Reflection Post: Ageism

Upon doing this project, I had no idea what ageism was or where it originated from. After looking in the dictionary ageism can be defined as discrimination against persons of a certain age group; a tendency to regard older persons as debilitated, unworthy of attention, or unsuitable for employment. This is a topic that is underrepresented in the children’s literature field. It is a topic that needs to be spoken about and taught about. There are a lot of books out there that can exemplify this topic; however a voice needs to be spoken. I sat at the Library and read just about every children’s book that I could find about this topic and from those books, I choose the books Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs by Tomie de Paola, Grandpa Had a Stroke by Dori Hillestad Butler, Mr. George Baker by Amy Hest, and The Patchwork Quilt by Valerie Flournoy. Some of the books that I have chosen are books that I have heard about and books that I have not heard about. Each of these books that I have chosen represents a relationship between a child or young adult and an elderly. With these relationships we see the differences between children and elderly and I think these relationships help illustrate the regards to older persons. If we, as future teachers, can incorporate this topic then we can become that culture that has become consumed with the ideal of not only youthfulness, but aging as well.

Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs by Tomie de Paola

De Paola, Tomie. Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs. New York: Putnam Juvenile, 1975.

A sad but truthful story lies within this children’s book. A little boy named Tommy has a Nana that lives upstairs and a Nana the lives downstairs. One day, Nana upstairs passes away and is gone forever and Tommy has to deal with the death of his Nana. At the end of the story we, the readers, can understand that Nana’s spirit is in a shooting star that Tommy sees.

Tomie De Paola is indeed an author who is otherwise informed on this topic. What lead me to this assumption are the words that are written within this children’s book. De Paola talked about Nana upstairs needing to be tied to a chair so that she didn’t fall out; this is a sign of ageism. We see throughout the book that Nana upstairs needed help with things like eating, sitting up straight, and putting her hair up; all of this leads de Paola to otherwise informed because he is very detailed about his words when is comes to Nana upstairs; the illustrations to them justice as well.

The pictures in this book are fantastic. They are very simple and they get to the point of the story. This is not a book in which I would say is lacking details in the drawings. I found it interesting and something I liked very much about this book is that it is written and illustrated by de Paola. I feel like you don’t see very many writers who are illustrators as well. I think this helps the story stand out because Tomie knows the exact pictures that he wants to use for each page instead of someone else doing it. His pictures consist of pencil drawings in black, pink, white, and tan. There are no other colors that accentuate these illustrations, just simple pencil drawings. The front cover of this book is the best picture because it shows the Nana that lives upstairs and down. It is a very informative pictures in which illustrates the three main characters in the story.

The one thing that stood out to me in this book were the stereotypes that Crawford illustrates in her article. “Stereotypes include rocking chair-bound women who frequently wear aprons, sport gray buns, and engage only in traditional experiences such as cooking, baking, or sewing (Crawford 1-2).” In Nana Upstairs and Nana downstairs, Nana downstairs is always in an apron. This is a common stereotypes that people have when they think of grandparents or the elderly but by teaching and discussing how these stereotypes are not necessarily true, children can rid these stereotypes.

I think this is a very touching story in which teaches children how to deal with the death of a loved one from a children’s perspective. Through out this book we see how both of the Nana’s are portrayed in the light of a children’s story. Nana downstairs can take care of herself and takes care of Nana upstairs. This is a very uplifting story in which is very open-ended for any interpretations that may arise.

(This book doesn’t have page numbers)

Grandpa Had a Stroke by Dori Hillestad Butler

Butler, Dori Hillestad, and Nicole Wong. My Grandpa Had a Stroke. New York: Magination Pg, 2007.

This is a story about a little by named Ryan who spends every Saturday with his Grandpa until his Grandpa had a stroke. Now, everything is changing and Ryan is coping with these changes. In the end, Ryan and his Grandpa reunite on a Saturday and his Grandpa shows Ryan that just because he has changed does not mean that he can not to things that he did before; like spend time with his grandson on Saturdays.

Upon reading this book, I had an email conversation with this author that helped me understand her views on this topic explained in the book. I had asked her how she was an “insider” to this topic and she responded that he grandfather had a stroke and he had completely changed overnight. She wanted to find a book to explain to her young children at the time and she couldn’t find one so that was when she decided she was going to write one. During the story we learn a lot about what happens when someone has a stroke. On page 8, Ryan’s dad explains to him what happened, “Grandpa’s stroke happened in the part of the brain that tells him to move the left side of his body (Hillestad 8).” We, the readers, can gather that Hillestad has a sense of what happens during this time. The pictures help as well to understand what is going on throughout the story, starting with the cover of the book; this is where we see Ryan and his grandfather out fishing while he is in a wheel chair. This demonstrates that some people need wheel chairs after they have a stroke, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t do the things they used to.

