The Watsons Go to Birmingham

Curtis, C ( 1995). The Watsons Go To Birmingham -1963. New York, NY: Yearling.

The United States was a different place in 1963. The southern states still practiced systematic discrimination of people of color. This novel addresses a family raising children during this time. The Watson family consists of a father, mother, their two sons Byron and Kenny and their daughter Joetta. The live in Detroit far away from the hatred in the south. The mom is from Birmingham and still has family there mainly her mother.  In the summer of 1963, the family takes a trip down to Birmingham. The kids experience what southern living is like complete with southern dialects, swimming in lakes, magnolia trees, and the extreme heat.  The trip brings a change in everybody. Byron, who normally is a troublemaker in Detroit, become more respectful and responsible. The mom who usually is the head of the household becomes a daughter again when around Grandma Sands. And Kenny who is usually very dependable begins to get careless and a bit reckless.

A near death experience for two characters change the family forever. The kids experience the ugly side of America and have to decide how to deal with it. The parents have to come to terms with the fact that their children came so close to something they have worked so hard to keep them from. But they realize their family is a lot stronger together than they ever could be if they are separated. They come to understand that they can depend on each other.

This is a fiction story written as a personal narrative. I thought it was an actual biography or memoir. Christopher Curtis includes a real historical event to bring a feeling of reality to the readers.The recollection of this and the response of the characters brings a sense of familiarity to readers who were alive during that time. He uses vivid imagery and quick witted dialogue to bring the setting and characters to life. Teachers can use this novel  to show how to writers use powerful vocabulary in their writing. It can also be included to show how a personal narrative is written 

Crenshaw

Applegate, K. (2015). Crenshaw. Harrisburg, VA. Feiwel and Friends.

In Crenshaw, the readers are introduced to Jackson and rather extraordinary cat, Crenshaw. The relationship soon become evident that the cat is Jackson's imaginary friend. The reason why Jackson's friend has appeared now is evident to the reader but not to Jackson. His family is going through a very tough time and Jackson feels like he has to be strong for everyone else but never is honest with himself or others around him. 

The news reports on unemployment and homeless numbers and some specialized shows focus on the adults who have lost their jobs and homes, but there are few reports on how children are affected.  As teachers we have to teach students regardless of what their home life is like. This novel is a reminder of what some of our students have on their plate. They are suffering though tough times to and the one constant in their life is usually school. They may switch school frequently, a fear of the character in this book, but they are usually always enrolled in one eventually. 

This is good book for upper elementary students. This novel could lead to classroom discussions on how to open up and express their feelings.  Teachers and counselors could use to teach compassion and build empathy in students. 

Bink & Gollie

DiCamillo, K., & McGhee, A. (2012). Bink and Gollie. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

Bink and Gollie are two friends. They go skating, buy sock, and eat pancakes but they don't really agree on everything. For instance are the sock too bright? Is a fish really a good companion? This is a good early chapter book. Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee include little text on the each page. I appreciate that they use rich vocabulary like "use your gray matter". Parts of the text is also repeated. This helps early readers build fluency. Because it is a chapter book, young readers in primary grades will feel accomplished because they are stepping out of reading a typical picture book.