense narrative stays true to Anita's bewildered viewpoint and is weighed down with daily detail and explanation of the political issues ("I feel just awful that my father has to kill someone for us to be free"). Yet it is Anita's innocence, her focus on the ordinary, that young readers will recognize. She's busy with school, friends, getting her period, falling in love, even as the secrets and spies come closer and, finally, the terror destroys her home. Her father is arrested; she and her mother are in hiding. There's no sensationalism, but Anita knows the horrific facts of how prisoners are tortured and killed. Trying to block out the truth, she loses her voice, even forgets the words for things, until she starts to write in a secret diary. Readers interested in the history will grab this. Like Lyll Becerra de Jenkins' The Honorable Prison (1988), about a young girl whose father resists a Latin American dictatorship, and Beverley Naidoo's The Other Side of Truth (Booklist's 2001 Top of the List winner for youth fiction), Alvarez's story will also spark intense discussion about politics and family. Category: Books for Older Readers--Fiction. 2002, Knopf, $15.95, $17.99. Gr. 7-10.
e. Connections
Students may want to read more books written by Julia Alvarez. They could visit her author website: http://www.juliaalvarez.com/books/.
If students want to read another book about a young girl that must leave her country without her father due to tragic circumstances and assimilate to the American culture, then they could read ESPERANZA RISING by Pam Munoz Ryan.
Students in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD could use the CultureGrams (www.online.culturegrams.com) website to learn more about the history and people of the Dominican Republic and The Trujillo Dictatorship.
Students could be asked to discuss if Anita was old enough to understand the political situation of her country. Students could be asked how a dictator differs from a president and could this story have taken place in another country.
a. Bibliographic data
Nelson, Annika. 1995. CANTO FAMILIAR. by Gary Soto. New York: Harcourt Brace and Company. ISBN: 0152000674
b. Plot summary
CANTO FAMILIAR is a collection of twenty-five poems which the author refers to as songs. The poems are written in first person and address the normal everyday life and thoughts of a young Latino or Latina child. Illustrations accompany some, but not all of the poems. The descriptive poems contain both visual and auditory descriptions that allow the reader to easily visual and vicariously enter the life of the Hispanic child in each poem.
c. Critical analysis
The characters’ skin tones are varying shades brown. The characters have oval eyes and different styles of hair. Young girls wear their hair long in pigtails and braids. The mothers and teacher depicted in the poems wear their straight hair cut at varying lengths above the shoulders or pulled back in a bun. The boys’ hair styles are similar: short, wavy, and parted to the side. Their hair colors are varying shades of brown.
The facial features of most of the people are content with exception of the boy washing dishes in the poem, “Doing Dishes.” The characters in the story are slim and dressed in colorful clothes. The characters’ dresses, jumpers, shirts, pants, and skirts contain solid, deep colors such as purples, pinks, reds, blues, and yellows. The settings of many of the illustrations are inside a family’s kitchen. Other places include inside the living room or outside at a picnic.
The pictures add to the poems since many themes have to do with family, food, and celebrations. Food is an important part of a Hispanic family’s life. Papi’s Menudo is about a father enjoying a nice bowl of “menudo.” Many Hispanics savor their meals as portrayed in this poem. Papi, “dips sprinkles his menudo with onion,” “tears a piece of tortilla and dips it into his menudo,” and “slurps.”
The poems, “Christmas Angel” and “Tortilla’s Like Africa” illustrate a bond between siblings. An older sister breaks off a small part of a Christmas cookie and puts it in the mouth of her six-month-old little brother in order to share a Christmas tradition with him. In “Tortilla’s Like Africa” two brothers laughed as they made imperfect tortilla’s that were tasty, but not exactly like the tortillas their mom made. A young girl eats a large, slice of watermelon in the poem, “Sandia.”
The names of the characters are Spanish kinship terms: mami, papi, bebe, abuelito are used in the poems. The terms were not overused or translated, so they added to the Hispanic authenticity of the text. Also, characters have Hispanic names such as Enrique, Senor Cisneros, and Maria. Gary Soto successfully intersperses Spanish sentences and phrases in his poems without redundancy. In the poem, “Que hora es?” the poet mixes Spanish terms within the English text, but the reader can gather their meaning based on the context clues. The question, “What time is it?” is asked in Spanish in the second and fourth stanza and in English in the fifth stanza. In this collection of poems, the Spanish language adds to the authenticity of the poems.
I enjoyed these poems. Even though I did not grow up in a Hispanic family, I could relate to some of the common childhood concerns: pets, chores, siblings, teachers and family. I remember my childhood cat, Mittens, and his kitten antics, or the iron that spit and sputtered water on my clothes. Since some of the poems do not contain any illustrations, Spanish words, or Latino character names, the narrator could be of any race.
d. Review excerpts
From School Library Journal
Grade 3 Up? Who could imagine that such joyous rhythm could be found in the familiar moments of life, such as washing dishes or spotting a teacher in the market? In this companion volume to Neighborhood Odes (Harcourt, 1992), Soto not only imagines the musical beat, but also captures the energy and tranposes it into poetic songs. Imagery abounds, as in the hot iron that "snorts like a bull." Nelson's distinctive block prints bounce off white pages with vibrant magentas and bold blues outlined with thick black lines. The result is a harmony of words and pictures to be anticipated and savored. Although the landscape may be unfamiliar, readers are guided to this Mexican-American neighborhood, welcomed inside this home, and invited to share a child's thoughts about these universal experiences. Even with Spanish words woven throughout, the messages need no special interpretation to be understood. Pair this title with Soto's picture book Too Many Tamales (Putnam, 1993) or use it as an introduction to his novels for older readers. Read it, sing it, share it.
Sarabeth Kalajian, Venice Public Library, FL
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Gr. 4-6. A companion to Soto's Neighborhood Odes (1992), this collection of simple free verse captures common childhood moments at home, at school, and in the street. Many of the experiences are Mexican American ("Spanish is seeing double" ), and occasional Spanish words are part of the easy, colloquial, short lines. The first-person voices are immediate, physical, and joyful, celebrating music, dancing, cats, friends, family. For example, it's weird and embarrassing to bump into your teacher at the supermarket. It's boring doing dishes. It's fun to eat while reading. The occasional full-page, richly colored woodcuts by Annika Nelson capture the child's imaginative take on ordinary things. This is a collection to read aloud and get kids writing about themselves. Hazel Rochman
Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, 1995)
This humorous, tender collection of 25 poems and full-color linocuts about the daily life of Mexican-American children is a companion book to Soto's Neighborhood Odes (1992). Invoking ordinary domestic and community incidents, it's a fine introduction not only to poetry but to Chicano culture. In "Papi's Menudo," a father enjoys a favorite dish; the narrator of "Music for Fun and Profit" gets paid not to play an instrument; and "My Teacher in the Market" explores the amazement of a child upon seeing a teacher outside of class. The poems are generally descriptive rather than abstract, more concerned with communicating feelings than with literary style, and most are free verse, without regular cadence or rhyme scheme. Nelson debuts with scenes--homey, comfortable, bright--that make the book even more accessible. 1995, Harcourt Brace, $17.00. Starred Review. © 1995 Kirkus Reviews
Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, 1995)
In this companion volume to the widely acclaimed 'Neighborhood Odes' (Harcourt), Soto continues his reveries in poems that illuminate the minutiae of everyday childhood experience. Some refer specifically to his own Mexican-American boyhood, while most describe moments that will spark recognition in any child. Accompanied by colorful illustrations, the poems are marked by short, point-blank phrasing and unrhymed vernacular. Category: Nonfiction. 1995, Harcourt, 79pp.. Ages 9 to 12. Rating: 2: Superior, well above average.
e. Connections
I read the poem, “My Teacher in the Market” to a class of fourth graders. They could relate to seeing their teachers at Walmart, Kohls, and Big Lots and feeling embarrassed. Some of the students admitted that they were playing in the store when they saw their classroom teacher. Two girls actually admitted hiding from their teacher when they saw her at the public library. They told me that they did not know what to say to her, so they just hide and watched her. The girls’ teacher eventually spotted them from across the room and waved.
