Book Review for I HADN'T MEANT TO TELL YOU by Jacqueline Woodson

Book Review by Allie Davis

MLIS 5653 Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Woodson, Jacqueline. 1994. I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This. New York: Bantam Double Day Dell Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0440219604

Connect with the Author 
http://www.jacquelinewoodson.com/

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
      Jacqueline Woodson says on her author website that, " I wanted to write a novel about friends and in it, I wanted to show how destructive racism and classism can be.  I also wanted to write about the "secret" in the book-to say to young readers-'Don't be afraid. You are not alone.'" Considering that this particular novel is a story that directly addresses racial prejudices, a reader might expect to see an African-American protagonist who is suppressed by a White antagonist.  Quite the opposite is true.  This story takes a direct turn from the "norms" of the minority experience.  One of the main characters, Marie, is the daughter of a Black, upper middle-class professor who has participated in the Civil Rights Movements and possesses prejudices of his own.  The other main character, Lena, is a poverty-stricken, poor "White-trash" girl who is sexually abused by her father.  Marie's father has his own reasons for wanting her to avoid mixing with any White person, mainly for fear of her being hurt.  He tries very hard to make it up to Marie that her mother left, leaving him as a single parent, although he is not portrayed as a dead-beat dad. Interesting enough, the dead-beat dad is Lena's father who uses her after her mother dies of breast cancer.  However, there is an equal amount of good vs. bad in this novel.  Marie looses her best friend because she befriends Lena.  Her father eventually comes to understand that there are good people in every race, and Lena is not going to hurt Marie.  Lena learns that there is another way of life, a good, peaceful life that she desperately yearns for.  In discovering that, she realizes that she has to strive to make good grades to make a productive life for herself and her sister, Dion.  The interaction of these characters throughout the whole book is best described as beautifully haunting.  They learn that true friendship looks beyond the skin and clothing and sees the heart, even when the heart has been broken. 
     Woodson chooses Chauncey, Ohio as the setting of I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This primarily because of its large population of African-Americans.  The school is mainly Black, the social clubs are Black, etc., so it seems very odd when a White family moves into town, even if they are just a poor migrant family.  Lena Bright has accepted her fate and has tried her best to keep her sister away from her father's "touch," but she desperately longs for love and friendship, enough not to be intimidated by lack of acceptance from most of her school.  Marie, however, is drawn to her, and willingly throws away the popularity that has been her driving force until now. Marie helps advocate change in Chauncey, both at school and at home. 
       The main African-American cultural value that I see present in this novel is that of remembrance and pride in one's heritage.  On more than one occasion, Marie's father addresses what he has faced during the protests and sit-ins of the Civil Rights Movement.  He is the way he is because of what he faced, and he wants more for his daughter.  This is quite natural, but in his memory, there is still the hurt and pain of what it was like before, and he is unwilling to part with those feelings until several months have gone by and Lena continues coming to his home. The first instance of him questioning his value system is when Marie asks him what the difference is in using the "N" word and calling someone "White Trash."  He tells her he doesn't like her using the "N" word and agrees that there is no difference in the terms; "White Trash" just gives us someone to hate (Text page 28).  Finally though, he too, sees through Lena's surface, and realizes that she is not a threat, rather she needs something much more from them than he comprehends.  This modern day setting does not lend to stereotyping in language or dress, but rather sets the perfect stage for an excellent opportunity to portray humanity at its finest: the willingness to lay down prior prejudices and see people for who they really are, Black or White.
       In my opinion, overall, the themes of sexual abuse and incest override the theme of racial prejudism.  Lena becomes central to the plot even though the story is told in first-person from Marie's point-of-view.  Through Lena, Marie learns that life goes on, and that her life (even though she hurts because her mama left) is not as bad as it seems when compared to other people's experiences.  She learns who she is, and she matures in many ways from just a typical teenager concerned with looks and appearances, to a young lady concerned for the well-fare of others.  She learns to appreciate what she has and to love her father for who he is.  And in the end, she finally realizes that her mother is not coming back. 

AWARDS  

• Young Hoosier Book Award; Nominated for Award in 2006 
• Iowa Children's Choice Award; Nominated for Award in 2006
• Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award; Nominated for Award in 1996
• Jane Addams Children's Book Award; Nominated for Award in 1995
• Coretta Scott King Honor Book

