The Three Little Pigs

Our summer vacation is quickly becoming a shimmering memory as we find ourselves already in the fourth week of school. I am still in the trenches as a teacher, my first professional love, but am also spending much of my time consolidating the sources found during the past 30 years at Birchwood School on this topic of literature that builds character. So the blog begins anew with fresh purpose: as a legacy for our alumni, their children, and friends. Sharing stories here is in the spirit of the literary heritage of tales passed down from generation to generation for the instruction of children.

I began this year with my eighth graders telling them the story of The Three Little Pigs. That's right, they are not too old for this nursery tale! They followed me with bemused looks as I told the tale using all the appropriate voices. "Little pig, little pig, let me come in."
"Not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin."
"Then I'll huff! whooooooooooo! and I'll puff! whooooooooooooooo! and I'll blowwwww your house in!" And down fall in succession the houses of the first two little pigs who had built their houses of straw (first piggy) and sticks (second little piggy). But when the wolf does the same routine with the third little piggy, he fails. Why? Because he built his house out of bricks. It took longer. It was harder work. But he used the right materials and his house stayed put.

The lesson in this fable was easy for these students to see. I was talking about starting the year with the right materials and the right mind set. A second application was that of the carpenter: Imagine him showing up to work without a hammer? without nails? He'd tell his customer,  "Sorry, Ma'am, I hope to put your cabinet together today. Shucks, I just forgot my hammer, but I'll see what I can do." What a joke. Eighth graders can see right away the need for sharpened pencils, paper on hand etc. But it requires repeated talks shared by many of us through varieties of stories, biographies, and personal or family anecdotes to infuse children when it comes to having the right motivations and attitudes.

One can't help but wonder how much was behind the original telling of the traditional tales. The origins of these tales are hard to trace, but how they have endured is easier to see. The message is universal, as in the case of this tale about the three pigs:  Build your life with solid materials! It may take longer to make, find, and build with bricks but if you take the shortcut and build quickly with straw or sticks your foundation cannot hold you through all manner of wolves and storms that come your way. (Parents and teachers have their own embellishments. The "straw" can be the ideas in your head of what you think you can do without much work. The "sticks" are the ways we do things half-way. etc.) No doubt this tale reflects the instruction and hopes that every parent or teacher has for their child. It also calls to mind the parable of the man who built his house upon the sand or the sower who did not sow upon good soil. Thus, the wisdom of the ages is in the simplest of tales.

When folklorist Joseph Jacobs collected the English tales (as Perrault had done for the French and the Grimm brothers for the German) he had this to say, "This book," he wrote of English Fairy Tales, "is meant to be read aloud, and not merely taken in by the eye." (ed. Maria Tatar. The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales.) Make the drama come alive! (And, with young children there is no need to tack on a lesson. Just tell the tale; lessons seep in over time all on their own.) The origins are hard to trace and the tale spans cultures. An interesting history is assembled in the Wikipedia article. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Little_Pigs

I grew up on the Disney version and the lessons play back as a movie in my mind to this day. But it is my mother's voice that I hear and strive to copy when I squeak to my eighth graders: "Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin!"

Mary McLeod Bethune

Mary McLeod Bethune
Eloise Greenfield

I recently reread this biography due to a global issues topic we were covering at school. We were on a search for inspiring women in history who were pioneers in the struggle to improve rights for women in an array of particular times and places. I had first come in contact with her about 15 years ago when Chuck and I were scouring library shelves for well-written biographies that could be read aloud to young children. (More about this author further down.) I had never heard of Mary McLeod Bethune up until that point, but after learning about her inspiring life we decided we needed to purchase a few versions of her story at various age levels. I was freshly inspired by Bethune after reading this biography last week.

Mary was a child of former slaves. Her parents struggled to own and farm land in the south after the war. When, as a young girl, she had a hunger for learning, her parents allowed her to pursue her dream despite the family's need for all the children (17 of them!) to help on the farm. After achieving this goal, she felt that other African American girls should have the same opportunity so she founded the Daytona Educational and Industrial School for Negro Girls in Florida. In 1923, the school merged with the all-male Cookman Institute of Jacksonville and became the Bethune-Cookman College. She was the school's president for two decades while also pursuing social justice issues at local, state, and national levels. This is an inspiring tale of a girl who rose from poverty to pursue every opportunity to better herself and also the lives of others; and, it is all contained in this readable account for children ages 9 -12. Isn't that an amazing feat for a writer!

