Children’s Literature

I’ve been an ESL Teacher at an international school (mainly for Korean students) for the past 6 months or so. Mostly, I teach elementary students. I enjoy my work with these students because for the most part they are ambitious, respectful, and sweet natured. However, sometimes the literature available to them leaves a little to be desired.

I get really sick of personification of animals really fast:

Oh the little mouse is joining a rockband but feels left out by the

other band members, then he becomes fed up with the bullying cats, and

all the mice work together to defeat the cats using fire hoses

with water as ammunition.

*Snort*

Not only do I think the stories are boring for me and potentially confusing for children, (mice do not act and think like humans when no one is looking) but it also can be difficult to inspire any relevant discussion:

“So how do you think the little mouse felt when his friends ignored him?

Sad? Yes. Would you feel sad too? Uh huh.”

*Snort*

However, sometimes there are books that don’t treat children like sniveling idiots who must be isolated from the reality of the world and spoon fed imaginative drivel with every turn of the page. I’ve read two books lately that really intrigued me as a teacher and interested my students. Plus, the books presented a wealth of teaching ideas.

Esperanza Rising gave us the chance to talk about the US back in the 1920s-1930s, as we followed the life of a wealthy, young Mexican girl who must flee Mexico with her mother and enter into the life of a poor migrant worker in California. I had the opportunity to introduce my students to ideas like: The Great Depression, The Dust Bowl, Immigration, Unions/Strikes, Racism, Classism, and other important themes that coincide with any coming of age story. The story is exciting to read, as the author creates realistically suspenseful and bitter sweet situations. I enjoy guiding my students through Esperanza’s story of growing up, and I definitely recommend the book to older and younger readers alike.

Walk Two Moons initially didn’t strike my fancy much at all, and I worried that my students would have a hard time getting into it. The dual story lines of Salamanca taking a road trip with her grandparents while telling them a story about her friend Pheobe, both seem to move very slowly. But, the narrative voice of Salamanca, and the vivid personalities of other characters (particularly her Grandparents, who I loved) were so compelling, that it made me want to continue reading. With this book we had the opportunity to talk about the important and complicated nature of relationships with family and friends. Depending on the age and maturity of the students, we also discussed stereotypes, particularly of Native Americans, and how this book does not emulate these stereotypical attitudes. We also talked about what it means to take things for granted, and not appreciate something until it is lost. As the book wraped up, it became increasingly exciting for me, and I plowed through the last pages quickly. The ending was a wrenching blow, and I almost broke down in tears in school! That a children’s book could captivate me so deeply was an exhilarating realization. The power of literature, hizzah!

There are other amazing children’s stories that I’ve read or plan to read. Also, despite my personal preferences, some of the stories of little personified animals can be sweet too. Esperanza Rising and Walk Two Moons are books that have lately captured my imagination and supplied me with lessons that were fun to plan.