Research in the Community

        When doing the four different research assignments, in a bookstore, in a library, in the media and online, I found a wide array of strategies used to promote children’s books as well as how people advertise for so many other items and activities using the themes, and sometimes the characters, used in children’s books.  The advertisements and commercials I found in the media were very interesting, especially because most of the products being promoted are not for children, yet kid’s stories are being used to describe them.  Online, I found some websites that seemed to be very helpful, especially those geared towards helping teachers to teach about critical literacy to their students, regardless of their age.  And at the library and bookstore, I was able to see how the specific way books are arranged and displayed make a difference, affecting the atmosphere of the space and the accessibility of the books.

         As I stated before, the advertisements that I found were all targeted towards adults but used children’s themes.  By incorporating these juvenile aspects the companies are accomplishing two things: bringing adults back to their happy childhood memories, making them want the product more, and catching the attention of children because they recognize the story and will probably tell their parent/guardian about the product or commercial.  While this is smart marketing, I think it should only be used for certain products.  Having a tampon commercial based on Cinderella is not a commercial I want to see, and not one that children should identify with.  Also, most commercials that use children’s themes in them are targeted at women.  There are some that could be unisex and a few that are for men, but the majority of these advertisements cater to women, using princesses and queens to do so.

         When I went to Barnes & Noble in Bethesda Row I didn’t really know what to expect because I had never walked around a bookstore with a critical eye, looking for specific details.  I was pleasantly surprised by the wide array of books offered and how most were equally accessible, both visually and physically. There were many sections that were specifically for books on certain cultures, each one with a tab stating the group of people/name of the area.  I also saw a lot of tables, with signs in the middles describing the books presented there.  Some of them were standard, such as “New Arrivals” and “School Reading Lists”, but others were different and eye-catching.  At the top of the escalator, there was a Hispanic Heritage table, showcasing books that ranged form children to adults.  There was also a table titled “Thought Provoking” which contained a variety of books, many being about religion and race.  There were also specific areas throughout the entire store that offered books in Spanish, which was really nice to see.  The “Barnes & Noble Jr.” section was great as well.  The area is clearly targeted at younger readers, having bright colors and specified seating areas.  On many of the bookshelves there were books that dealt with real life social issues, placed right alongside of the “normal” kids books.   Each section had a sign with a word or two describing the type of books there, and I saw some that really showed me that this bookstore cared about all of its different customers.  Sections that were only filled with Spanish books still had a lot of the mainstream books kids recognize and know, as well as books about Hispanic heritage.  I could go on and on about the children’s section of Barnes & Noble, evident by the fact that I spent about an hour in that section alone.  I know that I would really feel welcomed and encouraged to read if I were a child walking in their with my parent, and I saw this same feeling in many of the children’s faces and actions when they walked through the little archway into “their” bookstore. 

Children's Critical Literacy Websites

I thought I would post the websites I browsed on children's critical literacy in case anyone was interested in researching them more or couldn't find websites that fit the assignment.  I really like how some of the sites are set-up, some catering to a wide variety of viewers, including parent's, teachers and kids.

http://www.child2000.org/lit-tips.htm

National Children’s Literacy Project Website

http://childrenslitblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/critical-literacy-websites.html

Blog giving descriptions of different children’s lit. sites

http://www.reading.org/general/publications/blog.aspx?BlogTagID=b4fa25cb-2039-4a56-8293-7c7eeff6bb59

http://www.langandlit.ualberta.ca/Fall2008/Harwood.htm

Theoretical Defense of Critical Literacy for Young Children

http://www.pbs.org/wholechild/index.html

Parents guides, “ABC’s of Child Development”, for early childhood educators

Research in the Media

I just wanted to post the different links I found to commercials and advertisements used in the media, all representing an aspect of children's literature within them.

Hermes scarf Advertisement:

http://superqueen.wordpress.com/2010/04/25/fairy-tales/

Target Commercial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5zUWaESb20&feature=related

First For Women:

3 Commercials - “Old Woman who lived in Shoe”, “Little Red Riding Hood”, “Cinderella”

http://www.behance.net/gallery/First-for-Women-Ads/645972

Diet Coke Commercial:

Rapunzel

http://www.indyarocks.com/videos/Charming-Rapunzel-as-Princess-in-Diet-Coke-AD-449706

Nokia Commercial:

General fairytale

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iql05nuAapc

Cingular Commercial:

Cinderalla

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaVMYQK69Oo&feature=related

Banned Books

     Researching and then discussing banned books in class was a really insightful experience for me, and brought up topics that I had never really thought about before.  Once I visited some of the banned book sites, I realized the mass number of books ripped from shelves in schools across the country and the world. Looking through the list, I came across many books that I read in school, and that I know are still being taught.  When we discussed this in class, many others had the same realization, and we all wondered why specific books had been banned.  We read them a turned out fine, so why should they be banned?
    Well, one thing I realized is that some of the books that are banned are in specific areas of the country that may have different ideals than the majority of school districts.  Or it could be a case of parents complaining, and schools complying automatically, without thinking of the repercussions of their actions. We also talked about some activist groups that exist, trying to convince families that books like Harry Potter and a classic such as The Catcher in the Rye will encourage youth and teens to do things that are "against the rules" or not the social norm.  Why do they think that banning books will solve this, or even address the problem? The thing to do is NOT take these books away, but to embrace them and teach about the issues within the literature.  If a book addresses an issue about teens using drugs, it should not be pushed under the rug.  Instead, the teacher should create a space within the classroom to discuss the problems people have with the subject, and then talk about those issues.  By bringing the topic to the surface, teachers are helping the students to fully understand what the book is saying, and to delve further into prose.
    But of course, there are some stipulations to this and some books that have been banned may have been so for good reasoning.  If a book is too graphic and inappropriate for the intended age group, then the banning has validity.  Along with this, some books may be banned because someone reading it right off the shelf could cause problems.  For books like these, a context needs to be put in place for who can read them and when.  This is better for the reader because they will be able to understand the context of the book in a deeper way, as well as have the opportunity to discuss certain aspects of the text.
    I hope that in the future, more people will think about these options before outright banning books.  I have already spoken to friends and family members about certain books I found on the list, and they too were surprised.  My sister works for a publishing company, and she promised to look into the laws and rules on banning books, and I am very interested to see what she will find.

