Tag Archives: K-5

Each Kindness

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Author: Jacqueline Woodson

Illustrator: E.B. Lewis

Publisher and Year: Nancy Paulson Books 2012

Number of pages: 28

Genre: Fiction

Analysis

Each Kindness is a Coretta Scott King Award winner and tells the story of an elementary school classroom that gets a new student named Maya. Maya often dresses in worn out clothes and is ignored and made fun of by the other children, especially the narrator Chloe. Chloe is one of Maya’s biggest bullies. Maya does not make friends with the class and eventually her family moves. After Maya’s departure, the teacher, Ms. Albert, speaks to the class about kindness and changes Chloe’s mind about being kind to others.

This story is told from the perspective of Maya’s classmate who she sits next to and attempts to interact with. Chloe is consistently rude, ignores Maya, and makes fun of her with her friends. In the end, after Ms. Albert conducts the lesson on kindness, Chloe reflects on her sadness that she mistreated Maya and would not have a chance to make it up to her. This book delves into the importance of economic differences and bullying in schools.

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While this book is a good tool to show how kindness can be spread, there are some flaws in the presentation of a classroom. While Maya struggles consistently for several months with the rest of the class, her teacher does not step in and attempt to make the rest of the class stop bullying Maya, until she is gone. At that point it makes a change in Chloe’s future action, but does not change her previous actions to Maya. This enforces the idea that in a classroom the teacher wouldn’t step in until it is too late to benefit the person being picked on. While the teacher’s lesson at the end of the book about ripples and chain reactions in relation to kindness is proven to be a successful lesson with the way it impacts Chloe, there is no impact on Maya. This is a problem because it reinforces the idea that the students can get away with this bullying behavior and only have repercussions later on.

One of the positive things about the book is that in the classroom the students are illustrated as all different races. Overall, this book would be a good tool to use in a classroom to teach about kindness and deal with bullying problems, but classroom ideologies should not be modeled after the teacher in the text and one should be more vigilant in looking out for these bullying behaviors.

Owl Moon

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Author: Jane Yolen

Illustrator: John Schoenherr

Publisher and Year: Philomel Books 1987

Number of pages: 29

Genre: Poetry

Analysis:

Owl Moon is a Caldecott winner that tells the story of a girl who goes owling with her father. The book delves into her family’s tradition of owling and how this instance is the first time she gets to accompany her father. Late at night, they go into the forest in search of an owl and trek through the snow and through the trees. Her father intermittently does owl calls and eventually they encounter one.

This story serves as a window or a door into the world of owling, the world of nature, and the importance of family traditions. The illustrations are done in a watercolor style full of a balance of rich, dark colors and the stark white of the snow described by the narrator. Although the story takes place at night, the characters and their surroundings are illuminated in the moonlight to create a serene aesthetic. The text itself is written in a poetic style with flow akin to that of a child forming thoughts. The words are eloquently strung together to reinforce the importance of the event in the young girl’s mind. While the flow of the text is broken up into small lines and stanzas, the word choice shows a more adept writer who is writing in a more carefree manner.

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Culturally, this book touches on the importance of family traditions and familial relationships. This one, seemingly simple, event had enough of an impact on the little girl that she retells the story. Overall, this book does not have much cultural value to it. While Owl Moon has beautiful, award winning illustrations, it does not have multicultural significance. The two main characters of the book are both white and there are no other people in the book. The text may have nice flow and beautiful word choice, but the story itself holds little cultural importance in a classroom. There are several activities that could be created from this book, but in order to ensure that a class does not exclude anyone, the activities would need to change from the inherent ideologies presented in the book. Instead of reinforcing the idea of a typical family being parents as being the primary caretaker, instead stress the importance of every family type. This may still exclude children who live with foster families so when discussing this book, be sure to specifically include them as well. Although problems may arise from teaching a lesson only with this book, Owl Moon could be paired with other more multicultural texts to discuss many family types and family traditions.

Pool

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Illustrator: JiHyeon Lee

Publisher and Year: Chronicle Books 2015

Number of pages: 48

Genre: Picture Narrative

Analysis

Pool is a Picture Narrative book which shows the story of a young boy and his friend at the pool. The pool is crowded so him and his friend swim underneath everyone else and discover a fantastical world of sea creatures. They interact with many sea creatures, have a great adventure, and then leave when the pool is closing.

