And Tango Makes Three

And Tango Makes Three
by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell (2005)

          This adorable picture book tells the story of two male penguins who end up 'adopting' an egg to raise together. But of course, this story has a message a little more broad than that, which is why it is considered so controversial -- it seems to represents the positive aspects of same-sex couples adopting children. Of course, the book is based off of a true story, so it is entirely possible to ignore the social or political aspects of the story and smile at the antics of two penguins building a nest and sitting on a rock. I personally cannot see why anyone would take offense at this book -- it's very cute, and the illustrations by Henry Cole personify the penguins just enough to make us relate to them, but not enough to make it overly cartoon-like. It's really a story about family and love - and who can argue with that?
          I might use this book in my classroom to talk about different types of families. Since it does discuss the issue through animals I feel that students will find it fun. The story is simple and the introduction by the authors about "different types of families" lends itself nicely to this discussion. I do feel that there are better types of books to use for this, however, like In Our Mothers' House by Patricia Polacco. I do feel, however, that And Tango Makes Three seems like it should lend itself to less controversy -- except for the national attention it has received. I would definitely make this book available in a classroom for younger elementary students to read.

Nine Candles

Nine Candles
by Maria Testa (1996)

          Nine Candles offers a child's non-judgmental perspective on his mother's incarceration, and his hope for her release around his ninth birthday. Testa does a lovely job representing the story from a seven-year-old's viewpoint, especially as Raymond tries to grasp why another child is not as excited to be nine as he will be: "I used to think he was lucky because he's already nine. But Tony says he'd give anything in the world to be eleven." This method of counting birthday's until a parent's release from prison is simultaneously heart-wrenching and promising. The overall mood stays positive, though, and Amanda Schaffer's bright, flowing, broad paint strokes really add to the feeling of hope. This book should not be considered controversial, the perspective taken is that of a child with a missing parent, it is not a political take on why his mother is in prison or whether her incarceration helps or hinders society. Testa is bringing to light a reality for many American children -- and it is one that will comfort children in similar situations, and enlighten those who are not.
          I think this book would make a nice read-aloud book for the class. It could easily be integrated into a lesson on different types of families in the United States -- and as Testa points out there are one and a half million children with at least one parent in prison. It is important that children think about the emotional and financial struggles that the children and their parents face with this obstacle. Many children may have strong feelings about 'bad people' being in prison and may not understand why Raymond would miss his mother if she did something wrong. Although complex, it may be possible to bring some discussion of the purpose of prison into the classroom. Is prison just a place to keep all of the bad people? Is it a place for people to 'pay their dues'? Or to help them learn other skills? This discussion would, of course, need to be adjusted accordingly for the age and maturity level of the group.

Mississippi Morning

Mississippi Morning
by Ruth Vander Zee (2004)

          This book was an amazing exploration of racial issues in the south during the 1930s. The illustrations by Floyd Cooper accentuate the time period through a stippled, aged effect that although in color gives the impression of sepia-toned photographs on some occasions. The reader follows James William's personal journey to understand adults in his Mississippi town, who seem perfect until he starts to see the underlying racism that is being kept from him. The feeling of things being hidden really comes to the forefront when James finds his father eyes behind a Klan hood. This book is controversial because it covers a terrible time in US history, but it's one that readers should learn about -- and this book is a powerful tool for teaching it.
          At first I was unsure that I would want to use this text in an elementary classroom because of the difficulty of the content (burning down black churches, lynching, the Ku Klux Klan).I did not learn about these issues in school until middle school -- but the more I think about it the more I think that keeping material like this from upper elementary students is doing them a disservice. By keeping this information from older elementary students we are hiding the truth in the same way that James' father hid his true identity from his son. Students usually learn about the civil war, Jim Crow Laws, and the Civil Rights Movement during 5th grade history -- but the reality for African Americans in the south during the Jim Crow Laws cannot come alive through text books. Students should learn that it was more than an inability to use certain drinking fountains or restaurants that overwhelmed the rights of black Americans during a lot of the 20th century. This book confronts the issues of violence that were another aspect of life, and because James is uncovering these secrets and feeling betrayed by them, I believe that students will relate to his journey. They may feel terrified and betrayed by these discoveries, but that is a perfectly understandable reaction -- and just because they have negative feelings does not mean that it should not be discussed. In fact, it is in the discussion that students will be able to work through these complex emotions about American history.

