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What some children go through in our world is unbelievable, scary, tragic. It is hard for some of us, especially in the United States and Canada, to imagine how life can be like this–how people can kill one another over religion and race, how people can be so greedy to kill for land or cash crops. But it happens, and children are affected every day.

I found this book, Gervelie’s Journey: A Refugee Diary, at our local library, and I recommend it to everyone. Teachers–share it with your students; parents–share it with your children. It tells the story of Gervelie, who was born in the Republic of Congo and lived in a nice house in Brazzaville, until her family had to flee to safety when fighting broke out in 1997. First, she moved around Africa with her dad, then her mom, and then her grandmother. But whenever she seemed to settle in a new place, trouble started again. In 2001, when fighting occurred in the Ivory Coast, she and her dad fled to Europe. When they finally arrived in England, her dad asked for asylum. In England, Gervelie has been in three different cities, finally settling in Norwich, England.

This book is POWERFUL because it is told in first person–in Gervelie’s words. When the fighting first broke out in Brazzaville, she was 2 years old. When she finally landed at a home with her dad in Norwich, England, she was 9 years old. Can you imagine all of this war, fighting, moving and so on happening to you when you were between the ages of 2 and 9? Can you imagine not seeing or talking to your mom? What about leaving your home and not being able to go back for fear of being killed? All of this has happened to Gervelie.

The other thing that makes this book so powerful is the way that June Allan’s illustrations are mixed with actual photographs of Gervelie and war-torn Africa. Putting a real face with a true story is something that kids and adults WON’T forget.

When you are talking to kids about giving to others or starting service learning projects in your school or home or church, think about sharing books like Gervelie’s Journey because they will help children understand whom they are working for.

Yesterday, I discussed the book Three Cups of Tea. When I posted the link on my Facebook page, people praised the book, and some people had actually heard Greg Mortenson speak on college campuses. So, if you haven’t read it yet, put it on your to-do list. If you want to share his message with your children or your classroom, then check out this book: Listen to the Wind: The Story of Dr. Greg and Three Cups of Tea.

Not only is the story of Greg Mortenson told simply in this picture book, but the murals by Susan L. Roth are fantastic. Children will love to look at these illustrations over and over again–I do! The story goes like this: The children of Korphe, a village in the Pakistan mountains, have school outside and do their lessons with sticks. A teacher comes to teach them 3 times a week. One day, Dr. Greg stumbles into their village (because he was trying to climb K2 and failed). The villagers keep him there until he recovers. When he leaves, he asks the wisest man, Haji Ali, what he can do to help the village to repay them for their kindness, and Haji Ali says, “Listen to the wind.”

When Greg listens to the wind, he hears the voices of the children outside doing their lessons, and he gets the idea to build them a school. He promises to come back with materials to build a school, and he does. However, he realizes they will need to build a bridge first to get the materials to the remote village, and they do that, too. In the end of the book, the children have a school building, and their teacher can now afford to come every day to teach them.

In the back of the book are real photos of Dr. Greg, the children, and the villagers. There are also facts such as now Greg Mortenson and the Central Asia Institute have built over 131 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. They educate 58,000 children–40,000 are girls. Children can also read how in Pakistan and Afghanistan, one penny buys a pencil and $1.00 pays for an education for a month! Students, their families, and/or classrooms are encouraged to check out the Pennies for Peace program at www.penniesforpeace.org.

Sometimes when we talk to kids about issues going on in the world, like I wrote about on Monday with my stepson and the visiting priest from Africa who needs money for his church, it is hard for them to understand what we mean by freedom–especially if they live in a free country like the United States. It’s hard for them to imagine that there are places where children don’t have the freedom to go to school or church or the doctor when they are sick. Young children, especially, need concrete examples of what freedom means, especially if they are taking part in any type of donation activity (like collecting pennies for an organization like Loose Change to Loosen Chains).