Through out this children’s book, we learn a lot about strokes and how to go about them in the present and in the future. We, the readers, can also see how Grandpa was portrayed in the sense of his stroke. Grandpa could do all of these things and after he has a stroke, he can not do as much, but when he can, he does them with his grandson. This is a fantastic book for teaching about strokes, how children can deal with strokes, and how the elderly is seen as through the eyes of a little child.

Dori Hillestad Butler’s Website: http://www.kidswriter.com/books.htm

Mr. George Baker by Amy Hest

Hest, Amy, and Jon J. Muth. Mr. George Baker. New York: Candlewick P, 2004.

Sitting, waiting for a school bus to arrive is an interesting way for a one hundred year old man and a young school boy to get to know each other. Mr. George Baker goes to school with Harry because they are both learning to read and write. This story is a great story to show the bonds between a young child and an elderly. This story goes to show that anything is possible for Harry including being friends with Mr. George Baker. Just because Mr. George Baker is one hundred years old does not mean that he can do things that younger people do. He can dance with his wife, play his drum, and go to school. After reading this book, the reader can gain that there is no shame for Mr. George Baker to go to school with Harry; he has an inspiration to learn to read and write.

Amy Hest has an interesting take on this book as for as the “insider-outsider” debate stands. In Mr. George Baker, we gather that he can dance and play the drums. To this extent Hest is an otherwise informed because she has tried all of these things. She wanted to write a book in which an older man can do all of the things that she had tried and failed at; however she wanted this older man to be able to do the things that she couldn’t. On one of the pages, George asks his wife to dance and they dance across the page. On another page, Mr. George Baker is playing the drums with people all around him. We can gather from all of this that Mr. Baker can do all of the things at one hundred years old that someone a lot younger may not be able to do; and there is nothing wrong with that.

(This book does not have page numbers)

The Patchwork Quilt by Valerie Flournoy

Flournoy, Valerie, and Jerry Pinkney. The Patchwork Quilt. New York: Dial, 1985.

I have read this book over and over again since I was in third grade learning how to patch a quilt all my by myself. This book never ceases to amaze me and every time I finish reading this book I am just astounded by how powerful it is. Flournoy does a great job showing the connection between a little girl and a grandmother. Tanya, the little girl in this story, loved to talk to her grandmother about the patchwork quilt that she had been piecing together. There are patches from all different things such as a Halloween costume, part of a Christmas dress, and an old pair of pants. One day, Tanya’s grandmother gets sick and does not know how to take care of her and help her through her illness. She then decides to finish the quilt with her mother. As Tanya’s grandmother becomes better, Tanya surprises her with this quilt in which she had worked so hard on. The bond between a grandmother and her granddaughter is amazingly portrayed all through out this book. Flournoy did a great job expressing the feelings and emotions during this book. Since the third grade, I have found this book very inspirational and every time I read it I want to go out and make my own quilt for my grandmother.

After careful research about this book, I couldn’t find if the author was an insider or outsider to this topic and book. The reason I kept this book in the good books about teaching about ageism is because I feel that Flournoy had a great perception about ageism within the bond of a grandmother and her granddaughter. We, as the readers get the sense that the grandmother is aging when she gets sick and has to stay in bed. I know when I was little; I just focused on the little girl and the quilt and not about the grandmother. I think this book illustrates the grandmother as well and how she is a major part of this story; for without the grandmother, there would be no quilt to finish. These are the things in which need to be spoken about in classroom settings, this is why little children just pass over the facts about ageism. With this book, students can be taught about ageism and how it is important through the writing and illustrations in The Patchwork Quilt.

(This book has no page numbers)

Addressing Ageism through Children's Books

“The aging process is an important part of all of our lives, one that promises to have an impact on each of us” quotes Crawford in her article, Crossing Boundaries: Addressing Ageism through Children’s Books. She states “quality children’s literature can serve as a forum for critiquing these stereotypical perspectives and as a springboard for the development of healthy, positive, and accurate perceptions of the aging process (Crawford 1).” Within this underrepresented topic, there is a way to address the concept of ageism. With the right books, these “stereotypical perceptions” won’t be an issue. Stereotypes include rocking chair-bound women who frequently wear aprons, sport gray buns, and engage only in traditional experiences such as cooking, baking, or sewing. By not addressing all of these topics, stereotypes begin to arise. Within in reading this article and reading the books that I had chosen, I got a positive light on the issue of ageism. I had some books that were sad and some books that were very serious in this “world of children’s literature.” Not only does this article talk about how ageism is a much underrepresented topic but it also talks about teacher’s processes in going about finding these books. The one thing that teachers can do about this topic is to put a lot of care into choosing the appropriate instructional material to teach this lesson. In choosing the right children’s books, there is an “effective and accessible avenue for inviting children to explore issues related to older adults and the aging process (Crawford 3).” We, as teachers, must think hard about what we are trying to get across when it comes to teaching ageism. It is an interesting topic to address and with the right amount materials, this topic could stand out more than others. “Typically, little information is provided about older characters’ personal histories, their work life, their passions, or their dreams (Crawford 1).” Through these books that I have found, this “little information” was no so little.