This text could be both a window and a mirror because of the depictions of the children. Although the two main children appear to be Asian, there is no culture directly addressed in this book because there are no words to tell exactly what their ethnicity is. Because this is a picture narrative, it initially seems difficult to draw meaning from the plot or anything that happens in this book however, the back of the book dedicates it to “Those who want to swim freely in the world.” With this quote in mind, the book becomes one that depicts the imaginative escape of a crowded world.

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The colors in the book speak to this idea particularly well. In the beginning, the boy arrives at the pool and before he can get in everyone else rushes in before him. Around 40 people fill up the pool and yet the only color in the entire scene is from the water. As the boy swims below the surface and underneath all the other patrons at the pool, his shorts go from grey to blue, his skin becomes colored as opposed to stark white and his white swim cap has tones of yellow in it. As the book progresses, the pictures get more colors in the sea creatures they encounter and the habitats they discover. The pages become filled with lively yet serene images of imaginative sea creatures that are depicted in a childlike manner, with smiley faces and humanoid mouths.

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This book truly captures the imagination and childlike wonder and in the end when the two friends leave they are in color while the rest of the pool goers are still in greyscale. This book speaks to the importance of imagination and creativity as a tool for innovation and personal gain. The two friends get to experience an adventure and after it is completed, they take it with them and learn from the experiences they shared.

Mousetronaut Goes to Mars

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Author: Astronaut Mark Kelly

Illustrator: C.F. Payne

Publisher and Year: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Number of pages: 30

Genre: Science Fiction

Analysis

Mousetronaut Goes to Mars is the story of the mouse Meteor who is training to be an astronaut. After preparation, the astronauts are ready to leave but Meteor’s name was not on the list. Instead of just staying behind, Meteor sneaks onto the ship and goes to Mars with the rest of the humans. Meteor stays hidden until there is something wrong and the other astronauts a not able to descend to the planet’s surface. Because Meteor is so small, he comes out of hiding and tells the other astronauts that he is small enough to get to the planet with just one rocket. After Meteor is the first Mousetronaut on Mars, the ship heads home and Meteor becomes a hero for saving the mission.

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The story itself is very engaging and has colorful pictures that take up the entire page. This text functions as a mirror into the fantastical world of space travel. Since this is a children’s book, I believe it is safe to assume that no children are actually astronauts and thus this book would be a starting off point for children to get interested in space and space travel. Because the main character of the story is a mouse, it seems the illustrator crammed all of the diversity for the book into one astronaut. There are four astronauts usually shown, 3 white males and one black female. While this does have some diversity and is slightly better than all white males, it still enforces the idea that females and non-white people are not welcome in sciences and space travel. However, the text discusses how Meteor trains with three different people, Claudia, Claire, and Charlotte, which are typically female names.

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Although the text has these characters, the images are just of Meteor doing the exercise himself. The ideology of the story also leaves something to be desired. While the protagonist is a spunky mouse, he wrongfully goes onto the spaceship and does not get reprimanded. Instead of facing consequences for this, Meteor ends up saving the mission and being praised as a hero. This enforces the idea that children can question authority, which in itself is not necessarily a bad trait, and go against the rules if it is something they feel driven to do. If all children prescribed to this ideology, it could create chaos in a more structured school setting. Overall, I think this book does a good job of getting children interested in science and space travel, but lacks in diversity and a fully positive ideology.

A Birthday Cake for George Washington

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Author: Ramin Ganeshram

Illustrator: Vanessa Brantley-Newton

Publisher and Year: Scholastic Press 2016

Number of pages: 28

Genre: Historical Fiction

Analysis:

A Birthday Cake for George Washington is a fictionalized retelling of George Washington’s kitchen slave Hercules and his family. The story takes place on George Washington’s birthday and Hercules, his daughter, and the rest of the kitchen staff are making the president a cake but run into a problem; they have no sugar. They search the kitchen and decide to use the president’s favorite condiment, honey, as a supplement.

The general plot of the book is fairly straight forward and would be a fine story if not for the ideologies presented by this story. This book has received a lot of criticism for both the way it is written and for the illustrations. Because of the breezy nature of the way Hercules’ family lives in the story, slavery is presented as an easy time for slaves where all the slaves were pleased to work for the president. The notion that there is a positive aspect of slavery is also presented through the illustrations in which all of the slaves are portrayed as smiling at almost all times. The only time the characters are not smiling is when there are no white characters present in the story.

