Many adults are making resolutions about who they hope to become and set goals for improving themselves - and that’s great. However, we found that it is just as meaningful to read at the beginning of a new year.
We love reading this book at the beginning of the school year when there are new friends to meet, new teachers, and school staff to become acquainted with. When we are unabashedly ourselves, it becomes easier to connect because it gives those around us permission to do the same. Being unique does not have to be a bad thing, and in fact, it is something to celebrate! Through this story, we are reminded that the more you share your truth, the more you will find others who share the same. Whether shared at bedtime or in a group, this book is sure to foster compassion and self-esteem.“The Day You Begin” by Jacqueline Woodson is a book about finding the courage to be yourself, even if you feel different and that difference feels scary. López’s illustrations respond to the dark shadows of apprehension and loneliness and replace them with the vibrancy of wonder and friendship. Woodson encourages children to celebrate them. It’s not enough to simply notice these differences, however.
In that moment, Angelina makes a connection and notices there’s room for her similarities and her differences. And when she finds the courage to introduce herself during circle time, Rigoberto notices that she has the same name as his sister. While the students describe their extensive summer travels to other states and countries, Angelina notices that, though she spent her summer at home reading, stories carried her to even more interesting places. Rafael López, a Pura Belpré Medalist, illustrates this poetic picture book with vibrant, expressive and richly patterned artwork. But all this is about to change for these young characters in The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson, the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, a National Book Award winner and the winner of numerous other prestigious children’s literature awards. On the playground, a small white boy notices that no one picks him to be on their team. At a lunch table, an Asian girl notices how her classmates wrinkle their noses at her kimchi. When a boy in her class named Rigoberto tells the class he’s from Venezuela, he notices how the class laughs because they don’t understand him.
When Angelina, a young African-American girl, enters her classroom, she notices that her skin, clothes and the curl of her hair are different than her classmates’.
0 kommentar(er)