Crawford, Patricia A. "Crossing Boundries: Addressing Ageism through Children's Books." Reading Horizons Jan.-Feb. 2000: 1-8.

Not Just Words

I first off wanted to talk about how enjoyable our conversation was in class last week. I really enjoyed talking about GLBTQ and I even more loved reading the book Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan. I have never looked at this topic in class or out of class. I find it so interesting how much can be spoken about within this topic. What I loved the most about this book was that it is something that can one day happen. I know in our discussion in class some people didn't think that it could ever become true, but I believe that it can come true; in fact some of has come true at my high school. It is not that far fetched.
This discussion brings me to an interesting thing that I noticed this weekend. Not only do I use to the word "gay" a lot, but it is used a lot in movies. This weekend I went and saw Role Model's. In this movie, they used the word "faggot" a lot and I was just appalled. I never thought about how I use certain words or how other people use certain words that are derogatory in the GLBTQ community. After our discussion in class, my eyes were opened to all of these things around me. I will no longer use the word "gay" nor will I just pass by the fact that people say "faggot" or any other words that could be offensive.
This book was fantastic and I really really enjoyed out discussion in class. This has been the best book and discussion thus far in this class! Everyone should read Boy Meets Boy!!

Flashback

A little flashback from the beginning of the year when we spoke about The Heart of a Chief by Joseph Bruchac. Every week I read Post Secret and I came across this particular picture and it reminded me of the discussions that we have had in class about stereotypes. I found it interesting in this picture that there is an Indian wearing a ceremonial outfit with a head dress. Either this is a really offensive post because this particular person is not Indian and when they think stereotypes this is what they think of; or this could actually be an Indian girl or boy who does not fit into the stereotypes of being an Indian. I find all of this very interesting and it made me ponder what we spoke about in class about The Fighting Illini and their mascot. Maybe this particular person has the same feeling as that woman did in that video that we watched. I thought you all might want to take a gander at this post and let me know what you think about it as well!

An Author's Note

As we were in the computer lab last week in the Library, I stumbled across a complication. I didn't know that the books for our final project had to be insiders. I had gone to the library earlier that week and checked out a whole bunch of children's books about grandma's and grandpa's. I checked out a book call Grandpa Had a Stroke by Dori Hillestad Butler. I had read through this book and I absolutely loved it and I want to use it in my final project. However, I didn't know that the author's had to be insiders. So, while we were in the computer lab finding our scholarly articles, I look at this book in particular. I went on the author's website and I couldn't find anything about her having experience with grandparents have strokes or anything. On her website, I came across a page where you could send her an email if you had any questions about her or her book. I thought what a great way to personally talk to the author and ask her if she is an insider to this topic or not. I sent the email while we were at the library and I got a response shortly after. I was so excited that the author of a book that I am doing a research project emailed me back! She told me about her inspiration behind Grandpa Had a Stroke and she wanted to know more about the project. I thought this would be a good thing to tell everyone if they ever run into a problem or anything with a book; email the author and see what happens. I just thought it would be good advice, especially for the students that are in my class. It is pretty neat to actually talk to the author of a book you are researching!

Blogging in Action!

A quick post: I was out to coffee this morning with some friends and I looked over to the man sitting next to me and he was blogging! I thought it was so cool seeing somebody else blog. He was commenting on other people's blogs! So cool! Blogging in Action! Just thought I would share with everyone!

An Underrepresented Minority

After reading the articles that were assigned for class tomorrow, I began to think about how under represented disabilities are in children's literature. When I was reading the article by Tal entitled Swimming the Mainstream: A Discussion of Criteria for Evaluating Children’s Literature about Disabilities, I was amazed at the statistics that were shown. In this article, it said “in 1977….identified 311 books portraying people with disabilities published in the US in the previous thirty-six year (Tal 163).” Of all of the books that have published in the previous thirty-six years, I can bet that millions have been published and it is sad to think that only 311 have been published in regards to disabilities. After reading Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko, a disability of a young girl named Natalie is evenly displayed. This book shows a great example of a disability and that way that Natalie and the people around her respond to it. I know that people can make a difference in this realm of books. Joan K. Blaska did indeed make a difference in this minority group. She put together a series of books in which display disabilities. She also “developed teaching strategies for teachers and other professionals who use the books with preschool to third grade children (Williams).” This series of books creates an easy place to students to find things about disabilities. It is really sad that the disability genre is underrepresented and with enough information and the right people, we can make a change! It’s time to start!!

