I have really enjoyed this class. It has opened my eyes to how diverse literature is looked at. One main thing that i have learned is how difficult it can be to find good diverse literature in bookstores and even libraries.
i enjoyed this class because i don't know if i would have my eyes opened to diverse literature if i hadn't had taken this class. It has gotten me extremely interested in this topic of literature and i will continue to read books in different genres and with diverse topics.
I still have concerns about finding books with diverse topics. when i did my final project, it was extremely hard to find books in my neighborhood book stores and even library. I think that in the future i would love to see more books in stores would be amazing and not having to go to a specific bookstore to find books about diverse literature groups.
i will definately continue to read books and continue to search out books that arent' mainstream. i would like to look into the books that people have written about in their final projects and i think it is extremely useful to have book reviews about so many different books.
i have really enjoyed this class and have learned a lot from it.
Thank you!
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Reflection about Final Project
Researching books about children with disabilities was very interesting and it taught me a lot about the subject. I first started off by trying to decide what books I was going to buy or rent from the library. I researched online about books focusing on children with disabilities. I found a lot of books on this subject so I figured that I wouldn't have any trouble finding them. When I went to my local library, that is very nice and a library I have never had any trouble finding books at, I could only find one book. This particular book had won a national award for. Next, I went to a bookstore and was disappointed to find that not one book I needed was offered.
Next, I decided to look on a bookstores website for children's books about disabilities. I found many books on their website, but I was disappointed to find that they did not carry any of the books in the store. Instead, I did find two more books to review and those were the ones that I ended up blogging about.
I found it very interesting that so many children have disabilites or they have other children in their classes with disabiblities and information in the form of children's books wasn't readily available to inform these children about how some students are different. If I had such a hard time tracking down these books, it makes me wonder how much effort will parents be willing to go to when they can get an everyday childrens book in the picture book section of the bookstore. I feel like a library is a place where you can go to find a wide variety of books and books that can inform people, so I was shocked when I couldn't find the books that I was looking for.
I have learned from this assignment how important books about disabilities are for children to have available to them. These books can teach students, and adults, so much. Children need to know that people are different and that the differences are okay. Reading these books opened my eyes to how hard it is to find diversity books and what lengths one has to go to to track down this type of text.
Next, I decided to look on a bookstores website for children's books about disabilities. I found many books on their website, but I was disappointed to find that they did not carry any of the books in the store. Instead, I did find two more books to review and those were the ones that I ended up blogging about.
I found it very interesting that so many children have disabilites or they have other children in their classes with disabiblities and information in the form of children's books wasn't readily available to inform these children about how some students are different. If I had such a hard time tracking down these books, it makes me wonder how much effort will parents be willing to go to when they can get an everyday childrens book in the picture book section of the bookstore. I feel like a library is a place where you can go to find a wide variety of books and books that can inform people, so I was shocked when I couldn't find the books that I was looking for.
I have learned from this assignment how important books about disabilities are for children to have available to them. These books can teach students, and adults, so much. Children need to know that people are different and that the differences are okay. Reading these books opened my eyes to how hard it is to find diversity books and what lengths one has to go to to track down this type of text.
Critical Article - "Ian's Walk"
Sayers, Bonnie
"Autism Spectrum Disorders Online"
2007
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art33277.asp
In this article, Bonnie Sayers devles into the topic of Autism described in the book "Ian's Walk" by Laurie Lears. Sayers says, "I wish I could afford to hand out Ian’s Walk: A Story about Autism to each person who will come into contact with my son Matthew. The images illustrated in each of the thirty pages by Karen Ritz seem to be taken right out of our daily lives. The author Laurie Lears did a marvelous job conveying autism in an easy to read format that will touch each person who reads through Ian’s Walk: A Story about Autism." She really enjoys this book because she thinks that it is a great educational tool to show and teach people about autism.
In this book review, Sayers gives the plot of the story and what happens to the Ian and his two sisters on their walk through the park. I enjoyed the fact that Sayers brought up the fact that it is difficult for some siblings of children with autism to deal with. They see that everyone can tell that their sibling is different and there comes a time in their lives when they have to stop caring about what other people think and just enjoy their sibling with autism for being who they are.
I believe that Sayers brought up a good point when she says, "For any family affected by autism this is an emotional book that brings out the resentment and feelings of bitterness and jealousy by other siblings moving toward the love and tender feelings they share for one another." I think she brought up the truth, in that not everyone will be immediatly okay with their sibling having autism, and it is a journey to get to a point where they have feelings of love and caring to show towards one another.
