Shen's Books: A World of Stories

I'm a niche blogger. I know that and I still sleep at night. I will not be in anyone's top ten list unless, of course, the list is titled "Best Blogs for Helping Upper Elementary and Middle School Teachers Use Picture Books in Their Instruction."

But even then, I'm not a sure thing.

But being a niche guy, I love to explore books from niche children's publishers. Like my blog, they choose to focus their efforts on a single purpose. I've blogged about Lee and Low in the past, and that publishing house absolutely fits this description. But now let me introduce you to Shen's Books.

In their own words,

Shen’s Books is a publisher of multicultural children’s literature that emphasizes cultural diversity and tolerance, with a focus on introducing children to the cultures of Asia. Our incredibly talented authors and illustrators have created books for elementary grade children that reflect the highest standards of art and literature.

Through books, we can share a world of stories, building greater understanding and tolerance within our increasingly diverse communities as well as throughout our continuously shrinking globe.

I checked out their web site and many of their books, and they absolutely deliver on these promises. But while providing a much needed emphasis on multicultural storytelling, they in no way skimped on storytelling and illustration, the very heart and soul of picture books.

In Grandfather's Story Cloth, for example, young Chersheng is upset by his grandfather's memory loss due to Alzheimer's disease. His memories seem to return when Grandfather studies the images on the story cloth he created while in a refugee camp following the Vietnam War. Even then, Chersheng wonders why the memories end there. Why didn't grandfather create another story cloth to illustrate his immigration to America and the new life he made? Chersheng discovers a way to make that happen.

For me, this book generated many possible connections for classroom study:

• Like Mem Fox's Wilfrid Gordon MacDonald Partridge, this books holds many possibilities for discussions of memory, as well as our relationships with older generations. Like that book, Grandfather's Story Cloth doesn't offer solutions but understanding. See the guiding questions at a previous post for Wilfrid Gordon; many can be adapted for use with Grandfather's Story Cloth.
• Many grade level curriculums include units on immigration, and this book provides a glimpse of a cultural group that is often forgotten when discussing this topic. The Hmong people who helped the United States during the Vietnam War sacrificed their loved ones and their homeland, and came to America as true refugees. What conflicts were evident in their struggle to acclimate to this new country, while trying to maintain the memories and traditions of the old?
• Many picture books employ quilts as metaphors for relationships. This book uses a similar symbol, but in a way that isn't contrived. How is Grandfather's Story Cloth similar in theme to Valerie Flournoy's The Patchwork Quilt? What do both books tell us about our relationships with our family members?
• Teachers may wish for students to explore other ways in which cultures have recorded their stories: How is this story cloth similar to ancient petroglyphs found the world over? How is it similar to Sioux picture writing, to Egyptian hieroglyphics, to the Bayeux Tapestry? Do we as a culture still share messages in a similar way?
  

Chinese History Stories: Stories from the Zhou Dynasty is a collection of fantastic stories about "foolish kings, clever scholars, brave generals, and kind-hearted princesses." The best part? They're all true!

Students will recognize universal themes of bravery, sacrifice, and loyalty while at the same time learning "just enough" about Chinese history and culture to allow these stories to transcend simple anecdotes. I love that each story is illustrated by a different artist; this definitely adds to each tale's unique personality. Stories from the Zhou Dynasty is the first book of a two volume set (the second volume tells tales of China's Imperial Period, from 221 BC to 1911 AD).

How could teachers use this book in the classroom?

• I would absolutely use this book as a theme setter (an introductory book) before launching into a novel study. If I were about to teach a novel on the theme of loyalty, determination, or loss, I could easily find a story in this collection which would enable my students to construct their own understandings and connection to those themes.
• Each of the nineteen stories can act as a writing model. Following a read aloud of one of these tales, the teacher might ask: How does the author draw a picture of each character so quickly? What devices are used to move the story line? How is what's left out of the story as important as what's included? What are readers left to infer for themselves?
• Students can draw conclusions about Chinese culture and customs from the stories. What does this story teach us about Chinese culture? Would or could this same story take place in our culture? Have we heard similar themes in tales from other cultures?

For the younger crowd, Cora Cooks Pancit (written by Dorina K. Lazo Gilmore and illustrated by Kristi Valiant) is a definite winner. Little Cora is eager for her chance to act as Mama's assistant chef, and when the time comes, it's pancit that they create. What's pancit? What better way to find out than to read the book and then use the simple recipe included in back to create that same Filipino dish in your own classroom.