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

• Horn Book Magazine, "Twelve-year-old Marie, who comes from the well-off African-American community of her Ohio suburb, is still reeling from her mother's sudden departure two years earlier.  She develops an unlikely friendship with Lena, a poor white girl who has also lost her mother, and the two forge a strong bond. Yet Lena has a sadness that runs even deeper than Marie's: she confides that her father has been sexually abusing her.  Woodson's characters are deftly drawn, whole individuals; her spare prose and crystal images create a haunting novel." (C) 1994.
• Voice of Youth Advocates, "...When Lena, who is "poor white trash," moves into Chauncey with her father and sister Dion, Marie is draw to her, perhaps because of her pathetic, unkept look.  Marie defies her friend Sherry and her racially biased father to become best friends with Lena, and to share her horrifying secret.  The girls each fill the emptiness in their lives differently, but their friendship benefits them both; they learn to be accepting of others, no matter what their color, and to help each other through rough times in their lives. When Lena and her sister decide to leave, Marie is disappointed, but the lessons she has learned from their friendship and exposure to a different way of lire are with her forever.  The books reads like poetry; it is beautifully written and hard to put down.  Highly recommended." (C) April 1, 1994
• School Library Journal, "Despite differences in race and economics, Lena and Marie become friends when they discover that neither of them has a mother at home.  Lena's mother is dead, and Marie's has left for the lure of greater individual freedom.  As the friendship grows, Lena trusts Marie with a secret that both shames and enrages her...This Coretta Scott King Award-winner provides a moving illustration of the bonds that exist among friends." (C) June 1, 1999.

CONNECTIONS

Use as an introduction to biographies, African-Americans, racial prejudice, incest, parent/child relationships, sexual abuse, friendship, divorce, bullying, and violence.

https://www.tes.com/lessons/k_w4LgWz1OpnDw/i-hadn-t-meant-to-tell-you-this-lena
https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=10161

• Create character maps of Marie and Lena.
• Research Chauncey, Ohio.
• Rewrite the ending to include what happens with Lean and Dion when they leave Chauncey.

Other Jacqueline Woodson titles to read:

• Brown Girl Dreaming; ISBN  069812944
• After Tupac and D Foster; ISBN 1423398084
• Beneath a Meth Moon; ISBN 1455854549

Gather more sexual abuse titles:

·       Lyga, Barry. Boy Toy  ISBN  10547076347

·       Weeks, Sarah. Jumping the Scratch  ISBN 0060541113
·       Block, Francesca Lia.  I Was a Teenage Fairy.  ISBN: 0060277483

Book Review for THE DARK-THIRTY by Patricia McKissack

Book Review by Allie Davis
MLIS 5653 Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults

BIBLIOGRAPHY
McKissack, Patricia C. 1992. The Dark Thirty. Ill. by Brian Pinkney. New York: Alfred A. Knope. ISBN 0679818634

Connect with the Author and Illustrator
http://www.patriciamckissack.com/
http://www.brianpinkney.net/main.html

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
      Patricia McKissack's The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural "is a collection of original stories rooted in African American history and the oral storytelling tradition.  They should be shared at that special time when it is neither day nor night and when shapes and shadows play tricks on the mind.  When you feel fear tingling in your toes and zinging up your spine like a closing zipper, you have experienced the delicious horror of a tale of the dark-thirty" (McKissack, Introduction).
     I love ghost stories so I was very delighted to find a collection by this award-winning author.  In her novel, McKissack does an excellent job of chronicling the plight and condition of African-Americans from slavery through the Civil Rights Movement.  Ten stories describe the injustices suffered by slaves at the hands of plantation owners, revenge sought by these slaves, the horrors of the KKK, death,  and just plain fantasy/folk stories which include conjuring siblings and Sasquatches. Each of the stories is based on stories that were told during McKissack's childhood by her grandmother; some are based on real people in her community.  Each story sufficiently portrays the socio-economic status of the main character and clearly characterizes him/her with enough details that the reader can "feel" what they are going through.  I cried, I laughed, I had goose-bumps, and I felt flabbergasted at times as I was reading their experiences. 
     Each story has its own setting, relevant to the theme and plot of the story.  They all take place in the deep south, and  each backs an actual period relevant event: Kentucky/selling of slaves, Mississippi/KKK lynching, St. Louis/Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, etc.  Each setting is especially effective at illustrating the unique experiences of the main character in the story.  Not only do the stories and settings teach about the African-American Experience, they teach history, in general. These stories could easily be adapted into a social studies unit on several different topics. 
            Cultural details abound profusely through the entire novel.  In the first story, "The Legend of Pin Oak," for example, depicts two different points-of-view, those of brothers.  One of the brothers is White, the plantation owner's first-born son.  The second is Black, the plantation owner's illegitimate son from a free woman of color from New Orleans.  They are made to live together, work together, and eventually come to terms with each other when their father dies.  The White son did not know that his brother was actually a freeman, and what ensues is nightmarish in nature.  Henri takes his wife, and they run away, trying to get to freedom.  The ending will leave the reader both sad and confused.  Throughout each story, details are rendered about African-American traditions (voodoo dolls), gender rolls (having to check the chicken coop), and values (family importance).  A single Brian Pickney black and white scratchboard illustration accompanies each story, contributing to the dark mood of each story.  Even though each picture is black and white, it vividly conveys the climatic experience of the characters.  There is one of a Black man hanging from a tree, a White KKK clansman trying to scrub windows to erase the past, and a train porter meeting death on the 11:59 Phantom Train.  All of the pictures accurately show the characters in period/traditional clothing, without stereotype.
     Overall, even though these are "ghostly" tales from African-American storytelling, these stories invite personal reflection on America's past and present relations with this culture.  Have we progressed from the insurmountable atrocities of human bondage to be able to say Mr. King's dream has been attained (an element from one of the stories)?  Have prejudices and biases been replaced with understanding and acceptance?  Reading and understanding the history of the people written about in The Dark Thirty is undoubtedly one way to help build a bridge across the humanities. 
        