I really enjoyed this book review and I think it brought up a lot of interesting facts about autism.
"Autism Spectrum Disorders Online"
2007
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art33277.asp
In this article, Bonnie Sayers devles into the topic of Autism described in the book "Ian's Walk" by Laurie Lears. Sayers says, "I wish I could afford to hand out Ian’s Walk: A Story about Autism to each person who will come into contact with my son Matthew. The images illustrated in each of the thirty pages by Karen Ritz seem to be taken right out of our daily lives. The author Laurie Lears did a marvelous job conveying autism in an easy to read format that will touch each person who reads through Ian’s Walk: A Story about Autism." She really enjoys this book because she thinks that it is a great educational tool to show and teach people about autism.
In this book review, Sayers gives the plot of the story and what happens to the Ian and his two sisters on their walk through the park. I enjoyed the fact that Sayers brought up the fact that it is difficult for some siblings of children with autism to deal with. They see that everyone can tell that their sibling is different and there comes a time in their lives when they have to stop caring about what other people think and just enjoy their sibling with autism for being who they are.
I believe that Sayers brought up a good point when she says, "For any family affected by autism this is an emotional book that brings out the resentment and feelings of bitterness and jealousy by other siblings moving toward the love and tender feelings they share for one another." I think she brought up the truth, in that not everyone will be immediatly okay with their sibling having autism, and it is a journey to get to a point where they have feelings of love and caring to show towards one another.
I really enjoyed this book review and I think it brought up a lot of interesting facts about autism.
#1 - The Deaf Musicians
Seeger, Pete and Duboise Jacobs, Paul
The Deaf Musicians
G.P. Putnam’s Sons. 2006
The Deaf Musicians is about a man named Lee. He played the piano and was very involved in music. He was a part of a band until his band mated noticed that his music was a little bit off. He had to tell them that he was losing his hearing, and when they found this out, one man said, “Who will listen to a deaf musician?” Lee then started going to a school for the deaf and here he found people who were deaf like him but who also had a passion for music. Lee made a new band of three deaf people who communicated through sign language, and one sing language interpreter, who sang for the band. Everyone loved Lee’s band’s music, even his old band mate who told Lee that no one would listen to his music.
Seeger and Duboise Jacobs discuss an issue of deafness that often isn’t discussed very much. They tackled a topic that dealt with a person’s passion instead of a topic of a deaf person having to learn sign language. This story never looked down on deaf people, but rather illustrated what people could do when they had a passion for something like music. The authors paint a great picture that things that someone loves doesn’t have to be given up when they find out they are losing their hearing. Instead of Lee giving up on music, he changed and adapted music to his new lifestyle. Seeger was knowledgeable about the topic of deafness because his father was deaf and every year he participates in a music festival where there are sign language interpreters. I would recommend this novel not only to families where there might be a deaf child, but to all families. It is a book of hope and inspiration that shows what can be done when you have such a passion for something.
The Deaf Musicians
G.P. Putnam’s Sons. 2006
The Deaf Musicians is about a man named Lee. He played the piano and was very involved in music. He was a part of a band until his band mated noticed that his music was a little bit off. He had to tell them that he was losing his hearing, and when they found this out, one man said, “Who will listen to a deaf musician?” Lee then started going to a school for the deaf and here he found people who were deaf like him but who also had a passion for music. Lee made a new band of three deaf people who communicated through sign language, and one sing language interpreter, who sang for the band. Everyone loved Lee’s band’s music, even his old band mate who told Lee that no one would listen to his music.
Seeger and Duboise Jacobs discuss an issue of deafness that often isn’t discussed very much. They tackled a topic that dealt with a person’s passion instead of a topic of a deaf person having to learn sign language. This story never looked down on deaf people, but rather illustrated what people could do when they had a passion for something like music. The authors paint a great picture that things that someone loves doesn’t have to be given up when they find out they are losing their hearing. Instead of Lee giving up on music, he changed and adapted music to his new lifestyle. Seeger was knowledgeable about the topic of deafness because his father was deaf and every year he participates in a music festival where there are sign language interpreters. I would recommend this novel not only to families where there might be a deaf child, but to all families. It is a book of hope and inspiration that shows what can be done when you have such a passion for something.
#2 - Ceana Has CP
Card, C. Fran
Ceana Has CP
Royal Blue Books. 2006.
