El Deafo

El Deafo is a graphic novel that tells the story of young Cece Bell, a deaf elementary school student adapting to the world around her. She contracted meningitis at the age of four and lost her hearing shortly afterwards. As a kindergartener, Cece attended a school especially for students dealing with hearing loss. Her classmates around her were just like her and she felt comfortable in her environment.

When she moves to a new state with her family, however, Cece begins attending a new school with hearing kids. Although she is excited, Cece is nervous to begin school because she has to wear a giant hearing aid strapped to her chest. She's afraid to be different or stand out from the rest of her class and she is absolutely sure that everyone is staring at her and her Phonic Ear.

Cece initially struggles to make friends, finding people that are too interested in her deafness or inconsiderate of her. She longs for true friendship. Soon enough, Cece discovers that she may have super powers. She can hear everything her teacher is doing, inside and outside of the classroom! Her super powers inspire her imagination and help her think of herself as El Deafo, Listener for All. She hopes that her superpowers will help her to find a sidekick!

I was overwhelmingly in love with this book! I have always been interested in the deaf community and deaf culture and have engaged with members of this community all throughout my life. Becoming fluent in American Sign Language is a goal of mine, but I understand why Cece did not want to get involved with it and recognize that every deaf or hearing-impaired person has their own decisions to make about their involvement in the deaf community.

I think that this book is such an approachable way to broach the topic of hearing impairments and disabilities within the classroom, preaching acceptance and appropriate behavior with others that may be different. It is increasingly important to recognize these differences and celebrate them, as students of all kinds are being included in general education classrooms all over the nation!

These steps towards inclusion make it very important for teachers to include literature within the classroom library that not only educates and celebrates differences that students may have, but also gives students with disabilities the opportunity to see themselves in the books that they read. How powerful this book could be for a student struggling with hearing loss! And how heartwarming would it be to see students better understand that student as a result of a book that they've engaged with!

I would definitely include this, and other graphic novels, in my classroom! I have always been interested in comics and read them throughout high school. These graphic novels give students the opportunity to use all sorts of reading comprehension strategies to come to understand the author's message. I appreciate them and believe they have a place in every classroom!

El Deafo
By: Cece Bell
Illustrated by: David Lasky
Published in 2014

Author Study - Landed

Landed is a historical fiction picture book that tells the story of Sun, a twelve-year-old boy that is living in China. Now that he's turned twelve, it is his responsibility to study hard so that he—like his older brothers—can move to the United States to tend to his father's store in San Francisco. Moving to a new country, however, is not an easy task and Sun quickly learns that it takes a lot of effort. He begins studying with a tutor because he will be interviewed and will need to prove that he is not lying about his family and his background. 

As a reader, we soon find out that new Chinese immigrants are kept at a place named Angel Island before being admitted to the United States. At Angel Island, officials ask each person specific, detailed questions about their families, their extended families, their homes in China, and their village. These questions are intended to ensure that Sun is actually his father's biological son. Some children were sent as "paper sons"—they were not biologically related to the family that claimed them and they were intending to illegally enter the country to begin a new life in America. 

Although Sun is not a "paper son," he is still nervous about the interviews. He is particularly bad at directions (north, south, east, and west). He answers all of the questions confidently, until he is asked a question about the direction of his house. His interview is cut short two other times as a result of his inability to answer the question. Finally, he's surprised with a gift from his father—a compass. It helps him visualize his home and determine the answers to the questions. As a result, Sun is finally released from Angel Island and reunites with his father and brothers! 

I enjoyed this book, though I thought that its prose was a little boring and lacked emotion. I could definitely see myself using this in a classroom, however. I think it would work well for upper elementary students that are learning about the immigration process and different cultural groups. It would be interesting to talk to students about their own personal backgrounds, as many United States citizens can trace their roots to another country outside of the United States. 

Landed
By: Milly Lee  
Illustrated by: Yangsook Choi 

Published in 2006 

Author Study - Behind the Mask

Behind the Mask is a picture book that blends Korean and American traditions to make an interesting and engaging story. A Korean boy, Kimin, has nothing to wear for Halloween. To inspire him, Kimin's mother leaves a few of his grandfather's keepsakes in his room. They are family treasures and she warns him to guard them carefully. 

Although Kimin is apprehensive because the memories he has of his grandfather aren't pleasant, the young boy looks through the boxes. He becomes more and more curious the more he discovers. Eventually, Kimin finds his grandfather's dancing costumes and masks and he knows what he wants to be for Halloween! He sneaks away to trick-or-treat before his mother can catch him wearing the family treasures. 

