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4.42 AVERAGE
4.42 AVERAGE
I had a lump in my throat towards the end of this book. You truly feel the emotion of this book as you read it and the regret that the main character feels for not having reached out in kindness and friendship. Great for discussion starter in 2nd grade on up.
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A simple story about a protagonist who misses the opportunity to do good. There is a deep message about how kindness spreads but it is not shown in the story arc. A very young person leans the sadness of regret
Occasionally, I read the By the Book column in the New York Times Book Review. I don't need any more books to read, but I am fascinated by what authors have to say about writing, reading and books. I was especially taken by what Woodson had to say. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/28/books/review/jacqueline-woodson-by-the-book.html?_r=0
That is what brought me to this book. I don't read a lot of picture books anymore. However, after reading that Woodson would teach this book to fifth graders, I wanted to see what it was about. There is too much to this story for me to be able to give a synopsis. Let me just say that I will be making sure my grandson encounters this book when he is a bit older. Woodson has written about empathy in a way that I did not expect. It is no wonder that she is such a respected storyteller.
I think everyone should encounter this tale and really think about Woodson is trying to tell us.
That is what brought me to this book. I don't read a lot of picture books anymore. However, after reading that Woodson would teach this book to fifth graders, I wanted to see what it was about. There is too much to this story for me to be able to give a synopsis. Let me just say that I will be making sure my grandson encounters this book when he is a bit older. Woodson has written about empathy in a way that I did not expect. It is no wonder that she is such a respected storyteller.
I think everyone should encounter this tale and really think about Woodson is trying to tell us.
During a snowy winter, a new girl came to class. Maya wore ragged clothes and a broken shoe that wouldn’t keep her foot dry in winter snow. The new girl was put next to Chloe, who refused to even look at her, moving far away in her seat and looking out the window. Day after day, Chloe never smiled or looked back. Maya kept trying, offering her new jacks she got for her birthday, but the girls all refused to play. Maya ended up playing alone. Then Maya was gone, her seat empty. That day, the class learned about kindness, about the way it ripples like a pebble dropped into water. The children were each given a small stone to drop in and tell the class about a kindness they had done. Chloe couldn’t think of any, her mind filled with the way she had treated Maya. As the days went by, Chloe hoped that Maya would return so that she could smile back. But then they heard that Maya had moved away. Chloe would not be able to return that smile.
Woodson does not pull back on her message here. She speaks directly to the sort of bullying that groups of girls are best at, ignoring and dismissing. Readers will immediately feel for Maya, who has done nothing at all to earn the scorn of the girls, except wear the wrong clothes. But Woodson also makes sure that we feel for Chloe too, using her as the narrator for the story. This works particularly well in the latter part of the book, where she is hopeful she will be able to right the wrong she has done.
Lewis’ art is realistic and quite simply amazing. He shows us through his images Maya’s side of the story, starting with her refusal to look at the class when introduced, her hopeful smile before Chloe turns away, and her isolation as the seasons change. After Maya leaves, Chloe is shown as the isolated one, alone on a blank white page, solitary in nature.
The power of this book is in the ending, where it does not wrap up happily with Maya returning and being embraced by the Chloe and her friends. Instead, it ends realistically with deep regrets and hope that Chloe will respond differently next time. This is a book sure to trigger discussions when shared with a class. I can see talking about bullying, kindness and differences.
Highly recommended, this is a powerful book that is worth sharing and discussing. Appropriate for ages 6-8.
Woodson does not pull back on her message here. She speaks directly to the sort of bullying that groups of girls are best at, ignoring and dismissing. Readers will immediately feel for Maya, who has done nothing at all to earn the scorn of the girls, except wear the wrong clothes. But Woodson also makes sure that we feel for Chloe too, using her as the narrator for the story. This works particularly well in the latter part of the book, where she is hopeful she will be able to right the wrong she has done.
Lewis’ art is realistic and quite simply amazing. He shows us through his images Maya’s side of the story, starting with her refusal to look at the class when introduced, her hopeful smile before Chloe turns away, and her isolation as the seasons change. After Maya leaves, Chloe is shown as the isolated one, alone on a blank white page, solitary in nature.
The power of this book is in the ending, where it does not wrap up happily with Maya returning and being embraced by the Chloe and her friends. Instead, it ends realistically with deep regrets and hope that Chloe will respond differently next time. This is a book sure to trigger discussions when shared with a class. I can see talking about bullying, kindness and differences.
