Peoples of East Africa (ed. Bridget Giles-The Diagram Group/Facts on File, Inc.)

This book divides east Africa into regions of people groups, and gives a thorough history and description of each. There are climate descriptions, historical timelines, and descriptions of culture and religion practices of each. It was very informative, but overwhelming. The illustrations were hand-sketched, and therefore a bit disappointing. We don't want to merely see drawings of Ugandan and East African people. We want to see actual people.

Peoples of East Africa (ed. Bridget Giles-The Diagram Group/Facts on File, Inc.)

The Watsons Go to Birmingham (Christopher Paul Curtis)

The self-proclaimed “Weird Watsons” are Kenny, Byron, and Joetta, along with their mom and dad. They are all just busy living life in Flint, Michigan in the 1960s. They have school issues, work issues, and behavior issues just like any other family. When Byron, the oldest brother, begins to make some seriously bad choices, their parents decide it is time for him to spend a few months with their grandmother in Birmingham, Alabama. Unfortunately during that time, a church is bombed by racist segregationists, which deeply affects the Watson family and changes their lives and view of the world forever. 

Christopher Paul Curtis takes a very dark and sad time in our nation’s history and presents it on a palatable 5th grade level. He concludes the story with a summary of facts about the civil rights movement and the heroes who gave their lives during this time. Winner of the Coretta Scott King Award and a Newbery Honor Book, it is very easy to see why this book is such an important and effective piece of literature. This tight-knit family experiences small doses of racism in Michigan, and Curtis thoroughly communicates the differences in Northern and Southern culture during this time. 

One of my favorite quotes (by whom, I wish I knew) is that a good writer notices things that other people don’t notice. Curtis brings to light several characteristics of daily life by black Americans during this tumultuous time period. One was that the Watsons had to plan out every single rest and refueling stop for the journey from Michigan to Alabama. They knew they would have to take great care in where they stopped and tried to rent motel rooms or purchase food, because many Southern cities simply refused service to African Americans. We travel a bit, and I can’t imagine setting out for a far away destination without the knowledge that we can stop anywhere we want to for gas or supplies. Another was the way Curtis pointed out that black people and white people could be pretty much just as ignorant about one another during this time, simply because they did not associate with anyone of the opposite race. Byron and Kenny were terrified during one rest stop because they were afraid the rednecks would catch them, hang them, and eat them for dinner. There were some very ugly things that happened in Southern states during the civil rights movement, but it would be unfair to say that all white southerners were hostile.

My only criticism of this work is that it was too brief, too light, with coverage too superficial for such atrocities in American history. I would love for Curtis to have delved more deeply into the issues of this time and how the Watsons were affected by them. But then again, that wouldn’t be a children’s book, now would it?  

The Watsons Go to Birmingham (Christopher Paul Curtis)

The Pinballs (Betsy Byars)

Carlie, Thomas J, and Harvey are in foster care. Carlie likens them to pinballs, bouncing around from one place to another without having any care or control over who or what they slam into. Each of the kids has their own heart-breaking story, and they are as united by their tragedies as they are by the love of their foster parents. When Harvey hits rock bottom, it is up to Carlie and Thomas J to bring him back to the land of the living.

I really loved this story, and the insight into the minds of children who have been damaged. It is good to remember that these kids rarely feel the way that we think they should, or sometimes even the way we want them to. Both the characters in this story, and real life children in foster care must be granted the dignity of maintaining control over their own thoughts and feelings, as well as their story.

The Pinballs (Betsy Byars)

The Big Wave (Pearl S. Buck)

This is a short one, easily swallowed in 1 sitting. It is the story of a Japanese village blended with fishing and farming agriculture. Kino's father is a farmer, and they live high on the mountain near a volcano. Jiya's father is a fisherman, meaning they live on the beach, safe from the volcano but dangerously close to the tsunami-prone sea.

One day, the big wave comes. It decimates the village, and Jiya barely escapes with his life. He becomes part of Kino's family, nurtured back to health by Kino's wise father. It seems that everything the man says is a note-worthy nugget of cultural wisdom. For example:
pg. 12- "Enjoy life and do not fear death-that is the way of a good Japanese."
pg. 24- "for life is always stronger than death."
pg. 26-"Ah, no one knows who makes evil storms. We only know that they come. When they come we must live through them as barely as we can, and after they are gone, we must feel again how wonderful is life."

and on and on

It is easy to infer that Kino's father has had experience with a big wave and losing his family before.