Students may want to read more books written by Gary Soto. They could visit her author website: http://www.garysoto.com/.
I would challenge students to write their own poem about a common activity, person, or event in their daily lives. The teacher could work on a poem together with the class to model the writing process and build the students’ confidence in writing poetry. After the students publish their poems, then they should illustrate their poems.
Students may also enjoy reading another books of poetry such as CONFETTI: POEMS FOR CHILDREN by Pat Mora and illustrated by Enrique O. Sanchez.
Carlson, Lori M., ed. Cool Salsa: Bilingual Poems on Growing Up Latino in the United States. Introduction by Oscar Hijuelos. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1994. ISBN: o-805-03135-9.
Soto, Gary. A Fire in My Hands: A Book of Poems. Illustrated by James M. Cardillo. New York: Scholastic, 1990. ISBN: 0-590-45021-2.
Neighborhood Odes. Illustrated by David Diaz. San Diego: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, 1992.ISBN: 0-15-256879-4.
TOMAS AND THE LIBRARY LADY
a. Bibliographic data
Colon, Raul. 1997. TOMAS AND THE LIBRARY LADY. by Pat Mora. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. ISBN: 0-679-90401-8.
b. Brief plot summary
Tomás comes from a family of migrant workers. His grandfather told Tomas and his brother stories for years. However, one day when Tomas finished the end of the story for his grandfather, his grandfather told him it was time for him to learn some new stories to share with the family. Tomas went to the cool, comfortable library where the librarian helped him select interesting books. Tomas spent the hot days in the library drinking cool water, reading fascinating books, and letting his imagination wander.
c. Critical analysis with specific consideration of cultural markers for each book.
The scratch board illustrations show the family has the same brown skin tone. The “library lady” has a light cream color of skin in a muted tone. The boys have the same straight, brown hair that is combed and parted on the side. The grandpa has white hair and a white mustache. The mother’s hair is tied back in a bun at the nape of her neck.
The family looks happy throughout the story. Only Tomás expressions are pensive and sad as he leaves Texas in the beginning of the story and once again as he says good-bye to his friend, the Library Lady, in preparation to leave Iowa. The family’s love of storytelling and Papa Grade’s urging convinced Tomás to explore the public library and fill his mind with new stories that he could share with the family.The brothers wear shirts with collars, pants, and dressy casual shoes even when playing soccer. The story was a traditional story that portrayed a common theme in Hispanic literature: migrant workers. However, this family was not downtrodden. Even though Tomás and his family sleep on cots, drive a “tired, old car,” and look for iron and books at the city dump, his family has dignity. Those elements of the story are simply facts.
Tomás’s family values storytelling and reading. They entertain each other with stories and make the best of their situation. Tomás’s mother sews her sons a soccer ball from an old teddy bear. The teddy bear soccer ball helps make the story authentic to me. Many Latino boys love soccer and will play with any material of soccer ball as long as it rolls. As a child, my Argentine husband used to play with soccer balls made of old T-shirts held together with duct tape or taped balls of paper.
The setting takes place in both an urban and rural contexts. The family lived and worked on the farmland and drove on both country dirt roads and city roads as they traveled between Texas and Iowa. Tomás also went to the plain library and to the city dump with his family to look for books. The family’s mode of transportation was a “rusty car.” After looking at some old cars on the Internet, the car in the story looked like it was from the 1940s.
Spanish is mixed into the text. Terms of kinship such as the names of characters: Papa, mama, papa grande add a Hispanic flavor to the text. Both of the boys have Hispanic names: Tomas and Enrique. Tomás taught the Library Lady words in Spanish: libro, pájaro, and adios, and he would teach her words in English.
I thought it was usual that the librarian did not have a name. Since Tomás spent so much time in the library, I am sure he would have learned her name. Perhaps, the author wanted to downplay the importance of the librarian in order to avoid the “Anglo-savior” stereotypical theme. The librarian was simply called the “library lady.” When it was time to say good-bye, Tomás gave the library lady a gift of pan dulce.
After looking at different cars from that decade. I would place this store around the 1940s. Therefore I thought it was strange that the children only brought water to their parents working in the field. In the 1940s, the children from farms or low socioeconomic positions usually helped their parents by working alongside them in the field.
I thought this story was culturally authentic. The Spanish words, food, and actions of the characters (teddy bear soccer ball) prevent an illustrator from simply changing the race of the characters. Even though the theme of migrant workers is a common one, this story portrayed a strong, happy family of humble, honorable migrant workers. I liked that the family valued literacy and made the best of their situation. They did not have much money, but being poor did not define this family.
d. Review excerpts
From School Library JournalGrade 2-4? Tomas Rivera, who at his death in 1984 was the Chancellor of the University of California at Riverside, grew up in a migrant family. Here, Mora tells the fictionalized story of one summer in his childhood during which his love of books and reading is fostered by a librarian in Iowa, who takes him under her wing while his family works the harvest. She introduces him to stories about dinosaurs, horses, and American Indians and allows him to take books home where he shares them with his parents, grandfather, and brother. When it is time for the family to return to Texas, she gives Tomas the greatest gift of all?a book of his own to keep. Colon's earthy, sun-warmed colors, textured with swirling lines, add life to this biographical fragment and help portray Tomas's reading adventures in appealing ways. Stack this up with Sarah Stewart and David Small's The Library (Farrar, 1995) and Suzanne Williams and Steven Kellogg's Library Lil (Dial, 1997) to demonstrate the impact librarians can have on youngsters.?Barbara Elleman, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WICopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
e. Connections
Both the classroom teachers and I have encouraged the third, fourth, and fifth graders to visual the story as the read. Consequently, some students in a third grade class were eager to point out that Tomas was visualizing the stories as he read them since the illustrations showed Tomas seeing tigers and Native Americans.
Students may want to read more books written by Pat Mora. They could visit her author website: http://www.patmora.com/.
Students can read about a young African American boy’s struggle to borrow books from the library at a time it was illegal for him to check out books.
RICHARD WRIGHT AND THE LIBRARY CARD
by William Miller.
If students want to read a humorous book about a town that would rather watch TV instead of check out library books, then students can read LIBRARY LIL by Suzanne Williams.
Students may want to read more books about migrant workers.
FIRST DAY IN GRAPES / by L. King Perez ; illustrated by Robert Casilla.
LIGHTS ON A RIVER / Jane Resh Thomas ; illustrated by Michael Dooling.
Durbin, William. THE JOURNAL OF C.J. JACKSON : A DUST BOWL MIGRANT
Holyfield, John. THE HARD TIMES JAR. by Ethel Footman Smothers
Diaz, David. GOING HOME. by Eve Bunting.
Altman, Linda Jacobs. MIGRANT FARM WORKERS:THE TEMPORARY PEOPLE / Linda Jacobs
Diaz, David. CESAR: SI, SE PUEDE! = YES, WE CAN! by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand.
Altman, Linda Jacobs. Amelia's Road. Illustrated by Enrique Sanchez. New York: Lee and Low Books, 1993. ISBN: 1-880000-04-0. 29 p. Grade K-2.
de Ruiz, Dana Catharine, and Richard Larios. La Causa: The Migrant Farmworkers' Story. Illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez. Stories of America, Alex Haley, general editor. Austin: Steck-Vaughn Publishers, 1993. ISBN: 0-8114-7231-0. 92 p. Grade 3-5.
Students can use the Britannica Online School Edition database to research Migrant Workers.
http://school.eb.com/elementary/article?articleId=353253&query=migrant%20workers&ct=
BEFORE WE WERE FREE
a. Bibliographic data
Alvarez, Julia. 2002. BEFORE WE WERE FREE. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. ISBN: 0375915443.
b. Brief plot summary
Anita’s extended family members leave the family compound in the Dominican Republic to move to the United States. Anita later learns that her relatives left for their own safety. The Trujillo's dictatorship suppresses the freedoms of her family until an American embassy employee and his family comes to live with Anita’s family at the compound. Anita and her mother are the last members of her family to leave their country after her father and uncle’s failed attempt to overthrow the dictatorship.
c. Critical analysis
The only illustrations are the black and white cover of the book and two maps at the front of the book. The photograph of the front cover shows a young girl with long, straight hair looking out the screen of an open window of a simple cement house. The young girl has a sad, frustrated expression on her face and is resting her head in one hand. The girl had light colored skin in contrast with the blackness inside the house, but it is impossible to know the color of her skin since the photograph was taken in black and white.