AWARDS  

• Coretta Scott King Award; Won Award in 1993
• Newberry Honor Book; 1993

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

• Publisher's Weekly, "In these stories, "haunting in both senses of the word,"...ghosts exact vengeance for lynchings, and slaves use ancient magic to ensure their freedom; historical backdrops run from the Underground Railroad to 1960s activism." (C) Dec. 21, 1998.
• Horn Book Magazine,  "A collection of original stories rooted in African-American history and the tradition of oral storytelling spans the period from slavery to the civil-rights era.  Pinkney's scratchboard artwork adds the right amount of tension and apprehension to this collection that is great for reading aloud..." (c) 2010
• School Libray Journal, "Some are straight ghost stories, many of which are wonderfully spookey and all of which have well-woven narratives.  There is a tale from slavery times; a story set amoung the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters; and one from the 1940s segregated South, in which a black man's ghost brings revenge upon the while Klansman who murdered him.  Strong characterizations are superbly drawn in a few words.  The atmosphere of each selection is skillfully developed and sustained to the very end..." (C) Dec. 1, 1992.

CONNECTIONS

Use as an introduction to collections, horror/ghosts, African-American folktales, suspense.

http://www.bookrags.com/lessonplan/the-darkthirty/#gsc.tab=0
https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?a=1&tid=11252
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Dark-Thirty-Southern-Tales-of-the-Supernatural-Lesson-Plans-917260

• Draw a character or a setting from one of the stories from the  collections.
• Have a reader's theater using one of the stories from the collections.
• Compare/Contrast 2 stories or one from another book, song, poem.

Other Patricia McKissack titles to read:

• Flossie & the Fox; ASIN B00FFBH70U
• Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters; ISBN 0590430270
• Black Hands, White Sails; ISBN 05940483137

Gather more horror/ghost titles to read such as:

·       McDonald, Collin. The Chilling Hour ISBN 0525651012

·       Carusone, Al.  Don't Open the Door After the Sun Goes Down.  ISBN 0786810866

Book Review for Duke Ellington by Andrea Pinkney

Book Review by Allie Davis
MLIS 5653 Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Pinkney, Andrea Davis. 1998. Duke Ellington. Ill. by Brian Pinkney. New York: Disney * Jump at the Sun. ISBN 0786814209

Connect with the Author and Illustrator
https://andreadavispinkney.com/
 http://www.brianpinkney.net/main.html

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
      Husband and wife duo team up to author and illustrate this beautiful tale of the life of famous Jazz artist, Duke Ellington.  The book is grammatically correct, but there are many examples of phrases and dialogue/dialect used frequently within the African-American culture (such as the words, "folks," "gents," and "homebodies"), making the reading experience of Duke Ellington natural and authentic in its textual reading without becoming awkward to other readers.  The main character, Duke, along with his parents, band members, and the extra characters in the illustrations are portrayed wearing authentic, period clothing of Jazz Era, rather than what might be considered stereotypical clothing.  The story progresses through Ellington's life, starting with when he began to take the piano lessons he hated.  During these years, he is presented as a typical teenager and young adult who must find his own way and interests in life, and like most children, he turns back to his roots later on, creating his own music in his own way. His successes are documented in chronological order, and the reader is transported to all the places that Ellington visits along his career path like Harlem, the Cotton Club, and Carnegie Hall, specifically stressing that few African-Americans had played at Carnegie prior to Duke.  Many of his album titles are mentioned, including one that he composed especially to celebrate the history of African-American people, Black, Brown, and Beige.
     Early on in the story, the setting is established when his birth year is documented as 1899 in Washington, D.C.  His real name was Edward Kennedy Ellington, but he made sure everyone called him "Duke."  The setting is further established with the mention of the popularity of ragtime music that inspired Duke to return to his piano roots.  Contemporary historical context is provided throughout such as dance types: Black Bottom, the Fish-Tail, and the Suzy-Q and clubs of the period: Barron's Exclusive, The Plantation, Ciro's and the Kentucky Club.  The environment of the turn of century is accurately illustrated, helping describe Duke's story with visual imagery.
            Cultural values are also richly illustrated in Duke Ellington.  Clothing illustrations not only detail the wonderful aesthetics of the turn of the 20th century, but also illustrate the vibrant colors that African-American tradition dictates: purples, blues, and greens.  Pin-striped suits are shown, as well as the hats worn by men of those days.  Train conductors, period trucks, and old radios are shown in Brian Pinkney's well-known scratch-board renderings done with luma dyes, gouache, and oil paint.   Beautiful and eloquent text draws the reader into the time with phrases such as "Your turn. Take the floor, Daddy-O!" and "Slide me some King of the Keys, please!" Similes abound throughout the book.  "He could make his trumpet wail like a man whose blues were deeper than the deep blue sea" and "Toby let loose on his sleek brass sax, curling his notes like a kite tail in the wind" are only a few of the wonderful similes Andrea Pickney uses to illustrate the sound of music of the Jazz Era and Duke Ellington's orchestra.  The achievements of Duke and his band are presented in a positive light, and his accomplishments in moving the African-American movement forward are an inspiration to all humans.  Very little, if any, of the prejudices of the day are covered.  I believe this is simply because the author is trying to keep the mood of the book light and airy, symbolic of the Jazz music Ellington exceled at. 
     Overall, the ending of the story makes up for not including elements of African-American suppression. Andrea Pickney ends the story with several lines that successfully indicate that his achievement in Jazz music was monumental for his heritage.  One line says, "Black, Brown, and Beige sang the glories of dark skin, the pride of African heritage, and the triumphs of black people, from the days of slavery to years of civil rights struggle."  The last page highlights his life by saying, "Because of Duke's genius, his Orchestra now had a musical mix like no other.  Now you've heard of the jazz-playin' man. The man with the cats who could swing with his band.  King of the Keys. Piano Prince. Edward Kennedy Ellington. The Duke."  What better way to end a biography of this man's legacy? 