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Both the text and the illustrations combine to create a book that ignores and erases the terrors and horrors of slavery. Because this book is a fictionalized retelling of a real slave family, it erases an important part of Hercules’s history. In this book, Hercules’s daughter often tells of how proud her father is to work for and be favored by the president. In reality, almost all slaves were oppressed and mistreated, even Hercules. Hercules’s real story is not one that should inspire hope to fair treatment of slaves because he eventually abandoned his family and escaped slavery, which goes directly against the books idyllic nature that these slaves were happy. It is possible that very few slaves could have lived a life that was not as terrible as typically depicted and rather as depicted in the story, but Hercules was not one of those slaves.

Overall, this plot of the book is not one that is inherently offensive, but the happy slave illustrations and erasure of the actual horrors of slavery leave A Birthday Cake for George Washington to have an offensive ideology.

 

One Hundred Hungry Ants

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Author: Elinor J Pinczes

Illustrator: Bonnie Mackain

Publisher and Year: Houghton Mifflin Company 1993

Number of pages: 28

Genre: Fiction

Analysis:

One Hundred Hungry Ants is a sort of retelling of the song “the ants go marching” children’s nursery rhyme. In the book, 100 ants are marching to a picnic and do not want to be late otherwise they will miss the food. The smallest ant brings up the idea that they should form shorter lines so they can all get there faster. Unfortunately, every time they rearrange it is a mess and the ants waste time. By the time they reach the picnic, all the food is gone and the 99 ants are upset with the smallest ant for making them late.

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Overall, this book does not have much cultural context to it. It could be argued that the idea of a picnic is one of a certain set of values and may have specific cultural context, but because it is not from a human’s perspective but rather an insect’s perspective, it doesn’t fit into a window, mirror, or door category. While it could be a good tool to use when discussing multiplication, it is mainly an ideologically superficial book with not much deeper meaning. Because One Hundred Hungry Ants only has a superficial ideology, this makes it a helpful book to have in one’s classroom.

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Not all the books used in a classroom need to have a deeper meaning, and the fact that this has little meaning besides being a fun story allows your students to learn from just the events that take place, rather than paying attention to cultural values that take place in the book. Because of the repetitive nature of the text it would be simple to use it in the context of multiplication. Every time the ants change positions is an example of different multiplications. Because the ants change position into different lines, these lines can be used to show multiplication and factors such as: 1 times 100 is 100, 2 times 50 is 100, 4 times 25 is 100 and 5 times 20 is 100.  Overall, this book does not have much cultural significance of cultural depth but could be used as a helpful math resource in a classroom.

The Table Where Rich People Sit

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Author(s): Byrd Baylor

Illustrator/Photographer: Peter Parnall

Publisher and Year: First Aladdin Paperbacks edition July 1998

Number of Pages: 27

Genre: Fiction, Poetry

Analysis:

This story is about a little girl, nicknamed Mountain Girl by her parents, who begins the book by stating that her family is not rich but her parents seem to disagree with her. She believes that their kitchen table her parents made is not a table where rich people would sit, because it is not fancy or luxurious. After calling together a family meeting about the financial state they are in, she soon begins to realize that her family is rich in experiences and opportunities and that this is even more valuable than being rich in money.

This book provides the opportunity for children to learn and discuss poverty, but it also provides the platform that being rich is not the only way to be happy. This book allows children to look at their own lives as well and recognize all the experiences they have had that makes them rich. The text of the book does not directly address a particular race or ethnicity, but they do mention that the children were born in Arizona and Mexico and the illustrations depict a family that lives in an area with mountains, cacti, sunshine, animals, and deserts. However, I believe that this story is a criticism of the fast-paced and industrial culture of the U.S. that has been engrained in our society, even among children, who now associate money with success and happiness. The more nature-loving culture in this book is praised because they do not believe that too much value should be placed on material items.

The illustrations in this book are very powerful and emphasize the importance of nature and family. In all the illustrations the characters, scenery, and objects are all connected in some way, which reinforces the idea that this family is very in touch with nature, but also that nature is extremely valuable because it is in every image. This story challenges the idea that the only way to be rich is if you have a lot of money, and it does a great job of showing how Mountain Girl has slowly come to realize that being in nature and all the experiences her family has had in their current job are what makes someone rich.