Not my favorite Buck book, but it's good for connecting literature and empathy to science.

The Big Wave (Pearl S. Buck)

Kenya ABC's: A Book About the People and Places of Kenya (Sarah Heiman)

This was a great book about Kenya, with very interesting information about this African country. Each page is a letter of the alphabet and a key feature of the culture. 

N is for Nairobi

U is for Ugali

Z is for Zebra

You get the picture. 

It's a great book, perfect for younger children, for teaching about Kenya. 

Kenya ABC's: A Book About the People and Places of Kenya (Sarah Heiman)

Blue Moon Mountain (Geraldine McCaughrean)

So, today my preschool daughter signed up for the summer reading program at the local library. It was so sweet to see her getting her very first library card, playing with the kids' computers, and browsing the children's literature collection. It is a massive library, so she was pretty overwhelmed. For that matter, I'm a librarian, and I'm overwhelmed when I go into this particular branch. But, we'll continue to visit and get oriented to the building throughout the summer, especially when we go to show her reading log to earn her tickets. Granted, the prize room looks just like the treasure box at Chuck E. Cheese's, filled with trinkets that are either cheap pieces of candy or what must be lead-laden toys. Sweet Sassafras (my nickname for her), I'm not trying to micromanage your ticket purchases, but darlin', I can buy you a teensy pack of fun dip for .15.

But...it's about the reading, right?

Which brings us to this post.

Her poppa is rather goal-oriented, and competitive, so he is all into this earning-a-ticket deal. We have just completed 4 books (and 140 points total, mind you), so as much as time permits, I'll be sharing about some of the books we are reading this summer.

Blue Moon Mountain is a weak effort at trying to weave a story together filled with villains from mythical and folktale history. Big Bad Wolf, the Kraken, Hydra, Gorgon, something called the Cockatrice, the Troll from the 3 Billy Goats Gruff, etc. are all characters living on this mysterious Blue Moon Mountain. The mountain can only be reached once in a blue moon, and so one night a little girl (Joy) makes her way to the Blue Moon Mountain in search of the unicorn (which, by the way, when did a unicorn become a villain?). She meets all these creatures, tells them they are wonderful, and then goes home. That's pretty much it. I found it spotty and poorly written, with illustrations that never matched the animals mentioned on the pages. Sassafras found it rather boring, and so the book became a lesson at reading a book to the end, regardless of how lackluster it is.

Because we have TICKETS to earn, right?! ;)

Blue Moon Mountain (Geraldine McCaughrean)

The Trouble With Boys (Peg Tyre)

Do you have, know, or teach boys? Do they struggle in school?
If you are a teacher or involved with education in any capacity, who are the kids who end up being diagnosed with learning disabilities, sent to the office/disciplined for misbehavior, referred to the BBSST committee, referred to Exceptional Education programs, and end up on medication for attention disorders? Boys, that's who.

*"Between 2000 and 2005, the number of boys from birth to age 19 who were being prescribed ADHD medication grew 48%. That...suggests 2 things: Either we are witnessing the largest pandemic in our country since influenza struck the US in 1918, or school-age boys are being overidentified and overdiagnosed." pg. 111

Oh, this book has riled me up for sure.

The Trouble With Boys is not about what is wrong WITH boys. It's about what WE are doing wrong FOR boys. This author presents some very interesting research and case studies of boys and how they are affected by the structure of our education system. They fail, they disengage, and they drop out. School is not fun for them, nor is it interesting to many boys.

I see this regularly. In most schools, there is a 30 minute reading intervention program which involves sitting and reading. There is a 90 minute reading block which involves sitting and reading. There is time worked in for other subjects, which mostly involves sitting and reading or working abstract math algorithms. We tell them to hush in the classroom, hush in the hallway, hush in the lunchroom, and hush both before and after school during bus duty. We want them to fall in line and produce the work we either worked hours to plan for or were handed by state or local education officials as mandatory lesson plans/curriculum pacing guides.

