Death is inevitable. It is sad but true. Every living thing comes to an end at some point. It is a rough topic, but it is one that does need to be expDeath is inevitable. It is sad but true. Every living thing comes to an end at some point. It is a rough topic, but it is one that does need to be explored with children. I feel strongly about this because I personally experienced first-hand just how hard death can be on a child. Even at 12 years old, I was not ready for such a tragedy and I think many people dismiss the children. "They are grieving as much as the parent; as the friend; as the teacher.." Those are all words I heard when my brother died.
Looking at a book like this and discussing it with children can honestly save a life. This book will prepare, the best you can, children for what they are sure to experience at some point in their lifetime. It may not happen when they are a child...but it might, so giving them the tools to come to terms with and cope with death is extremely important. I think the author did a great job writing in an understandable language for children, which is very important when looking at a book of this nature.
I do not feel this book would be appropriate in a school, but I do think parents need to take initiative and save their child from learning what death is by encountering it first-hand. ...more
Lonnie Johnson is an inventor who grew up in a small house with 5 other siblings, in Mobile Alabama. This book describes his journey to becoming an inLonnie Johnson is an inventor who grew up in a small house with 5 other siblings, in Mobile Alabama. This book describes his journey to becoming an inventor. It all started with a small obsession with toy rockets. He did not even have enough space to store them all. He tried and tried to make a shooting toy rocket until one day, he succeeded. He even caught the kitchen on fire! But did that stop him? No way! Building and inventing things was his passion; his calling. After failing a "Will you be a good engineer" test, he was discouraged, but never gave up! He knew just the thing that could change it all; Lenix. Lenix was his homemade robot, built from scratch. He entered his robot at a science fair and WON! He went on to college to invent other cool things like, a sound system and even helped NASA with their orbiter! After inventing the water gun, Lonnie faced many challenges with investors! But did that stop him, NO WAY! The reason children have water guns is because of Lonnie and his determination to never give up!
I would teach this book to my future students because they can connect to it in the real world. Many children have and love water guns, so why not learn about the person who invented them? This might inspire students to invent some of their own; and who knows, maybe it will change the world. ...more
This good-feeling book is essentially about a small shovel that traveled through centuries by being passed down within a family. It started its life-lThis good-feeling book is essentially about a small shovel that traveled through centuries by being passed down within a family. It started its life-long journey in Italy where Michele used it to tend to their family garden. As Michele grew up, he knew he wanted to try his hardest to have a better life in The United States; and he did. He took the long journey to the new land where he landed in New York City and resided in a town called Little Italy. He went on to marry a woman and have children, the narrator's grandfather and passed along this special little shovel. "Work hard," he told his eldest son and so he did. Eventually, the shovel ends up with Michele's great-grandchild. The family grew so large and loved celebrating where they had originated from; Italy. This story shows children what great assets immigrants can be for America; starting businesses and adding a diverse culture to the land. I believe it gives children a glimpse of understanding that immigrants come to America to build their life for the better; and their families. The illustrations, by Yaccarino, in this book are very detailed, graphic in nature, and pleasing to one's eye. The have vivid and bright colors, but still, do an excellent job of depicting life in the past. ...more
Before reading the text in this book, I chose to analyze the pictures and the meaning they may hold in relation to the title, "We are Water ProtectorsBefore reading the text in this book, I chose to analyze the pictures and the meaning they may hold in relation to the title, "We are Water Protectors." When looking at the cover, I noticed the many hues of blue used, some deep and some lighter. I felt like the color selection used in the illustrations, by Michaela Goade, had to have some deeper meaning other than "they are pretty colors." I also noticed the brightly colored red skirt the indigenous girl is wearing in the cover picture. I related this to the feeling of courage, strength, wisdom, and determination. It is so crazy that just seeing such a vivid color can give you so many insights into the book, before even reading the words. Throughout the following pages, I recognized a theme of flowing water. Given the title, it is apparent this book is, in some way, corresponding to the importance water plays in our day-to-day lives. When reading, I felt a strong connection to the powerful meaning behind this book; the need to save our water from pollution. In this book's case, specifically the Dakota Access Pipeline. One of the key quotes that stuck with me was, "We stand with our songs and our drums. We are still here." This particular saying is repeated throughout the book, and it really makes you think deeper about the importance of standing up to fight pollution, water pollution to be specific. This book gives children an insight into how important it is to use your voice and stand up for what is just, given that this topic is very serious, but often overlooked. The author uses a metaphor for the pipeline; the black snake. I feel this is a very accurate depiction of this polluting pipeline because snakes are viewed as evil, and pollution is the same. An evil, yet a sneaky, thing that is destroying our planet day by day. This is very apparent when looking at the illustration of the snake. It is blocked off in sections to make it look like a pipeline with smoke coming out of the top, the snake's mouth. The last page of the book shows an illustration of a protest taking place to make the people's stance on pollution known. Sometimes protests can be viewed in a negative light, however, in this particular picture, you can see the people hugging each other and happy to be fighting "the good fight." I would consider this an excellent book for children to gain knowledge on such a real-world problem that is occurring in our world today. Although it is a heavy topic, this book approaches it in a determined and settling way. Because of this, I believe the book is very appropriate for all elementary-age groups. Along with the important meaning, the book also displays a note of diversity that is not often depicted in children's books. I love that indigenous people are at the forefront of this meaningful fight....more