One map at the being of the story show Anita’s family compound with a description of which family members lived in each house. Another map shows the Mancinis’s house with a description of each room. The reader is able to see the closet Anita and her mom lived in and the bathroom window from which they used to spy on their friends.
Even though Anita’s family lives on a large family compound, they are not wealthy. Her parents do not have money to send her sister, Lucinda, to the doctor when she has a bad rash on her neck. Anita wears Lucinda’s clothes to her quinceañera. The family does use a car to drive around town.
From the beginning of the story Spanish kinship terms such as tia, tio, papi, and mami are used. Spanish words are mixed throughout the novel. The dictator is referred to as El Jefe and the SIM are the “policía secreta.” The native Dominicans have Spanish names while the American children in the school have American names. Anita’s first crush, Sam, and his family from the United States also have American names.
Anita shows her limited understanding of English, when she’s confused at Sam’s remark of “something fishy” is going on after they discovered someone living in Tio Toni’s casita. Even though, Sam explained that the meaning of the expression is that “something strange is going on” Anita explains that there are a lot of fish on the compound. English idioms and expressions are difficult for second language learners; therefore, this mistake adds authenticity to the story.
Some themes in the story are strong family bonds, food, celebrations, and immigration. During the quinceañera, the young children listen to rock-and-roll and the older adults listen to cha-cha. The family supports each other in the Dominican Republic during the attempt to overthrow the dictator. Tio Toni hides out on the compound while Anita’s family keeps it a secret from the Washburn family. When Anita and her mother move to the America, they have the choice of living with her grandparents or moving in with the Garcias.
Since I’ve read novels and nonfiction books on the dictatorships in Argentina and Chile, I enjoyed reading this book. However, I did not like when the book changed styles, and I had to read the story from her diary. I realize that the author wanted to convey the chaos and uncertainty in Anita’s life; therefore, Anita’s choppy diary entries help portray her and her mother’s dire situation. This story depicts how children are not immune to the harsh conditions and cannot escape the stresses of dictatorships.
d. Review excerpts
From Publishers Weekly
In her first YA novel, Alvarez (How the Garc¡a Girls Lost Their Accents) proves as gifted at writing for adolescents as she is for adults. Here she brings her warmth, sensitivity and eye for detail to a volatile setting the Dominican Republic of her childhood, during the 1960-1961 attempt to overthrow Trujillo's dictatorship. The story opens as 12-year-old narrator Anita watches her cousins, the Garc¡a girls, abruptly leave for the U.S. with their parents; Anita's own immediate family are now the only ones occupying the extended family's compound. Alvarez relays the terrors of the Trujillo regime in a muted but unmistakable tone; for a while, Anita's parents protect her (and, by extension, readers), both from the ruler's criminal and even murderous ways and also from knowledge of their involvement in the planned coup d'‚tat. The perspective remains securely Anita's, and Alvarez's pitch-perfect narration will immerse readers in Anita's world. Her crush on the American boy next door is at first as important as knowing that the maid is almost certainly working for the secret police and spying on them; later, as Anita understands the implications of the adult remarks she overhears, her voice becomes anxious and the tension mounts. When the revolution fails, Anita's father and uncle are immediately arrested, and she and her mother go underground, living in secret in their friends' bedroom closet a sequence the author renders with palpable suspense. Alvarez conveys the hopeful ending with as much passion as suffuses the tragedies that precede it. A stirring work of art. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, June 15, 2002 (Vol. 70, No. 12))
A 12-year-old girl bears witness to the Dominican Revolution of 1961 in a powerful first-person narrative. The story opens as Anita's cousins (the Garcia girls of Alvarez's 1991 adult debut, How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents), hurriedly pack to leave the country. This signals the end of childhood innocence for Anita. In short succession, her family finds the secret police parked in their driveway; the American consul moves in next door; and her older sister Lucinda is packed off to join her cousins in New York after she attracts the unwelcome attention of El Jefe Trujillo, the country's dictator. Anita's family, it seems, is intimately involved with the political resistance to Trujillo, and she, perforce, is drawn into the emotional maelstrom. The present-tense narrative lends the story a gripping immediacy, as Anita moves from the healthy, self-absorbed naïveté of early adolescence to a prematurely aged understanding of the world's brutality. Her entree into puberty goes hand in hand with her entree into this adult world of terror: "I don't want to be a se-orita now that I know what El Jefe does to se-oritas." According to an author's note, Alvarez (How T'a Lola Came to Visit Stay, 2001, etc.) drew upon the experiences of family members who stayed behind in the Dominican Republic during this period of political upheaval, crafting a story that, in its matter-of-fact detailing of the increasingly surreal world surrounding Anita, feels almost realer than life. The power of the narrative is weakened somewhat by the insertion of Anita's diary entries as she and her mother take shelter in the Italian Embassy after her father's arrest. The first-person, present-tense construction of the diary entries are not different enough from the main narrative to make them come alive as such; instead, the artifice draws attention to itself, creating a distraction. This is a minor quibble with a story that imagines so clearly for American readers the travails of all-too-many Latin nations then and now. 2002, Knopf, $15.95. Category: Fiction. Ages 10 to 14. © 2002 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.
Hazel Rochman (Booklist, Aug. 1, 2002 (Vol. 98, No. 22))What is it like for a 12-year-old girl living under a ruthless dictatorship in the Dominican Republic in 1960? Alvarez draws on her own cousins' and friends' experiences to tell the political story through the eyes of Anita, whose father is involved in a plot to assassinate the dictator and bring democracy to the island. This doesn't have the passionate lyricism of Alvarez's great adult novels. The pace, at least for the first half of the book, is very slow, perhaps because the first-person, present-tense narrative stays true to Anita's bewildered viewpoint and is weighed down with daily detail and explanation of the political issues ("I feel just awful that my father has to kill someone for us to be free"). Yet it is Anita's innocence, her focus on the ordinary, that young readers will recognize. She's busy with school, friends, getting her period, falling in love, even as the secrets and spies come closer and, finally, the terror destroys her home. Her father is arrested; she and her mother are in hiding. There's no sensationalism, but Anita knows the horrific facts of how prisoners are tortured and killed. Trying to block out the truth, she loses her voice, even forgets the words for things, until she starts to write in a secret diary. Readers interested in the history will grab this. Like Lyll Becerra de Jenkins' The Honorable Prison (1988), about a young girl whose father resists a Latin American dictatorship, and Beverley Naidoo's The Other Side of Truth (Booklist's 2001 Top of the List winner for youth fiction), Alvarez's story will also spark intense discussion about politics and family. Category: Books for Older Readers--Fiction. 2002, Knopf, $15.95, $17.99. Gr. 7-10.
e. Connections
Students may want to read more books written by Julia Alvarez. They could visit her author website: http://www.juliaalvarez.com/books/.
If students want to read another book about a young girl that must leave her country without her father due to tragic circumstances and assimilate to the American culture, then they could read ESPERANZA RISING by Pam Munoz Ryan.
Students in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD could use the CultureGrams (www.online.culturegrams.com) website to learn more about the history and people of the Dominican Republic and The Trujillo Dictatorship.