After a night of dancing, candy, and friends, Kimin returns with a damaged mask. He took a tumble and scratched the front. After racing home to tell his mother, he's surprised by all of his friends that have followed him home to return a note that fell from the mask in the accident. The letter was from Kimin's grandfather and he proudly left all of his masks to Kimin after his death. Kimin was so excited and showed off all of his grandfather's items to his friends. His mother also helped him hang up the masks in his room. As a result, he came to appreciate his culture and his grandfather's role in his life. 

I enjoyed reading this book by Yangsook Choi and am beginning to notice a pattern with the themes of her books. Often times they are about accepting one's own culture or background, and this is something that Kimin is directly confronted with. Although he is afraid to be himself at first, he is celebrated for it by his friends at the end of the book. 

Another aspect of Yangsook Choi's writing is that she continually uses foreign languages throughout the text. For example, "tal" means mask, which the author uses quite often throughout the text. Incorporating these aspects of the Korean culture made the book more interesting and diverse. It also worked to celebrate the character's curiosity and their willingness to learn about their own background. 

Yangsook Choi is an illustrator, too, and illustrates her own books. Behind the Mask is a great example of her work because she consistently makes an effort to make her books relatable to several kinds of readers. Each illustrations represented multiple cultures and features several kinds of trick-or-treaters.
Within the illustrations, multiple cultures of "trick or treaters" are represented. 

I would definitely use this book in my classroom during Halloween to celebrate the different cultures that have similar kinds of celebrations around the world. 

Behind the Mask 
By: Yangsook Choi
Published in 2006

Seedfolks

Seedfolks is a collection of chapters about thirteen individuals that come together to create a garden. It all began when a Vietnamese girl, Kim, decides to plant lima beans in a vacant lot on her street. A nosy neighbor, Ana, takes notice and her curiosity gets the best of her. She investigates and digs up the seeds. In her guilt, she enlists the help of another man, Wendell. A man from a farming background, Wendell helps Ana rehabilitate the seeds. Soon enough, Wendell begins gardening. Over time, the weather improves and more and more people begin to plant their own fruits, vegetables, and flowers.  Dealing with different struggles and from a variety of cultural backgrounds, these people find beauty in a vacant lot. They work together to cultivate an environment that is very different from what they see around them. 

I really enjoyed reading this book, as it was a very quick read that gave me the opportunity to understand several perspectives at once. Beautifully interwoven, these stories share great hardships and prove that everyone is struggling with something. I think that the premise of this book is great, too! Realistically, a community garden is the perfect way to bring people together—even those who don't think they want to be a part of it. 

There were, however, some concerns about the racial aspect of this book. Paul Fleischmann is a white male from the United States. Some of the depictions of minorities in this novel were incredibly stereotypical. I felt as though they could be considered derogatory. The short chapters facilitated this because you could only get a slight glimpse at a character before meeting a brand new one with their own problems and cultural backgrounds. 

Personally, I felt as though Sam—the only white character in the book—was portrayed as the most levelheaded person in the story. While other characters were working to sort out their issues, Sam was the person that started conversations and attempted to bring the garden together. He was the character that noticed the garden was segregated. I felt that this character's role, having been the only white character in the book, was a little unnecessary as he comes off as the nicest and most respectable character of all.  

I wish that the author had been more respectful of the representation of the diversity in the book. The idea of having a garden that brings such diverse cultures and races together is one that is noble. However, it is important to me that I feel the characters are authentic and properly represent their culture. Being of Hispanic heritage myself, I could say that I didn't feel that way about the Hispanic characters in this book. 

Due to the mature content of this book, I would likely suggest that the target audience be middle schoolers. This book can serve as a great conversation starter for these big racial and cultural issues that face us throughout our lives. It would also be a really rewarding project to create a school community garden, integrating science when applicable, to bring this book to life. 

Seedfolks 
By: Paul Fleischmann
Published in 2004

Author Study - The Name Jar

Unhei is the new kid in school. Having recently emigrated from Korea, Unhei and her family are adjusting to life in the United States. It is Unhei's first few days at school and she is excited, but nervous that the American kids will not like her. Having a name like Unhei proves to be a difficult thing because no one on the bus can pronounce it and, unfortunately, some children have made fun of her. When she arrives to her classroom, Unhei decides that she doesn't want her Korean name anymore. Instead, she will adopt an American name. 

