Children’s Book Week, 2011

This year marked Songbird’s first foray into Children’s Book Week . . . and I was delighted to participate in the celebrations!  On Tuesday May 2^nd  I spent the morning with the wonderful students St. Mary’s Visitation, a local school that adopted Kwaku for its library several months ago. [1]

Children’s Book Week was founded in 1919, at the urging of Franklin K. Mathiews, who was then serving as the Librarian of the Boy Scouts of America. The week, which has been celebrated in school and public libraries across the nation ever since, was introduced to focus attention on the need for quality children's books and the importance of childhood literacy.

Nearly a century later, Book Week continues to be celebrated in the interest of developing social awareness about literacy. . . but has adopted an additional mission: to create life long readers. 

This was my second visit to SMV, and I was pleased to return to conduct presentations with all of the elementary school classes.

First, the kindergarteners helped me conduct a performative reading of the book.  The students designated as wiley Lions ROARED when he made his appearance. . . the students designated as Lizards stuck out their tongues to catch flies when it was their turn. . . and the  brave little spiders shuffled their hands and feet softly when I gave them their cue.   

After the reading, we talked about the hows and whys of bulling.

“If you or a friend were being bullied, would you ever tie the bully up?” I asked them.

“NO!” they said in unison.

“What might you do?”

"Tell a teacher!"  "Tell the bully to walk away!"

Let me tell you, these kids knew their stuff!  They could identify each of the various forms bullying takes, and what bystanders should do when they see it occurring. 

Toward the end of our conversation, one little girl with long, curly auburn hair raised her hand from the back row.  “It makes me sad,” she admitted.  “It’s a sad story, because the animals all walk away from the Lion at the end.  They are actually bullying him too. “

With the older grades, I spent
time discussing the meaning
of Kente cloth symbols. 

“That’s absolutely right,” I said.  “When we purposely leave someone out when we're playing, or ignore them, that’s a form of bullying too, isn't it?”

“YES!” they all said, nodding vigorously. 

“Members of a community have to take care of one another, whether that community is their classroom, their family, or their town.  And doing that takes patience and attention, conversation and love.  It’s a lot of work!”

 After 35 minutes, our time together was up, and they filed out of the room behind their teacher, each saying in turn, “Thank you, Mrs. Moo-too-pon-dee-ann.”  They wore the fantastic smiles of early childhood . . . grins expressing an unabridged, unrestrained enthusiasm. 

“You’re welcome!” I replied, smiling back.  

As the sensitive little girl filed past, she smiled shyly at me and said in her soft voice, “That’s the best story I’ve ever heard.”

“I am so very glad we were able to share it together,” I replied.

And I so very much was.  

Throughout the rest of the morning, I worked with the older students in decoding the symbols in Ashanti kente cloth, and discussing the way in which a community creates a book.  Each class was dynamic, eager, and a great deal of fun to work with.  . . . and although I had all but lost my voice by the end of the morning's conversations, I felt wholly energized. 

If there is something more thrilling than having had the opportunity to work with children at the beginning of their journey into their lives as readers, I haven't found it.  I am so thankful that this year both the students of SMV and Children's Book Week itself gave me another opportunity to live my enthusiasm OUTLOUD.  

    

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[1] This post comes extraordinarily late . . . but  better late than never.   Who would think one has so little time when one is officially on Summer Break from teaching?!?