With COVID-19 cases increasing in our area, day by day, the uncertainty of what the fall semester will look like is looming, too. As I was reading Chris Van Dusen's If I Built a School with my daughter, we kept comparing each page to what we'd each want. Usually her opinions were even more fanciful than the main character's imagination of having a zoo in the school; mine were more logistical and practical, wondering if classes would have to rotate animal-keeping duty. Maybe that's because I'm knee-deep in COVID-mode, and am way too preoccupied with how things are going to be--especially in the library. The preliminary ideas from last month may or may not apply by August, so we'll just have to wait and see. And....maybe that's why I loved jumping into this book so much, especially now. Chris Van Dusen has written three "If I Built a...." books. I first became familiar with his work through his collaborations with one of my all-time favorite authors, Kate DiCamillo, on her Mercy Watson series. His illustrations, especially in this book, have a very Jetsons-like, retro whimsy, and they just make you want to smile! This book made me yearn for field trips and hands-on learning experiences...things we may have to curb in the near future, but hopefully not for long, since those are the types of things students love and remember the most. To check out more of his work, visit his website at: http://www.chrisvandusen.com/ .
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When I was growing up in South Texas, we'd always get stopped at the Sarita Border Patrol Checkpoint on our way back from Mexico. They'd shine a flashlight into the car and start asking questions. My mom had black hair and an olive complexion, and we knew it was really she who was expected to talk, to prove she belonged on this side of the border, but sometimes they'd talk to the three of us kids sitting in the back seat of our 1978 banana cream pie-yellow Buick. As a shy little girl, I was always left with mixed feelings and unanswered questions...and David Bowles's poem "Checkpoint" from They Call Me Güero flooded all those memories and feelings back to me. Growing up, we were ignorant of our Mexican heritage. I know that sounds incredible, and it's a twisting, convoluted story of its own, but I know this is why I found this book so poignant and personal. There are so many moments in this book that are familiar to me from an experiential/cultural sense, because I was raised in South Texas, but at the time it was through the lens of a friend or girlfriend, not within my own family. But truly, that doesn't matter--for myself or any other reader of this beautifully-crafted book. Themes transcend culture, and the poems in this book are universal: how family is the cornerstone, friendship, triumphing over adversity, and individualism are all threads running through these poems. As this book unfolds, we see Güero interact with his family members, friends, first girlfriend, bullies, teachers who believe in him, and how he navigates the challenges of middle school and hones his gifts as a reader and poet. Readers can identify with it all, even if the setting and Spanish words peppered throughout aren't familiar...and that's what the glossary is for! In these poems, Spanish and English are mixed seamlessly, just as languages are blended in so many families living anywhere cultures intersect. Another thing I love about this book: They Call Me Güero, much like the 2018-19 Texas Bluebonnet Award nominee Garvey's Choice by Nikki Grimes, is a book of poetry written from the first person point of view of a male adolescent. I was teaching 3rd grade when Garvey's Choice was on the list, and I saw how the subject matter really opened up a few of my male students to poetry. Before reading that book to them, it had been eyerolls and groans, because their experiences with poetry hadn't made it relevant enough to their own lives. So I'm thrilled to have another opportunity to promote a book that will appeal to and hopefully widen the reading lives of my students. I can't wait! Image retrieved from Social Justice Books
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Recent events in our world have challenged me to think about what I think I know about race and diversity, as well as examine my own personal biases. I could go on about that here, but what I'd rather focus on is how this will apply to my new position as an elementary teacher librarian. Diversity in books was always important as to me as a classroom teacher, but as a librarian it will be even more important in curating the library collection for over 1,200 students!
Through my undergrad and graduate studies, as well as my library practicum, the work of Rudine Sims Bishop has come up time and time again. You may know of her work, but not know it was she who wrote about the need for "Windows and Mirrors" in children's literature. [To read her original piece, click here, and to learn more about her, click here. Grace Lin has aTED Talk referencing this as well.] During this time of COVID-19, I mentioned Bishop's work on a FB post, and a friend from high school thanked me for mentioning the concept. She was having to make a presentation at work the next day on the importance of finding mentors who were BIPOC for her company's new interns, and the idea of these interns needing "windows and mirrors" as professional role models fit perfectly with what she was hoping to explain to the powers that be. So what starts in libraries really can change the world!
As I'm slowing wading through the remnants of my former classroom library, deciding what to keep or give away, I zeroed in on Chris Barton's What Do You Do With a Voice Like That? The Story of Extraordinary Congresswoman Barbara Jordan . It's on the new Texas Bluebonnet List for 2020-21 and beautifully illustrated by Ekua Holmes. Growing up in Texas, I knew that Barbara Jordan was one of the giants of Texas politics, and she was still teaching at The University of Texas when I was an undergrad. She was a trailblazer in life and is still admired today as a master orator and influential leader.
This book is the perfect example of the goal of Bishop's writings of promoting books that are mirrors and windows: Barbara Jordan persevered and overcame the obstacles of her time pursuing a career in law, education, and politics, and she is a figure whose life is inspiring to all. In our home, we talk regularly with our children about current events, and after reading this book with together, I found clips of her on YouTube to share with them. While reading this book, I kept wondering what words Jordan would choose today to craft and measure her message, full of wisdom and gravitas, wishing she were still with us, forever an inspiration.
UPDATE: 7/24/2020: I believe this is the Barbara Jordan speech referenced in the comments below. Although we are sadly still working on the issues she highlights, we are fortunate to have her words of wisdom to keep inspiring us today, and we continue to work.
Jordan, B. [Austin History Center YouTube Channel]. (1988. October 6). Barbara Jordan's address at the LBJ Library [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/MYAYOsr5xI4
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