Ceana Has CP is a story about a little girl who has Cerebral Palsy. The novel describes a day in the life of Ceana and how her day is like any other child’s day. Throughout the descriptions, the reader gets a glimpse of what CP is and how it affects Ceana’s life. At the end of the story, the author encourages you to see Ceana just as you would see any other child her age.
Card delves into the topic of Cerebral Palsy by describing how children affected with this disease are just like every other child their age. She weaves information about how Ceana is different into the story in a way that informs the reader about the disease, but also doesn’t make it the forefront of the story. The author wanted to make the disease a part of Ceana’s life, not her whole life, and she does a great job of showing this. This story is about Card’s actual granddaughter and she has worked with children with different diseases all her life. She has a lot of knowledge about the topic and wanted to share that knowledge with the world, especially children. This is a great book to give to small children. Although it does give information about the disease, it also does so in a very simplistic way. The book is aimed for children ages 3-7, and I would stick with that age group. This story was a fun look into the life of a little girl who has CP.
Ceana Has CP
Royal Blue Books. 2006.
Ceana Has CP is a story about a little girl who has Cerebral Palsy. The novel describes a day in the life of Ceana and how her day is like any other child’s day. Throughout the descriptions, the reader gets a glimpse of what CP is and how it affects Ceana’s life. At the end of the story, the author encourages you to see Ceana just as you would see any other child her age.
Card delves into the topic of Cerebral Palsy by describing how children affected with this disease are just like every other child their age. She weaves information about how Ceana is different into the story in a way that informs the reader about the disease, but also doesn’t make it the forefront of the story. The author wanted to make the disease a part of Ceana’s life, not her whole life, and she does a great job of showing this. This story is about Card’s actual granddaughter and she has worked with children with different diseases all her life. She has a lot of knowledge about the topic and wanted to share that knowledge with the world, especially children. This is a great book to give to small children. Although it does give information about the disease, it also does so in a very simplistic way. The book is aimed for children ages 3-7, and I would stick with that age group. This story was a fun look into the life of a little girl who has CP.
# 3 - Ian's Walk: A story about Autism
Lears, Laurie
Ian’s Walk; A Story about Autism
Albert Whitman & Company. 1998.
Ian’s Walk is about a little boy with Autism and his sister who has to watch over him on a trip down to the pond. During this trip, Ian doesn’t do things like everyone else does. He likes to sniff the brick wall instead of a bouquet of flowers. When Ian’s sister gets fed up with the fact and Ian isn’t acting “normal,” she accidentally stops watching him, and Ian runs off. Ian’s sister starts to panic and looks every where for Ian. Ian is finally found at one of his favorite places at the park. On the walk home, Ian’s sister lets him do things the way he wants to do them, and she doesn’t get embarrassed of the way he is acting.
Lears describes the disease of autism in a way that children might understand. The book was an interesting way to show children what one aspect of autism is about and how children with autism might be a little bit different than other children. The author wanted to show how sometimes it is hard to get used to the fact that these children act differently, and their siblings might get annoyed by this. By showing how each child has something to offer, even the children with autism, it shows children that it is okay to be different. Lears gives children a story about a little boy who has autism and what a typical day might involve. Because she is an insider, she is very knowledgeable about the subject of Autism. She can provide an accurate portrayal of what a day in the life of a child with Autism is like.
Ian’s Walk; A Story about Autism
Albert Whitman & Company. 1998.
Ian’s Walk is about a little boy with Autism and his sister who has to watch over him on a trip down to the pond. During this trip, Ian doesn’t do things like everyone else does. He likes to sniff the brick wall instead of a bouquet of flowers. When Ian’s sister gets fed up with the fact and Ian isn’t acting “normal,” she accidentally stops watching him, and Ian runs off. Ian’s sister starts to panic and looks every where for Ian. Ian is finally found at one of his favorite places at the park. On the walk home, Ian’s sister lets him do things the way he wants to do them, and she doesn’t get embarrassed of the way he is acting.
Lears describes the disease of autism in a way that children might understand. The book was an interesting way to show children what one aspect of autism is about and how children with autism might be a little bit different than other children. The author wanted to show how sometimes it is hard to get used to the fact that these children act differently, and their siblings might get annoyed by this. By showing how each child has something to offer, even the children with autism, it shows children that it is okay to be different. Lears gives children a story about a little boy who has autism and what a typical day might involve. Because she is an insider, she is very knowledgeable about the subject of Autism. She can provide an accurate portrayal of what a day in the life of a child with Autism is like.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Meeting Outside of Class
I really enjoyed meeting outside of class to discuss the book "confessions of a closet catholic." out group met at our normal time and had a good discussion about this book and i found it very interesting. i liked that we got right into the book and into the questions that people had written about in their questioning the text papers. we didn't have the same questions so i found that we had a lot to discuss.
