Shulevitz, Uri. How I Learned

Shulevitz, Uri. How I Learned Geography. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 2008

ISBN: 9780374334994 0374334994; unpaged, primary school children's picture book. Full color hand drawn illustrations by the author. Deals with WWII in a tangential manner; issues of isolation, loneliness, travel, and learning. Caldecott Award winner.

This book tells the author's own story of escaping Poland with his family during World War Two, and of the joy that a map brings him in his dreary new home of Turkestan. The text is very brief and to the point, while the illustrations are full of detail and command attention and inspection, as the boy in the story finds escape through his imagination. The illustrations are a mixture of ink drawings and coloring, watercolors, and collage elements, and are closely framed in white when depicting the family huddled in their home, but without any restraining frames in the illustrations that show the boy's inner world. The end result is a heavy and poignant realism mixed with inspirational and whimsical worlds of fantasy.

Analytical Comments

Somewhat heavy topical material that will require background information/preparedness

Very rich illustrations that can be used as a source for discussion, but will likely not demand discussion without prompting

Incredibly evocative of the power of imagination and the ability to find hope in the midst of despair

Good source for discussion on a range of topics, providing an easier way in to heavy topics and a layering of some seriousness and purpose with lighter elements of creativity

Lesson Ideas

Draw pictures of places they would like to visit, real or imagined

Describe a memory from their past when they were lonely or frightened, and what they did to become less frightened

Listen to other stories about travel and moving to new countries

Act out what it is like to be alone, and how to make new friends

Create a welcoming piece of art for someone newly arrived in the country

Sartapi, Marjane. The Complete Persepolis. New York: Pantheon, 2007.

ISBN: 9780375714832 0375714839, 341 pages; color illustrations (graphic novel), intended for adolescent to adult readers for subject matter and themes. High critical acclaim, but no major awards.

This graphic novel, which is somewhat unique because it was authored and illustrated by a woman and is even more unique because this woman is from Iran, tells the story of the author's childhood during the years surrounding the Islamic Revolution. The story is at once highly personal and necessarily political, serving as both social commentary and a coming of age story. This combined volume continues to recount the author's adolescence in Vienna, away from her family, and of her ultimate decision to stay away from the country of her birth and its oppressive regime. Details emerge in sharp focus through the comic-book like illustrations that typify the graphic novel genre but find new life under Sartapi's hand.

Analytical Comments

Solid platform for discussion of multiculturalism and modern history on many different levels

Some suggestive/harsh scenarios

Definitely suggested for adolescent readers based on certain themes and subject matter

Graphic novel format might be difficult for some readers to deal with, especially given the length of the story arc(s)

Illustrations tell a great story through selection and exposition of specific details -- and through the omission of others

Lesson Ideas

Compose a research paper on the Iranian Revolution and the cultural changes that were a part of the period

Draw a five-panel story illustrating one incident from your own recent past

Discuss how the illustrations and the graphic novel format help to inform the story of Persepolis

Select one panel that could serve as a poster for the entire book and write a paragraph describing why this panel is representative of the work as a whole

Debate the pros and cons of the Iranian Revolution as seen in Persepolis and in real-world evidence

Gibson, William. The Miracle Worker. New York: Bantam, 1960.

ISBN: 0553247786 9780553247787, 122 pages, play. Appropriate for all audiences, intended primarily for adults but of interest to early adolescents and up. High critical appraise and winner of the Tony Award for Best Play in 1960, the year following the script's debut on Broadway.

This play is based on the autobiography of Helen Keller, focusing on the character of Helen's teacher Anne Sullivan and the struggle and ultimate triumph of this woman's struggle to teach Helen how to communicate and understand the world around her. Dramatic action must serve as a substitute for more direct textual exposition, making a reading of the play somewhat lackluster in comparison with viewing a full performance of the script. The characters are fully realized and highly compelling, however, and though the plot is generally well-known amongst most readers of a certain age level, the details and lifelike qualities of the story as told herein serve to freshen the tale and add new perspective to preconceived notions.

Analytical Comments

Comes off necessarily old-fashioned and somewhat forced to the modern reader, especially younger readers

Provides ample opportunity for the discussion of character in literature and story telling

Avenue for discussion of differences, capability levels, and unfair inferences that can be drawn regarding such issues

Clear characterization and story arc make for valuable discussion of literary construction on many levels

High emotional content and understanding demonstrated in the story/characters as well

Lesson Ideas

Act out a scene from the play, then switch roles

Discuss how the different perspectives change understanding

Design a set on which the play can take place, incorporating practical, aesthetic, and symbolic elements

Share one line of the play that you think completely demonstrates one of the characters, and explain why

Describe something to a partner without naming it, and with their eyes close, and see if they can guess what it is

Bruchac, Joseph. Pushing Up the Sky: Seven Native American Plays for Children. Teresa Flavin, ill. New York: Dial, 2000.

ISBN: 0803721684 9780803721685, 94 pages, illustrations with some color (ink, hand drawings) -- very detailed. Seven short plays aimed at young performers and audiences (primary school).