Students could be asked to discuss if Anita was old enough to understand the political situation of her country. Students could be asked how a dictator differs from a president and could this story have taken place in another country.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Module 2 Book Reviews
A SWEET SMELL OF ROSES
Book Review
a. BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA
Velasquez, Eric. 2005. A SWEET SMELL OF ROSES. by Angela Johnson. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 0-689-83252-4
b. PLOT SUMMARY
Minnie and her sister sneak out of their house while their mother is not watching and run through the town to join the group of women, men, and children. Once everyone has arrived, the group marches through town following the lead of Dr. Martin Luther King. The girls sing songs of freedom and listen to Dr. King’s speech before returning home to their worried mother.
c. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The genre of A SWEET SMELL OF ROSES is historical fiction. The story offers a fresh perspective to the Civil Rights Movement by viewing it through the eyes of two young girls. The setting changes from the little girls’ urban house, to the city, to a country street bordered by flowers and grass. The girls retrace their steps as they return home from the march. Although the text is only two to three sentences on each page, the plot is filled with emotions that are captured by the illustrations. The girls nervously peek around the corner and “slip out of their house,” and the older girl hesitantly looks over her shoulder as they run through the market. The girls listen to Dr. King’s speech with wide eyes and open mouths and look somewhat scared and surprised as the people yelling at them from the sidelines. The girls laugh and sing freedom songs as they are carried on the shoulders of fellow marchers. Finally, after they eagerly listen to more of Dr. King’s speech, they happily rush home to the safe arms of their mother.
CHARACTERS
This book is filled with cultural markers that provide rich detail to the story. For example, the main characters, Minnie and her sister, have different hair styles (one is braided into pick tails and the other is braided on her head) as well as the other women marchers. Some women wear their hair down and straight, others wear their hair cut short, and other women wear their hair in a bun or under a hat. The charcoal illustrations portray different shades of African American skin tones. The nonviolent protesters were dressed in their Sunday best to honor this important event. Men wore button up shirts and slacks, three piece suits, sports jackets and slacks, or nice light jackets and slacks. The women wore dress suits, shirts, dresses, and hats.
THEMES
The story carries the themes of the struggle for equality and strength and resilience of African American people. Even as the white people screamed “You are not right. Equality can’t be yours,” the American Americans stayed united walking forward hand and hand. The illustrations show the smallest girl and one woman with their eyebrows up in surprise as they marched on and looked at the Caucasians yelling at them. However, the older sister and other adults looked on with pointed, raised eyebrows that silently answered the Caucasians, “No it’s you whom are wrong. Freedom and equality are ours.” Another theme is the strong bond among the African American community. The text states, “Minnie and I are only waist high, holding hands and waiting to march. “ Even though the girls are children, after seeing the girls, the adults turn back and smile at them. The next page shows the girls holding hands with other adults at the front of the assembly, and one woman is pointing as if she is explaining to the girls that they are listening to Dr. King speak.
This literature is authentic since it reflects the diversity in the African American culture. The characters’ hairstyles and clothes look differently. Even though the characters are marching in a group, the individuals have their own separate styles. Eye glasses, ties, suspenders along with the textures of their clothes help show each person as a unique African American.
TRENDS
The text does not overtly state that the march is a civil rights demonstration, yet the reader can learn more about the Civil Rights Movement by reading the note “about the book” that proceeds the story. A young reader that desired to learn more about the struggles and triumphs of African Americans during this time period would be able to investigate names of the adults listed in this factual paragraph.
STRENGTHS
The illustrations strengthen this story by showing different classes of people such as milkman, market sellers, business men, marchers dressed in their Sunday best, and the girls hard working mother. The girl’s mother had a simple dress on and her hair tied back in a scarf. The roses symbolize freedom and equality that the girls desire. The red on the teddy bear’s ribbon, the stripes on the US flag, and the roses all stand for equality. Even though the girls are young, they have the right to march for their beliefs. Since African Americans are Americans, then they deserve the same freedoms that Caucasians have in the United States. While roses are considered precious flowers, the African American community marches to obtain the precious rights of freedom and equality.
WEAKNESSES
We do not know one sisters name or any of the other members in the community besides Dr. King. If the girls knew some of the names of the people in the town then that would have added to the story by illustrating the closeness among the African Americans.
PERSONAL OPINION
I enjoyed reading this book, and seeing the Civil Rights’ Movement from the perspective of the children of that era. Throughout history, children have been overlooked when the common saying was that “children should be seen and not heard.” I cannot imagine how difficult it was for an African American child growing up during this time. As I think about how children have struggled to understand the wars and conflicts between adults, I am reminded of a story that I read for another class. A Japanese-American girl was usually ignored by her classmates until one day she received an invitation to a girl’s party. She spent days looking forward to the party, and her uncle even gave her money the family did not have to buy the girl a scarf. When the young Japanese-American girl arrived to the party, she was denied entry and given a piece of cake for the road. The crushed little girl did not understand why she was not accepted by her white classmates and their parents.
d. REVIEW EXCERPTS
School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3–This quiet, gentle story pays tribute to the many unnamed children who participated in the African-American struggle for civil rights. It opens: "After a night of soft rain there is a sweet smell of roses as my sister, Minnie, and I slip past Mama's door and out of the house down Charlotte Street." They head toward the curb market where folks, mostly adults, are gathering to listen to and march with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Large, powerful charcoal images dominate the pages with particular attention paid to facial expressions. The artist shows the strength and resolve of the marchers in the face of "people who scream, shout, and say, 'You are not right. Equality can't be yours.'" Once the speeches are over, the sisters race home and are met at the door by their worried mother, "And as we tell her about the march, the curtains flow apart, and there is a sweet smell of roses all through our house." The only color that appears in this book is the deep red of the ribbon around the neck of Minnie's teddy bear, the U.S. flag, and the roses. Without going into much detail, this book nonetheless drives home the fact that children were involved in the movement and makes the experience more real for those just learning about this chapter of American history.–Mary N. Oluonye, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
Booklist
K-Gr. 2. History and politics get personal for young readers in this dramatic, large-size picture book about an African American child and her younger sister who steal out of the house to join the Civil Rights marchers and listen to Dr. King speak. The child's clear, first-person narrative draws on the language of the struggle ("we look farther down the road"), and Velasquez' realistic charcoal pictures, in black and white with an occasional touch of red, evoke the news footage of the time. The protestors confront the glowering police, and there are children among the racists who yell, "You are not right. Equality can't be yours." But this book is not only about segregation; it's also about the crowds of people "walking our way toward freedom," the thrilling portrait of Dr. King, and the two brave kids who cross the line. Hazel Rochman Copyright © American Library Association.
e. CONNECTIONS
Let It Shine won the following awards or honors: Coretta Scott King Awards Winner 2008 Illustrator United States, NAACP Image Award Nominee 2008 Outstanding Literary Work-Children United States and the Society of School Librarians International Book Awards Honor Book 2007 Language Arts-Picture Books United States.
The following related books provide more background knowledge for the Civil Rights’ marches, desegregation, and integration in schools.
Colón, Raul. 2008. AS GOOD AS ANYBODY: MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. AND ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL’S AMAZING MARCH TOWARD FREEDOM. by Richard Michelson. New York : Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN: 9780375833359.
Ford, George. 1995. THE STORY OF RUBY BRIDGES. by Robert Coles. New York: Scholastic. ISBN: 0590439677
Lewis, E.B. 2001. THE OTHER SIDE. by Jacqueline Woodson. New York: Putnam. ISBN: 0399231161
Ringgold, Faith. 1999. IF A BUS COULD TALK: THE STORY OF ROSA PARKS. by New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young People. ISBN: 0689818920
Activities
Children could create a chart that includes the sequence of events of the girls’ day. Students could read books about other children such as Ruby Bridges that were important in the African American Civil Rights Movement. Older students could investigate Civil Rights and create a timeline of important events.
Children’s responses
A second grade class liked the fact that the girls were a part of an important event in history. They thought that the children that were yelling at the in the story were bullies. A little girl mentioned that she sometimes takes her doll with her if she is sad. The children thought the teddy bear might have helped the little girl to feel safe in a new, strange situation.