This book, This is the Dream written by Diane Z. Shore and Jessica Alexander and illustrated by James Ransome, is a great picture book that can illustrate the concept of freedom. What I especially like about this bright and colorful book is the way it shows the United States before the Civil Rights movement, then some of the Civil Rights leaders, and then the way the country is now–with freedom for everyone. In the year 2010, the fact that black people used to drink from a separate fountain or ride at the back of the bus might be particularly shocking for our children since less than 50 years later, our president is black.

Here are a few verses from this great book:

“These are the fountains that stand in the square, and the black-and-white signs say who will drink there.”

“These are the leaders whose powerful voices lift up marchers demanding new choices.”

“This is the fountain that stands in the square and the unwritten rule is to take turns and share.”

Love it!!

In order for children to understand what it looks like when there’s not freedom and what it looks like when there is, you can use a picture book like This is the Dream by Diane Z. Shore and Jessica Alexander. Then you can explain to them how around the world in the 21st century, there are still people living without freedom, and we are collecting pennies to try and help them. The Civil Rights leaders helped in the United States, and now it’s our turn!

photo by lhar www.flickr.com

Before I share a story from the trenches, I would like to announce the winner of last week’s book giveaway of the memoir, When Ties Break, by Margaret Norton. And the winner is. . .Sandy Young! Congratulations, Sandy. If you didn’t win this book and are interested in reading a memoir about loss, grief, recovery, strength, and stopping abuse, then please go to Tate’s website to purchase it!

The story from the trenches is one that I read yesterday in church. We have a visiting priest, Rev. Fr. Tony Fevlo, from Africa, who will speak to us next week about his work in St. Joseph SMA Parish in Plateau State, Nigeria. He is currently raising money to build a new church in his parish that will accommodate 1500 people. The existing church is too small and also has structural damage, including cracks in the walls and a leaking roof. This is a wonderful mission, of course, but this is not the actual story I want to share with you today.

He shared the turmoil that happens around him with inter-religious clashes between Muslims and Christians. Every time, I hear stories like this I think: This is happening in the 21st century????? It is. In January 2010, 33 of Father Tony’s parishioners lost their property or had their houses burned. One of his parishioners was reportedly butchered to death and asked to renounce his faith before he died. Much of Father Tony’s finances for his church are currently going to these families to help them rebuild–since they are homeless.

The trouble didn’t stop there. In March 2010, Father Tony and his parishioners woke up to the news of a massacre of over 500 children, women, and elderly people living in the village of Dogonahawa (25 km from Father Tony Fevlo’s parish). The massacre was led by the Hausa/Fulani Muslims. Father Tony said: “Since the March 7th massacre, we live under constant fear in K/Vom and can hardly have a peaceful night’s rest.”

As I sat in church yesterday reading his words and thinking about the donation they were going to collect next Sunday, I wondered how I could get my stepson involved in this. And then when we walked out of church, Father Tony had actually posted pictures of his church and parishioners, and I knew this was the way. When Logan can see something concrete, he can then think about giving some money from his piggy bank to this cause. This also got me thinking that there has to be books out there that help us, as parents and teachers, teach children about giving and having sympathy for others–especially those less fortunate.

I found these two books that could be of some help. I am so thankful that there are people in the world like Father Tony Fevlo and that he shares his story with us. It makes me strive to be more giving, less materialistic–although I struggle–and I hope it will also help me to influence my children to be the same way.

A boy named Zach Hunter was 12 years old and a seventh grader when he learned in school that slavery still exists in modern day times. He was horrified as he learned more about the situation around the world and formed a group called: Loose Change to Loosen Chains (nicknamed LC2LC). In his first year, he raised $8,500. It’s now 7 years later, and this organization has gone crazy! The International Justice Mission, which I’ve talked about on this blog before, now has the LC2LC program as part of their anti-slavery movement.

