Children's Literature
Sharing my thoughts on some exceptional books...
Curtis, C. P. (1995). The Watsons go to Birmingham-1963. New York: Delacorte Press. This is a historical fiction about the life of a family in Flint, MI consisting of mom (Wilona), dad (Daniel), two brothers Byron and Kenny, and a sister named Joetta. Byron is the oldest and the most rebellious. Kenny recounts much of what life is like to live with a "juvenile delinquent". He says that many of his neighbors call them the "Weird Watsons." Byron is always getting himself into trouble. He takes food from the local grocer by signing for his mom and dad, he plays with fire, and even gets a crazy hairdo. When mom and dad have had enough, they decide to take Byron down to Birmingham to stay with Grandma Sands. Byron is quite unhappy about this. While staying at Grandma Sand's house, an unfortunate event unfolds. The church where Kenny's little sister was at on Sunday morning was bombed. Four little girls were killed, and for a while the family thought that Joetta was among the dead. Kenny has a had time understanding why anyone would want to hurt people. This event of hatred and racism affected Kenny and he withdrew from his family to the back of the couch. As a child he believed that the area behind the couch had magic since many of their pets would go there when they were sick and come out healed. He hoped that he too would come out better after spending some time there. Byron makes him realize that he helped save Joetta's life. This is a good book to teach allusions. There are several allusions such as when mom talks about Byron's hair looking like Bozo (the clown). Another example of an allusion is when Kenny hears Grandma Sands' laugh and says she sounds like the wicked witch of the west (The Wizard of Oz). There are others which would make a great mini- lesson. This book brings to light the horrifying events in the south surrounding the Birmingham church bombings that were taking place during the Civil Rights Movement. After reading this book, a great assignment to do with children is to have them go to the library to research the bombing of 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Nora RuizI'm a stay-at-home mom who has three daughters ages 7, 4, and 1. I like spending time with family and enjoying a cup of coffee with sweet bread! Assignments:Textbook #2
textbook_assignment_2.pptx |