This book has received very high marks in picture book circles (yeah, that cool crowd in which I so often travel), and would be a great addition to any elementary unit on families, cultures, heritage, foods, relationships, or immigration. I love the big, lush pictures, as well as the many perspectives from which the reader is allow to view the action. (A great book to tie in with some old favorites of mine by Nora Dooley: Everybody Brings Noodles, Everybody Cooks Rice, Everybody Bakes Bread, and Everybody Serves Soup. These terrific titles discuss the similarities of cultural cooking in a fun way).

I recommend you visit the site for yourself (be sure to enter the drawing for free books). You'll find that while this publisher does specialize in certain topics, the variety of the books it offers is quite large. In addition to the historical tales I mentioned above, Shen's also produces more traditional nonfiction titles about Asian culture including D is for Doufu: An Alphabet Book of Chinese Culture (in addition to Romanized versions of the words, Chinese pictograms are frequently included), and Land of Morning Calm: Korean Culture Then and Now.

Blueberry Girl

I'll be announcing winners for America's White Table tomorrow. In fact, due to the impressive number of requests for that book, I'll also be announcing another giveaway!

In the meantime, enjoy this beautiful trailer for Blueberry Girl, a gorgeous picture book from the usually-kinda-scary but nonetheless extremely talented Newbery Award winner Neil Gaiman.

Okay Gals, Play Ball!

I received a couple enthusiastic emails about my Women in Baseball post, so when I ran across this little documentary of the Racine Belles, thought I'd drop it in here for my readers.

Going Extra Innings with Baseball Picture Books

Baseball is America's great pastime. But baseball is also history, science, biography, statistics, and story. Here I discuss just a few of the dozens of titles available for exploring this beloved (and to many, sacred) sport. And no worries, ladies; you'll get your turn at bat in the next post. Those ladies with "dirt on their skirts" have equally amazing stories to tell.

Universal Themes:
Acceptance, Accomplishment, Change, Culture, Determination, Differences, Enthusiasm, Excellence, Generations, Heroism, Inspiration, Leadership, Loyalty, Memory, Origins, Perspectives, Prejudice, Pride, Respect, Social Change, Success, Teamwork, Tolerance, Tradition

Before Reading Questions

• Who here has ever played baseball or softball?
• How do you feel about baseball as a sport?
• Who has ever been to a stadium to see a game? Do you prefer major leagues or minor leagues?
• Who collects baseball cards? Why? Who has a favorite player, or who has a mom or dad that has a favorite player?

Home Run: The Story of Babe Ruth
written by Robert Burleigh
illustrated by Mike Wimmer

Through one at-bat, this story eloquently retells how Babe Ruth changed baseball forever. The illustrations are bold and immediate; each one puts us squarely in the action. Many, especially those that depict the crowd, are nostalgically reminiscent of Norman Rockwell paintings. The large text is almost poetry, and finer historical details are provided on the backs of baseball cards which adorn each page. For those of us who may have forgotten just how large a shadow the Babe cast (literally and figuratively), these facts remind us. For example, in 1921, with 59 home runs, Babe had more than most other entire American League teams.

Teammates
written by Peter Golenbock
illustrated by Paul Bacon

While most Americans can identify Jackie Robinson and his achievement in becoming the first black player to play on a Major League baseball team, few know much about the players of the Negro Leagues and their contributions to the game. This simple picture book provides just enough background for students to understand the difficulties and sacrifice involved with Robinson's decision, and it beautifully illustrates how Pee Wee Reese stood by his friend when even his own teammates disparaged and ostracized Robinson openly.

I often use this book to introduce the concept of conflict. We discuss the conflict of character vs. society when Jackie chooses to leave the Negro Leagues for the Major Leagues at a time when American society was still widely and systematically segregated. Character vs. character conflicts are evident in both the fans' and teammates' rejections of Robinson. Finally, Jackie faced a conflict with himself as he struggled to find the courage to persevere through the most trying times. Players on opposing teams tried to spike him with their cleats or beam him in the head with high pitches. He received death threats from both individuals and organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan. But Pee Wee Reese's single, bold show of solidarity and friendship proved to Jackie and the world that nothing could stand in the way of an idea whose time had come, ushered in by a man of good heart and great talent.

Across the Alley
written by Richard Michelson
illustrated by E.B.Lewis

Abe and Willie are next door neighbors but can't play together because Abe's grandfather feels that Jewish boys shouldn't waste their time with baseball. Little does Grandfather know that every night Abe pretends he's Sandy Koufax, and he and Willie toss a ball back and forth across the alley. But what happens when they're discovered by Grandfather?

