Here are some books that intrigued me while this Canadian- American celebrated both Canada Day and Fourth of July.
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The Cello of Mr. O
Written by Jane Cutler
Illustrated by Greg CouchIn her book, The Cello of Mr. O, the author shows readers that those left behind to fight a war can also have courage. Children are not affected by the logistics of war. They only want to know when their family members are coming back and when are will they be warm witha belly full of food? As the days of war droll on, the children in this book deal with many emotions. For example, the little girl in the book is angry for having to stay in the war torn region, longing for her father’s safe return, boredom for there is no school, playground or library, and finally fear of anyone she knows getting killed or hurt. By the end of the book, the little girl learned appreciation, and courage from Mr. O, who shows them that the joys of life cannot be easily squashed, and when shared with others, it can replace fear with hope.
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The American Story: 100 True Tales from American History
Written by Jennifer Armstrong
Illustrated by Roger RothThis book is a collection of 100 stories about American history beginning in 1565 about the first settlement city in America, St. Augustine, Florida, and ending in 2000 with the Presidential election. Each of the short stories attempts to give readers a more cohesive and human picture of American history. The breadth of the stories creates an interesting backdrop to what the students learn in textbooks. The author connects the different stories by linking the people or the land in the footnotes. There is also an attempt to include different groups of people. For example, there is a story how the Newsies banded together and won better wages from 2 of the largest newspaper publishers. Another story is about the whale that inspired Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. Yet another is of how the confederation of the Five Nations started. There are many stories that provide the perfect opportunity for research or discussion with students. Armstrong has written each text to resemble a story, which may be the right approach for students who find difficulty accessing textbooks.
Order The American Story: 100 True Tales from American History from Bookshop Santa Cruz
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Red Scarf Girl
Written by Ji-Li Jiang
History has shown that during a time of political revolution many innocent and not so innocent people are persecuted for being against the revolution, their voices silenced forever or for the time being. This was particularly the case when Mao Ze Dong took over as the leader of China, he began several initiatives or revolutions. One of these was the Cultural Revolution. Many of China’s people were caught up in the excitement in moving their nation towards a better nation. However, there were some who critisized the initiatives and found themselves persecuted for their opinions. As more and more people sought to rid China of the counter-revolutionists, they found that the slippery slope to a perfect soldier of China was as treacherous as trying to tame an alligator.
This is a memoir of the author as a 12 year-old girl. Like many of her peers, the author too wanted to join the Cultural Revolution. But her deceased grandfather, whom she barely remembers, was a landlord and thus her family was considered as “black,” or against the Cultural Revolution.
This book is based on the 2-year time frame when the author struggled to fit in where she is a social outcast, and tried to reconcile current political ideology while maintaining her loyalty to her family. This is a fascinating book that zips along but the fear and confusion is palpable; at time a bit overwhelming. This is a good look at what happens when a family is caught on the other side of a revolution, as much of the Loyalists found themselves during the American Revolution.
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Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood
Written by Ibtisam Barakat
In Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood, the author Ibtisam Barakat writes of her life during the Six-Day War and its aftermath. This book serves to tell one of the many stories about life during that turbulent time in the Middle East. The author writes mostly about her life from 3 1/2 to 6 years old. As such, there are many happy stories of the author playing games with her older brothers. But the reader is never allowed to stray too far from the war and is reminded with details of hunger—relief organizations did not have enough food for everyone; and fear—Israeli soldiers knocking on the door. There are evidences of war sprinkled throughout the book. The book is a quick read, but allows the reader to look into what life was like for family trying to survive in the middle of a war zone.
Order Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood from Bookshop Santa Cruz