Blog Post #4
Red & Sparkle boy
The two texts in this blog post teach major lessons to our young readers. They bring up critical issues many children struggle with, identity and accepting who you are. The texts include inspiring story lines, creative perspectives, and eye catching art.
The first text is Red; A Crayons Story. This book written by Michael Hall takes the reader through the story of a Red crayon who wasn't very good at being red in the eyes of his community. No matter how hard the crayon tried to be red, as said on his label, he couldn't draw in red. His parents, teachers, and friends all tried to make him red. They suggested he hang out with yellow, they thought he just needed to try harder. One day another crayon came along and asked red to draw an ocean for her picture, the red crayon was always drawing in blue but thought that something was wrong with him because he supposed to draw in red like his label and everyone around him says. But his ocean in bright blue is beautiful and the red crayon finds out who he really is, a blue crayon. The powerful message behind this story is something that the author Michael Hall struggled with as a child. He was labeled dyslexic at a young age and struggled greatly. He always thought something was wrong with him. People in his life believed in him and he overcame this label just like red overcame his label and became his true self, a bright blue crayon. The author of this story states "And I hope Red will inspire reflection about the subtle ways children become mislabeled, judging children based on their successes rather than their failures, and the unmitigated joy of finding one’s place in the world." This story really spoke to me and a story that I think is super important to share with my future students. The metaphors and characters included in the story can start a very important conversation about identity and the "labels" the world creates and how constrictive they are. This book won many awards including Booklist Best Picture Books 2015, Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choice 2016, and several others.
Red; A Crayons Story
Sparkle Boy
Sparkle Boy written by Lesléa Newman illustrated by Maria Mola, is another inspirational story that needs to be shared and read to each child. The story begins with a set of siblings, Jessie and Casey. Jessie, the big sister shows her little brother, Casey, her new sparkly skirt. Casey is enthralled and wants a skirt just like his big sisters. Jessie is annoyed and claims boys can't wear skirts. Their mom steps in and says of course he can wear whatever he wants. This trend continues throughout the story with nail polish and "girl" accessories. Casey is encouraged to wear whatever makes him happy and Jessie is frustrated. One day at the library Casey gets bullied for wearing "girl" clothes. Jessie stands up for her little brother and this experience bonds them and helps her understand that just cause its not considered "normal" doesn't make It wrong. This influential story is perfect to share in the classroom and should be followed by a deep and open discussion about what can be taken away from the book. What Casey goes through is experienced by children everywhere, It is relatable and a crucial story to tell. Everyday a young girl is told she's weird for liking dinosaurs or skateboarding. Everyday a boy is told he's a freak for liking makeup, this stigma must be put to a stop and It starts with stories like this in a classroom environment dedicated to accepting everyone no matter what. I especially loved the way Caseys family responded to his requests to wear "girly" stuff. His dad, mom, and grandmother dont question for a second if Casey should be "allowed" to wear a skirt or paint his nails. They let him shine the way he wants to shine. The author states, "I wrote Sparkle Boy in hopes that it will add to the discussion about the wide spectrum of gender expression. There is no “right” way to be. There are as many ways to express gender as there are people in the world and we all deserve the freedom to be whoever we want." Her message and intent is powerful and she presents the perfect text to achieve this. Sparkle boy had received awards such as, Honor Book, Massachusetts Book Awards, 2018, Bank Street College of Education Best Books of the Year List, 2018, and Honor Book, Bank Street Center for Children’s Literature Irma Black Award, 2018.
Critical Issues
Many critical issues are brought to light through these texts but a theme of identity is seen most commonly. In chapter 1 of Reading to Make a Difference, by Laminack and Kelly, they discuss how identities are viewed, developed, and perceived. Based on texts we can form the mindset in our classrooms that identity isn't what is just seen on the outside, It is what we are made of. Identity is our interests, what makes us special, and so much more. Identity is whatever we want It to be. This message is important to instill in young students who often feel judged or misunderstood for their labels. Many children are ashamed or embarrassed of who they are and through text and conversation about identity we can make students feel proud of what makes them unique and help them understand that their identity creates a diverse community.
Using these texts in the classroom; Creating a Text Set
The previous two texts mentioned are great starting points to introduce the topic of identity. By adding another book that is in the same central theme but adds another layer to identity can enrich the lesson and the message.
The text My Name is Aviva, also written by Leslea Newman is the perfect text to include in this set. The book begins with a young girl, Aviva, who is constantly being called the wrong name by her classmates. One boy calls her Amoeba another classmate says Viva La France. Aviva is so frustrated that she decides she'll go by Emily from now on. After a day spent with her mom learning about her Great Grandmother, Ada, Aviva learns where her name comes from. She was named after a strong, independent, and loving woman, Ada. She is honored and wears her name Aviva with pride.
This text along with the other two, open up so many discussions to have with your students. After each read aloud of the texts ask your students some critical questions. Ask questions about the characters, how they feel at the beginning versus at the end of the stories. Ask your students why their feelings have changed. Ask students what identity is and how It is represented in each text (Gender expression in Sparkle Boy, Labeling in Red, and Culture and names in My Name is Aviva) Guide your students to the overall theme of identity and the diversity of everyones identities shown in the texts. After these connections between identity are made and the students have reflected all together, these are some next steps of instruction you can take.
Selection, Connection, and Reflection;
Next Steps
Now It is time for students to recognize their own diverse identity and create. In this activity it is all about choice. Because each students identity is different, the way they might want to represent It should be diverse as well.
1. An option could be to ask the students to write their own identity story, this could be the story of their name, something about their family or cultural that makes up who they are, etc. They can use or simple paper and pencil to create their own story.
2. Students can create a multi-modal presentation. This could be a powerpoint with fun facts, pictures, or videos about their identity.
3. Students could create art that they think best represents their identity. Along with this artwork should be a brief explanation describing how they see themselves in the artwork.
Author Information
Resources
Hall, Michael (2015). Red A Crayon's Story. Harper Collins publishing
Laminak, L. L. & Kelly, K. (2019). Reading to Make a Difference: Using literature to help students speak freely, think deeply, and take action. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann
Neman, Lesla (2017). Sparkle Boy. Lee and Low Books.