MAX FOUND TWO STICKS
a. BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA
Pinkney, Brian. 1994. MAX FOUND TWO STICKS. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 0-671-78776-4
b. PLOT SUMMARY
A little boy named Max finds a couple of sticks and begins to make music with them. Instead of answering the questions of friends and family with words, Max uses the music the sticks make to convey his thoughts. After Max has experimented playing his sticks on numerous objects, a drummer from a passing marching band tosses Max a pair of drummer’s sticks.
c. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The plot has a rhythmic tone as Max expresses his feelings by tapping on different objects: steps, cleaning bucket, hat boxes, coke bottles, and garbage cans. Max would imitate the sounds that he heard in the city using the different materials. “Tippy-tip…tat-tat, “ was the sound that Max made to replicate the sound of the gentle rain hitting the glass windows. He banged on the coke bottles to create the “Ding…dong…ding” of the church bells. Max used the garage cans to make the clanking noises of the train zooming across mental tracks. The text states that, “Max pounded out the sound of the wheels thundering down the tracks under the train on which his father worked as a conductor.”
The characters in the story had different shades of brown skin tones. Max’s father worked as a conductor, yet Max’s mother returned home with hat boxes containing hats for the twins. His mother also had her hair fixed nicely, makeup done, and was wearing a pretty sweater which indicated that his family could afford nice things. The characters in the story had different hair styles and colors of hair. The little girl wore her hair in a pony tail which reflected her age well, and Max’s mother wore her hair down in a mature style. The children’s clothes are simple solid colors that resemble sweat pants and sweat shirts. The working class men and the marching band are dressed in uniform.
The neighborhood contained apartments one next to the other. The story depicted working class people such as the painter, the garbage man, and Max’s father, the train conductor. The two modes of transportation that was shown in the story were parked cars on the street and the train zipping by overhead the neighborhood.
TRENDS
The language patterns, dialect reflect an informal tone between Max and the other people in the community. When Max first picks up the fallen sticks, the painter inquires, “What are you gonna do with those sticks.” Later, the garbage man asks Max, “What are you up to with those soda bottles?”
STRENGTHS
Since music is a huge part of the African American culture, this little boy solved his problem of not wanting to talk to anyone and not knowing what to do. He found a way to communicate using music. This character portrays a smart, young boy that is capable of finding creative solutions to his problems.
WEAKNESSES
Even though I liked this story, I thought that the theme was universal. Many children have moments they do not feel like talking to others. Sometimes, children become overwhelmed with life, and handle their problems in their own way. Therefore, I think that a child from another culture could be placed as the main character of the story.
d. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Publishers Weekly
Max doesn't much feel like talking, so he lets his drumsticks (two twigs, actually) respond to questions and imitate the sounds of his city neighborhood--pigeons startled into flight, rain tapping against a window, a train thundering down the elevated track. By linking Max's "drums" to activities from each previous page (for example, his grandfather is seen washing windows on one page, and in the next, Max is drumming on the cleaning bucket), Pinkney unobtrusively tugs the story forward. The fluid lines of his distinctive scratchboard illustrations fairly swirl with energy, visually translating Max's joy in creating rhythm and sound (Pinkney is well suited to the task, having been a drummer since the age of eight). A serendipitous ending finds the drummer from a passing marching band tossing a spare set of real drumsticks to the delighted Max. Ages 4-8. Children's BOMC alternate. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
School Library Journal
Grade 1-3-On a day when Max doesn't feel like talking to anyone, a strong breeze shakes two heavy twigs to the ground in front of his brownstone home. Picking them up, the young African-American boy begins to beat out a rhythm that imitates the sound of pigeons startled into flight. Soon he is tapping out the beat of everything around him-rain against the windows, the chiming of church bells, and the thundering sound of a train on its tracks. The snappy text reverberates with the rhythmic song of the city, and Pinkney's swirling, scratchboard-oil paintings have a music of their own. This is an effective depiction of the way in which self-expression takes on momentum, as Max's quiet introspection turns into an exuberant celebration of the world around him. Anna DeWind, Milwaukee Public Library Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
e. CONNECTIONS
Related books
The books listed below portray African American characters and their passion for music. Even though the instruments change, the love of music remains constant.
Lewis, E.B. 1998. THE BAT BOY AND HIS VIOLIN. by Gavin Curtis. New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 0689800991.
Jenkins, Leonard. 1997. IF I ONLY HAD A HORN: YOUNG LOUIS ARMSTRONG. by Roxane Orgill. Boston : Houghton Mifflin. ISBN: 0395759196.
Robinson, Aminah Brenda Lynn. 1998. TO BE A DRUM. by Evelyn Coleman. Illinois: Albert Whitman & Company. ISBN: 0807580066.
Pinkney, Brian. DUKE ELLINGTON: THE PIANO PRINCE AND HIS ORCHESTRA. Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN: 0-7868-0178-6.
Activities
Children could compare and contrast MAX FOUND TWO STICKS and one of the related books. Students could also make their own musical instrument and write a story about their instrument.
Children’s responses
Students liked how Max entertained himself when he was feeling sad or bored. They mentioned that since children do not have much money (only the money their parents give them), they have to find free activities to do like going to the park. They thought that Max might not have many toys; therefore, he had to use him imagination.
LET IT SHINE: THREE FAVORITE SPIRITUALS
Book Review
a. BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA
Bryan, Ashley. 2005. LET IT SHINE: THREE FAVORITE SPIRITUALS. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 0-689-84732-7
b. PLOT SUMMARY
This book contains three African American Spirituals. This Little Light, When the Saints, and In His Hands are three spirituals that show African American’s faith in God and hope for equality. The colorful illustrations supplement the text and bring the songs to life.
c. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Each song tells a story about African Americans wanting to be the chosen ones in God’s eyes. None of the settings are specifically African American settings. The characters are flat, one dimensional shapes that convey some emotions through their movements. Since the illustrations were made using construction paper, the illustrator wove the characters and scenery together.
THEMES
The struggle for equality, commitment to racial uplift and progress, and the strength and resilience of African American people are some themes in these spirituals. In the Saints Go Marching In, the singer yearns to be one of the saved, chosen ones. In This Little Light of Mine, the singer determinedly keeps hope and faith even though people are repressing their freedoms. When the African American’s sing, “Don’t let Satan blow it out,” they are referring to their slave owners. In the last song, He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands, African Americans know that God uplifts them and considers them equal.
TRENDS
This book marks a trend in the change in genre. The lyrics flow from the readers mouths like poetry. This book can be read aloud; however, most readers that are familiar with the tune of the songs will be tempted to sing the spirituals.
CULTURAL MARKERS
The characters’ skin tones in the book range from the authentic shades of browns and browns to the unrealistic colors of greens, blues, oranges, and purples. In the beginning verse of “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine,” the characters are dressed in colorful clothes with different patterns and styles. However, when they talk about hiding it under a bushel, the characters are a solemn, one color as if they are worshiping the light. The next lyrics say, “Don’t let Satan blow it out, I’m gonna let it shine.” Instead of letting Satan blow out the light, the illustrations show the light flowing through a man’s and a woman’s body. Finally the last scene shows the characters traveling in various forms of transportation: airplanes, by car, on roller skates, in a boat, by foot, and on a bicycle all the while letting their light shine. These characters are one tone except for the light that they are holding. The female characters in the illustrations that accompany this song have slightly different lengths and styles of hair, but the men seem to all have bald heads.
The reader is unable to tell the facial features of the characters in the illustrations of the three spirituals. In the song, “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands,” the first page with the same lyrics as the title of the song shows different houses from all around the world. Te-pees, igloos, churches, mosques, huts, pyramids, and apartment buildings are some of the houses depicted in the construction paper illustration. The illustrations mix modern apartment buildings with traditional Te-pees and huts. The note from the author explained how the African American sang these Spirituals since it was a crime to teach slaves to read or write. Consequently, I think that many slaves would not have known about the various places to live that are illustrated in this song.
The authors note explains the musical preferences of African American slaves. Since they could not read, write, or worship freely, they sang. Some of the language patterns could reflect the fact that slaves were not allowed earn an education. In the song, This Little Light of Mine, the word “gonna” is repeated over and over. In when the Saints Go Marching In, “the sun refuse to shine,” instead of the sun refuses to shine. In the spiritual, “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands,” the song uses “got” instead of “He Has” the whole world in his hands.
STRENGTHS
The bright, vibrant colors encourage the reader to stand up and sing the spirituals. The bold colors convey happiness and life. Both the lyrics to the spirituals and the joyful illustrations are uplifting.