There's obviously more to this story, but I want you to experience it for yourself. In addition to some beautiful imagery and language, the author introduces readers to Sandy Koufax, Satchel Paige, and Jascha Heifetz, but only by name. Who were these people? Why are they mentioned? We also hear references to the Negro Leagues and the Nazis, but again, we're not given full explanations. So this book offers many opportunities for students to create their own historical context for a better understanding of the story's core ideas.

Oliver's Game
by Matt Tavares

When Oliver discovers an old jersey in the back of his grandfather's shop, he's surprised to learn that it belongs to Grandfather. "But you never played for the Cubs," protests Oliver. And so Grandfather retells the tale of the jersey and how one fateful day (December 7, 1941) changed the life of every American.
This book recalls the heroism of those who chose to serve their country, and it also points out that baseball is for everyone, not just the lucky few who can play on the field.

We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball
written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson

You might argue that this isn't a picture book since it's divided into chapters. Well, I don't know what book you're talking about, because mine is divided into innings. It's also filled with some of the most outstanding artwork to grace the pages of any book in recent memory. Kadir Nelson's paintings are heroic, iconic, and simply mesmerizing. They dare the reader not to explore the lives of these great players of Negro baseball. Read in "installments" over a period of days, this book will prove a big hit with your students. Another thing I love about it: it's narrated in the first person, using "we." We are there to witness the tribulations and triumphs.

Post Reading Questions

Extension Ideas: Language Arts

• Apart from baseball, what else was this book about?
• Which parts of this book do we know are real? Which parts might be fiction? Does it matter which are which?
• What were some difficulties the main character faced in this book?
• What do you think happened next?
• Many students will want to write about their own experiences playing baseball. Those who prefer another sport or activity or who have had little experience with playing or watching baseball can either write about their own sport, or create a fictional narrative about any sport they choose.
• The Educator's Reference Desk features a Negro League Baseball lesson plan on writing which uses the picture book The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown. The plan includes printable activity sheets.
• Have students brainstorm a list of baseball-inspired idioms (such as "batting a thousand"). Each students can then define and illustrate one of those expressions for a class book on Baseball Idioms. (This activity was adapted from a set of ideas which can be found at Education World).

Extension Ideas: Math

• Imagine sports without numbers. What problems would that cause? Have students first brainstorm a list of ways in which numbers are used in baseball. Then, ask student teams to redesign the game so that numbers would need to be used in any way for player identification, field designations, scoring, seating, ticketing, concessions, etc.
• Teach your students how to calculate a batting average. Students can then use this skill to calculate their own batting average after playing a virtual batting game online, such as the one found at the kids' section of the Major League Baseball site. Illuminations provides a more complete, structured lesson plan for middle and high school teachers wishing to do more with the math concepts behind batting averages.
• Batter's Up gives kids a good math work-out while swing the bat at multiplication facts.

Extension Ideas: Science

• The Science of Baseball at Exploratorium is a well-designed site with a retro feel. It features baseball history infused with the science behind the game. Lots to explore here, including a neat simulation that allows students to change variables of batting in order to try hitting one out of the park, and a simulation testing reaction time when swinging at a 90 mph major league pitch.
• Science of Baseball from the Why Files isn't nearly as interactive or charming, but provides the rest of the science behind the game for any student interested.

Extension Ideas: Social Studies

• Kaboose features a neat baseball timeline. Students can use this as a starting point for researching some of baseball's most important events. An exhaustive site such as the Baseball Almanac will help provide additional facts. Your kids may also enjoy the online companion to Ken Burns' phenomenal Baseball mini-series on PBS.

For Further Study:

At this same site I've also written about Women in Baseball, as well as a wonderful picture book that teaches kids how to keep a scorecard at a ball game. 

Teachers First has many more sites and ideas for teachers seeking to really extend the baseball topic in the classrooms.

Also, the folks over at TeqSmart (a company which develops some really awesome SMART applications) came up with one cool baseball link I hadn't seen before, the Kids' site from the West Michigan Whitecaps, featuring baseball content categorized by subject area. More math ideas, baseball terms, and fun historical facts, plus a cool glossary of baseball-related injuries.

