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.