Since then, I have had my eye on Eloise Greenfield. Everything I read by her conveys her belief that literature is a powerful vehicle by which children can learn about themselves in meaningful contexts.Whether it is through the melodies in her poetry or the ease of her storytelling in both fiction and biography, her mission for children comes through. But I should introduce you to her passion in her own words. In her book Childtimes: A Three-Generation Memoir she describes growing up happily in a close-knit neighborhood. In the introduction she says:
People are a part of their time. They are affected, during the time that they live by the things that happen in their world. Big things and small things. A war, an invention such as radio or television, a birthday party, a kiss. All of these help to shape the present and the future. If we could know more about our ancestors, about the experiences they had when they were children, and after they had grown up, too, we would know much more about what has shaped us and our world.

Therein is a theme I have repeated several times in this blog. Parents, tell your children the stories of their ancestors! Take Greenfield's advice that the stories do not have to be dramatic or filled with life-changing events. I recall my mom telling me about huddling around the radio with the family as news about World War II unfolded. That conjured up the picture of a family in a living room being together. I also remember that she told me she was given a nickel every week to spend and that she usually bought penny candy. That was a happy picture and the impression it had was that even in hard times her parents gave her a little something to make her skip and smile. These are powerful and lasting images.

The list of awards that Eloise Greenfield has won is a long one. One website search will bring up many articles. While this one by the National Council of Teachers of English is older (1997), it tells her story well and includes her awards and publications.
http://www.ncte.org/library/nctefiles/about/awards/greenfield.pdf

Did You Carry the Flag Today, Charlie?

Did You Carry the Flag Today, Charley?
Rebecca Caudill

Carrying the flag is an award for a child at the Little School who has been very good. When Charley Cornett starts school, his brothers and sisters explain to him that such a high honor is a privilege and goes to someone who has been the most helpful. This has been a tradition at this school in the Appalachian Mountains. Charley happens to be a very curious boy who gets into mischief. Growing up in the mountains has been the perfect place for him to love rocks, snakes, tree-climbing, and exploring. Certainly he is not expected to ever be the one who carries the flag! Yet, one day, Charley ends up with the award in a surprising way. And Charley learns something big that day too.

Rebecca Caudill grew up in Kentucky and many of her books are rich in pioneer history and/or the Appalachian Mountain setting. Tree of Freedom was a Newbery Honor book in 1959 and A Pocketful of Cricket, illustrated by Evaline Ness won the Caldecott Medal in 1964. The latter has beautiful poetic prose. Another popular book (among many!) is The Best Loved Doll. In honor of her contributions to children's literature the town of Cumberland, Kentucky dedicated a public library in her name, and the state of Illinois created the annual Rebecca Caudill Award for the favorite children's book of the year.

It is well worth the time to explore the website that hosts the Rebecca Caudill Young Reader Book Award.

http://www.rcyrba.org/

Children from Illinois vote for their favorite book of the year from a list of twenty titles. The choices over the past 25 years provide a wonderful list of quality reading for young readers. I loved this quote by the author found on this site: 

“The first essential in any book is that it have something significant to say --a book that leaves the reader with bigger ideas than when he began reading - that stimulates his thinking, stretches his mind, deepens his feelings. A good book sticks to your ribs.”  Rebecca Caudill In her intentions for the role of children's literature in the lives of children, she is an author after our own hearts!

The Gold Coin

The Gold Coin
Alma Flor Ada

The cumulative tale style is fun to read, enjoyable to hear, and a wonderful example of how picture books inculcate values in children. Though an original story, it has the feeling of folklore and fable. Set in Central America, a thief named Juan tries to steal Dona Josefa's gold coin. She has just said she thinks she is the richest person in the world. However, Juan is to learn that what she meant is more about the value of friendship, hard work, and goodness. As he follows her in his attempts to steal her coin, he is affected by the beauty around him in nature and the pleasant memories that come to him from his prior life. These encounters with the old woman lead him to realize he cannot be a thief anymore. The illustrations by Neil Waldman portray the Central American setting and hardworking farmers along Juan's path. The story won the Christopher Medal given to a story that uplifts the human spirit. A CD is available in which the author reads the story in English and again in Spanish. La moneda de oro!

