Valentine’s Day comes once a year, but isn’t every day the perfect day for letting somebody know you care?
Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch by Eileen Spinelli, illustrated by Paul Yalowitz (S&S, 1991) is what I like to call an “oldie but goodie.” It’s been shared with children for over 25 years! In a time in our world when it seems too many are forgetting the power of kindness and generosity towards one another, it remains a beautiful story that’s especially relevant today and ripe for rich discussion with students of all ages.
From Kirkus:
Colorless Mr. Hatch–who works in a shoelace factory and eats a cheese and mustard sandwich for lunch every day with, just occasionally, a prune–is jarred from his reserve by receiving a huge Valentine box of candy with a card that says only, “Somebody loves you.” Amazed, he samples it, shares it at work and, buoyed by his friendly reception, sympathetically helps several people out on the way home (e.g., he watches the newspaper stall so that its proprietor can take his cold to the doctor). He’s soon baking brownies, hosting a neighborhood picnic, and reading to the local kids. Then the postman arrives with the news that the candy was delivered to the wrong address, putting poor Mr. Hatch into a funk; but his devoted new friends rally round to bring him back into their cheerful society. Told with warmth and a light touch, the story easily transcends its predictability.
Poetry is perfect for any age, and today’s post introduces readers to a new series of board book poetry perfect for young readers. Flamingos Fly and Bears are Big are just two of the four books in the “Animals Play” series by Douglas Florian (Little Bee Books, 2017).
Brightly colored illustrations by Barbara Bakos bring a sense of joyous energy to the page, easily holding the attention of the baby/toddler set. The books can even be used as inspiration for Kindergarten and First grade writers by using the rhyming text (Bears are big. Bees are small. Shrews are short. Giraffes are tall.) to innovate new poems. Students can brainstorm a list of additional big and small, short and tall animals to come up with their own rhyming verses in the style of BEARS are BIG or one of the other books in the series.
Estefania “Stef” Soto has been trying to get her Papi to stop bringing her family’s taco truck, Tía Perla, to Saint Scholastica School for months. Doesn’t he understand that hardly anyone gets picked up from school by their parents anymore? Stef just wants to be like all the other kids. When Julia, her once-upon-a-time friend, calls her the “Taco Queen,” things only get worse.
Then the family business is threatened by a new set of city regulations, and Stef has to figure out what she stands for. Will she support her father and the other food truck owners in their attempt to keep their businesses afloat? Or will she refuse to offer her family the help that’s in her power to give?
STEF SOTO, TACO QUEEN, by Jennifer Torres (Little, Brown and Company, 2017) is a heartfelt story about family, friendship, and the gift of learning to accept and embrace who you are and where you’re from. A gentle, satisfying read.
This picture book by Melanie Florence and illustrated by Francois Thisdale tells the story of Kateri, a young Cree girl who is motherless and being raised by her grandmother, Nohkom. Kateri’s story is based on the stories of the missing indigenous women of the U.S. and Canada. Told in alternating voices, the absent mother follows her daughter as she grows, enters school, and becomes a mother herself. The author’s lyrical, free-verse text and the illustrator’s watercolor images portray the emotional journey of children coping with the loss of a parent.
Talking and sharing suggestions. This is a book to read slowly with a child, maybe only a few pages at a time. Then… talk together.
Millions of children are without the most essential things they need– parents, family, a home, friends, safety, and the opportunity to attend school, to have a future. These children have lost what they love most because of discrimination, persecution, or violence.
What happens when a country’s legal system does not provide equal protection? In this picture book, a child’s mother “goes missing,” which in many countries is not uncommon, especially when women are not protected because of they are minorities, people of color, or of a minority religion. Related themes include the grief experienced by those children who have lost a parent.
After reading the books: Missing Nimama, Somos como las nubes/We are like the clouds, Two White Rabbits, and (for older readers) Bone Sparrow, talk with a young listener about the many types of political events that separate children and parents: civil war, terrorism, or being a refugee. Read Stepping Stones, a picture book that gently shows what it means to be a refugee.
Imagine this – you had to leave your home in five minutes before the bombs began to fall, what would you take with you? Think about living in a refugee camp for five years, maybe ten years. Again, imagine – what do you miss most about the home you left? What do you wish you could do one more time? What are the special foods you’d wish you could eat? Think about no longer seeing your friends, pets, family, teachers, books? Or hearing your own language!
What happens to child refugees if they survive the journey and make it to the U.S.? How can we help make them feel welcome? How important a welcoming smile can be, or an invitation to join a soccer game, or asking a lonely child – “come sit with me during lunchtime at school.
