Blog 9: Giving Tree

I know I always liked the Giving Tree growing up, but I never really had the opportunity to really explore the social issues surrounding Silverstein's story.  It certainly has a lot to offer about happiness and love.  The central theme of the story is giving and receiving.  In this story, children can think about what it means to be happy, and whether receiving truly make them happy.  The story also sheds some light on how it can be so easy to fall into selfishness and greed.  The tree made sacrifices out of love that was initially incomprehensible to the child, but one wonders what that truly means as a whole.  Because these ideas are relatively simplistic, they offer some spaces for curiosity and deeper thinking from the reader.

As people get older, they need a "provider" of sorts, and its important not to take advantage of it.  To me, the boy in the story failed in this test.  Its not really clear wether the boy truly understands self-sacrifice.  We should see ourselves in the boy and hopefully change our perspective on giving and receiving.  Its a sad thought, but an important one.

The Girl in The Paper Dress- Alternative text

Once upon a time, there was a girl who lived in the city.  She once lived with her parents who owned a house on the city’s side with the green grass.  They went on family vacations, and had quality family time on the weekends. 

But one day, her father’s company went under and he lost his job.  She then had to move to another part of the city…A place many call the side with the cold concrete.  The area was very different than what she was used to.  The side with the cold concrete had no flowers, or nicely paved sidewalks.  The girl suddenly felt sad.  She didn’t recall any of her friends ever associating with the kids who lived on the side with the cold concrete. 

Her father found a job driving a garbage truck, and the girl found a part-time job selling bread at a local bakery.  Her boss, Mrs. X, was very nice and cared very deeply about the girl.  Even though the bakery was a small business trying to stay afloat, the girl loved her job at the bakery.  Mr. X taught her how to make the best cookies the girl has ever tasted. 

She knew her father was having a hard time, but she promised him that she would stay in school.  Her father is very proud of her.  One day, she hopes to bake bread and cookies just like Mrs. X, and run her own business.

One day, she heard a rumor in school about a dance over in the city’s side with the green grass.  It sounded really fun, but the girl wondered if she would be welcome.

“Of course you can go!” said Mrs. X.   “But be sure to be back after midnight to clean up the kitchen.”  The girl thanked Mrs. X and thought about what she was going to wear at the dance.

“What should I do?” the girl thought to herself.  She no longer owned the nice dresses she used to wear for social outings, and they could not go out to buy a brand new dress.   She looked around her room to find a stack of old newspapers. 

She had a crazy idea.  “I wonder if I can make a dress out of newspapers?” she asked herself.  Then, she started taking some tape and scissors to make herself a dress.  She then went off to the city’s side with the green grass.  She looked at everyone at the dance and frowned.  Although she liked her creativity, she saw that everyone else was wearing beautiful white suits dresses.  She got uncomfortable and started to walk home. 

As she was about to walk out, she saw a boy sitting alone looking sad.  He was wearing a white suit like everyone else.  The girl was first puzzled because everyone else seemed like they were having fun.  The girl decided to walk up to him and ask him why he isn’t at the party.  The boy immediately opened up to her.

“I’m getting frustrated with people here.  I came here to have a good time, but all people like talking about is their brand new car.  I didn’t come here to hear about that.  People talk about that all the time.”

The girl hasn't really thought about it, but he was right.  When she was living in her old house, she remembered that she invited her friends over to her house to show everyone the latest vacation photos, to her new toys.  "I really want to get out of here." said the boy. "Where do you want to go?" asked the girl.  The boy thought for a minute "I don't know, just somewhere where people are not so shallow and unappreciative."

The girl thought of an idea.  “I come from the other side of town.  Would you like to come with me ? I can make delicious cookies and introduce you to my wonderful boss!”  The boy smiled and nodded.  "You know, I really like your dress. I think its very creative!" Said the boy.  The girl thanked him and the two casually walked away from the party.  The two went off to the city’s side with the cold concrete.  The girl was worried how her new friend might think of her taking him to the other side of town.
"I lived on the side with cold concrete once.  My parents used to clean the houses for very wealthy people.  But then my father won a lot of money at the lottery a few years ago.  I liked the change at first, but then I really started to miss this side of town." explained the boy.  The girl told him about how she got to the other side of town too.  

