Teaching Cultural Compassion
New Upside-Down World
In this new time of uncertainty and a definite change in how we live our lives and how we interact with our kids, I want to put forth some great resources. Hopefully in the upcoming weeks, I will have some videos of books to read to you all and some other activities to do at home. In the meantime, here is a link to what some authors and illustrators are doing. Authors reading their books, illustrators giving behind the scenes lessons, all right to you as a private audience!
If you need a resource for getting your kids up and moving, I would also recommend Dancing Alone Together. Free lessons and performances to get your kids inspired to move!
More later as this situation changes, remember, we’re all in this together,
Tura
Will You Be My Valentine?
Though Valentine’s Day commercializes itself as a holiday celebrating romantic love, I want to suggest some books that remind us of other kinds of love!
I have to plug ONE romantic love book. Though it seems silly, Worm Loves Worm by J. J. Austrian is a poignant story about loving someone for who they are and not letting anyone else change that love. Love is love.
After romantic love, the first love one might think of is the love of family. While there are a lot of amazing Mom books out there; Dad books are harder to find. Dad by My Side by Soosh is one of the most beautiful books that fits that bill. Written and illustrated by a father daughter team, it exemplifies the best moments of love between a father and daughter.
The love of a grandparent is a special thing. Julián is a Mermaid by Jessica Love shares this love in a tentative way at first, not knowing if it can stand the test of Grandma knowing the truth. But (SPOILER) Grandma comes through! Another lovely Grandma book is Grandma’s Purse by Vanessa Brantley-Newton. (This link even has a read-out-loud link right there on the author’s site!) A granddaughter sharing Grandma’s history and life through the items in the purse show this unique bond in a fun, colorful way!
Kids also certainly understand the love of animals, as beautifully illustrated by Claire Keane in Love is by Diane Adams. Knowing that love can be caring for something you know isn’t yours and will someday have to leave is an integral part of growing up. This book says it perfectly.
Kids also love other people without asking too many questions-- My Best Friend by Julie Fogliano & Jillian Tamaki shares a story of exactly that. These two kids ARE best friends, aren’t they? (SPOILER) Even if they just met today and don’t know each other’s names? A story about love in perhaps its purest form, My Best Friend is a new joy to add to any bookshelf!
Lastly, even if there is no specific contact, a kid can still show love through a wave or a smile. Because Amelia Smiled by David Ezra Stein is a great story about how one simple gesture can change the world. In the world today, we need more smiles!
So, I hope you’ll be my valentine and read some of these books with your kids!
Tura
Kids and King
Every Year around Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, the same books are on hold at the local library. The same ones are on display at the bookstores. This year, rather than defaulting to the same title, I urge you to look at the Civil Rights Movement through the eyes of children. Kids certainly grasp the stories of history better when they are from another kid’s experience.
My first recommendation this year is Love Will See You Through. The most traditional MLK book on this list, it is written by Dr. King’s own niece, Angela Farris Watkins, Phd, including some of her memories of him from her childhood. Its easy reading and powerful illustrations (by Sally Wern Comport) walk your kids through the six guiding beliefs of Dr. King and his legacy.
The next two are true or based on true stories of kids marching with Dr. King. One of the most moving moments of the Civil Rights Movement was when the children marched. The biographical book The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist is told masterfully by Cynthia Levinson and illustrated beautifully by Vanessa Brantley Newton. Audrey Faye Hendricks was only nine years old when she was arrested for marching—far younger than the rest of those with whom she was held. But she stuck to her beliefs. Our kids can learn a lot from her story.
Inspired by people like Audrey Faye Hendricks, Angela Johnson captures the possible experience of two sisters at the Million Man March in a sweet smell of roses. Eric Velasquez’s dynamic illustrations give us an up front seat in the audience with the girls and give your kids a feeling of what it might have been like to be with Dr. King that day.
This year, I also encourage you to take a step into the six guiding beliefs of Dr. King and explore nonviolence with your children. Nonviolence is not simply a lack of physical violence. Be the Change is an accessible story of what nonviolence actually looks like in practice. Told by Arun Gandhi, it is the story of learning that lesson the hard way from his loving grandfather. Dr. King was greatly influenced by Gandhi, and this book will help you and your kids take the next step to be the change.
For a new book on how to help your kids live King’s legacy of protest, Martha Freeman wrote a lovely book called If You’re Going to a March. A mostly non-partisan book about what a protest is like, this book gives tips like wearing comfortable shoes and taking snacks or bottled water. (The only slight political bent is shown with what topics are or are not represented by the marchers in the inside cover illustrations.) Living just outside our nation’s capital, this book seems like a must have for activist families on any side of a platform!
Enjoy the holiday and sharing the memory of a great man,
Tura