My Uncle Emily

My Uncle Emily
Jane Yolen

This is a beautiful story from the life of Emily Dickinson, told from the view of her 6-year-old nephew, Gilbert. He begins by explaining that she calls herself "uncle" and that this is a joke in their family. Gilbert is entranced by the words his aunt uses to describe bees and roses. We learn that he loves to spend time with her in her garden, and it seems quite natural that Gilbert has taken on a poetic way of talking that fills this story with descriptive phrases and similies. As he tells about this episode he also ponders what his aunt means by poetry, and readers get a sense of the curiosity and wonder of this young boy. When he punches a boy in the nose who he thinks is making fun of his Uncle Emily, he has more to learn about being impetuous and about telling the truth. This becomes the ripe occasion for the author to bring into the story one of Dickinson's great poems. Tell all the truth...but tell it slant...   

The Story of Ruby Bridges

The Story of Ruby Bridges
Robert Coles

In 1960, Louisiana began the desegregation of its schools at Franz Elementary School in New Orleans. Ruby Bridges was the first African-American child to attend an all-white school in the South  Federal marshalls had to accompany this six-year-old little girl as she walked up the sidewalk to the school amidst the jeers of an angry racist white crowd. For several months white parents kept their children home from school in protest, and Ruby entered her first grade classroom alone. This is a story of courage and faith, one which served as a catalyst for desegregation to continue in schools throughout the South.

I have read this picture book version of the story to students in grades four to eight. At least two messages are clear and powerful: dignity in the face of adversity and forgiveness. To enter into the times and feelings of this event more fully, I also recommend the movie that was made for TV in 1998. It can now be purchased as a Disney DVD. (98 minutes) Other inspiring characters are fleshed out in the movie. Children see how this was not an easy decision for her parents who struggled between the high cause of desegregation and the impact on their daughter. They knew how Ruby's actions could inspire others and pave the way for other children to live in a more just society; yet, they understood the peril of exposing her to the hostile mob. What is particularly striking (and encouraging to me) is that the movie portrays how racist white people could actually change their views.

Note on Robert Coles: 
Coles is a child psychiatrist, professor at Harvard University, and author of books with titles such as The Call of Stories: Teaching and the Moral Imagination, The Moral Intelligence of Children, and The Spiritual Life of Children. He feels that we learn our most lasting moral lessons through stories. Among his many awards, he has received the Pulitzer Prize for Nonfiction and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In the early years of looking for literature that would build character in children at our school, we stumbled upon Coles. As we sought to describe how it is that stories have power to kindle and hold the moral imaginations of children, his writings provided eloquent support.

Abraham Lincoln - 2

Several months ago I shared several quality biographies about Abraham Lincoln for early to middle elementary grade children. This second installment provides a few titles for the middle to upper elementary age group. Comments are welcome! Share your enjoyment of these books or let us know about other good biographies of Lincoln.

Abe Lincoln: Log Cabin to White House by Sterling North
This biography for middle school and junior high students recounts the many obstacles Lincoln faced and portrays how his disposition and wit enabled him to continue on his interesting path from poverty to the presidency. I admit that I singled this book out of the many offerings on this subject because I love the author! Sterling North wrote the story called Rascal, one of the most beautiful stories for children and adults ever written! There is a Sterling North Society in Edgerton, Wisconsin which celebrates his literature and good children's literature in general.
http://www.sterlingnorthsociety.com/

Sterling North was commissioned by Random House to write a biography about Washington and Lincoln for the Landmark Biography Series. This is one of the original books of the series.


Abraham Lincoln by William Jay Jacobs
In the fourth and fifth grades, we have used this biography as a read-aloud in our opening times at school and also for a class book to be read by all students. Jacobs accomplishes both a well-written narrative and a clear portrayal of Lincoln's virtues.


Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman
You cannot go wrong when you pick up any history or biography book written by this author. Freedman incorporates reliable historical research - including photos, letters, and speeches - onto the pages of his books. Every book of his presents an engaging account of a topic, person, or era in history. This stunning book won the Newbery Medal in 1988 for the manner in which he combined nineteenth century art and historical photographs with appropriate historical writing for children. He knows how to handle complex societal and political issues in a way that explains topics such as slavery and elections to children without weighing down the text. He covers Lincoln with depth and in a manner that is well-rounded; while he does not exaggerate Lincoln's virtues, his story portrays the greatness and importance of our 16th president.


Lincoln: The Prairie Years and the War Years by Carl Sandburg
This won the Pulitzer Prize and for an older reader and lover of Lincoln it is a wonderful (though lengthy) biography. It was originally published in six volumes, but it has been since published in one volume. When it was written, it was considered one of the finest biographies of the time. In Sandburg's poetic style he seeks to discover what makes a man great.