Wilfrid Gordon MacDonald Partridge

Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge
by Mem Fox

Universal Themes:
Change, Connections, Discovery, Generations, Identity, Loss, Memory, Relationships

Before Reading Questions

• What do you think of when I say the word "warm"? How about the word "sweet"? How about the word "fun"?
• Why didn't we all share the same ideas for those words? Who heard someone else share an idea that you've never heard of, or never experienced?
• Why can we remember some things that happened to us when we were just three years old, but we can't remember what we had for lunch two weeks ago?

Summary

Wilfrid Gordon MacDonald Partridge lives next to an old folks' home, and he knows and loves each person there. That is why he is dismayed upon learning that his "favourite person of all" (note the Australian spelling of favorite) has lost her memory.

Wilfrid wonders what a memory is, and begins asking each of the residents of the home. One answers, "Something warm, my child, something warm," while another answers, "Something from long ago, me lad, something from long ago," and so on.

Intent upon giving Miss Nancy her memory back, Wilfrid collects items which he feels match the description of memory shared by his friends. (Something warm, for example, is a freshly laid egg).
When he shares his collection of gathered treasures with Miss Nancy, she remarks, "What a dear, strange child to bring me all these wonderful things." Then she starts to remember.

Each object retrieves from her memory a long forgotten pleasure, such as days at the beach, eggs found in nests, and a farewell to a brother off to war, whom she never saw again. And the final object helps her to recall the day she had first met this sweet little boy, and all the secrets they had shared.

After Reading Questions

• Why did each person tell Wilfrid a different answer when he asked, "What's a memory?"
• What other object could he have collected for something warm? Something that makes you cry? Something that makes you laugh?
• Why does Wilfrid like Miss Nancy the most? (She has four names, just like him). How else are Wilfrid and Miss Nancy alike?

Extension Ideas: Language Arts

• A day or two before sharing the book, ask each child to bring in a small object that holds a special memory for them. Have students write a short paragraph describing that memory. These can be shared aloud, or all of the objects can be displayed, and the teacher can read each description aloud (omitting the name of the object) and students can guess which object matches each description.
• Students can create simile poems describing favorite places. The ocean might be described as "salty as a pretzel," and the sand as "blinding as a light bulb." Or , the simile poems can deal with opposite sides of each student's personality. A student might write, "At school I am as quiet as a mouse, At home I am as loud as a tornado."
• Students can interview parents, grandparents, older uncles and aunts, or residents of a senior citizen's home. They can ask standard questions about favorite memories, or, keeping more in line with the book's theme, students can ask, "What was something warm you remember from when you were a child? What was something that made you laugh?" and so on.

Extension Ideas: Science

Conduct a memory experiment using Kim's Game.

• First, gather 30-40 common objects from home and the classroom. Arrange these objects on a table in the classroom and cover them with a tablecloth or blanket. Have students gather around and make some hypotheses about what might be under the blanket. What are some likely items? (kickball, scissors, rulers) What are some unlikely items? (the teacher's car, a classmate)
• Second, inform students that once the cloth is lifted they will have thirty seconds to look at (but not touch) all of the items on the table. They are to then go back to their desks and individually create a list from memory (and the tablecloth is again placed over the objects). Younger students might be paired with upper grade students or parents who can record their items quickly (and help recall them as well, if desired).
• Third, take a quick survey of how many items each child could recall. If the lists seem especially short, the teacher might provide memory-prompting questions such as, "Were there any items that were silver? Did any of the items have numbers on them?" These prompts can later lead to a conversation of how and why scientists categorize things into groups (reptiles, birds, mammals, etc.) based upon common criteria.
• Fourth, (and this is important!) have students draw a thick, dark line under the last object on their list. Then, tell students that they will now be placed into groups. Each group can share ideas, and students can add to their lists if they agree.
• Fifth, after some time sharing in groups, get together and debrief: "How many total objects could your group list? There were actually ___. Raise your hand if your group got at least ___. Great! Raise your hand if your group helped you to add some items which you couldn't remember. What does that tell us about working together? Now, let's see if we can recall what was under that blanket. Let's start with those objects I mentioned earlier, that had numbers on them. Who can tell me what they were? (watch, ruler, playing card) How about objects that were black and white, with no other colors? (domino, dice, Oreo cookie) And so on.
• Sixth, ask, "If we did this activity again, what could we possibly do so that we could remember more of the objects once they're covered up again?" What's fantastic about this activity is that it introduces, in a very concrete manner, scientific behaviors including hypothesizing, observing, recording, communicating, classifying, confirming, evaluating, and drawing conclusions.