Sunday, July 8, 2012

Picture Books - How Difficult Can the Subject Be?



   


This Week's Talk Point 
Today many authors of picture books tackle subjects such as death, dying, war, and homelessness. Are these subjects appropriate for younger children? Maurice Sendak's We are all in the Dumps with Jack and Guy depicts homelessness and includes images from the Holocaust. Eleanor Coerr's Sadako tells the story of a Japanese girl who contracts leukemia and dies following the bombing of Hiroshima. Maira Kalman's Fireboat and Jeannette Winter's September Roses are stories that depict the destruction of the World Trade Center. (Also see Sami and the Time of the Troubles by Florence Parry Heide, Hiroshima No Pika by Toshi Maruki, and Rose Blanche by Roberto Innocenti. Another author who tackles tough subjects like homelessness, racial tension, discrimination, and war is Eve Bunting.) 


You can read part of each of these books on Amazon.com by clicking on the links above. Book cover images from Amazon.




Try to read at least one of the titles mentioned above, or a book with a similarly difficult subject.


We would love to hear from teachers and students about your thoughts about this topic. Please leave a comment, answering one or more of these questions.



Is there a place for such books in your classroom? Why or why not? If you decide such books are important, with what ages would you share such books? 

How would you introduce these titles to your students? 

 What role can and do the illustrations play in mediating the difficult topic the book presents to children?








Talk Point from Charlotte Huck's Children's Literature by Barbara Z. Kiefer
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8 comments:

  1. Joy KirrJuly 8, 2012 at 8:31 AM

    Good morning, Denise!
    I don't teach young kids, and I don't have any, either. But I embrace tackling issues like these with my 6-yr-old niece & nephew. It sparks such conversation, creates empathy, and they may ponder it for awhile, sparking a desire to improve the world. I don't know, I have big dreams, and think books can influence children of the world. I think t may depend on the book and the group of students, of course. Ugh. Tough topic! Have a great discussion about it!
    -Joy

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  2. Denise KrebsJuly 8, 2012 at 8:20 PM

    Thanks, Joy! I'll be excited to hear what people have to say about these books too.

    I love what you've said about empathy -- an important thing that can be taught through literature!

    Thanks,
    Denise

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  3. Emily HamstraJuly 11, 2012 at 11:01 AM

    I think it's important to tackle the "tough" issues with students regardless of their age. Obviously, how in depth in the discussions you get with the issue depends on the age, but I think it's important to teach the students about things like death, being sick, and homelessness. Like Joy stated above, it helps create empathy and also helps them think about life in general. It tackles real life issues that will affect a person at some point in their life. Some students may already have gone through a difficult time, so they may need help in learning how to "deal" with it.

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    1. Denise KrebsJuly 11, 2012 at 2:48 PM

      Emily,
      Do you think reading about difficult topics helps children go through difficult times in general?
      Like reading a book about Hiroshima or 9/11--will that help students who have gone through a difficult time too?

      Or, like Carie gave some good examples below, do you think the book should be more specific about the difficulty the child is going through? (loss of a pet or family member, divorce, etc., because you could find specific books (many titles!) on each of these topics.)

      What do you think?
      Denise

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  4. UnknownJuly 11, 2012 at 2:01 PM

    I think there is a place for some of these types of picture books in the classroom, but more so for middle school grades. As far as introducing the title to students, I would be straightforward with the content of the book and how it’s related to the unit of study. As a parent, picture books are a great resource to help a struggling child deal with the loss of a family member, the loss of a pet, medical issues that may require surgery, and divorce- to name a few. Additionally, children experience big life changes such as blending families through marriage or going to Kindergarten. I think the illustrations help start a dialogue about a difficult topic allowing for a conversation in a more relaxed situation- versus a sit down serious talk about a difficult topic.

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    1. Denise KrebsJuly 11, 2012 at 2:44 PM

      Carie,
      Do you think there is a difference in the subjects of books listed above (war, the Holocaust, terrorism, homelessness) and those you mention that children are more used to in the U.S. (death, divorce and remarriage, hospitalization)?

      I really am not sure what I think about that. Of course, the topics are different, as we can see. However, for children, I don't know if they are necessarily more difficult, as I see them. The difficult subjects you mention would be closer to home for them, more real.

      What do you think about the topics listed in the post?

      Thanks,
      Denise

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    2. UnknownJuly 13, 2012 at 3:45 PM

      The topics listed in the post are definately for middle school and older students. It's important for students to know about the cultural differences, poverty, death, war, homelessness; however, you have to walk a fine line. I wouldn't even go there with the Hiroshima book simply because of the cover. The books would be excellent supplements to a unit of study on such topics.

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    3. Denise KrebsJuly 13, 2012 at 9:11 PM

      I agree that the books would be excellent supplements units of study. There is such wonderful literature that ties in with nonfiction texts and topics.

      Good point about older students. There are beautiful picture books that can be moving and meaningful for middle school, high school, and even adults!

      Thanks,
      Denise

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