The Misfits

The Misfits

by James Howe (2003)

          This book was a laugh. Howe's (or I should say Bobby's) word choice made tough situations seem light and light situations seem profound. The mix between simple sentences and complex word choice represents symbolically, to me, the time in a kid's life when he doesn't feel like a kid anymore, but certainly doesn't feel like an adult. Since this book is largely a coming-of-age story, I feel that the style is very appropriate. The moral is an important one -- that a group of kids can help end name-calling, even for a week -- but what I took from the book was the need for a community of 'misfits.' The term almost lacks meaning in the book, because regardless of how the Gang of Five is marginalized by the 'fits' they always have each other. Throughout the book the name-calling was almost peripheral to the group of kids, because they had already taken an internal stand against it. Through their campaign they gave a voice to other students who, perhaps, were not as outspoken as they were. There are points where Addie's understanding of race was upsetting for me, but I realize that almost all characters outside of Bobby are somewhat stereotyped or at least classified based on singular traits. It shows that even the best intentioned of the students are not free from bias or incapable of passing judgment. The end fell into place a little too perfectly and a little too quickly, but it can be overlooked for the overarching messages in the book.
          I feel this book has a very important place -- especially in the middle school classroom. I think that every student will be able to connect with some character in the book and it will be a mirror for them to think about how they interact in their own school environment. An awareness of bullying is the first step in trying to end it in school. The fact that this book is controversial is ridiculous to me and I would encourage as many students as I could to read it (even if in my first years of teaching I was too scared to do a read-aloud!). This book is a great introduction for a discussion of bullying and I think principals and school districts should recommend it to the student body, not hide it from them. The complaints about this book promoting a homosexual agenda are idiotic, to say the least, and the adults making these outrageous claims in Pleasant Valley and elsewhere are exactly the type of characters that this book is trying to take a stand against. Every person feels like a misfit sometimes, but every person deserves to feel like they fit in. And this book is a perfect springboard for a lot of kids to feel part of a group -- even if they start feeling like the fifth member of the Gang of Five.

          Interview with James Howe
          Article: "Using The Misfits to discuss sexual orientation issues"
          Class dicussion guide

The Giver

The Giver
by Lois Lowry (1993)

 1994 Newbery Medal winner, 1996 William Allen White Award winner

         The Giver is a magnificently written soft science fiction novel for young adults that incorporates many concepts found in classic dystopian literature for adults, especially Aldous Huxley's Brave New World and the short story "Harrison Bergeron" from Kurt Vonnegot's Welcome to the Monkey House. In Lowry's story the the Committee's decision making process seems straight from Kafka or Orwell's 1984, where they convene in committee about an issue for so long that the population forgets it was ever an issue. The contradictions in the society become apparent as Jonas begins to discover the truth behind the facade of the community, and as he begins to receive memories of societies past. The precision of language that is instilled in all children from an early age becomes laughable when it is realized that the oft-used "release" really means killing members of the community. On top of that is the contradiction of their painless society, the contradiction of talking about emotions when they are not even understood, and the contradiction of the utopian society in itself. This book makes you rethink what freedom and choice really mean. There's no question why this book won the Newbery Medal and continues to be a favorite choice in classrooms.
         I believe that writing of this caliber should be introduced to children in upper elementary school. This book offers a perfect opportunity to explore symbolism and perspective, among other literary elements. Not only can this book be used to show an example of excellent writing for young adults, but it can also be used as a starting point for creative writing assignments. For example, students may choose to try to write a detailed description of an important memory to them -- in a way that the reader might feel they are being "given" the memory. Some adult readers think that parts of the book may be too complex for elementary students -- but I remember reading it in 5th grade and it had a profound impact on me, even though certain parts were not read in depth and connections to other texts were not made. Other adults feel that this book is controversial because of 'graphic' scenes of euthanasia -- but The Giver allows students to think critically about our own society and what freedom truly means.