WEAKNESSES
I thought it was odd that some of the characters had protruding lips. Since big lips are a hurtful stereotype of African Americans, I thought some of the illustrations fit this stereotype. However, the illustrator may have been trying to show the characters singing the spirituals; therefore, their mouths would be open and lips might be puckered to produce certain sounds.
PERSONAL OPINION
This book, LET IT SHINE, brought tears to my eyes as I sang it to my daughter. I remember my mother (now in heaven) singing and humming these songs as she cleaned the kitchen or did chores around the house. I like the idea of creating a children’s book to illustrate a song.
d. REVIEW EXCERPTS
School Library Journal
“Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 5—Bryan's vibrant illustrations interpret and energize three beloved songs: "This Little Light of Mine," "Oh, When the Saints Go Marching In," and "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands." Although the artistic style is similar to that in All Night, All Day (Atheneum, 1991), here Bryan uses intricate cut-paper collages to accompany the lines of text at the bottom of the pages. Energy and movement course through many of the full-bleed illustrations, as when children-depicted in rainbow-colored silhouettes-use a boat, an airplane, a bicycle, and other means to carry their lights "Ev'ry where I go." At other times, the images offer comfort and security, as large multicolored hands embrace the world's wonders and "the little bitty baby" is cradled in an adult's protective arms. Simple melody lines and an explanation of the origin and importance of spirituals are appended. Yet, Bryan's illustrations demonstrate more than words the dynamic inspiration that these songs still provide. Readers will find themselves humming as they turn the pages.”—Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.
Booklist
“The inspiring words of three well-known spirituals, "This Little Light of Mine," "Oh, When the Saints Go Marching In," and "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands," are matched with powerful construction-paper collage illustrations. Each double-page spread of this oversize picture book is an explosion of shapes and bright colors. Stocky figures, silhouetted against swirling colors are created from geometric shapes woven together. Rather than conceive a story to accompany the lyrics, Bryan presents series of scenes to reflect each set of lyrics. Children dance around with candles and march with saints; God holds a world of colored objects in his hands. The musical notation and lyrics for each song appear at the end of the book, as does a brief note from Bryan about the history of the spiritual and the changes he made in some of the lyrics. This will be hard to read without breaking into song.” Randall Enos Copyright © American Library Association.
e. CONNECTIONS
Related books
These related books provide more information about African American Spirituals. The other books provide spirituals illustrated for children.
Giovanni, Nikki. 2007. ON MY JOURNEY NOW: LOOKING AT AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY THROUGH THE SPIRITUALS. Cambridge: Candlewick Press. ISBN: 0763628859.
“Nikki Giovanni celebrates the courage, strength and character of Africans in America through the inspirational words of the spirituals.”
Nelson, Kadir. 2005. HE’S GOT THE WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 0803728506.
Pinkney, Jerry. 2004. GOD BLESS THE CHILD. by Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog. New York: Harper Collins/ Amistad. ISBN: 0060294876
“A picture book adaptation of Billie Holiday's song "God bless the child," illustrated with images of an African American family during the Great Migration. Includes a CD of the song recorded by Billie Holiday."
Activities
Students could pick an African American spiritual that they liked and illustrate it. Children could use the story to do a reader’s theater performance. They could choose whether they want to sing or read the text. Students could choose their favorite spiritual or their favorite illustration in the book and describe what they like about it. Students could compare and contrast the illustrations from Nelson’s and Byran’s versions of “He’s Got the Whole World in his Hands.”
Children’s responses
My daughter loved this book the first time I sang it to her. She will be three in December; consequently, she is at the age where she loves to sing songs. She tried to sing along at first, and then she told me that she would just listen. However, I know she will learn the songs after we read the book a few more times. She was captivated by the vibrant pictures and the lyrics to the spiritual. She told me that she would keep the book in her room. Since the book belongs to the public library, I am going to purchase a copy for her.
Book Review
a. BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA
Velasquez, Eric. 2005. A SWEET SMELL OF ROSES. by Angela Johnson. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 0-689-83252-4
b. PLOT SUMMARY
Minnie and her sister sneak out of their house while their mother is not watching and run through the town to join the group of women, men, and children. Once everyone has arrived, the group marches through town following the lead of Dr. Martin Luther King. The girls sing songs of freedom and listen to Dr. King’s speech before returning home to their worried mother.
c. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The genre of A SWEET SMELL OF ROSES is historical fiction. The story offers a fresh perspective to the Civil Rights Movement by viewing it through the eyes of two young girls. The setting changes from the little girls’ urban house, to the city, to a country street bordered by flowers and grass. The girls retrace their steps as they return home from the march. Although the text is only two to three sentences on each page, the plot is filled with emotions that are captured by the illustrations. The girls nervously peek around the corner and “slip out of their house,” and the older girl hesitantly looks over her shoulder as they run through the market. The girls listen to Dr. King’s speech with wide eyes and open mouths and look somewhat scared and surprised as the people yelling at them from the sidelines. The girls laugh and sing freedom songs as they are carried on the shoulders of fellow marchers. Finally, after they eagerly listen to more of Dr. King’s speech, they happily rush home to the safe arms of their mother.
CHARACTERS
This book is filled with cultural markers that provide rich detail to the story. For example, the main characters, Minnie and her sister, have different hair styles (one is braided into pick tails and the other is braided on her head) as well as the other women marchers. Some women wear their hair down and straight, others wear their hair cut short, and other women wear their hair in a bun or under a hat. The charcoal illustrations portray different shades of African American skin tones. The nonviolent protesters were dressed in their Sunday best to honor this important event. Men wore button up shirts and slacks, three piece suits, sports jackets and slacks, or nice light jackets and slacks. The women wore dress suits, shirts, dresses, and hats.
THEMES
The story carries the themes of the struggle for equality and strength and resilience of African American people. Even as the white people screamed “You are not right. Equality can’t be yours,” the American Americans stayed united walking forward hand and hand. The illustrations show the smallest girl and one woman with their eyebrows up in surprise as they marched on and looked at the Caucasians yelling at them. However, the older sister and other adults looked on with pointed, raised eyebrows that silently answered the Caucasians, “No it’s you whom are wrong. Freedom and equality are ours.” Another theme is the strong bond among the African American community. The text states, “Minnie and I are only waist high, holding hands and waiting to march. “ Even though the girls are children, after seeing the girls, the adults turn back and smile at them. The next page shows the girls holding hands with other adults at the front of the assembly, and one woman is pointing as if she is explaining to the girls that they are listening to Dr. King speak.
This literature is authentic since it reflects the diversity in the African American culture. The characters’ hairstyles and clothes look differently. Even though the characters are marching in a group, the individuals have their own separate styles. Eye glasses, ties, suspenders along with the textures of their clothes help show each person as a unique African American.
TRENDS
The text does not overtly state that the march is a civil rights demonstration, yet the reader can learn more about the Civil Rights Movement by reading the note “about the book” that proceeds the story. A young reader that desired to learn more about the struggles and triumphs of African Americans during this time period would be able to investigate names of the adults listed in this factual paragraph.
STRENGTHS
The illustrations strengthen this story by showing different classes of people such as milkman, market sellers, business men, marchers dressed in their Sunday best, and the girls hard working mother. The girl’s mother had a simple dress on and her hair tied back in a scarf. The roses symbolize freedom and equality that the girls desire. The red on the teddy bear’s ribbon, the stripes on the US flag, and the roses all stand for equality. Even though the girls are young, they have the right to march for their beliefs. Since African Americans are Americans, then they deserve the same freedoms that Caucasians have in the United States. While roses are considered precious flowers, the African American community marches to obtain the precious rights of freedom and equality.
WEAKNESSES
We do not know one sisters name or any of the other members in the community besides Dr. King. If the girls knew some of the names of the people in the town then that would have added to the story by illustrating the closeness among the African Americans.