AWARDS  

• SCASL Book Award (South Carolina); Nominated for Award in 2001
• Show Me Readers Award; Nominated for Award in 2000
• Young Hoosier Book Award; Nominated for Award in 2001
• ABC Children's Booksellers Choices Awards; Won Award in 1999

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

• Publisher's Weekly, "The husband-and-wife team captures the spirit of an individual, an era, and a musical style." (C) Jan. 15, 2007.
• Booklist, "...Andrea Davis Pinkney's jaunty, slangy text tells a story and does it with a rhythm and style that manage to capture Ellington's era without sounding silly to today's kids.   Describing Duke at 19, she says, 'He had fine-as-pie looks and flashy threads. He was a ladies' man with flair to spare.' Zipping through Ellington's childhood in Washington, D.C., his early disenchantment with the parlor music of the day, weighted down by its 'umpy-dump' beat, and his introduction to ragtime, the text takes Ellington and his young band to Harlem, where success awaited at the legendary Cotton Club.  Brian Pinkney's paintings, gorgeous throughout, take center stage when the story turns to Ellington's Music..."(c) June 15, 1998
• School Libray Journal, "A royal introduction to the piano prince.  Told in a swingy conversational tone and highlighting the musician's childhood, early ragtime days, and stellar rise to popularity, playing at the Cotton Club and, later, Carnegie Hall, this is a jazzy treat. It is rare to find text that describes music so well.  Phrases such as 'sassy ride on his cymbal,' 'musical stream,' and 'purple das of brass' carry the auditory experience of the Duke's music right off the page.  Young readers will find more than just a few facts here.  They will learn what Duke Ellington did for the jazz world, how his music was played, and the legacy he left behind..." (C) May 1, 1999.

CONNECTIONS

Use as an introduction to biographies, African-Americans, Jazz, music, cultural heritage, Carnegie Hall, New York, and Washington D.C.  

http://www.scholastic.com/browse/collateral.jsp?id=32416
http://amhistory.si.edu/ourstory/pdf/jazz/jazz_reading.pdf
https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=2017

• Have Jazz recordings for students to listen to.
• Have pictures of Jazz instruments to identify as they are presented in the story.
• Have a keyboard and let students practice playing on a piano keyboard.

Other Andrea Pickney titles to read:

• Rhythm Ride; ISBN  3639816846
• Sit-in; ISBN 0316070165
• Sojourner Truth's Step-Stomp Stride; ISBN 0786807679

Gather more African-American biography titles to read such as:

·       Harrah, Madge. Blind Boone  ISBN  1575050579

·       Agins, Donna Brown. Maya Angelou ISBN 0766039927
·       Burlingame, Jeff.  Jesses Owens.  ISBN: 0766034976

Book Review for Hidden

Book Review by Allie Davis
MLIS 5653  Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Dauvillier, Loic. 2012. Hidden: A Child's Story of the Holocaust. Ill. by Marc Lizano. Color by Greg Salsedo. New York: First Second. ISBN 9781596438736

