As we advance into the season, and the school year begins,
it’s an important time to consider classroom and playtime relationships and how
we support our children’s growth toward managing difficult emotions. The books
included in this short list are wonderful stories, with the added bonus of
strengthening the connections we make as we develop bonds with others in new
settings. Don’t hesitate to share these remarkable stories and invite
conversations with the young people you love!
Each Kindness
by
Jacqueline Woodson
illustrated by E. B. Lewis
This
forceful, muscular picture book about the other side of bullying – is told by
the bully, using quiet straightforward language. When a new student arrives in
class, the teacher introduces her as Maya, and seats her next to Chloe. Along
with most of the silent class, the African-American narrator, doesn’t smile a
welcome, and moves herself and her chair farther away from the girl in the
raggedy shoes.
Chloe and
her friends whisper secrets, turn down Maya’s offers to play jacks, cards,
dolls, pick up sticks, and call her “Never New” because her clothes are
obviously secondhand. Lewis’ watercolor paintings demonstrate his skilled use
of light and dark, windows, pools of water, playground perspectives, and the
expressive faces of children from a variety of unexpected views. His gently
controlled, realistic illustrations supply important details to complement
Woodson’s intense, elegant, economical free verse.
Later, the
teacher invites students to drop a pebble into a large bowl of water, to watch
“what kindness does.” How “each little thing we do goes out, like a ripple,
into the world.” But Maya’s family moves away and Chloe feels the heartbreaking
tension of her casual cruelty, as a lost opportunity to make it right.
The combined talents of this
author-illustrator team welcome youngsters of all economic backgrounds to
examine the sadly, near epidemic practice of excluding those less fortunate.
This emotionally resonant story with its remorseful narrator reveals the
withholding of friendship with haunting depth and authenticity, offering
readers conversational and empathetic opportunities to reflect.
Penguin, $17.99
Interest Level:
Kindergarten – Grade 3
Steps and Stones: An
Anh’s Anger Story
by Gail Silver
illustrated by Christiane Kromer
Anh’s
favorite part of the day is recess, in a sequel to Anh’s Anger by this talented author and illustrator team. But his
friends run past him to play ball. Charlie says, “Digging is for babies,” when
Anh calls out that he’s brought shovels. Anh feels like he’s “been punched in
the stomach.”
As a
tearful Anh leans against a shady oak tree, Anger explodes into his awareness
as an animated collage of colors, shapes, designs and sharp teeth. This flashy
personification of Anger offers Anh a chance to tell Charlie, “I’m no baby!”
and then grab the ball and throw it at him.
Eager to go, Anger flashes off, but
Anh wants to slow down. Walking deliberately together, breathing in with one
step, and breathing out with the next step, Anh and Anger begin to count their
steps, also at Anh’s suggestion.
This walking meditation helps Anh to control
his strong feelings. And, as the counting increases, Anger's size decreases and
his vivid colors begin to fade.
The
appealing collage illustrations are combined with brush and pencil drawings in
a bright palette of mostly greens, yellows and browns, with a winning variety
of perspectives. Especially engaging is a double page spread from above as the
two begin their unhurried pace together.
Based on
teachings about mindfulness and Buddhism by Thich Nhat Hanh, this
unconventional and irresistible visual story simplifies the oftentimes heavy
topic of dealing with strong feelings, especially anger. Gentle and wise, this
winsome picture book shows the transforming magic of an habitual practice.
Plum Blossom Books,
$16.95
Interest Level: Junior
Kindergarten – Grade 3
Red
by Jan De
Kinder
It starts small – just a blush. Yet, the title
encompasses the complexities arising from the narrator’s comment to her friend,
Tommy, “You’re blushing . . .”
She notes, with
regret, how this minor observation escalates into bullying. “This isn’t funny
anymore,” she adds several pages later, “I want it to stop . . .”
First
published in Belgium, De Kinder’s quietly powerful story shares the narrator’s
inner battle: Her fear of Paul, who advances the initial giggling into pushing,
conflicts with her wish to stand up for Tommy, who she thinks is “pretty nice.”
The
expressive illustrations created with pencil, charcoal, ink, aquarelle,
acrylic, and collage effectively use red color to highlight the rising tension.
Also, several double page spreads feature shadowy figures with sharp edges,
grasping hands, and pointed teeth to demonstrate the potent threat of the
strong words and actions.
Red print
intensifies the force of the text, especially as the teacher questions, “Who
saw what happened?” Initially, no one responds, except Paul, who grins. Ashamed
faces, awash in red, are contrasted with the narrator -- lit bright for her
ultimate bravery in raising her hand wordlessly in response to the teacher’s
continued questions. Soon others are talking all at once, “I saw it too.” The
support is immediately felt by the narrator, “I can breathe again,” she
acknowledges.
And when
Paul storms over with his fists up to confront the narrator, other children
stand beside her. While the story doesn’t show the bully learning from this experience,
it does show the red-cheeked narrator and Tommy in reversed positions, a sturdy
child-authentic conclusion.
Eerdman’s Books for
Young Readers, $16.00
Interest Level:
Kindergarten – Grade 3
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