Pura Belpre Award

When & Why it was Established:
It was established in 1996. It was established to give recognition to a Latino/Latina author/illustrator who excelled in the portrayed the Latin culture in a children’s book.
The Selection Criteria:
What books: books written about Latin culture
What authors: Latino/Latina authors
What illustrators are eligible? Latino/Latina authors

Who Sponsors this award:
This award is co-sponsored by the Association for Library Service to Children and the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking

Who is on the selection committee:
The selection committee is a group of six individuals throughout the country. Some of the selection committee was simply librarians from different states. One of the women was actually the Latino Children's Literature Consultant in California.

Examples of who has won:
• Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan
o Gave an accurate portrayal of the Latin culture without using any stereotypes or bias to her culture. It was enjoyable and gave an insight to the Latin world, without throwing too much culture in your face
• Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida by Victor Martinez
o This book meets the criteria as it is written by a Latin author and gives an exciting and accurate portrayal of the culture. This book not only includes issues that only affect the Latin community, it covers problems that children/young adults of all cultures would face.
• First Day of Grapes by L. King Perez. Illustrated by Robert Casilla
o This book’s portrays the lifestyle and home life of a typical Latin family and the struggles of a young boy in his new town. This book describes the life of a migrant family and gives an accurate portrayal of the culture and its people.

A Walk on Campus

This is a quick blog post, but I wanted to share with everyone. I was walking through campus and as I was crossing the street there was this care with a license plate "HABIBI." I thought this was so cool and I wanted to share it with everyone. We just read this book for class, so I was really excited when I saw it!

A Weekend Home

This weekend, I went home and I babysat my little cousins. Before they go to bed every night, they get a book read to them. It was the oldest turn to pick out a book so she picked out a book that she had checked out from the library at her school. This book was called Help For A Dear Dragon by Margaret Hillert. The book was about a dragon who was sick and a little boy that helped him feel better. I know this does not have much to do with young adult books, but I thought it was an interesting book to talk about. After reading this book, I thought it was one of the worst books I have ever read (maybe I should bring it in for the worst book ever written!). I didn't like this book for a few reasons. Reason 1. the book was so choppy that it was so hard to read. 2. the pictures in the book were terrible. The lesson that is learned from this book is if a dragon is sick you need to take it to the doctor. That is a good lesson for kids to learn and I think it was portrayed well in this book, but it just didn't flow right. It was a beginners book for little children who are beginning to learn to read should read. This could be why it was so choppy, but it just was not a book that I would recommend reading or letting my child read. Just thought I would let everyone out there know about this book! If you get a chance you guys should read it! 

"Insider or Outsider?"

Hello everyone! Today was a beautiful day full of sunshine and smiles! However, what I loved the most about this day was TE 448. We got in a great discussion today in class about being and "insider or outsider" as far as literature is concerned. I believe that anybody can write a book if they set their mind to it. As far as I stand, I would be in the "insider" category. As much as I believe that anybody can write a book, I really enjoy those books that are written by people, for example, of Native American decent. I think it really portrays who the author is and what experiences he or she might have gone through. We read some books in class that I really enjoyed, but the ones that I enjoyed the most were the ones that were written by Native American people who were talking about their childhood or things that they have experienced. It creates a better image in my mind because I picture that instance actually happening. From today, I could tell the stories that weren't written by Native Americans and I think in literature, that is a little bit of an issue. I think an "insider" can really get into the minds of the readers and make a difference.

The only questions that I want to explore more in class are the authors. I think it is so important to know about the author and their backgrounds before reading a book. I think that can tell a lot of the book and where that author is coming from. Other than that, there aren't any other questions that I would like to explore at this point.

Introduction

Hey!
My name is Jen Flanagan. I am from River Forest, Illinois. It is about 10 minutes from Chicago! I am at Michigan State University and I am majoring in Elementary Education, specializing in Language Arts. I love children and I hope to one day have my own classroom teaching Kindergarten. I am very interested in diverse literature because I feel that it is very important to understand the differences around the world. It is very important to understand why people live the way that they live. I am looking forward to TE 448 and can't wait for a great semester!