So What? OR... A Book That Shifts the Furniture in Your Head?

4 Stars

“A “so what” book is not a terrific book for kids.  It will put them off books and reading altogether, which is the last thing we want to do.  A terrific book matters to us as human beings.  It’s not terrific for adults or children if it leaves readers unmoved.  It is terrific if we’ve had to shift around the furniture in our heads as we’ve listened, if it has affected us profoundly, one way or another- to laughter or tears, horror or delight, disgust or dismay, fascination or fright.  If a book makes children laugh, cry, squeal, shiver, or wriggle and jiggle in some way, it takes up residence in their hearts and stays there.”    -page 134 of Reading Magic by Mem Fox  

An Alphabet for Lonely Children

By Amanda Church

Grades 3-6

4 stars

This alphabet book features charcoal illustrations of children dressed in a costume of an animal with the same first letter as their name.  Each child is described in a single sentence that tells of their odd hobbies, habits, or insights.   

What a strange book!  This book certainly shifted the furniture in my head (see quote at the top of this page), at least a little.  The children in this book are strange, but in a way that reminded me of the strange aspects of any normal childhood.  For instance, the “C” page reads, “When Colin was feeling antisocial, into the coat closet he went to stalk his prey through venetian blinds.”  I certainly remember hiding in a closet or under my bed as a child, and I imagine that peeking out of a hiding spot is an experience most kids and adults can relate to and remember. 

In their book, Grand Conversations, Peterson and Eeds tell us, “Mood concerns our feelings as well as those of the author.  We are excited, or terrified, or wondering at particular moments of the book,” (56).  The mood of this book is definitely dreamlike and a little eerie.  The black and white, muted illustrations of expressionless, slightly out of proportion children who are awkwardly posed in various animal costumes add to this mood.  The odd looking children paired with text that made me remember that reality was a little less definite as a child (“The trampoline in Bertie’s yard had tightly rusted springs that flung her to the Heavens.”) drew me into this book.  It left me a little unsettled and made me flip through the pages over and over.

This book is definitely not for children who are learning their alphabet.  The vocabulary is advanced, using words like taut, marveled, and mourn.  I can see using this book to encourage students to find different, more interesting words in their writing.  I can also imagine using this as a precursor to making an unusual class alphabet book of some sort.       

Whoever You Are

Written by Mem Fox

Illustrated by Leslie Staub

Grades K-6

5 Stars

The simple message of this picture book tells us that despite differences of language, appearance, and ways of life, people are really very much alike.

This is a beautiful book with a beautiful message and it definitely shifted the furniture in my head.  The illustrations are oil paintings that depict people from different cultures from all over the world.  They are surrealistic in style and remind me of a combination of the works of Marc Chagall and Frida Kahlo.  If you look closely at the paintings, there is a man in a cloud suit who seems to be ushering a group of children from page to page as he shows them the similarities of people from all over the world.  The text is simple and to the point, but poetic and touching.    Fox uses examples of similarities that children will easily relate to, such as, “Their smiles are like yours, and they laugh just like you.  Their hurts are like yours, and they cry like you too”.  The first time I read this book, this part of the book gave me the chills.  I know that there are times that I will read about or see stories on television about a disaster or war in a distant part of the world.  Many times, the physical distance of the place allows me to remain untouched by these events.  Other times a photograph or moving story helps me to relate to the people affected.  The text and illustrations of this book emphasize the kinship of all people, regardless of location, race, or culture.

I would use this book in lessons on geography, culture, empathy, differences and similarities.

Check out Mem Fox's website!

Some Things Are Scary

Illustrated by Jules Feiffer

Grades K-4

4 Stars

This book lists a number of things that kids might find scary.

When I first read this book, I thought it was a so-so book, but I shared it with a 2^nd grader who had a great time with it and it led us to have a conversation about what things are scary.  The scary things listed in this book range from watching your hair get cut too short, to getting hugged by someone you don’t like, to knowing that you’ll grow up to be an adult.  Each phrase ends with the words, “is scary”.  The girl who I shared the book with reads at a low level, and the repeating phrases allowed her to participate in reading the book with me.  The pictures are cartoons that both myself and the student I was reading found pretty funny.  She enjoyed guessing what the pictures were showing before I read her the page, and when we ran out of time before we finished the book, she insisted that I tell her what the last pages said before she went back to her desk.  This book definitely engaged the student that I read it with.  It mattered to her and got her to share with me some things that frighten her. 

I would use this book as a conversation starter about things we are afraid of, things that we aren’t afraid of, and how this is different for every person.

Learn more about the author, Florence Parry Heide!

 

The Night the Scary Beasties Popped Out of My Head

By Daniel and David Kamish

Grades K-3

3 Stars

A boy draws his nightmare to get it out of his head and before he has a chance to erase it, it takes on a life of its own.  The boy has to use his imagination to defeat his nightmare.

This was a so-so book.  The pictures are cartoons that look as if a child has drawn them, which is an interesting element to the book.  The main character draws his nightmare along with tools he uses to battle his nightmare.  They are imaginative and funny and make the story feel authentic.  The text is also fun.  I also read this book to a 2^nd grade student, and she was attentive throughout the book, but didn’t have much to say about the story.  I brought this book to read to her because she had requested “scary” books, but I wonder if this would have gone over better with a boy.  The character is a boy named Dan, the story features a Boogieman that was sneezed out of the Beastie’s nose, and without stereotyping too much, the pictures look like they were drawn by a boy (lots of dark colors and monsters).  This was a fun story, but not one that I feel will stay with me or that would become an important book for many children.

I would use this book to talk about imagination and storytelling.

The Stranger in the Mirror

Written and Illustrated by Allen Say

Grades 3-5

In this book the main character goes to bed looking like a boy and wakes up to discover that his face has changed to that of an old man.  Everyone treats him differently although everything else about him is the same.

This book moved the furniture in my head clear across the room.  This book was unsettling to me, and I’m not entirely sure that I understand it.  The story begins with a young-looking Sam missing his grandfather who has recently left or was sent away, presumably because of issues related to his old age.  He goes to bed and then wakes up to discover that his face has turned into the face of an old man.  Although everything else about him is the same, everyone from his parents and sister to his classmates and teachers treat him differently.  At one point in the story, Sam skateboards and does some tricks.  “That was fun, he said, remembering.  “Pretty good for an old man.  But what’s the difference?  Who cares what I look like?  I’m Sam.  Nobody can change that.”  The theme of this picture book seems to be touching on the way elderly people are marginalized and that a person remains the same person, even when their physical appearance is altered in some way, but Say doesn’t say these explicitly.  This is a story that could be read and understood in different layers and levels of meaning.  I would like to hear how a group of students interpreted this story.

Learn more about the author, Allen Say!