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
     In Loic Dauvillier's graphic novel centering around the Holocaust, one of the two main characters, Elsa, learns her grandmother's childhood story of what life was like in France during the Nazi occupation.  Elsa is a normal young girl with loving parents who have taken her grandmother, Dounia, into their home to care for her.  Elsa wakes one night to find Dounia crying and in childhood sweetness, asks her to tell Elsa what the bad dream was about.  The story or "bad dream" that ensues is Dounia's remembrance of her experience when the Germans came to France, her family's separation into concentration camps, Dounia's rescue by neighbors and her transformed identity into someone else.  In terms of what children today have learned from social science classes, this historical fiction/graphic novel is culturally accurate in terms of socio-economic status.  Because she was a Jew, Dounia was ostracized at school, she was made to wear a "sheriff's star," and many of her friends were taken away.  Good neighbors help Dounia escape to another country with a new identity and a new mother.  Her "new mother," and eventually her "new father," help her find her real mother who was sent to a concentration camp.  Her father never returns.  
     Historically consistent with the time period of WWII, the atrocious crimes of the era are dealt with in a tasteful manner.  The sad times (job loss, hiding in the wardrobe, her parents being taken) are portrayed in dark picture frames in blacks and browns.  The brief moments of happiness are done in brighter colors, and peaceful family times are the focus of earth tone colors of the countryside where she finds peace for while as she waits for her parents to return.  Job loss, broken businesses, Jewish suppression, and the Gestapo are all illustrated; Dauvillier does not attempt to hide the heinous crimes committed throughout Europe, including France, which is one of the settings of Hidden. 
     Values of the Jewish culture, although demonstrated mostly through graphics, (It's a graphic novel!) are presented respectfully without prejudice or racism.  The Jewish value of multi-generational family care is evident with Dounia living in Elsa's home.  Their value of modesty in clothing is also accurately illustrated in what the characters are wearing, especially the young girls. As I mentioned above, some things are typical of the era: the Jewish Star of David, Dounia being forced to the back of the classroom, graffiti on the Jewish businesses.  However, I do not feel that these are stereo-typically portrayed.  Rather, I feel that these are aspects of history that cannot be glossed over to remain true to the offenses that the Jewish people faced.  The illustrations are created in a manner of respectful remembrance of what they went through.  
     Rarely am I affected by a child's book to the point of tears, but the larger ending frames reveal a secret that the reader does not know until the resolution.  Dounia has never before shared her story with anyone, including her son, until now.  She chose her granddaughter to tell the story to first, I believe, because she sees her as easily accepting of who she was, who she is, and what she has to pass down to her future family.  Instead of being angry that Dounia chose to tell the story first to his daughter and not him, Elsa's father is proud and happy that she finally shared her experience. Dounia cries again. And, the final frame brought me to tears as well, when three generations of family are wrapped in a loving embrace the next morning, completing the story, ending the "bad dream," and securing that Dounia's story will not ever be forgotten. 

AWARDS  

•  Nene Award - Nominated for Award in 2016
• Sydney Taylor Book Award - Nominated for Award in 2015
• Maryland Children's Book Award - Nominated for Award in 2015
• Black-Eyed Susan Book Award- Nominated for Award in 2015
• Nevada Young Reader's Award - Nominated for Award in 2017 
• American Library Associate Notable Book Award -Won Award in 2015
• Mildred L. Batchelder Award - Nominated for Award in 2015

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

• Horn Book Guide, "Color by Greg Salsedo.  In this graphic novel for younger readers, Elsa hears the story of her grandmother Dounia's childhood in Nazi-occupied France.  The format helps reinforce the contract between dark, scary moments and happier times, while the art also helps focus attention on the loving family and other people who helped Dounia.  Small panels tell most of the story; large ones occasionally punctuate big moments."©  Oct. 8, 2014.
• School Library Journal, "...Dauvillier doesn't shy away from the brutal truth in this portrayal of the Holocaust.  Interspersed with Dounia's flashbacks are present-day moments of dialogue between the narrator and Elsa, which are depicted in brown and tan hues.  Elsa asks questions and offers comments that young readers might also be grappling with while reading this tale.  Lizano's stylized illustrations depict characters with oversize heads, reminiscent of "Peanuts" comics, giving this difficult subject age-appropriate touch.  Subdued palette of blues and greens match the story's tone, and the plethora of images highlighting meals, country scenes, and family time places more emphasis on the people who helped one another during this terrible period than on the heinous acts committed.  The final image, one of familial love and peace, will pull the heartstrings..." © March. 1, 2014
• Booklist, "Worried that her grandmother has had a nightmare, a young girl offers to listen to the story, hoping to ease her grandmother's mind. And for the first time since her own childhood, the grandmother opens up about her life during WWII, the start she had to wear, the disappearance of her parents, and being sent to the country where she had to lie about her name and her beliefs. Every year, more stories set during the Holocaust are released, many for children, and this one is particularly well done.  Dauvillier doesn't sugarcoat the horrors of the Holocaust; instead, he shares them from the perspective of a girl young enough to not understand the true scope of the atrocities..." © March 1, 2014

CONNECTIONS

Use as an introduction to Holocaust survivors, multigenerational families, concentration camps, Nazis, neighbors, Jews/religion, and Graphic Novels. 

https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?a=1&tid=38379

http://misshadfieldslibrary.blogspot.com/2016/03/hidden-childs-story-of-holocaust.html

• Have students create their own graphic novels from the book.
• Create a flow chart of the event's of Dounia's childhood.
• Compare and contrast this book to another Holocaust book. 