This beautiful book can become the beginning of many important discussions. MISSING NIMAMA is an ILA Notable Book for a Global Society selection and also was awarded the winner of the Canadian Children’s Literature Award.
From the flap: “In 1958, Esquire magazine was planning a special issue focused on American jazz. Art Kane, a graphic designer in New York City, pitched a crazy idea: gather as many jazz musicians as were willing and photograph the group. Kane got the assignment – but he didn’t own a professional camera, he didn’t know how many musicians would show up, and he wanted to shoot the photograph in front of a Harlem brownstone. Would his idea work?”
Kane’s idea did work and this book, a collection of poems, recreates that day as it might have unfolded almost 60 years ago! The events of the famous photograph were unique and interesting. Equally fascinating is the story of how this book was made, as told by author Roxane Orgill in her 2916 Boston Globe Horn Book Picture Book Award Speech. Here’s a snippet:
When I’m asked how this book came to be, I usually say that I was at a party and a woman I hadn’t met before, a person in children’s book publishing, said, “Someone should write a book about the famous Harlem jazz photograph.”
That’s true. But it’s not the whole story. Jazz Daybegan much earlier.
Enjoy illustrator Francis Vallejo’s BGHB Award Speech HERE.
STEAMBOAT SCHOOL by Deborah Hopkinson, illustrated by Ron Husband, is the story of Reverend John’s Tallow Candle School and a young boy, James, who attends the school in the basement of the church.
When, on February 16, 1847, the State of Missouri passed a new law prohibiting “instruction of negroes or mulattoes, reading or writing …” Reverend John refuses to let the law hold him or his students back. His solution? A “Floating Freedom School” held on a steamboat in the middle of the Mississippi River. Because the river was considered to be federal property, the school was, apparently, allowed to operate without restrictions.
Inspired by true events from Reverend John’s life in St. Louis in the the early to mid-1800’s, STEAMBOAT SCHOOL is a powerful story of one man’s determination, resourcefulness, and refusal to let injustice dictate his future or the future of those whose lives he touched.
Your parents are deaf but you can hear. In this picture book, THE SOUND OF ALL THINGS by Myron Ulberg, a hearing son describes to his father through sign language all the noise and music that surround them as they enjoy the sights of the amusement park, Coney Island. But how do you explain the roar of a roller coaster or the crash of ocean waves? Both parents sign to their son how sound feels to them: “I feel the wind,” my father signed, “the way I feel your voice when you talk into the palm of my hand.” When the son needs more words he discovers a wealth of language at their library.
Try “speaking” in American Sign Language (ASL). You can find explanations and see video examples of the basic 100 signs at http://www.lifeprint.com/. If you live near a college or university where sign-language is taught, invite a student or professor who knows sign language to come to your classroom and demonstrate signing the book The Sound of All Things as the class reads aloud.
As you watch someone signing – or watch a video – observe how American Sign Language is a visual gestural language. That means it is a language that is expressed through the hands and face and is perceived through the eyes. Notice that the person speaking with sign language isn’t just using fingers, hands, and arms. Observe how the whole body is used to communicate – perhaps eyebrows furrow, the head tilts, eyes glance in a certain direction, the person leans closer or farther away. All these visual motions are part of the language!
Think about all the information you learn by the sounds you hear. Go outside. Sit with a notebook. Write down the sounds you hear. Can you tell how close or far away is each sound? Is the source moving closer or farther away? What kind of environmental sounds do you hear? Birds, wind, tree branches, water flowing, rain falling? Children playing a game – what kind of game? People walking by, riding past on a bicycle, skateboard, car?
Think about losing a different sense – what if you were blind instead of deaf? Compare what would be hard about losing sight versus losing hearing. Read Cece Bell’s description of her experience growing up hard-of-hearing in her book, EL DEAFO. Then read J.L. Power’s book, Colors of the Wind, and George Mendoza’s description of losing his eyesight but continuing to become an Olympic runner and then an artist. What if you lost the ability to walk? Read Padma Venkadrama’s A Time to Dancewhich tells the story of a young girl, passionate about dancing, who loses her leg in a car accident. Compare how each type of loss – hearing, sight, mobility) affects one’s daily life, friendships, hobbies, sports, and education.
Myron Uhlberg. (2016). The Sound of All Things. Atlanta, Georgia: Peachtree Publishers. 36 pages, 4 – 8 years. Nonfiction/ memoir.
Other related, recommended books:
Bell, Cece. (2014). El Deafo. NYC: Abrams.
Powers, J.L. (2014). Colors of the wind, the story of blind artist and champion runner, George Mendoza. Kentucky: Purple House Press.
Venkatraman, Padma. (2014) A time to dance. NYC: Nancy Paulsen Books.
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