Possible book for critical analysis podcast...

For my Critical analysis podcast, I am strongly thinking of speaking about the book Black Like Kyra, White Like Me. In this book, a young white girl has her first encounter with racism, witnessing the way her family, friends and neighbors treat her new friend Kyra when she moves in next door.  Kyra and her family are black, and at first, the new neighborhood they moved to (which was supposed to be safer) was not welcoming or accepting of them.  Christy, the young white narrator, becomes overwhelmed, frustrated and sad by the way people treat Kyra and her family.  Her young age and accepting personality makes it hard for her to understand why people use violence and are angry about the new family moving in, and she openly asks her parents and Kyra's family about this.  Once the issue is spoken about and the two families meet and become friendly, the prejudices slowly fade away.  Christy learns that some people cannot accept those who are different from them, like her other two best friends (who eventually moved away), but other people can look beyond the color differences and see a person for who they are on the inside.  Within this book, issues of race are at the center, but family values, relationships and violence are also addressed.  I want to explore the specific wording used by the author to describe these events, as well as read the book from a child's perspective.

Quotable Quotes - "When The Emperor Was Divine"

"'You can't remember everything,' she said. 'And even when you can you shouldn't,' said the girl. 'I wouldn't say that,' said her mother. 'You didn't,' said the girl."

This conversation takes place while the mother is talking to the brother; a quick side conversation with mother and daughter.  When I was reading and came across these sentences, I stopped and re-read them.  The girl's comment is stated in such a matter-of-fact way, but I think she understood it's deeper meaning, which I picked up on as well. "...even when you can you shouldn't," she says about remembering things.  Exploring the notion that there are things that happen within ones life that aren't necessarily pleasant to remember, that shouldn't be remembered.  Including this statement in the book even before the girl, her mother and brother get to the camp is interesting and leads the reader to see that her father's arrest and other past experiences are so negative or painful that she wants her brother to know that he does not need to remember everything.  She could be telling him this as advice for the future, or applying it to things in his past as she seems to have done, or tried to do, with her own.  I found this statement very powerful because, unfortunately, there are things that can happen in one's life that should not be remembered.  Whether it is the memory of a traumatic event or highly negative thoughts you had, the specifics are not pleasant and event should not be relived.  While I think that the lessons and positive experiences that may have resulted from such traumas, such as learning to avoid certain situations, are important and should be remembered, I agree with the girl's statement about not always needing to remember everything.

"Life was easier, they said, on this side of the fence."

This is said by the girl as she explaining what the people who had been recruited by farmers and traveled to work in other places specified by the War Relocation Authority.  Some returned unscathed and without issue, but others returned with horror stories, vowing to never leave the camp area again.  The vast changes that swept through most of the United States in regards to peoples thoughts and treatment of the Japanese population is seen even in this little explanation.  Men and women come back with stories about signs that read "No Japs Allowed" and other restrictions and exclusions that were put on them in public places.  This directly correlates to the and segregation of blacks and whites - showing yet another time in history when fear and difference took hold of our leaders and influenced policy.  When one prefers to live in a confined and imprisoned area versus the outside world, there is clearly a major problem, and quite possibly multiple problems within the greater community. 

Chapter 3 & 4 - Comments/Thoughts/Questions

          When reading chapter 3 of Getting Beyond “I Like the Book”, there were a few points that stood out to me and I found very interesting. Among them, the most prevelant section was the one that discussed using books to encourage discussion and understanding of topics.  Along with this, by giving children the opportunity to read books that have themes addressing equality, justice and other important issues, you are also creating a space for them to explore these topics and discuss them with their peers.  As Epstein described, we must remember the idea of “children as active in the construction of their own realities and subjectives.”  This notion of recognizing that the students themselves are actively involved in their own learning and deconstructing of ideas is one that is extremely important and vital to have in order to create a strong and positive learning environment. 

             In chapter 4, I found myself very interested in "Lee's Six Sessions for Working With a Picture Book."  After reading the chart and descriptive sections on each session, I realized how helpful these ideas will be once I start teaching, and wish that I have seen them practiced more often.  I babysit for kids in grades Pre-K - 3rd, and I can only recall very few instances of them describing more than one of Lee's sessions as something they had done that day or week.  In order to teach the whole child and appeal to the multiple intelligences of your students, a variety of learning experiences and choices must exist.  By utilizing different types of sessions when discussing a book, you are allowing each child a more equal chance to thrive and learn, while also teaching different methods and introducing them to different styles.  The snippets of conversations that were included in certain sections were also helpful in understanding the concept as a whole, as well as showed it's direct effect and/or application to the students.