Christopher Paul Curtis by Wendy Lamb

Wendy Lamb gives us background and meaning behind the works of Christopher Paul Curtis such as The Watson's Go to Birmingham and Bud, Not Buddy. Why were these books so well received when they are about issues that many children don't fully understand or are unfamiliar with?
According to Lamb, Curtis makes his characters real. Children can relate to them on a personal level. His main characters in the two books are both young boys, they are both growing up in times of struggle, and they are both humorous. Curtis incorporates the humor and innocence of children into his stories in order to catch the attention of his readers; otherwise issues like the South in the 1960's and the American Great Depression may be hard to swallow or even hard to understand.
"Each book is carried along by the exaggerated tone and the heightened childlike energy of the voice, and by the tension created when Christopher sets each boy up against a great, dark force: the bombing, the depression, racism. In Bud, Not Buddy the rules are funny and to the point, but they also show us what inspired them--Bud's hard, hard life in the hands of strangers." (Lamb, 400)
Christopher takes social issues like the ones above and lets his readers explore how these issues and troubles of the times affect everyday people. Readers are also introduced to other important trends of the time period like music. Above all, Curtis implements the importance of family into his novels; "family is the goal; family is the salvation; family is Bud's right and he must demand it from the world." (Lamb, 400)

I agree with Wendy Lamb's portrayal of this author. While reading the novel Bud, Not Buddy, I was reminded of old history lessons from years ago as well as taught some new things about the way things were. Bud does have an intense sense of child humor that starts out in the very first chapter. The story is told from his account and he is faced with trials and tribulations that many kids would crumble against. Christopher Paul Curtis takes issues like homelessness, poverty, racism, etc. and makes them easy to understand and fun to learn about.
Lamb, Wendy. "Christopher Paul Curtis." The Horn Book 2000: 397-401

A Reflection on Homelessness by Me

As I completed this project I had a lot of thoughts on the ideas of homelessness in children's literature. The main characters in my chosen literature are all children. They are children filled with hope. Hope was an underlying feeling in all the books that I chose. In Bud, Not Buddy, Bud was filled with the hope that he would someday meet his father and have a home that he wouldn't have to run from or worry about being sent away. Andrew in Fly Away Home hopes that he will someday be able to move into an apartment again with his father and they won't have to blend in with airport crowds anymore. In The Lady in the Box, Ben sincerely hopes that Dorrie will one day have a key to her own apartment and that her box will be a thing of the past. In December, there is more of an underlying idea of faith. Simon believes that the Christmas angel December helped him and his mother slowly rise out of poverty. Through reading the articles I came to the decision that issues like homelessness are important to introduce to children. Each article and book that I read did something to empower a young audience. Bud was strong and never gave up. Andrew helped save money so that he too could add to the privilege of one day having a home. Ben and Lizzie started small by leaving food for Dorrie and then got more aggressive on the issue by helping out in a local soup kitchen. December invoked the idea to never give up faith and that no matter what happens there may always be someone less fortunate that you are able to help.
In all the books, the feeling of sympathy arises for the young characters and while reading I was really touched and affected by all the different situations. The articles helped explain this and made the point that these issues can really affect students. Students who are introduced to these topics can be more open-minded to the realities of the world around them.
Finding hope when surrounded by hopelessness is what I was constantly reminded of while reading. The characters are strong willed and persistent and even though all of the stories didn't end happy; there is the hope in those that didn't that the characters will someday be better off.