Gather Books Illustrated by Loic Dauvillier:
Link to author, Loic Dauvillier:  https://us.macmillan.com/author/loicdauvillier/
·       Oliver Twist. ASIN  B010DQC5IA

·       Around the World in 80 Days. B00FF0HPKI

Gather Other Holocaust Books:

• Zullo, Allan.  Escape: Children of the Holocaust.  ISBN 054099293
• Zullo, Allan.  Survivors: True Stories of Childhood in the Holocaust.  ISBN 0439669960
• Ray, Jennifer and Meg Owenson. Jars of Hope: How One Woman Helped Save 2500 Children During the Holocaust.  ISBN 1491465530

 Gather similar graphic novels to read such as:

·       Regis, Faller.  The Adventures of Polo. ISBN 1596431601
·       Spires, Ashley.  Blinky to the Rescue. ISBN 1554535972
·       Smith, Jeff.  Little Mouse Gets Ready. ISBN 1935179241

Book Review for The Executioner's Daughter

Book Review by Allie Davis
MLIS 5653 Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hardstaff, Jane. 2016. The Executioner's Daughter. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Books. ISBN 9781606845622

Connect with the Author
http://janehardstaff.com/

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
      In her debut novel, Jane Hardstaff brings to life the everyday life of Tudor England during the reign of King Henry VIII.  The main character, Moss, is the daughter of the Tower of London's executioner who is also a blacksmith.  Moss's character is portrayed as a typical pre-teen adolescent who is acting out against her father's authority and what she feels is a life of imprisonment.  She is typical of the very small middle class of the era, and when she runs away from the hated life that Pa has created for them, she experiences the harsh reality of the rest of poverty-stricken London. Her boots are stolen, she experiences hunger, and she faces the frigid cold of the English winter.  The plotline of the novel revolves around the special circumstances of Moss's birth in which she is saved by the Riverwitch, a folklorish legend she has heard since birth, but never knowing details about her mother or the circumstances of her mother's death. Her father refuses to talk about what happened, and Moss resents him because she feels like he does not really love her. 
     As the winter of her 12th year approaches, an old Tower resident tells Moss the story of a young maid who is rejected by a knight on the day of her marriage.  However, the girl was with child, but eventually her son is taken away from her by the knight.  Crushed, she dies tragically when she jumps from the wheel of a river mill, becoming the Riverwitch of folklore.  Moss is mesmerized and pulled into the story and becomes angry when her father forbids Nell to come back to visit Moss.  In the fight that ensues between them, Moss discovers that the Riverwitch saved her from an early birth, claiming to take her back to the river when she turns 12.  Moss also discovers that she and her father are not really prisoners of the Tower as he has claimed.  She is so upset that she runs away, escaping to the well-known River Thames and London Bridge.
     It is during her time alone that she discovers what the rest of London and England are experiencing and the cultural details of those times.  She meets Salter, who steals her boots but gives them back when she feeds some starving children the last of her food.  She takes on the working role of the Medieval woman of the time, caring for Salter's small shack and assisting him in his duties.  She is shocked by his profane mouth, which in my opinion, is the only part of the story which I feel is forced.  Hardstaff tries too hard to make him look bad with all of his rantings and curses.  The curses themselves did not even seem authentic for English curses.  However, Salter quickly becomes her friend and confidant, and together, they solve the mystery of disappearing children, the Riverwitch, and Moss's birth.  In the end, Moss is reconnected with her father, and the Riverwitch is pacified
     The cultural values of Tudor England are present in numerous form.  Besides the female gender role that Moss steps into, we see foods that were common of the period such as tarts, chestnuts, and fish.  The small shacks along London Bridge are brought vividly to life, as is the life of the fishermen and women along the Thames.  The most prevalent occupations of the times are mentioned: soldiers, blacksmiths, positions of the court, thieves and robbers, etc.  In some instances, Hardstaff attempts to communicate the well-known English accent,  but as a reader, I wish she had either had all of her characters speak in this accent or left it out altogether.  The mixture of regular accent and (what I will call) the "uneducated" English accent does not really work well for me.  Throughout the novel, there is mention of real people of the times: Henry VIII, Queen Anne Boleyn, The Tower Keeper Townsend, and several monks and priests who were put to death in the Tower.  These people all add accuracy and authenticity to the culture of Tudor England.  
     Overall, this children's book is the best fiction book that I personally have read in years.  As an avid reader, I have read so much fiction over the years, that in nearly every book I read, I normally have the plot figured out midway through the book.  This is especially true of children and young adult fiction.  I thoroughly expected to have this book figured out as well.  However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that this was not the case.  I could not figure out how Moss was going to defeat the Riverwitch, and the resolution of the novel came as a wonderful surprise, staying true to Moss's gentle and loving spirit.  I was very sad for the story to end and ecstatic to find that it has a sequel, River Daughter.  