Unhei does not tell her classmates her name and they work to help her choose a new name for herself. Her new classmates decide to fill a glass jar with names for her to pick from. Unhei practices American names in the mirror to see which ones fit best. When a classmate is in her neighborhood and discovers her real name and its meaning, the name jar mysteriously disappears. The entire class looks for the jar, but they can't find it. 

Luckily, Unhei had already chosen a name for herself. She tells the teacher that she's ready to introduce herself to her classmates. After much thought, she introduces herself as Unhei. Rather than choose an American name that was not special to her, she chose to keep her name because of its meaning and beauty. She learned to appreciate it and her new friends learned to pronounce it perfectly. 

This was such a great story with a beautiful message! I enjoyed reading about Unhei and could definitely relate to her struggles—although mine may have been a little different. The the aspect of this book I enjoyed the most was the classroom environment that the author created. It was so accepting and welcoming, which is something that I strive to have in my classroom one day. 

I think that this is a great story to share with young readers, especially at the beginning of the school year. It reminded me a lot of another book, Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes. It teaches about acceptance of others and oneself and promotes a positive message to students. It teaches that we should respect others and their cultural and racial differences. It would also be a great way to introduce writing about a name for a writing entry. 

The Name Jar 
By: Yangsook Choi 
Published in 2003 

Bud, Not Buddy

Bud, Not Buddy follows the story of ten-year-old Bud Caldwell, an orphan from Flint, Michigan who has experienced a lot more than a ten-year-old should. A self-proclaimed "really good liar," Bud has gone through three foster homes in search of a better life after his mother's death. After a messy and dangerous end to his last foster family, Bud decides that it's time he lives on his own. His purpose: finding his father.

With a few clues from his late mother, Bud decides to walk over 120 miles to Grand Rapids to see the great Herman E. Calloway. He believes that this famous jazz musician is his father and is determined to find him. Although he's pretty sure of his discovery, Mr. Calloway is not; he doesn't want anything to do with Bud. His band members, however, take Bud in and care for him. They give him responsibilities and, in exchange, feed him and give him a place to stay—nicer than anything he's ever had!

Eventually, the band discovers Bud's true identity and it is revealed that Mr. Calloway is actually Bud's grandfather. As a result, Bud is happy and feels as though he has found his home.

When I saw that this book was an option for this week, I was so surprised that I had not read it. I have seen the cover of this book for many years and have always been curious about it, but never had the opportunity to read it. I felt as though it was a sign that it was time I cracked it open! I was so pleased that I did.

This story goes through a wide range of emotion and I truly felt so sad for Bud as I came to understand his life. His quick wit and clever insights showed me that he had an understanding of the world around him that was much deeper than we could ever expect from a ten-year-old boy. The author, Christopher Paul Curtis, did a great job of establishing a unique voice for Bud that made me feel as though I got to know him on a deeper level every time he spoke.

The focus on "Bud, not Buddy" was important to me as a reader because I felt as though this was the one thing that Bud could control in his life. It was essential that he had his name. I thought that this was an essential part of Bud's character and it helped shape his image even more in my mind.

Although there were so many sad moments in this book, I was consistently hit with uplifting and hilarious moments that made me laugh out loud. I am so excited that I finally had the chance to read this book and I really wonder what young students think of Bud, too.

Bud, Not Buddy
By: Christopher Paul Curtis
Published in 2002

Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same!

Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same! is a book that features twins, Ling and Ting, that do everything together. Sometimes, however, they're mistaken for being exactly the same! Through a series of six short stories, the author reveals that these twins are individuals, even if they look the same.

In the first story, the twins are getting their hair cut and Ting accidentally sneezes, causing her to have an unfortunate, but distinguishing hair do throughout the rest of the book. The other stories show the reader how different the twins are through their actions and their words. Ling is the responsible and logical sister, while Ting proves to be forgetful and often imaginative. However different they may be, the two work together to solve the problems that they face throughout the book. 

The language used in the story is incredibly simplistic. This is clearly a controlled vocabulary book, so it is targeted towards young readers that need repetition in order to grasp words. I do not necessarily agree with the use of controlled vocabulary books, but the slight humor makes Ling & Ting easier to read. The author does a great job of using sarcasm and understatement to get the reader laughing.

The author also illustrated this book and, although the illustrations are relatively simple and straightforward, there are small, clever details included. For example, whenever the twins are handling literature in the book, they are often carrying one of the author's previous books. 

Overall, I don't think that I would use a book like this in my classroom, but I can understand why other teachers have resulted to it. The humor and the inclusion of Asian culture throughout the book would be appealing to some students that need a pattern to follow while reading.

Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same! 
By: Grace Lin
Published in 2010