Out of the Box: Critical Literacy in a First Grade Classroom by Christine H Leland, Jerome C Harste, & Karen Smith

This article approaches a concept called critical literacy through the analysis of a first grade teacher's use of books on social issues in her first grade classroom. Kim Huber had been a first grade teacher for sometime when a graduate class persuaded her to venture away from happy books and turn instead to books that dealt with important and difficult social issues such as homelessness and racism. The idea presented Kim with an entirely new learning experience that enabled her to really get to know her students on a different level.
The article highlights the effects of introducing critical literacy to a classroom. For instance, Kim was nervous to read books like The Lady in the Box to her first graders. She was not fully convinced that it would do anything for them. However, when she participated in a program that introduced books like The Lady in the Box and other books on social issues to her children she was pleasently surprised with what she found.
She first started to notice a heightened awareness of social issues like homelessness. When Kim read The Lady in the Box to her students their school was hosting a food drive with a contest among classrooms of who could bring in the most cans. Before reading the story the children had stopped bringing in cans with the class total being under 100; after the book was shared, the students brought that total to over 200. "What was even more impressive to me was the change in the children's attitudes. Instead of looking to win they were now focused on helping others." (Leland, 260)
Kim noticed more development in this classroom more than she ever had in previous classes. She noticed changes in their writing, artwork, peer relationships, and the overall classroom atmosphere. She had never seen something take such an effect on her students and it all started with introducing them to social issues.
The article is a great example of why social issues are so important to classroom curriculum. Books on the topic such as The Lady in the Box enhance the learning process as we saw with Kim's class. They encourage students to go beyond just reading and figure out what's between the lines of text. The article does a wonderful job expressing the importance of the introduction of social issues early in the academic process. If students are introduced to these kinds of issues they develop a sense of compassion for the characters in the books that can travel to similar individuals in reality.
"These children do not all have tidy happy endings in their lives. Using critical texts opens their eyes and my own to world issues. This helps create understanding and provides connections for kids whose lives do not fit what they think is normal-such as the family of four with both parents and a dog in the backyard."(Leland, 267)
The experience illustrated in this article seems like a wonderful and rewarding one to try. The article itself can serve as a learning experience to teachers anywhere who are looking to enhance the critical literacy skills that they possess as well as those that their students do.
Leland , Christine H, and Jerome C Harste and Karen Smith. "Out of the Box: Critical Literacy in a First Grade Classroom." Language Arts 82(2005): 257-268.

Social Issues: Connecting Children to Their World by Elizabeth Strehle

Elizabeth Strehle's article uses homelessness as an example of a social issue that we need to introduce our children to. Children have preconceived notions of the world around them but if they aren't given the opportunities to discuss and explore this world, their learning will never be enhanced. Children are full of questions that they are longing to get answered. When they hear of things on the radio; such as tragic things happening, questions form and brains start working. Children are just as much a part of the world as adults and they are wrapped up in its reality just like we are. The difference is that they are still confused and trying to sort it all out. According to Strehle, we can help sort out this confusion through literature. "Literature is powerful! A book can reflect life as we know it and allow us to understand the world of others." (Strehle, 213)
Strehle's article effectively illustrates how to utilize children's literature to help explain the reality of social issues. Books can serve as discussion starters for certain issues that children may have questions about.
Strehle uses the books Way Home by Libby Hathorn and Smokey Night by Eve Bunting to help explain the point she is trying to make. "I decided to select two picture books written by different authors, linked by inner city settings and realistic characters, to explore the theme of homelessness, to discover how a teacher might enhance the understanding of social issues through literary discussions." (Strehle, 214) She summarizes each book and highlights important points in each to explain what each book can do for a reader exploring social issues.
I can appreciate the idea of using literature to enhance understanding. Social issues can sometimes be a difficult topic of discussion but Strehle offers an effective and approachable way to introduce them to students. Expanding on ideas is important in itself; expanding on issues that children have preconceived notions on is another something that can really be beneficial. By allowing students to discuss and explore real world topics like homelessness we are broadening their horizons and opening their minds to the world around them.
Strehle, Elizabeth. "Social Issues: Connecting Children to Their World." Children's Literature in Education 30(1999): 213-220.