AWARDS  

• 2017 USSBY Outstanding International Book
• Winner of the Salisbury Schools’ Book Award
• The Primary Teacher Book Award
• Shortlisted for the Oxfordshire Book Award
• Shortlisted for the Salford Children's Book Award
• Nomintaed for the Branford Boase Award

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

• Publisher's Weekly, "...Searching for the place she was conceived and aware that she is living on borrowed time, Moss is a headstrong, emotional, and determined heroine. Hardstaff believably conveys the gritty details of life on the edge in the context of historical events of the era."©  Feb. 1, 2016.
• School Library Journal, “Moss hates her life as the basket girl and executioner's daughter, so she leaves the tower for subsistence living along the river with an orphan named Salter.  In this British import, Hardstaff weaves a coming-of-age story set in Tudor England with folflore about a Riversitch.  Moss's frustrations with her father's overprotectiveness and her desire to somehow connect with her late mother are genuine.  Moss matures are she searches for where her mother died and through her friendship with Salter.  She fully realizes Salter's "bread first, then morals" philosophy during her escapade to Hampton Court.  The Riverswitch folklore and the suspense that it creates, along with the themes of love and family, strengthen Moss's story.  Parts of the novel, particularly Moss meeting the queen, feel contrived and too heavy handed..."  (c) Feb. 1, 2016
• Booklist, "...Hardstaff imbues her debut novel with rich, sensory language to evoke a strong sense of everyday life in Reformation-era England. Among the real drama involving historical figures, such as Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII, clever Moss' compelling story is a gratifying one, and kids who love spooky, grim tales will easily be lured in."© April 15, 2016

CONNECTIONS

Use as an introduction to Tudor England, Henry VIII, blacksmiths, executions, fathers and sons, curses, witches and folklore, adventure, and self-awareness.  

https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=48477
https://www.egmont.co.uk/teacher-librarian-resources/the-executioners-daughter-6-week-scheme-of-work/

• Write a diary perspective from Moss's point of view.
• Create a mind map of Tudor England and write a poem using it.
• Dissect Moss's character. Predict how the story will end based on her character.

Other Jane Hardstaff titles to read:
·       River Daughter. ( The sequel to The Executioner's Daughter) ISBN  1405268328

Gather more Tudor England titles to read such as:

·       Pip, Jim. The Tudors: A Very Peculiar History:  ISBN  1907184589

·       Williams, Marcia. The Tudors: Kings, Queens, Scribes, and Ferrets! ISBN 0763681229
·       Worsley, Lucy.  Maid of the King's Court.  ISBN: 0763688061

Book Review for Whoever You Are

Book Review by Allie Davis
MLIS 5653 Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Fox, Mem. 1997. Whoever You Are. Ill. by Leslie Staub. Orlando: Harcourt, Inc. ISBN 9780152007874