It was around 9 PM, and Mrs. X was about to close her store.  “You don’t have to be back for another three hours!”

“That's okay Mrs. X.  It didn’t look very fun anyway,” said the girl. The boy then introduced himself to Mrs. X, and they all went inside the bakery.  

The girl made the boy cookies, which they both shared together.  "These are delicious.  I think you can run your own bakery!" Said the boy.  The girl told him about her plans on being a professional baker and going to culinary school.  The boy was very interested in the girl who brought him into her shop.

They talked about their favorite books and movies, and shared each other stories about their past lives.  "Thank you so much for bringing me over.  I was starting to get really unhappy.  But you really made my day."
The girl smiled.  "I'm happy that you could come.  I was getting nervous at the party because my dress was not as nice as everyone else"
"Thats silly.  I think you have a beautiful dress.  You have a lot of creativity and its going to help you with your business," said the boy.   He's very sweet, thought the girl.  The girl liked the boy.
"I really should be going now.  I need to be home by midnight," said the boy.
"I need to close the shop anyway...Will I see you again?" the girl asked shyly.
"I'd like that.  You are the only true friend I can open up to." said the boy.  Before he left, he gave the girl a hug and left her his number on the table.

What a wonderful night, thought the girl.  She could tell how unhappy the boy was with his sudden wealth and his new supposed friends.  I can make him happy, thought the girl.  She looked at the boy walking back to the other side of town thinking that grass was maybe not always greener on the other side.  

Blog 7: Mama Played Baseball- another social issue children's book

David A. Adler's Mama Played Baseball has the potential to bring about discussions surrounding woman's roll in history during World War 2.  Woman obviously played an important role as the men went off to fight in the war.  MLB players even served in the Army.  This story is a narative of that specific point in history in 1943, the All American Gilrs' Professional Baseball team was formed for the enjoyment for the people at home. According to the author, this lasted until 1954 in many countries throughout the United States.  This centers on the gender roles in the early 20th century.  This creates some important discussions for children reading the book because this is a case where a woman plays a sport typically played by males as a full time job. Males play a minor role in the story.  The father comes home at the end and the family quietly celebrates his homecoming. (They kept their welcome signes out of sight from their neighbors as not everyone came back from the war).  This highlights some of the subtle difficulties of that time period.

Blog post 6: Dear Primo

Its important for young students to be exposed to some of the sociopolitical problems countries such as the United States is facing.  Duncan Tonatiuh's "Dear Primo" sugarcoats the reality of US-Mexico relations but I believe this would be an interesting read for young readers.  This text is somewhat problematic.  One major social issue I feel Tonatiuh touches on is identity.  Your identity or your values are socially constructed.  Dear Primo is about a young boy in Mexico writing letters to his Mexican cousin living in an unnamed city in the United States. The Mexican cousin living in the United States is writing back about everything he likes to do in America.  For example, primo Carlitos from Mexico lives on a farm, and likes to play f útbol.

This book perpetuates the stereotype of what "Mexicans" and "Americans" do for fun, or what they eat, or how they get to school.  What this book was trying to do, of course, is to draw a parallel on different environments: two kids will likely enjoy doing similar things regardless of their environment.  (For example, they both like to swim on a hot day).  However, this text becomes problematic if it strengthens the stereotype of what a Mexican boy living in Mexico looks like.  For instance, pictures show the boy wearing sandals and eating quesadillas. Therefore, its important to discuss what this book means, and the implications and problems it can create.

Draft 1- And Tango Makes Three Podcast

Hello, and thank you for tuning into my critical literacy podcast.  My name is Noel Sander from Washington D.C.  I want to discuss the role books play in creating spaces for a positive family dynamic.  Today, many books about children and for children frame the concept of family as including a mother and a father.  I did not grow up with stories that touch on even the possibility of homosexual relationships.  However, as of 2011, six states and Washington D.C. grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples.  Therefore, it’s becoming increasingly common for people to grow up in households with two mothers or two fathers.  