Highly recommended, this is a powerful book that is worth sharing and discussing. Appropriate for ages 6-8.
I do believe this is the saddest picture book I've ever read. It paints a not-so-gentle picture of the effects of bullying at a young age and has a lovely message about being kind to one another. All I want to do now is give Maya a giant hug.
An beautiful book about not being kind and regretting it. This one focuses on how young girls in particular can be mean to each other.
I adored the illustrations. They were surpassingly wonderful, and perfect with the story. The story is unrepentantly sad, which I'm so in favor of. Real life rarely offers one the chance to make it all right in cases like this, and books that promise that ability are fairy tales. The unresolved, minor chord that this book ends upon makes it beautiful, poignant, and perhaps most importantly, something that lingers.
Maya is a new girl in school, who wears hand-me-down clothes. The students bully her and exclude her from play, even when she invites them to play with her toys she brings from home. The teacher one day creates a lesson, whereby she drops a stone into a bowl of water and has her students watch as ripples move outward. The teacher likens these ripples to the ripples that our actions create in the world. The narrator, Chloe, who has participated in bullying Maya, vows to treat her more kindly. However, the teacher reveals that Maya and her family had to move. Chloe grapples with the realization that she will never have the opportunity to show Maya kindness. Jacqueline Woodson has masterfully crafted a simple and powerful story, and the colorful, realistic illustrations by E.B. Lewis depict children’s expressions with nuance and emotion, which will help many students connect to and make meaning of the text.
Using the book for teaching/learning:
This book would provide a rich foundation for a unit on social change, as it focuses on seemingly small interactions on an everyday basis that can make a lasting difference (for better or worse).
-Recreate Ms. Albert’s activity of kindness: Each student drops a stone in the water as they say a kind act they have recently done. If, like the narrator, they cannot think of a kind thing they have done when it is their turn, they can say a kind thing that they will do. In a follow-up activity, we could in small groups check in to see if they completed the kind act.
-Re-write the story as if Chloe had made the decision to befriend Maya. How would that have affected Chloe’s friendship with the other students who make fun of Maya?
Writing and/or small group discussion prompts:
-How can we reciprocate (elaborate on meaning of word for younger students) kindness that others show us?
-Have you ever failed to return an act of kindness? How did that make you feel?
-Did you ever go along with teasing someone or doing something you did not think was right just because the rest of your friends did?
Considerations for use with dual-language learners (DLLs): I have read this book aloud to a second-grade DLL student. She immediately picked up on the judgement behind the narrator’s descriptions of Maya’s clothes. At one point, Chloe the narrator remarks, “One day, Maya came to school wearing a pretty dress and fancy shoes. But the shoes and the dress looked like they’d belonged to another girl before Maya.” The second grader said, “Not nice! She look so pretty!” The illustrations amplify the meaning of the words. DLLs may need help with specific vocabulary such as “secondhand,” though the students’ chanting and mocking “Never new!” may help with that connection.
Using the book for teaching/learning:
This book would provide a rich foundation for a unit on social change, as it focuses on seemingly small interactions on an everyday basis that can make a lasting difference (for better or worse).
-Recreate Ms. Albert’s activity of kindness: Each student drops a stone in the water as they say a kind act they have recently done. If, like the narrator, they cannot think of a kind thing they have done when it is their turn, they can say a kind thing that they will do. In a follow-up activity, we could in small groups check in to see if they completed the kind act.
-Re-write the story as if Chloe had made the decision to befriend Maya. How would that have affected Chloe’s friendship with the other students who make fun of Maya?
Writing and/or small group discussion prompts:
-How can we reciprocate (elaborate on meaning of word for younger students) kindness that others show us?
-Have you ever failed to return an act of kindness? How did that make you feel?
-Did you ever go along with teasing someone or doing something you did not think was right just because the rest of your friends did?
Considerations for use with dual-language learners (DLLs): I have read this book aloud to a second-grade DLL student. She immediately picked up on the judgement behind the narrator’s descriptions of Maya’s clothes. At one point, Chloe the narrator remarks, “One day, Maya came to school wearing a pretty dress and fancy shoes. But the shoes and the dress looked like they’d belonged to another girl before Maya.” The second grader said, “Not nice! She look so pretty!” The illustrations amplify the meaning of the words. DLLs may need help with specific vocabulary such as “secondhand,” though the students’ chanting and mocking “Never new!” may help with that connection.
This book--lushly illustrated and sensitively written--teaches empathy and kindness in an accessible way. One of my daughters really connected to it despite only being 5 years old.