i also liked it becuase we got to focus on the book and there wasn't a time limit placed on our meeting. we all knew that we wanted to discuss the book fully and get everyone's ideas out into the discussion. even though when we talk in class it isn't that formal, i found that meeting outside of class was less formal and i enjoyed this a lot.
maybe next semester this could be worked in for one book because i really enjoyed it and i would have liked to do it again if it would have been possible!
dana
i also liked it becuase we got to focus on the book and there wasn't a time limit placed on our meeting. we all knew that we wanted to discuss the book fully and get everyone's ideas out into the discussion. even though when we talk in class it isn't that formal, i found that meeting outside of class was less formal and i enjoyed this a lot.
maybe next semester this could be worked in for one book because i really enjoyed it and i would have liked to do it again if it would have been possible!
dana
Monday, November 19, 2007
Group Discussion about "The Confessions of a Closet Catholic"
I found our discussion of this book very interesting. During our discussion, the main focus revolved around the portrayal of her parents as holocaust survivors. We had a good discussion about how she wanted to become a catholic and how her parents didnt like the fact that she was going to become a catholic when her grandparents were survivors of the holocaust.
i think it was a valuable disucssion because it opened my eyes to the fact that religion should be a person thing and no one should tell anyone what to do, even if it is sur parents.
an interesting point was the fact that her parents were so much against her becoming a catholic. they weren't into their religion so much and when she wanted to change her religion, they were so against it. it was also interesting that her grandmother was teh one person that was ok wiith her changing her religion and she was the person who was persecuted for the religion that she was. i think that it was interesting because she had to fight for her religion and then is ok with her granddaughter changing her religion. i think this emphasizes the fact taht relgion is a specific thing and shouldnt be forced on by anyone, even your parents.
our conversation outside of class was very interesting and i started looking at the book in a different light because of this meeting and discussion
i think it was a valuable disucssion because it opened my eyes to the fact that religion should be a person thing and no one should tell anyone what to do, even if it is sur parents.
an interesting point was the fact that her parents were so much against her becoming a catholic. they weren't into their religion so much and when she wanted to change her religion, they were so against it. it was also interesting that her grandmother was teh one person that was ok wiith her changing her religion and she was the person who was persecuted for the religion that she was. i think that it was interesting because she had to fight for her religion and then is ok with her granddaughter changing her religion. i think this emphasizes the fact taht relgion is a specific thing and shouldnt be forced on by anyone, even your parents.
our conversation outside of class was very interesting and i started looking at the book in a different light because of this meeting and discussion
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Final Project Post
I just wanted to post about my final project and why i chose to do my final project on this specific topic. I am going to do my final project on disability. I chose this because my mom has a disability that she has had since she was a baby. i was wondering how much chiildren's literature was out there for students with disabilities. I know that this might have changed since the time my mom was a child, but i started thinking about this because i wnated to know if she ever saw a book with a child with a disability in it.
i think this is an important topic and i just wanted to explain why i chose the topic i did and i am very excited to see what i will find out about children's literature in regards to disabilities.
i think this is an important topic and i just wanted to explain why i chose the topic i did and i am very excited to see what i will find out about children's literature in regards to disabilities.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Sydney Taylor Award
The purpose of this Sydney Taylor Award is to encourage the publication of outstanding books of Jewish content for children. It spotlights books that are of the highest literary standards and includes authentic content of Judaism.
This award was created in 1968 under a different name, The Shirley Kavitz Children's Book Award. It was renamed the Sydney Taylor Award in 1978.
The style of the award has changed over the years. It originally awarded only one book per year. In 1981 they started recognizing two books per year, one picture book and one novel. There is a committee that carefully evaluates the books and selects a winner.
The criteria for the award includes:
Literary and artistic merit,
positive Jewish content and focus,
age appropriateness in terms of style, vocabulary, content, format, and illustration,
and accuracy.
2006 winners:
Younger reader: Hanukkah at Valley Forge by Steven Krensky illustrated by Greg Harlin
Teen winner: Julia's Kitchen by Brenda Ferber
Some honor award winners 2006 (young reader):
I Am Marc Chagall by Bimba Landmann
Rebecca's Journey Home by Brynn Olenberg Sugarman
When we went to the library to check out some of the Sydney Taylor Award books, there were not very many available. We found one younger read book and two juvenile fiction book (teen reader). One of the two teen reader books was checked out which made us happy! :) Unfortunately we didn't find the majority of the books listed on the website that won this award.