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Those Shoes

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Author: Maribeth Boelts

Illustrator: Noah Z. Jones

Publisher/Year: Candlewick Press, 2007

Pages: 32

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Analysis:

In Those Shoes, Jeremy, a young African American boy living with his grandmother, wants and dreams of only one thing: getting the high-tops everyone is wearing at school. After his old shoes fall apart, Jeremy is forced to wear a pair of childish and embarrassing shoes from his guidance counselor that other kids laugh at, causing Jeremy to impulsively buy a pair of high-tops that are cheap but too small for him. After much thought, Jeremy befriends his classmate and gives him the high-tops.

 Any child who has ever felt that fitting in with the cool crowd meant wearing certain things can relate to Jeremy’s over-idealized view of “those shoes” and his desperation in trying to snag a pair for himself. Those Shoes can also function as a mirror for children who have made sacrifices because of a tight money situation. Jeremy’s grandma tried to remind him that expensive high-tops are a want, whereas new snow boots are a need. Those Shoes can function as a window in the same way. The story introduces children of a more stable financial situation to how it feels to not have all of ones’ wants satisfied. The story also introduces readers to the experiences of children who live a needs-only based life, such as having to wear free, outdated shoes or shopping at thrift stores for better deals. Finally, Those Shoes provides an admirable model of behavior. Jeremy knew that keeping the cool shoes that did not fit was wasteful so he gave them to Antonio, a classmate who could fit them and who did not laugh in class when Jeremy wore the counselor’s shoes (he too, wore broken shoes). Jeremy’s kind gesture represents a simple way young readers can pay it forward and not hoard things with no practical purpose.

 Those Shoes broadens materialism and conformity to boys, and exposes how girls are not the only ones concerned with fashion and having the “cool” clothes. Boelts gives a nondiscriminatory, yet accurate, portrayal of African American culture. In contrast to the white norm of a nuclear family, Jeremy lives with his grandmother in an urban high-rise apartment. Jeremy and his grandmother are humbly depicted as members of the lower middle class, money-conscious but still happy. Jones modernly portrays cultural diversity (in urban settings) with African American, Asian, Hispanic, Indian, and White characters.

 The repetition of “those shoes” conveys the intensity of Jeremy’s want and how to the impressionable child, there are cool shoes and there are other shoes. The text in Those Shoes mostly mirrors the images, although the images elaborate on the strong emotions Jeremy experiences: hope, happiness, frustration, (stubborn) determination, and intense desire/preoccupation. The large size of the painted advertisement for the shoes (compared to the size of Jeremy) and its placement high on the building help to over-idealize the shoes and represent the power propaganda has over the weak and easily persuaded buyer. Jeremy is often depicted as shorter and smaller than his male classmates, suggestive of his suffering self-image around peers who have the high-tops. Jeremy and Antonio are the same size, signifying both their friendship and similar experiences of having worn-down shoes and being the last to get their hands on the high-tops. On the last page, Antonio and Jeremy are racing each other into the distance and to the right. As new friends, they are moving forward and no longer held back by the shoe dilemma. They can now focus on more important things, such as relationships. Overall, Those Shoes highlights the power of propaganda, and challenges materialism and conformity as the keys to happiness.

 

The Artist and Me

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Author: Shane Peacock

Illustrator: Sophie Casson

Publisher/Year: Owlkids Books Inc., 2016

Pages: 36

Genre: Historical Fiction

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Analysis:

In The Artist and Me, an elderly French grandfather writes in a diary about “an ugly thing” he is ashamed of doing as a child: tormenting a starving artist (Vincent van Gogh) for his “awful pictures” and strange style (p. 3, 9). Admitting himself to be a coward and a bully, the aged man recounts how when alone he actually enjoyed looking at the artist’s paintings and admired Vincent van Gogh’s mission. On a trip to a famous art museum with his grandson, the old man finds one of Vincent van Gogh’s paintings—the same painting he had refused so coldly as a boy—and realizes how horrible he had been towards a man of extraordinary and priceless talent.