PERSONAL OPINION
I enjoyed reading this book, and seeing the Civil Rights’ Movement from the perspective of the children of that era. Throughout history, children have been overlooked when the common saying was that “children should be seen and not heard.” I cannot imagine how difficult it was for an African American child growing up during this time. As I think about how children have struggled to understand the wars and conflicts between adults, I am reminded of a story that I read for another class. A Japanese-American girl was usually ignored by her classmates until one day she received an invitation to a girl’s party. She spent days looking forward to the party, and her uncle even gave her money the family did not have to buy the girl a scarf. When the young Japanese-American girl arrived to the party, she was denied entry and given a piece of cake for the road. The crushed little girl did not understand why she was not accepted by her white classmates and their parents.
d. REVIEW EXCERPTS
School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3–This quiet, gentle story pays tribute to the many unnamed children who participated in the African-American struggle for civil rights. It opens: "After a night of soft rain there is a sweet smell of roses as my sister, Minnie, and I slip past Mama's door and out of the house down Charlotte Street." They head toward the curb market where folks, mostly adults, are gathering to listen to and march with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Large, powerful charcoal images dominate the pages with particular attention paid to facial expressions. The artist shows the strength and resolve of the marchers in the face of "people who scream, shout, and say, 'You are not right. Equality can't be yours.'" Once the speeches are over, the sisters race home and are met at the door by their worried mother, "And as we tell her about the march, the curtains flow apart, and there is a sweet smell of roses all through our house." The only color that appears in this book is the deep red of the ribbon around the neck of Minnie's teddy bear, the U.S. flag, and the roses. Without going into much detail, this book nonetheless drives home the fact that children were involved in the movement and makes the experience more real for those just learning about this chapter of American history.–Mary N. Oluonye, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
Booklist
K-Gr. 2. History and politics get personal for young readers in this dramatic, large-size picture book about an African American child and her younger sister who steal out of the house to join the Civil Rights marchers and listen to Dr. King speak. The child's clear, first-person narrative draws on the language of the struggle ("we look farther down the road"), and Velasquez' realistic charcoal pictures, in black and white with an occasional touch of red, evoke the news footage of the time. The protestors confront the glowering police, and there are children among the racists who yell, "You are not right. Equality can't be yours." But this book is not only about segregation; it's also about the crowds of people "walking our way toward freedom," the thrilling portrait of Dr. King, and the two brave kids who cross the line. Hazel Rochman Copyright © American Library Association.
e. CONNECTIONS
Let It Shine won the following awards or honors: Coretta Scott King Awards Winner 2008 Illustrator United States, NAACP Image Award Nominee 2008 Outstanding Literary Work-Children United States and the Society of School Librarians International Book Awards Honor Book 2007 Language Arts-Picture Books United States.
The following related books provide more background knowledge for the Civil Rights’ marches, desegregation, and integration in schools.
Colón, Raul. 2008. AS GOOD AS ANYBODY: MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. AND ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL’S AMAZING MARCH TOWARD FREEDOM. by Richard Michelson. New York : Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN: 9780375833359.
Ford, George. 1995. THE STORY OF RUBY BRIDGES. by Robert Coles. New York: Scholastic. ISBN: 0590439677
Lewis, E.B. 2001. THE OTHER SIDE. by Jacqueline Woodson. New York: Putnam. ISBN: 0399231161
Ringgold, Faith. 1999. IF A BUS COULD TALK: THE STORY OF ROSA PARKS. by New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young People. ISBN: 0689818920
Activities
Children could create a chart that includes the sequence of events of the girls’ day. Students could read books about other children such as Ruby Bridges that were important in the African American Civil Rights Movement. Older students could investigate Civil Rights and create a timeline of important events.
Children’s responses
A second grade class liked the fact that the girls were a part of an important event in history. They thought that the children that were yelling at the in the story were bullies. A little girl mentioned that she sometimes takes her doll with her if she is sad. The children thought the teddy bear might have helped the little girl to feel safe in a new, strange situation.
MAX FOUND TWO STICKS
a. BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA
Pinkney, Brian. 1994. MAX FOUND TWO STICKS. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 0-671-78776-4
b. PLOT SUMMARY
A little boy named Max finds a couple of sticks and begins to make music with them. Instead of answering the questions of friends and family with words, Max uses the music the sticks make to convey his thoughts. After Max has experimented playing his sticks on numerous objects, a drummer from a passing marching band tosses Max a pair of drummer’s sticks.
c. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The plot has a rhythmic tone as Max expresses his feelings by tapping on different objects: steps, cleaning bucket, hat boxes, coke bottles, and garbage cans. Max would imitate the sounds that he heard in the city using the different materials. “Tippy-tip…tat-tat, “ was the sound that Max made to replicate the sound of the gentle rain hitting the glass windows. He banged on the coke bottles to create the “Ding…dong…ding” of the church bells. Max used the garage cans to make the clanking noises of the train zooming across mental tracks. The text states that, “Max pounded out the sound of the wheels thundering down the tracks under the train on which his father worked as a conductor.”
The characters in the story had different shades of brown skin tones. Max’s father worked as a conductor, yet Max’s mother returned home with hat boxes containing hats for the twins. His mother also had her hair fixed nicely, makeup done, and was wearing a pretty sweater which indicated that his family could afford nice things. The characters in the story had different hair styles and colors of hair. The little girl wore her hair in a pony tail which reflected her age well, and Max’s mother wore her hair down in a mature style. The children’s clothes are simple solid colors that resemble sweat pants and sweat shirts. The working class men and the marching band are dressed in uniform.
The neighborhood contained apartments one next to the other. The story depicted working class people such as the painter, the garbage man, and Max’s father, the train conductor. The two modes of transportation that was shown in the story were parked cars on the street and the train zipping by overhead the neighborhood.
TRENDS
The language patterns, dialect reflect an informal tone between Max and the other people in the community. When Max first picks up the fallen sticks, the painter inquires, “What are you gonna do with those sticks.” Later, the garbage man asks Max, “What are you up to with those soda bottles?”
STRENGTHS
Since music is a huge part of the African American culture, this little boy solved his problem of not wanting to talk to anyone and not knowing what to do. He found a way to communicate using music. This character portrays a smart, young boy that is capable of finding creative solutions to his problems.
WEAKNESSES
Even though I liked this story, I thought that the theme was universal. Many children have moments they do not feel like talking to others. Sometimes, children become overwhelmed with life, and handle their problems in their own way. Therefore, I think that a child from another culture could be placed as the main character of the story.
d. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Publishers Weekly
Max doesn't much feel like talking, so he lets his drumsticks (two twigs, actually) respond to questions and imitate the sounds of his city neighborhood--pigeons startled into flight, rain tapping against a window, a train thundering down the elevated track. By linking Max's "drums" to activities from each previous page (for example, his grandfather is seen washing windows on one page, and in the next, Max is drumming on the cleaning bucket), Pinkney unobtrusively tugs the story forward. The fluid lines of his distinctive scratchboard illustrations fairly swirl with energy, visually translating Max's joy in creating rhythm and sound (Pinkney is well suited to the task, having been a drummer since the age of eight). A serendipitous ending finds the drummer from a passing marching band tossing a spare set of real drumsticks to the delighted Max. Ages 4-8. Children's BOMC alternate. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
School Library Journal
Grade 1-3-On a day when Max doesn't feel like talking to anyone, a strong breeze shakes two heavy twigs to the ground in front of his brownstone home. Picking them up, the young African-American boy begins to beat out a rhythm that imitates the sound of pigeons startled into flight. Soon he is tapping out the beat of everything around him-rain against the windows, the chiming of church bells, and the thundering sound of a train on its tracks. The snappy text reverberates with the rhythmic song of the city, and Pinkney's swirling, scratchboard-oil paintings have a music of their own. This is an effective depiction of the way in which self-expression takes on momentum, as Max's quiet introspection turns into an exuberant celebration of the world around him. Anna DeWind, Milwaukee Public Library Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
e. CONNECTIONS
Related books
The books listed below portray African American characters and their passion for music. Even though the instruments change, the love of music remains constant.
Lewis, E.B. 1998. THE BAT BOY AND HIS VIOLIN. by Gavin Curtis. New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 0689800991.
