Book Reviews

Thinking About Colors: A Review of White Is For Blueberry

White Is For Blueberry by George Shannon is a good book about color. Everybody

knows that a crow is black, but does everybody know that a crow is also pink when it is still a

baby? Sometimes we think about only the colors we usually see. Apples are red, grass is green,

and the sun is yellow. It is important to think about the other colors that these things show

because it is how they really look in the world. An apple isn’t just red; it has a brown stem, a

green leaf, and a yummy white inside. Thinking about all of the parts of the apple and seeing all

of their colors helps you draw apples that look real.

Thinking about all of the parts of something, not just the main color or part is very

important. Can we think about people this way? Sometimes thinking about people is a lot like

thinking about all the different colors of an apple. If a classmate is mean to you, think about all

the things about that person. Did that person have a bad day? Do other people bully them

sometimes? Do they do well in school? Maybe they got a bad grade today. If we think about how

that classmate is feeling we can know why they are being mean. Knowing how to look at all of

the details of someone helps you to understand them better. Just like knowing all the parts of an

apple helps you to understand apples better.

If I were to create a lesson, I would have students pick an object or animal out of the hat

and ask them to draw them in a way that doesn’t use their normal color. For example, a daffodil

is yellow, but when it is closed in its bud it is green. So students would draw green buds. It

makes students think outside of what is usually taught. Students can understand how artwork,

like the ones found in White Is For Blueberry, can show how you think and see things in the real

world. You can point out details, such as the purple shadows on snow (National Standards for

Visual Arts, Standard #3). They can retell the story and include their drawings as an

understanding of the idea that objects are made of many colors (Common Core).

You can see how the crow is pink, rather than the black we usually associate with crows. 

Or how leaves change their color in the fall.

Or how the inside of things are different colors than their surface. 

Understanding Society: A Review of A Shelter in Our Car

A Shelter in Our Car by Monica Gunning is a story about a young girl named Zettie, who lives in

car with her mother after her father died in Jamaica. You can see how Zetti and her mom

struggle doing daily things like going to school, eating dinner and even sleeping. Even though

Zetti is homeless, she still goes to school and does a lot of the same things as you or I. She has

friends like Benjie, whom she likes to share with.

Understanding the lives of those who struggle to find a place to sleep at night is very

important. They are families just like yours or mine. Using art and books to make people aware

of the fact that not everyone has a home or a steady source of food or restrooms helps people

become more aware of their life and even help them in some way (Social Studies Standard 7).

The artist, Elaine Pedlar, uses a very expressive painting style to show the struggle of Zettie and

her mom. She uses bold colors like red to show fear or big bold blue tears to show sadness

(Illinois Standards 25.A.1d). Understanding how the author is communicating by being able to

identify the characters, what they are doing and their mood in the pictures is a way of raising

awareness of homelessness in America (National Standards 2: knowing the differences and

purposes of art in order to convey ideas and 5: understanding that there are various purposes for

creating a piece of art).

If I were to teach based on this book. I would have students explore the use of acrylic

paint to create big expressive strokes. I would have them paint a picture of themselves when they

were scared using large brushes. They would learn about brush strokes and beginning to mix

more complicated colors (National Standard 1). They also would learn about brush care. Then

they would use those pictures to describe one story where they were scared. I want them to talk

about how color affects the mood of their pictures (State goal 25.A.1d).

You can see how the red lights bursting from the police car are bold and bring about fearfulness in the viewer. 

The car is very cramped making it hard to sleep. 

Even though they are homeless, Zete and her mom love each other very much, just like our families

love us. 

Becoming Globally Aware: A Review of One Hen

One Hen: How One Small Loan Made A Big Difference by Katie Milway is about a

young boy named Kojo who lives in a small village in Ghana, Africa. His village pools money

together so each family can have a loan. With those loans families are able to invest in supplies

to help their family along. Kojo took a loan from the village to buy one chicken. He then uses the

profits to buy more chickens, develops it into a chicken farm and ultimately helps the village and

local economy. This story is based on a true story about Kwabena Darko who grew up in Ghana.

This book gives really good insight into the culture of the people living in Ghana.

Through the narrative and the illustrations, one can get a sense of their daily life and struggles

that can be both different and similar to our own lives (State Goal 27.B.2). Through the art you

can see how Kojo developed as a person. He started with a small dream of using one chicken to

gain money, to going to school with that money and later loaning money to his community

(Social Studies Content Goal #4). Seeing how their community helped each other can be a model

for how we can be a community like them.

If I were to teach a lesson based on this book, I would read aloud One Hen and discuss

the similarities and differences between Kojo’s life in Ghana and our life in the U.S. We would

talk about how Kojo went to school and college. Then we would draw a picture of what we

would like to do in the future and talk about how drawing it lets others picture our dreams. We

can also talk about their family’s cultural background and how that effects what we want to do

with our lives. For example I would draw myself teaching, and talk about how my parents

always thought school was important and always encouraged me to do well in school. So when I

grew up, I realized that to give back to the family and community I should become a teacher.

In Ghana and other African countries and some other cultures, they carry baskets on their heads.

In Ghana, there isn't Jewel or Walmart like we have. Instead they have a market where families bring their goods to sell. 

You can see how he is following his dreams one step at a time. He is working very hard.