LINK TO AUTHOR
Mem Fox:   http://memfox.com/

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
     Within the text of this short children's book, author Mem Fox creates an open narrative to all children around the world.  She calls them "Little One" and addresses them repetitiously as "whoever you are, wherever you are."  The goal and purpose of this sweet book is to bring awareness to children everywhere the goal of common humanity, that all children laugh and cry.  All children play and learn.  All children eat and sleep, etc.  Even though every child is different, they may not speak the same or live in the same type of house or country, but all children feel the same emotions everyday.  The text itself weaves its way around the whole world via the illustrations, including a mysterious, multicultural floating man, who carries children through the sky to view the children of other areas in the world.  The children are neither good nor evil, intellectual or repressed, or even addressed in a socio-economic light.  Rather, all the children, regardless of race or culture, are treated with equality and sameness. 
     Many aspects of different cultures are present within the book.  Illustrations of cultural architectures, education types, lands, and languages are all present.  No specific culture is mentioned, rather illustrations show depictions of possible cultures from Africa, Latin-America, Asia, and Europe.  The setting of each culture is richly shown through Leslie Staub's gessoed papers. Staub created hand-carved frames from plaster, wood, and faux gems which surround each page of text and illustrations. These illustrations cover the pages from top to bottom, the text being incorporated into the pictures so as not to take away from the vivid meaning apparent within the visual. 
     Cultural values are present, but again are only addressed specifically in the pictures.  Animals specific to certain cultures are pictured, as well as, foods from certain cultures.  Pictures of writing in different languages are visible with the culture presented on the specific illustrations.  Clothing is also accurately detailed in a rich array of custom and traditional dress.  These values are present to help instill the theme of the book ,that even though skin type, or languages, or houses might be different,  children smile the same, and they laugh the same.  They hurt and cry everywhere in the big, wide world, but joy and love are the same throughout the world. 
     The story that Fox creates is one of reflection for both children and adults alike.  It draws the reader in with pictures that weave a beautiful theme of cultural acceptance for every person on earth, no matter where they are from or their background.  It celebrates culture and bonds to help unite all generations and humanity.  The book's appealing pictures illustrate both the uniqueness of individual cultures and the sameness of humans everywhere.  These illustrations are culturally correct in terms of the most well-known aspects of each culture, but as a negative, there is really no further depth into these specific cultures, leaving it at the first level of multiculturalism if the book were to be used in the classroom.  
   Overall, I really loved this book so much that I bought my daughter and son-in-law a copy for their future children.  My son-in-law is a first generation American with a Hispanic background.  His parents and grandparents were from Mexico, although his mother was raised in America.  His grandmother on his mother's side recently turned 80, and for her birthday, she said that all she wanted was to get her citizenship, and her children helped her to do that.  This book beautifully exhibits how all cultures and people are the same, no matter what or where they are from, just as my grandchildren hopefully will learn.   

AWARDS 
I could not find any awards specific to the book Whoever You Are, but as an author, her first book was Possum Magic, published in 1983, and she has written numerous children's and adult books since then. Her work has been highly acclaimed, receiving the 1990 Dromkeen Medal for distinguished services to children's literature; a 1991 Advance Australia Award for her outstanding contribution to Australian literature; a medal in the 1993 Australia Day Honours awards, for services to the cultural life of Australia, and an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Wollongong, Australia, in 1996.      

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

• Horn Book Magazine, "A singsong voice speaks in vague, feel-good terms about how children around the world are different yet similar in fundamental ways. It is hard to argue with such general assertions as 'Joys are the same' and 'Pain is the same,' even though they somehow don't ring completely true. The whimsical, sunny paintings, surrounded by gold hand-carved frames, outshine the vapid text." (C) 1997 
• School Library Journal, “Fox has composed a simple refrain to celebrate human connections in this lovely picture book. "Little one, whoever you are," she explains, there are children all over the world who may look different, live in different homes and different climates, go to different schools, and speak in different tongues but all children love, smile, laugh, and cry. Their joys, pain, and blood are the same, "whoever they are, wherever they are, all over the world." Staub's oil paintings complement the simple text. She uses bright matte colors for the landscapes and portraits, placing them in gold borders, set with jewels and molded from plaster and wood. These frames enclose the single- and double-page images and echo the rhythm of the written phrases. Within the covers of the book, the artist has created an art gallery that represents in color, shape, and texture, the full range of human experience.‘"© Oct. 1, 1997
• Booklist, "A lyrical text counsels children, "Little one, whoever you are, wherever you are, there are little ones just like you all over the world." Despite differences, the hearts, smiles, and tears of these other children are "just like yours." On the first page, the vibrant oil-on-gessoed-paper illustrations portray four children with different skin, eye, and hair colors but with remarkably similar facial structure. Accompanied by an adult, this group appears in miniature on almost every spread, floating through the air as they view people in a variety of traditional, almost stereotypical settings. On the last double-page spread, the children are reunited with their mothers, who, even as adults, have a resemblance that reminds readers that grown-ups, too, are the same in their humanity...will make this especially suitable for classrooms." (C) Oct. 1, 1997

CONNECTIONS

Use as an introduction to personal and social issues, individualism, and multiculturalism.

https://www.lessonplanet.com/search?keywords=whoever+you+are+mem+fox

http://www.becon-itv.org/dimensions/programs/rr/lesson01.htm

•  Ask students to draw and color what they think is the most important message or information in the book. 
• In a Venn Diagram, ask students to write those things that make us unique or different in the outside parts of the circles and in the middle portion of the diagram ask students to write similarities that they share. 
•  Extend the Venn- make a collage.  Distribute magazines, pictures, scissors and coloring tools. Ask students to paste images in the areas of the outside parts of the diagram that show our differences and paste images in the center of the diagram that represent our similarities.

Gather more Mem Fox titles to read such as:

·       Time for Bed. ISBN  0152010661

·       Koala Lou. ISBN 0152000763
·       Possum Magic. ISBN: 1862910952

 Gather similar multicultural books to read such as:

·       Lester, Julius.  Let's Talk About Race. ISBN 0064462269
·       Katz, Karen.  The Colors of Us. ISBN 0805071636
·       O'Keefe, Susan.  Be the Star That You Are: A book for Kids Who Feel Different. ISBN 0870293915