And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell start to create this conversation of what it means to be a family and how that impacts your community. The critical literacy starts from the beginning of the book when Richardson introduces Central Park, and how “Every day, families of all kinds go to visit the animals that live there.” 

This book is unique because it is based on a true story about two male penguins raising an egg.  The story normalizes same-sex couples, and to a larger extent comments on the possibility of them being able to successfully raise a child, despite conservative groups who may believe this is not appropriate for young readers.  However, its clear Richardson wrote this book for teachers and parents to intellectually discuss same-sex parent families.  Richardson is making a statement that calls students to break away from the notion that families have to include a mother and a father.  He did this without being preachy and explicitly favoring gay rights. 

This book creates an important discussion on another level.  Since it’s release in 2005, this book has faced a lot of controversy.  In some cases, some schools and libraries have banned this book, making an explicit statement that this book is not good to read.  My concern is what is going to be lost if more libraries take this route.  I believe people are making a bolder statement banning a book than the book’s message itself.  In this case, And Tango Makes Three was subtle.  It did not glorify and promote gay rights, but rather normalized it.  This makes censorship an important part of critical literacy because it creates more conversations about the implications of the book.  One reason why some schools have banned this book is because the zookeeper observes Roy and Silo pair off and claims that they must be in love.   Certain interest groups have argued that is misleading because what is missing from the book is what happened after Roy and Silo raised their baby.  To everyone’s dismay, The New York Times reported in 2005 that Silo paired off with another female penguin.  However, this does not stop the book from creating the conversation about what can make a family.  This book showed that the two male penguins raised a chick just as well as the other animals in the zoo.  Their chick Tango is still a healthy penguin. 

Yet parents still try to push to ban this book.  Banning this book not only creates an ethical discussion, but I also think it creates a legal issue.  Books such as “Daddy’s Roommate” have also been challenged, and eventually went to a district court in Texas.  One library claimed that if they received 300 signatures calling to remove the book they can remove it, but the court disagreed because the library had no review process, and decisions were content-based.  Banning And Tango Makes Three will deprive students of their own explorations and applications of what makes family. 

The fact that there is censorship makes critical literacy interesting.  It implies that there is something there that presumably should not be seen, and therefore should be lost.  But censorship has historically proven to cause a lot of interest.  This fighting over whether or not the book should be kept in libraries only attracts attention.  I believe that students are much more observant than many adults think.  Therefore, this conversation has a direct impact on young readers.  

National Book Festival 9/24/11

With the exception of the single tracking Metro at the most inconvenient weekend of the year, The National Book Festival was a very worthwhile experience.  I liked that the festival was structured in a way that people can visit tents with themes where authors are making speeches.  There was a spectrum of genres so that people can find their own interests.  I was especially happy to see that David Eggers was there.  I haven't read any of his fictional work, but I've read about how he had to raise his brother following the death of his parents, and I've always admired him as a person.  Life got very tough for him raising an 8 year old at such a young age, but still managing to make something of himself.  He reminds me of people in my own life.  His book Zeitoun is a nonfiction book about a similar theme.  Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a Syrian American about how he decided to stay back and help people after hurricane Katrina.  He was then arrested for no particular crime and was detained for days. Yet he is still a man who believes in pluralism and good will.  These stories of colorful true characters speak to me that there are selfless and strong willed individuals who can share good stories about their lives.  

Hawai'i Event

I really enjoyed how Kohala Kuamo'o was presented.  Kekauleleanae’ole is fortunate to have such a supportive family who are proud of their heritage.  There are certainly those who lack such support, and their colorful family history is lost.  Now that it is documented in print, their specific story specific to their culture will be around forever.  I especially liked the Walter's point that people have family stories to share.  The challenge is, however, the means in which one can tap into the rich history.  However, what this book has done is to create spaces by forming a traditional story that has been passed down by generations.  People have a story to share, and this encourages reflection on how how powerful culture can shape human beings.

I thought this was a worthwhile experience, and it was nice to see the entire family coming to discuss the mechanisms involved in creating the book.  Kekauleleanae’ole was very articulate and mature for his age, and I hope to see him continue his passion for writing.

How would someone who don'e have the support and resources (e.g. I don't have the best relationship with my parents) to create space for family history.