Book Uncle and Me by Uma Krishnaswami
This short chapter book is about a young girl that is trying to save the business of the lending Book Uncle after being permitted to pay a fee from the government. The Book Uncle was a mentor to Yasmin Kader as he specifically chooses books for her to read that allows her to focus more on the meaning than the amount of books she reads. Specifically, it introduces her to a folktale about white doves working together to release themselves from the hunter. It took Yasmin a lot of analytical thinking to understand what this folktale meant to her, and later influenced her.
This book discusses the struggles that politics can have in a community when a new election occurs and the struggle of trusting political leaders in their “promised words” to help specific events in their term. It also influences readers in understanding the importance of coming together to make a difference. Yasmin got her entire class to write letters to the new mayor to make sure that Book Uncle’s business would not be shut down. Her perseverance in being a young advocate that desired change gives an example of how upper elementary students can decide on an issue they want to change and make a stand with their voices.
The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch
I read this book when I was in third grade. I specifically remember it because when I brought it home, my mom said, “Wow that character looks just like you Shan.” It was a joke in the family that my hair was crazy and how much of a tom boy I was in third grade. I love this book because it goes against the stereotype that fairytales end in the prince saving the princess and then they live happily ever after. Instead this princess goes out to save the selfish prince that judged her on her looks instead. The princess made the non-stereotypical choice to leave the prince despite her work to save him to be happy by herself. It goes against the concept that there is a “Damsel in Distress” and allows the readers to discuss the reasons the author did this and the voices and lesson to take from this story.
Below is a scene from the movie Wreck it Ralph where the writer purposefully has the Disney princesses discuss their main issues and themes that relate to each princess story including: Did a big strong man save you?
Emmanuel's Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah by Laurie Ann Thompson with illustrations by Sean Qualls
I have never heard of this story and I am now going to buy a copy for my future classroom. In relation to the stories above about overcoming obstacles and having perseverance, Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah is a real life example. After being born with a leg that defined him as being disabled, his community perceived him as being worthless, even as a curse. His mother pushed him to overcome his struggles and defined the odds that though he has a disability, doesn’t mean he cannot do things for himself. From being excluded at school and judged for his disability, Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah rode his bike 400 miles to show everyone his disability. He talked to people on the streets and even talked about his experience of being disabled to spread the message about how he overcomes his physical struggles and how it shouldn’t define him. With his national exposure, other people with disabilities felt that they were capable of overcoming their struggles and oppression by “stepping out”.
One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia by Miranda Paul
What can you do with a plastic bag?
There are so many unrecycled bags in the world that Isatou Ceesay decided that this once seen beauty is actually destroying the natural beauty in the world. Her decision to organized a group of women to recycle trash bags into purses, wallets, and other handbags shows how even though the judgment of making these bags was impactful, Isatou Ceesay overcame these judgments to make a difference in the world. It would be amazing to give each student a plastic bag and make them come up with a different use or creative way to make something out of recycled plastic bags.