Week 5: Children's Picture Books

So this has been the hardest assignment for me so far. I don't know if it's because of the topic I chose for me project or if this is just a bad week. Last year i had to teach The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald for a temporary teaching job that I had. I wasn't given much for it so I thought this would be a great unit to expand on. I found some picture books that could compliment this unit, but I'm still looking for something better. Suggestions?

One theme that plays out in this book is the fall of the American Dream. This can be related to the American Dream in general or the start of the Great Depression or even post WWI. There is a theme about lying and what happens when you get too caught up in all the stories you've weaved. There is also the theme of social classes, poverty, and physical/mental abuse. Pretty heavy topics.

So this is how my journey for this assignment went. I first thought it would be great to find books that have to do with the culture of that time. Students typically love music and parties which America is known for in the time period the unit takes place. With this in mind, I found the book, Jazz On a Saturday Night by Leo and Diane Dillon. This book is immerses the readers into the jazz culture and what it was like to sit and listen to some of the greatest jazz artists in history. Though I'm still waiting for it to arrive on hold, the sample I was able to look at makes it seem like a great book to get a taste of the music and culture that was popular post WWI. It also comes with a CD with samples of the songs in the book and more information about the various artists.

After this came the idea of what is the American Dream and does it change depending on who you are and where you came from? Is it different from new immigrants compared to families that have been established in the United States for many generations? One book that a school librarian recommended is The Dream Jar by Bonnie Pyror. It is about a Russian family that came to America in pursuit of their own dreams, in particularly in opening their own store. Valentina makes comparisons on how her father used to laugh as he worked in the fields, but is now tired quite now that he lays bricks here in America. The rest of her family works very hard to make ends meet and all she can do is go to school and look after the children. She eventually finds a way to help everyone succeed. This books shows the good and the bad side of pursuing dreams and what hard work can do. It also shows the importance of having an education the the doors it can open for you.

Another book along the same lines is Uncle Jed's Barbershop by Margaree King Mitchell. This has the same theme of the American Dream, but from an African American perspective. Uncle Jed has always wanted his own barbershop, but meets with many hardships including losing his money to the bank (stock market crash), surgery, and also loving in the south where segregation and racism is prevalent. He eventually does get his own shop, but not until he's in his seventies.

One other topic that comes up in the unit a lot is how Gatsby is always trying to impress everyone to make himself appear to be a great person and to impress a girl he likes, but can never have. His lies are based on truth, but get blown up into these huge stories to the point that he believes them himself. Most students can relate to this in some way and makes it a great way to connect with the text. One book I found that had a similar theme as this is Sam Tells Stories by Thierry Robberecht and Philippe Goossens. Sam wants to make friends at school so he makes up stories. He thought nothing was wrong with this because he made up bedtime stories for his brother all the time, but he soon realizes that telling stories and lying are two different things. I would like to find more books along this line. Does anyone have suggestions?

I believe these books will help my unit in various ways. They can help introduce students to the culture of the time. They will also introduce concepts/beliefs people held and help to relate to how it is now. It also introduces the themes and sets up opportunities for discussions between texts. The Great Gatsby is also a more difficult text with not only vocabulary, but with it's format. These texts are the opposite and gives students at all reading levels a chance to come together on something that they are familiar with.

This has nothing to do with picture books, but another thing that came to mind as an option is having the students listen to stories from the time period. My grandmother grew up during the depression and she would tell me stories of her adventures. One summer I recorded a bunch of these stories on tape and students might find it interesting to hear non-fiction perspective of it.