Jenkins, Leonard. 1997. IF I ONLY HAD A HORN: YOUNG LOUIS ARMSTRONG. by Roxane Orgill. Boston : Houghton Mifflin. ISBN: 0395759196.
Robinson, Aminah Brenda Lynn. 1998. TO BE A DRUM. by Evelyn Coleman. Illinois: Albert Whitman & Company. ISBN: 0807580066.
Pinkney, Brian. DUKE ELLINGTON: THE PIANO PRINCE AND HIS ORCHESTRA. Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN: 0-7868-0178-6.
Activities
Children could compare and contrast MAX FOUND TWO STICKS and one of the related books. Students could also make their own musical instrument and write a story about their instrument.
Children’s responses
Students liked how Max entertained himself when he was feeling sad or bored. They mentioned that since children do not have much money (only the money their parents give them), they have to find free activities to do like going to the park. They thought that Max might not have many toys; therefore, he had to use him imagination.
LET IT SHINE: THREE FAVORITE SPIRITUALS
Book Review
a. BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA
Bryan, Ashley. 2005. LET IT SHINE: THREE FAVORITE SPIRITUALS. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 0-689-84732-7
b. PLOT SUMMARY
This book contains three African American Spirituals. This Little Light, When the Saints, and In His Hands are three spirituals that show African American’s faith in God and hope for equality. The colorful illustrations supplement the text and bring the songs to life.
c. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Each song tells a story about African Americans wanting to be the chosen ones in God’s eyes. None of the settings are specifically African American settings. The characters are flat, one dimensional shapes that convey some emotions through their movements. Since the illustrations were made using construction paper, the illustrator wove the characters and scenery together.
THEMES
The struggle for equality, commitment to racial uplift and progress, and the strength and resilience of African American people are some themes in these spirituals. In the Saints Go Marching In, the singer yearns to be one of the saved, chosen ones. In This Little Light of Mine, the singer determinedly keeps hope and faith even though people are repressing their freedoms. When the African American’s sing, “Don’t let Satan blow it out,” they are referring to their slave owners. In the last song, He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands, African Americans know that God uplifts them and considers them equal.
TRENDS
This book marks a trend in the change in genre. The lyrics flow from the readers mouths like poetry. This book can be read aloud; however, most readers that are familiar with the tune of the songs will be tempted to sing the spirituals.
CULTURAL MARKERS
The characters’ skin tones in the book range from the authentic shades of browns and browns to the unrealistic colors of greens, blues, oranges, and purples. In the beginning verse of “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine,” the characters are dressed in colorful clothes with different patterns and styles. However, when they talk about hiding it under a bushel, the characters are a solemn, one color as if they are worshiping the light. The next lyrics say, “Don’t let Satan blow it out, I’m gonna let it shine.” Instead of letting Satan blow out the light, the illustrations show the light flowing through a man’s and a woman’s body. Finally the last scene shows the characters traveling in various forms of transportation: airplanes, by car, on roller skates, in a boat, by foot, and on a bicycle all the while letting their light shine. These characters are one tone except for the light that they are holding. The female characters in the illustrations that accompany this song have slightly different lengths and styles of hair, but the men seem to all have bald heads.
The reader is unable to tell the facial features of the characters in the illustrations of the three spirituals. In the song, “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands,” the first page with the same lyrics as the title of the song shows different houses from all around the world. Te-pees, igloos, churches, mosques, huts, pyramids, and apartment buildings are some of the houses depicted in the construction paper illustration. The illustrations mix modern apartment buildings with traditional Te-pees and huts. The note from the author explained how the African American sang these Spirituals since it was a crime to teach slaves to read or write. Consequently, I think that many slaves would not have known about the various places to live that are illustrated in this song.
The authors note explains the musical preferences of African American slaves. Since they could not read, write, or worship freely, they sang. Some of the language patterns could reflect the fact that slaves were not allowed earn an education. In the song, This Little Light of Mine, the word “gonna” is repeated over and over. In when the Saints Go Marching In, “the sun refuse to shine,” instead of the sun refuses to shine. In the spiritual, “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands,” the song uses “got” instead of “He Has” the whole world in his hands.
STRENGTHS
The bright, vibrant colors encourage the reader to stand up and sing the spirituals. The bold colors convey happiness and life. Both the lyrics to the spirituals and the joyful illustrations are uplifting.
WEAKNESSES
I thought it was odd that some of the characters had protruding lips. Since big lips are a hurtful stereotype of African Americans, I thought some of the illustrations fit this stereotype. However, the illustrator may have been trying to show the characters singing the spirituals; therefore, their mouths would be open and lips might be puckered to produce certain sounds.
PERSONAL OPINION
This book, LET IT SHINE, brought tears to my eyes as I sang it to my daughter. I remember my mother (now in heaven) singing and humming these songs as she cleaned the kitchen or did chores around the house. I like the idea of creating a children’s book to illustrate a song.
d. REVIEW EXCERPTS
School Library Journal
“Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 5—Bryan's vibrant illustrations interpret and energize three beloved songs: "This Little Light of Mine," "Oh, When the Saints Go Marching In," and "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands." Although the artistic style is similar to that in All Night, All Day (Atheneum, 1991), here Bryan uses intricate cut-paper collages to accompany the lines of text at the bottom of the pages. Energy and movement course through many of the full-bleed illustrations, as when children-depicted in rainbow-colored silhouettes-use a boat, an airplane, a bicycle, and other means to carry their lights "Ev'ry where I go." At other times, the images offer comfort and security, as large multicolored hands embrace the world's wonders and "the little bitty baby" is cradled in an adult's protective arms. Simple melody lines and an explanation of the origin and importance of spirituals are appended. Yet, Bryan's illustrations demonstrate more than words the dynamic inspiration that these songs still provide. Readers will find themselves humming as they turn the pages.”—Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.
Booklist
“The inspiring words of three well-known spirituals, "This Little Light of Mine," "Oh, When the Saints Go Marching In," and "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands," are matched with powerful construction-paper collage illustrations. Each double-page spread of this oversize picture book is an explosion of shapes and bright colors. Stocky figures, silhouetted against swirling colors are created from geometric shapes woven together. Rather than conceive a story to accompany the lyrics, Bryan presents series of scenes to reflect each set of lyrics. Children dance around with candles and march with saints; God holds a world of colored objects in his hands. The musical notation and lyrics for each song appear at the end of the book, as does a brief note from Bryan about the history of the spiritual and the changes he made in some of the lyrics. This will be hard to read without breaking into song.” Randall Enos Copyright © American Library Association.
e. CONNECTIONS
Related books
These related books provide more information about African American Spirituals. The other books provide spirituals illustrated for children.
Giovanni, Nikki. 2007. ON MY JOURNEY NOW: LOOKING AT AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY THROUGH THE SPIRITUALS. Cambridge: Candlewick Press. ISBN: 0763628859.
“Nikki Giovanni celebrates the courage, strength and character of Africans in America through the inspirational words of the spirituals.”
Nelson, Kadir. 2005. HE’S GOT THE WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 0803728506.
Pinkney, Jerry. 2004. GOD BLESS THE CHILD. by Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog. New York: Harper Collins/ Amistad. ISBN: 0060294876
“A picture book adaptation of Billie Holiday's song "God bless the child," illustrated with images of an African American family during the Great Migration. Includes a CD of the song recorded by Billie Holiday."
Activities
Students could pick an African American spiritual that they liked and illustrate it. Children could use the story to do a reader’s theater performance. They could choose whether they want to sing or read the text. Students could choose their favorite spiritual or their favorite illustration in the book and describe what they like about it. Students could compare and contrast the illustrations from Nelson’s and Byran’s versions of “He’s Got the Whole World in his Hands.”
Children’s responses
My daughter loved this book the first time I sang it to her. She will be three in December; consequently, she is at the age where she loves to sing songs. She tried to sing along at first, and then she told me that she would just listen. However, I know she will learn the songs after we read the book a few more times. She was captivated by the vibrant pictures and the lyrics to the spiritual. She told me that she would keep the book in her room. Since the book belongs to the public library, I am going to purchase a copy for her.
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