When, in the midst of all that, when can boys be boys?  Peg Tyre points out in this book that we are simply failing our boys. Fewer boys finish high school, even fewer enter college, and fewer still actually graduate with a degree. The effects on that reach even to our nation's economy and the stability of families for future generations due to the fact that fewer men are becoming college educated and are maintaining well-paying jobs, fewer women want to marry them. Our failure to support the way boys learn best is quickly becoming a national epidemic.

One reason for the underachievement of boys is that there are fewer and fewer male teachers, especially in elementary school. The reasons for that boil down to simple economics and prejudice. Male teachers experience negative prejudice from parents and even other teachers who are female. They also cannot support a family on the measly $32,000 salary that most starting teachers make. What I found incredibly interesting about the male teacher demographic was that even though guys make up only 9% of elementary teachers and only 35% of secondary teachers, males account for 44% of elementary principals and a whopping 74% of secondary principals. Why? Because administrators make the most money in the education system. Pay teachers more, and there will be more dudes serving as positive male learning role models in the classroom. Even outside the school, most of the time it is Mom or Grandma who is making the grocery list, reading a novel just for fun, reading a magazine, writing in a journal, visiting the library. Dads tend not to do those things, communicating to their sons that reading is for girls.

One interesting solution to the gender issue here is that one principal began inviting in very masculine community members such as police officers to read to students. Having them come in once a week and show that reading is for rough-and-tough guys was a powerful motivating factor for the boys in that school. And one very easy solution for parents is for Dads to become intentional about modeling a habit of reading for their sons (and daughters, for that matter). And furthermore, we should be more open in the reading material our boys select. Boys are gross, and they like to read about gross things. They are never going to choose The Little House on the Prairie. Nope, they'd rather read The Adventures of Uncle Stinky or Rumble and Spew: Gross Body Systems. And you know what, parents and teachers and librarians? THAT IS OK. A child's interest in reading something is far more important than how well they can sound out a word. Boys and girls alike should connect with literature in a way that is appealing to them. They should develop an appreciation for how books can help them, both in providing them with information and entertaining them. Just let them read what they want to read, stop interfering with their book choices, and sit back and watch young boys fall in love with literature.

This brings us to the unfortunate see-saw effect between the focus of successful learning experiences between boys and girls. When the nation, states, and local districts get on board with something or issue a mandate, the pendulum swings from one side to the other. In Alabama we have the Alabama Reading Initiative. This means that a whole lot of time and research is spent on reading, talking about reading instruction, analyzing reading data, writing goals for reading instruction, etc. Our kids can read (they hate it, but they are capable-another blog post entirely), but their math skills are lacking. The same is true with gender emphasis. If we shift everything about the learning system to what best meets the needs of boys, then girls are once again at a distinct disadvantage educationally. Balance is key.

So what's the answer? There are a few that the author provides, although she causes the reader to ask more questions than are answered. For starters, boys require movement. Their brains are not hard-wired to sit and hush and write all day long. Let them move. Let them eat. Boys function best when they are full and active. Chunk up your lessons and let them snack, then write, then move around for some active learning. Let them build models instead of writing in a journal or creating a timeline. Acknowledge that not all boys and girls work and think and learn the same way. In the world of education right now one buzz word/term is "differentiated instruction," which basically means meeting the needs of all levels of learners...planning things for advanced learners and for those who struggle. Teachers should become aware of and know how to meet the specific needs of boys, and then they should actually do it. For some boys, an all-boy school may be the best answer to a family's struggle to meeting the needs of their sons. For others, it may be as simple as learning more about how boys think and helping teachers understand their sons (in a non-threatening and respectful way, of course). For all educators and parents, the key that Peg Tyre has successfully driven home with her book is advocacy. Parents should know their sons' needs and how to best advocate for their best interests in the educational setting. Teachers should do all they can to learn about the differences between boys and girls, and intentionally plan lessons to meet their varying needs. Teachers should also be paid much more, which would attract more guys to enter and remain in the classroom.