When looking up the Sydney Taylor Award on the internet we found no "official website" but there was information about it on the "Association of Jewish Libraries" website. When you go to this website you will find a long list of books that have either been awarded or honored in regards to this award.
please check out www.jewishlibraries.org for more info!
This award was created in 1968 under a different name, The Shirley Kavitz Children's Book Award. It was renamed the Sydney Taylor Award in 1978.
The style of the award has changed over the years. It originally awarded only one book per year. In 1981 they started recognizing two books per year, one picture book and one novel. There is a committee that carefully evaluates the books and selects a winner.
The criteria for the award includes:
Literary and artistic merit,
positive Jewish content and focus,
age appropriateness in terms of style, vocabulary, content, format, and illustration,
and accuracy.
2006 winners:
Younger reader: Hanukkah at Valley Forge by Steven Krensky illustrated by Greg Harlin
Teen winner: Julia's Kitchen by Brenda Ferber
Some honor award winners 2006 (young reader):
I Am Marc Chagall by Bimba Landmann
Rebecca's Journey Home by Brynn Olenberg Sugarman
When we went to the library to check out some of the Sydney Taylor Award books, there were not very many available. We found one younger read book and two juvenile fiction book (teen reader). One of the two teen reader books was checked out which made us happy! :) Unfortunately we didn't find the majority of the books listed on the website that won this award.
When looking up the Sydney Taylor Award on the internet we found no "official website" but there was information about it on the "Association of Jewish Libraries" website. When you go to this website you will find a long list of books that have either been awarded or honored in regards to this award.
please check out www.jewishlibraries.org for more info!
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Insider/Outsider Debate
This week we had an interesting discussion about how important it is to have Native American people writing stories and children's literature, not just people who think they know about Native Americans. When I first think about the insider/outsider debate, i immediately think that only insiders should be writing about the ethnic group that they belong to. i feel this way because then they will be giving the reader a true understanding about what it is like to be a part of that group instead of just what it seems like to be a part of that group.
It is hard to say whether a person who isn't in a specific culture should be writing about that culture. I feel like this might lead to stereotypes coming out because the person who is writing about it hasn't experienced what a person from that cutlure has experienced. I feel like the reader will get a better understanding and a truer feeling about a culture if the person who wrote it has really experienced what they are writing about.
I would never try to write a story about something that i have never experineced. I would feel fake and i would be nervous about portraying something that i have never experineced and don't know if it really is like what i am saying.
I would like to know what other people feel about this subject and i am interested to hear about this in class.
Dana
It is hard to say whether a person who isn't in a specific culture should be writing about that culture. I feel like this might lead to stereotypes coming out because the person who is writing about it hasn't experienced what a person from that cutlure has experienced. I feel like the reader will get a better understanding and a truer feeling about a culture if the person who wrote it has really experienced what they are writing about.
I would never try to write a story about something that i have never experineced. I would feel fake and i would be nervous about portraying something that i have never experineced and don't know if it really is like what i am saying.
I would like to know what other people feel about this subject and i am interested to hear about this in class.
Dana
Sunday, September 16, 2007
First Post
Hi!
My name is Dana Greaves and I'm a senior in Elementary Education at MSU. My specialization is in Language Arts and I'm really interested in literacy.
I am excited about this class because I took TE 348 and i loved the class. I find that except over the summer, i don't have a lot of time to read books for pleasure and when i take youth lit. classes is allows me to find interesting books and discuss them and i actually enjoy and look forward to reading the books in class.
I don't have a lot of experience with diverse literature and that was one main reason why i wanted to take this class. I think that i will learn a lot about what good diverse literature is and why it is so important to have diverse literature in your classroom.
I'm really excited about this class and to learn as much as i can about diversity in youth literature!
-dana
My name is Dana Greaves and I'm a senior in Elementary Education at MSU. My specialization is in Language Arts and I'm really interested in literacy.
I am excited about this class because I took TE 348 and i loved the class. I find that except over the summer, i don't have a lot of time to read books for pleasure and when i take youth lit. classes is allows me to find interesting books and discuss them and i actually enjoy and look forward to reading the books in class.
I don't have a lot of experience with diverse literature and that was one main reason why i wanted to take this class. I think that i will learn a lot about what good diverse literature is and why it is so important to have diverse literature in your classroom.
I'm really excited about this class and to learn as much as i can about diversity in youth literature!
-dana
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