Review: A Child Is a Child by Brigitte Weninger & Eve Tharlet

Two young frogs are waiting for their Mommy and Daddy frogs to come back. Sadly, this never happens. Mr. Hedgehog, Mr. Mole, and Mrs. Blackbird speak of how they cannot be good parents for these children as they are too different. Along comes Mama Mouse with her children who states that she will take care of these children since “A child is a child. All children need a place to live and play, good food to eat and someone who loves them!”. This heartwarming tale does a beautifully simple job speaking of the fears of taking care of children who are not one’s biological children while recognizing the simplicity of all the children need in that moment. The use of animals allows for a more light hearted feel through a difficult subject, and an easier understanding of biological differences. This book is non specific on what happened to the parent frogs, and therefore can be read and interpreted by the child in whatever way is personal to them. This book is perfect for any young child who has experienced some sort of familial abandonment/loss and rehoming.

Resources:

Review: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/brigitte-weninger/a-child-is-a-child/

Review & a place to buy this read: https://www.amazon.com/Child-Brigitte-Weninger/dp/0698400062

Review: The Little Things by Christian Trimmer & Kaylani Juanita

One day, a mighty storm causes many starfish to wash upon the beach. A young girl, who prefers three pigtails over two, begins to pick them up one by one. As she is doing so, an older man asks her what she is doing and states that she “can’t save them all” to which she acknowledges but replies “I can save this one”. This one small act of kindness inspires the man to pay it forward which ends in inspiring a community to do small acts of kindness that end up having a mighty effect. Throughout this journey of many kind acts, the book portrays characters of different ages, races, and levels of ability. The book does not emphasize on this, however it allows the reader to visualize characters both different and similar to them partaking in these kind actions. Along with this, the book mentions a unique fact about each character which allows for self-love to be portrayed through this story as well. Even if this was not the authors intended actions. It should be noted, that this book has an amount of text that may be too much for some of the youngest readers. This book is great for the young reader who is learning about the importance of kindness, no matter how small the action may seem.

Resources:

Christian Trimmer’s Website: http://www.christiantrimmer.com/the-little-things

Lesson plan: https://www.theworldasitcouldbe.org/curriculum-and-resource-guide-2/stories-activities-1stgrade/

Representation Resources

Statement: Diverse literature is important for young readers because every child deserves to feel represented and connected to a story. Providing mirrors and windows through literature for students allows for a classroom environment that creates growth and aides in creating community connections. Not making a big show out of diversity, allowing it to be celebrated through normal day to day life.

Resources:

Choosing Quality Texts:

We Need Diverse Books wants to create a world in which all children can see themselves in books. They support diverse publishing professionals, mentor authors, mentor illustrators, and provide books to classrooms nationwide. https://diversebooks.org

This video teaches about our implicit bias and the effects of our subconscious. This is important to remember when we are choosing literature, especially for those who are younger than us. https://www.nytimes.com/video/who-me-biased

An organization that supports families and educators in disrupting racism, inequality, and bias. Contains many different helpful resources including a book list and read alouds. https://www.theconsciouskid.org

Organization that is dedicated to talking about the portrayal of disabled people and disability in middle grade and young adult literature. Provide many different resources about this conversation. http://disabilityinkidlit.com

This article talks about the debate of reading classic texts that have problematic themes or language. If we do use them do we use them for teaching or do we avoid them all together? https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2018/10/29/many-classic-childrens-books-have-troubling-themes-or-language-should-we-read-them-anyway/

LGBTQIA+:

This article gives a list of 30 LGBTQIA-Positive Childrens books. These books help to promote accepting, inclusive, tolerant, and loving children. https://www.bustle.com/articles/87976-30-lgbtqia-positive-childrens-books-thatll-teach-kids-how-beautifully-diverse-the-world-is

This article confronts heterosexism in children’s literature. It talks about how all of the heteronormacy in literature makes it harder for children to accept themselves as any other orientation. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1300/J367v04n02_05

Disabilities:

This article talks about mental health & wellness in YA literature. It focuses on characters who develop coping mechanisms throughout the course of the story. http://www.yalsa.ala.org/thehub/2016/02/02/reality-scoop-january-is-mental-wellness-month/

This website has curated a list of many different books that deal with disability. It then broke them up and categorized them by disability. https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/resources/books/

This article speaks to evaluating children’s books about disability. It talks about what to avoid and how to choose a good book that accurately depicts disability. https://www.adl.org/sites/default/files/documents/assets/pdf/education-outreach/evaluating-children-s-books-that-address-disability.pdf

About Me

Hi! Thanks for visiting my site! My name is Skylar and I am a nursing student at the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities. I created this website for my CI 3401W class. It is full of books specifically related to issues that children in a hospital may be struggling with. I have always enjoyed reading and find websites such as this to be helpful in picking out my next favorite book. I hope this website is useful to you!

Review: Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Auggie was born with a facial deformity. He has gone through countless surgeries and is the center of his family. But now, after being home schooled his entire life must begin attending public school.What will people think of him? How will he make any friends? This book provides a very realistic image of what it is like to live with a chronic condition. Especially one that is visible and cannot be hidden. Wonder covers family dynamics, sibling rivalries, friendships, hardships, and bullying and so much more . It doesn’t shy away from the difficulties associated with a chronic condition, but also shows the beauty in our differences. This book is a must read for everyone. It helps someone without a chronic condition to gain a better understanding of what it is like for those who do have one and it allows for those children with a chronic condition to feel seen.

Resources:

R. J. Palacio discusses Wonder. https://youtu.be/Hh5qbE62IyY

A list of activities and lessons to go along with the book and/or movie. Great for teachers and parents who homeschool. https://homeschoolsuperfreak.com/wonder-lesson-plans-book-movie/

Review: Running on Empty by S. E. Durrant

Review: Where the Watermelons Grow by Cindy Baldwin

Review: The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin

Review: Good Enough by Jen Petri-Roy

Review: You Are Healthy by Todd Snow & Melody Strong