It broke my heart to read about one little boy who was struggling with school and whose parents were told over and over and over and over that something was wrong with him and that he should be medicated for attention deficit issues (Which, by the way, is completely unethical. No teacher can or should ever make such a recommendation, because we are not medical professionals. This does NOT occur at my school, nor any others that I know of.) But the real problem wasn't that there was anything wrong with the little boy, it was that there was a whole lot wrong with the school's expectations of him and provisions for his learning needs.

Absolutely wonderful book, and should be required reading for every active and pre-service educator. It should be handed to parents of boys when they register their sons for kindergarten. There should be community groups meeting and talking about this book and the issues within it. Our boys deserve it!

The Trouble With Boys (Peg Tyre)

The Underneath (Kathi Appelt)

I'm not sure that I have ever read a book whose cover art is more misleading than The Underneath.

 It looks like it might be the sweet little tale of a dog who makes friends with some cats, right?

Actually... 

The Underneath is the story of a little cat who is dropped off in the middle of a Louisiana swamp, punished for the unspeakable crime of becoming "with kitten." This new mother retreats to the first place of safety she can find, which unfortunately is the home of a cruel swamp-dweller (Gar Face) and his abused hound dog, Ranger. Dog meets cat, and they become best friends. They raise the new kittens (Puck and Sabine) together and live in cautious harmony until Gar Face sinks to new levels of cruelty and greed. "The Underneath" is the space underneath the porch, the only space where Ranger and his cats can avoid risk of all the horrible things in life. 

Interspersed throughout the story of Ranger, the mother cat, Puck, and Sabine is another dark, mystic tale involving a magical water moccasin and her own story of anger, loss, and revenge. Grandmother Moccasin and her BFF the Alligator King (who happens to be positively enormous) are on the warpath to make someone pay for all that she has lost...and Ranger and his cats better be sure that they don't cross paths with these ancient, angry, and hungry creatures. 

The Underneath is sad, dark, and full of injustice. It's very suspenseful, and filled with characters you just want to loathe. It's also filled with characters you love and will cheer on throughout their many unfair tribulations. It presents numerous opportunities for deep discussions, and is a great choice for book clubs in older elementary or middle school. The Underneath makes you think about how people's own personal wounds can either lead them to continue wounding others in the same way, or to break the cycle of revenge by forging a new path in life. It makes you appreciate the swampland ecosystem. It forces the reader to examine what, if anything, makes a person truly un-redeemable. 

And it also makes you love your own pets just a little bit more! And at the risk of turning this into a PSA: spay and neuter your pets, people! ;) 

The Underneath (Kathi Appelt)

Eat Pray Love (Elizabeth Gilbert)

It's been sitting on the front shelves at my favorite bookstores for a long time. It's been a top seller for a while (over 155 weeks) now. Julia Roberts is about to star in the movie version. My reading  Eat Pray Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India, and Indonesia has been long overdue.

This book is an autobiography of Elizabeth's crisis of...herself, really. She seems to be buzzing along enjoying some of the best things in life until, for reasons she respectfully refrains mentioning, she wants out of her marriage. She meets a new man, who is both very good and very bad for her all at the same time. After being destroyed through the divorce settlement, Elizabeth decides that a trek around the globe will let her find all that she needs in order to find balance and peace in her life.
She has begun to seek God with everything that she has, and struggles with the balance between devotion and experiencing life's pleasures. For this reason, she goes to Italy for 4 months and devotes herself only to the pleasure of good culture, company, and food. In Italy she meets many interesting people, eats food that sounds so delicious I think I gained some weight just by reading about it, and she also learns some very interesting things about herself and all that she really wants (and doesn't want) in life.

After leaving Italy, she spends 4 months in India. There she spends her time in an ashram (meditation temple), where she meets more interesting people, and learns all about the disciplines of meditation. At the beginning of the trip, she breaks down after 14 minutes of intense meditation. At the end, she can sit for hours meditating on her view of God and how she perceives His love for her.

Speaking of her view of God.... She believes that Jesus was "a great teacher of peace" (pg. 14), but does not believe that He is the only path to God. I do believe that. I believe Jesus is the son of God, that He lived a perfect life and died in my place (and that of every other sinner) so that I would have eternal life of peace and love in His presence.