 The Artist and Me validates any young reader who has felt underappreciated or misunderstood. Readers who have ever missed out on an interesting friendship because they bullied someone can relate to the regret felt by the aged young boy. The Artist and Me also provides a window to the experiences of those who bully and those who have been bullied. One explored idea is how people sometimes bully others in public (to protect image), when, deep down they secretly admire and are curious about their victims. Through the old man’s criticism of his cruel close-mindedness as a boy, Peacock teaches readers to not mock or belittle those who are misunderstood for it not only blinds them from the talent of others, but also ruins their chances at forming valuable relationships. Peacock highlights how although Vincent van Gogh started poor he nonetheless completed his “mission” of telling the truth through art. Peacock gives no evidence, textual or otherwise, that the old man, having wasted his energy bullying, ever completed a mission of his own. The Artist and Me celebrates the culture of artists of all kinds. Individuals who doubt, fear, or mock misunderstood and unconventional artists are depicted as the crazy fools.

 Deep shame is evident through the old man’s criticism and mockery of his own behavior as a child. Although everything about Vincent van Gogh—personality, appearance, and artistic style—made him an eccentric “fool,” the text also conveys the boy’s hidden wonder in and admiration for the artist.  Both text and images communicate the idea that oppression dehumanizes and isolates those who are misunderstood. In his narrative account, the old man never refers to Vincent van Gogh by his name, and only by a “him” or a “someone.” Such a nameless identity symbolizes how the boy did not stick around long enough to know the man as Vincent van Gogh, the artist. Readers never see the front of Van Gogh or his face until he kindly offers the young boy a painting. Casson’s choice to hide the artist’s face emphasizes the isolation felt by the misunderstood and how their oppressors believe them to be feeling-less humans. Unframed, two-page spread illustrations invite readers into the lives of the boy and bullied artist, while warm and electric colors raise sympathy for the misunderstood Vincent van Gogh. The Artist and Me shows the relationship between ignorance, close-mindedness, peer pressure, and oppression, and highlights the effect of bullying on the life of the oppressor.

The Dot

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Author: Peter H. Reynolds

Illustrator: Peter H. Reynolds

Publisher/Year: Candlewick Press, 2003

Pages: 28

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Analysis:

The Dot chronicles the creative endeavors of a young Indian student, Vashti, who transforms a simple jab of her pencil into a diverse gallery of dot masterpieces after her art teacher suggests she “make a mark” (p. 5).  At the end of the story, Vashti instills confidence in a little boy and his squiggle by encouraging him to sign his work, just as Vashti’s art teacher had done for her.

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The Dot illustrates Vashti’s transformation from a young girl who stubbornly accepts her artistic inability to an artist who found her personal calling after taking a leap of faith. Children who have felt racked for inspiration, doubtful of their talent, or motivated to action by the sheer encouragement of an elder can relate to Vashti’s transformation and her relationship with her art teacher. For children who do not identify with Vashti’s inspiration struggle, The Dot can function as a window. The Dot raises the idea that talent does not always come easily, and that not all those who are talented realize it immediately and without fear, anxiety, or a leap into the unknown. The Dot also functions as a door by modeling appropriate behavior and responses; rather than competing with others, Vashti decides to test her own ability. The Dot also encourages readers to pay it forward as Vashti did by inspiring confidence and pride in a classmate who faced a similar struggle.

Power, in the form of confidence, is evenly distributed in The Dot because it is relayed between the art teacher, Vashti, and the young boy. Culture and diversity are represented through multiracial characters; Vashti is Indian, and the art teacher, young boy, and other characters are drawn as African Americans. The Dot assumes a non-traditional view of culture and race; Vashti and her teacher challenge the norms of teachers being white and individuals of Indian descent being geared towards careers in math, science, and medicine.

Adjectives and exclamations add a dramatic feel and describe the creative energy Vashti experiences. The placement of text in The Dot does not influence the readers understanding of the story. In fact, the images can stand alone for they adequately sequence all of Vashti’s trials and successes. A watercolor dot becomes the symbol for Vashti’s creative energy (both positive and negative) and acts as a sort of spotlight and frame. As she moves from stubbornness to success, Vashti is drawn amidst a filled dot; the brushstrokes also get softer and less jagged as Vashti opens up to the creative experience. A filled dot also encircles the young boy during his talk with Vashti, further showing the power of inspiration. The Dot indirectly explores gender roles. Although Vashti and her female art teacher fit the stereotype of women being interested in the fine arts, Reynolds treats this representation with positivity. Vashti, though a girl, is illustrated in relatively gender-neutral clothing, which suggests that any child create art. Reynolds does not demean or objectify women either; the authority to give confidence and inspiration to others lies with the female characters. The young boy even looks up to Vashti as a role model and talented individual.