December by Eve Bunting

Simon and his mother are living in house that they constructed themselves. Their home is made out of various scraps of material such as Coca Cola and Clorox boxes. Tonight is Christmas Eve so they have a small Christmas tree top that the lot man gave them which is decorated with odds and ends that they have found on the street. They also have an incomplete nativity scene and two Christmas cookies under the tree. Simon collected cans in order to buy the cookies for him and his mother. On one wall there is a calendar page with an angel on it, a Christmas angel, which they have named December. On this night a woman knocks on the piece of wood that Simon and his mother use as a door; the woman with a rose in her hair asks for shelter. Simon’s mother allows the woman to come in and offers as much hospitality as possible. In the morning the woman is gone and Simon sees the Christmas angel outside his door. He is stunned with disbelief and he can’t figure out if he is dreaming or not. By the following Christmas, Simon and his mother have a new apartment and his mother has a steady job. Simon thinks that things changed because of the way they helped the nice old lady and because he saw December that night; maybe the two are connected…maybe not but when he looks closely at the calendar page, he sees a rose in her hair.

December by Eve Bunting tells the tale of a boy and his mother with no home on Christmas. The story has an ongoing theme of faith. It is an instrument to teach the lesson that there is always someone who needs more than someone else and there is always help to be given even if the amount is small. The story illustrates how faith and hope can keep someone strong. It takes the idea of a homeless family and adds to it the idea that happiness can be found in any situation if there is faith. The picture book inspires kindness within its readers by presenting an uplifting result for a family in need of a better way of life.
Bunting, Eve. December. New York: Harcourt Books, 1997.

The Lady in the Box by Ann McGovern

Lizzie and Ben decide to help a woman who lives in a box at the end of their street. They bring her food and things to keep warm during the winter. The woman, Dorrie, gets asked to move out from in front of the shop where she sits by its angry owner. Now Dorrie is away from the heat that the shop provides her during the cold nights. Ben and Lizzie decide to get their mother to help; Mama goes and talks to Dorrie and finds out what happened that lead to Dorrie’s unfortunate living situation. Mama insists that the shop owner let Dorrie stay and succeeds. She helps her children find ways to help others like Dorrie. The children start helping out in a soup kitchen where the run into Dorrie more often.

The Lady in the Box by Ann McGovern is a touching story that illustrates the innocence of two children in their attempt to help a homeless woman. The book portrays within the two children a curiosity and a sympathy that one can expect from young children being presented with the, possibly unfamiliar, idea of homelessness. Lizzie and Ben’s first instinct is to reach out to Dorrie, the woman in the box. They do so in secrecy for fear that they will get in trouble for interacting with strangers, something that their mother does not allow. Dorrie’s story is one that pulls at the heartstrings; she is a very nice woman who just couldn’t make her financial means work out. The story uses the innocence of children to positively reflect the reality of homelessness in the modern world. It gives its young readers the idea that they can help and be a part of solving this issue or taking the steps to eliminate homelessness in today’s society. The story ends with an overwhelming portrayal of hope.
“Maybe someday, I thought, Dorrie wouldn’t have to live in her box. Maybe she could get a job and a place of her own. She’d have a key just like I have a key to our apartment.” (McGovern, 28)
The compassion that the children feel in this book is something that is felt inside the reader as well. The book does a wonderful job of creating questions and ideas for an underrepresented topic.
McGovern, Ann. The Lady in the Box. New York: Turtle Books, 1999.

Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting

Andrew and his father live in an airport. Their days are spent blending in so that they don’t get caught and thrown out into the streets. Andrew’s father goes to work everyday and leaves Andrew in the care of the Medinas who are also living in the airport. The Medinas have a boy that Andrew plays with during the day. They help carry people’s bags and sometimes they get tipped for this service. Sometimes Andrew gets angry, sometimes he’s scared of what will happen next, but mostly he just really hopes that he and his father will have their own apartment again someday; then things can be the way they were before his mother died.

Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting takes an issue like homelessness that is hard to understand and puts it in a child-friendly form. Andrew is a small boy who has a hardworking father but ends just don’t meet. There is hope though; there is hope that one day they will have enough money saved to get a home of their own again. Then there will be no more switching terminals to avoid looking familiar, no more carrying bags in exchange for change to keep in a tennis-shoe, and no more washing up in the bathroom at four o-clock in the morning. The book presents its young readers with things to think about and question. It invokes a sense of sympathy and hope as well. It takes a sensitive approach to educating students on the reality of something that they don’t encounter on a day-to-day basis.
Bunting , Eve. Fly Away Home. New York: Clarion Books, 1991.

Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis

Bud, not Buddy, is a 10-year-old orphan who is on the run during the American Great Depression. His last foster home was too much for him; they were rude, crude, and there was no way he was staying. The only thing Bud carries with him is his suitcase, full of all his priceless possessions. In the suitcase are flyers advertising the band of Herman E. Calloway. Bud just knows that the flyers are pointing him to his father; so finding Mr. Calloway is what he sets out to do. He struggles on the way when it comes to finding food and places to sleep. He winds up in one of the infamous Hoovervilles for a little while before continuing on. Lefty Lewis, a nice old man who takes him straight to Herman E. Calloway’s club, picks him up on his journey when he is unsafe territory late at night. Coming face to face with Calloway starts an emotional roller coaster ride that lands Bud right where he wants to be. He figures out who he is, finds a place to call home, and puts his past to rest.

Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis is a thought-provoking novel that provides an accurate view of the times during the Great Depression. It portrays being on the run as a scary and exciting adventure. It also teaches its readers about the hardships that can come from being on your own with no place to go. It portrays the idea of homelessness as one that can be overcome with the feelings of hope and strength. Children can relate to the novel on several different fronts. The novel is from Bud’s point of view; his thoughts, feelings, and humor are all on a child’s level. It makes references to grown-ups in the way that a child would make them

“RULES AND THINGS NUMBER 87
When a Adult Tells You They Need Your Help
With a Problem Get Ready to Be Tricked-
Most Times This Means They Just Want You to
Go Fetch Something for Them.” (Curtis, 103)

The novel will give any child a learning experience that they can enjoy and relate to on their terms. Curtis has provided his readers with something personal and educational. He admits that his only regret in the writing of this novel is that he waited too long to get more information from the most valuable sources, his grandparents. The book has radiating themes of family, strength, hope, faith, and love; there is something for everyone to enjoy and take away.

Curtis, Christopher Paul. Bud, Not Buddy. New York: Yearling, 1999.

If I Were a Boy

I don't know if anyone has heard this version of If I Were a Boy by Beyonce but I found it to be very stereotypical and gender bias. I'm sure this is the point of the song but listening to it made me think of how stereotypical we actually are toward the opposite gender. Think of other songs like Ciara's Like a Boy and Eamon's I Don't Want You Back; all of these completely degrate and and tear down the opposite gender. I just think its sad that this is what we use musical talent for.

Here are the Lyrics for Beyonce's song with R. Kelly
If I were a boy

Even just for a day

I'd roll out of bed in the morning

And throw on what I wanted and go

Drink beer with the guys

And chase after girls

I'd kick it with who I wanted

And I'd never get confronted for it

Cause they'd stick up for me

If I were a boy

I think I could understand

How it feels to love a girl

I swear I'd be a better man

I'd listen to her

Cause I know how it hurts

When you lose the one you wanted

Cause he's taking you for granted

And everything you had got destroyed

If I were a girl

Even just for a day

I'd get out of bed in the morning

And take forever to get ready

Complain to my friends

As if they got a man

They talk about you cause they're jealous

And I just stay and listen to it (I should get rid of them)

If I were a girl

I don't think I'd understand

How it feels to love a boy

I swear I'd be a better woman

I'd listen to him

Cause I don't know everything

I would always try to tell him that he needs to treat me better

Like I don't gotta change at all

If I were a girl

It's a little too late for you to come back

Say it's just a mistake, think I'd forgive you like that? (I don't)

If you thought I would wait for you,

You thought wrong (I did wrong)

But you're just a boy

And you're just a girl

You don't understand

No you don't understand

How it feels to love a girl someday

You wish you were a better man

You don't listen to her

And you don't listen to him

You don't care how it hurts (you don't care how I feel)

Until you lose the one you wanted

Cause he's taking you for granted

And everything you had got destroyed

But you're just a boy

And you're just a girl