Though I disagree with Elizabeth on this point, I have been deeply touched and inspired by some of her observations regarding religion. First off, she actively devotes herself to seeking God, and on meditating on God's love for her. When is the last time I did that? I like how she defines praying as speaking to God, and meditating as listening to Him. When was the last time I pursued and set aside time just to listen to Him?

She leaves Italy, and goes on to Indonesia for 4 months to round out her year of traveling. In Indonesia she meets more very interesting people, of course, one of whom she decides she is ready to fall in love with.

For one thing, on pg. 206 she writes "Be very careful...not to get too obsessed with the repetition of religious rituals just for its own sake." Too many churches, and believers, are obsessed with the repetition of religious rituals. These are wasting valuable time we have so little of on this earth.  

People long to have something to believe in. Even if they are skeptic, the longer they live and the more life they experience, they long to have something to believe in. What do people see in my life that indicates what and who I believe in? Would they ever ask me? 

Elizabeth believes she has to find her own peace in this life. I believe that God freely gives it to those who believe in Him, love Him, and ask for it. On the last page (334) she closes with these words: "In the end...maybe we must all give up trying to pay back the people in this world who sustain our lives. In the end, maybe it's wiser to surrender before the miraculous scope of human generosity and to just keep saying thank you, forever and sincerely, for as long as we have voices." Am I living a life of gratitude, both to my fellow humans and to God?


You cannot possibly make it through this book without thinking deeply about so many elements in life, including faith, family, and friends. And whether you disagree with her or not, it's always good to examine your beliefs.

You also cannot make it through this book without wanting to travel. She embeds lots of history about each country, nuances about its culture, and characteristics of its people in each section. Even if I am never able to make it to Italy, India, or Indonesia, I surely hope that I can stop and appreciate whatever foreign countries I do visit with the open heart and perceptive mind that Elizabeth shows her readers.

http://www.elizabethgilbert.com/eatpraylove.htm

Eat Pray Love (Elizabeth Gilbert)

The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)

As a reader, I often sail through pieces of literature or nonfiction.   With a goal to read everything (yes, truly), many times I underestimate how deeply a book can affect a person. The Good Earth is one of those rare books that has a deep and lasting hold on my heart. After about a month of reading it, I finally completed it last night, and lay awake thinking of the characters and wondering what happened so some of them and why they experienced one issue or another in the book. This family and this culture is one I will not soon forget.

The Good Earth is set in pre-revolutionary China. The main character is Wang Lung, and we meet him on his wedding day. He is a simple man but capable and very willing of hard work. His own father has ingrained in Wang Lung that nothing is more important than the land. The land that his family owns is one of the few constants in this book. I have thought often of its symbolism and irony.
Thanks to Wang Lung's (and his wife's, whose name is O-Lan) incredible devotion to his land, and to hard work, the land is profitable. They live in peaceful sufficiency, until a great drought comes upon the land. O-Lan works wonders with her creative ability to stretch what little food they have, but eventually it is not enough. Horrible atrocities take place when vast populations of people go hungry. Animals are eaten. Children are sold. Children are eaten. Families are attacked and torn apart. One of the saddest aspects of this culture is shown during the times of famine, which is that there is no respect whatsoever for human life...especially females. It is sad to the point of being absolutely maddening.

Eventually, Wang Lung and his family are once again able to work on their land that is once again fruitful. It is so fruitful, actually, that very quickly he becomes a very rich man. Soon their original earthen shack becomes a palace, and Wang Lung quickly forgets the loyalty, ingenuity, and faithfulness of his hard-working wife. Rather, he begins to criticize her appearance and find reasons to seek satisfaction at tea houses with local harlots. (Just one of the many reasons I can't stand this guy!)

The saga continues with Wang Lung's continued conflicts with his children and with other members of his family. At the conclusion of the book, he is an old man preparing for death but crying out for his sons to refrain from selling the land he has loved so much. It's sad that the land, not his faithful wife nor his talented children, is the only thing he truly loves.

When I read more about Pearl S. Buck (link below), I discovered that she knew so much about Chinese culture during this period of time because she had lived in China for much of her life with her missionary parents. Pearl went on to establish the very first international adoption agency. She has written two other novels about Wang Lung's family, and I definitely plan to consume those soon!
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1938/buck-bio.html

The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)