According to Real Simple magazine, there’s $10.5 billion in loose change lying around American households. Like it says on the International Justice Mission website, “Imagine what you could do if you were to collect even just a fraction of this amount and use it for a good cause!” Loose Change to Loosen Chains has collected a fraction, and they are fighting human trafficking with it.

So, a seventh-grader, Zach Hunter, started this; and in 2007, when he was in high school, he presented to the White House a petition with over 100,000 signatures on it to encourage politicians to do more to stop trafficking. He wrote a book: Be the Change: Your Guide To Ending Slavery and Changing the World. He speaks to schools and church groups across the country about trafficking. If one person can do all of this, think about what 10 or 20 motivated modern-day abolitionists can do.

If Loose Change 2 Loosen Chains sounds like something you are interested in for your youth group, family, classroom, or community group, then go here to order materials. You will get a kit and information that will help you get started collecting loose change in your community to stop slavery and human trafficking today!

Besides Half the Sky, which I have discussed several times on here (this book is about more than just human trafficking, but includes chapters on it), I decided to provide more resources about the subject. As the founders of The Emancipation Network, which I wrote about yesterday, can attest to, hearing or reading about actual victims and their stories is much more powerful than seeing a bunch of statistics. The statistics about child sex trafficking are frightening, but when you hear individual stories, it’s more powerful. Look for the following books at your nearest bookstore, library, or even online:

“Human trafficking is an ugly crime. Its brutalized victims generate vast profits, and many of them are being used and abused in the cities and towns where we live. Human trafficking is also a hidden crime. Governments, human rights groups, and all the rest of us, are struggling to understand how it fits into the lives of our communities and economies. Now we have help: Alexis Aronowitz has written a lucid and concise introduction to human trafficking. Based on impeccable research and years of experience, she shines a light on the modern slave trade. This book is perfect for student and educational use, or for anyone wanting a clear and unbiased understanding of human trafficking today.”
–Dr. Kevin Bales
Academic and world reknowned expert on modern-day slavery
Author of best-seller, Disposable People
President of Free the Slaves

Award-winning journalist David Batstone reveals the story of a new generation of 21st century abolitionists and their heroic campaign to put an end to human bondage. In his accessible and inspiring book, Batstone carefully weaves the narratives of activists and those in bondage in a way that not only raises awareness of the modern-day slave trade, but also serves as a call to action.
–Amazon Product Description

“I approached this book with a certain weariness. Having worked on the subject of sex trafficking for many years, I was unenthusiastic about yet another exposé or cri de coeur from a business executive turned human rights advocate. I could not have been more wrong. This is a unique and inspiring book–an honest, lucid, and immensely intelligent account of a devastating yet pervasive aspect of contemporary globalization. It deserves to be widely read by anyone who wants to understand one of the most persistent and complex human rights violations of our times.” — Jacqueline Bhabha, Harvard Law School

Today’s post is going to be rather short, as I am on my way back from a trip to Mexico with some friends to celebrate a 40th birthday, and have a full day of traveling. Anyway, I want to tell you about an awesome place where you can find gifts for your loved ones and at the same time, help victims of human trafficking.

If you are looking for a gift this summer or fall, please check out The Emancipation Network. Their website is super-easy to remember: Made By Survivors.com

They have a wide selection for women and men from jewelry to stationary to hand bags. I will write more tomorrow about this wonderful organization, so stay tuned. . .

As I talked about yesterday, Heifer International is a wonderful organization that encourages people to help each other. They have been around for almost 60 years, helping people to obtain a sustainable food source and income. Here’s a success story from their magazine World Ark::

Ganga Khanal, who lives in Nepal, said she was devalued because she could not give birth to a son. She felt powerless to change her life against the centuries of tradition in her village. When Khanal gave birth to two daughters, her husband married her sister and also brought the sister into the home. Khanal fought with her sister. Her husband hit her when she spoke up for herself. She never had enough to eat.

Khanal heard about a women’s group in her village that had savings and received animals and training. The group (Heifer International) was looking for more members. Even though her husband opposed the idea, Khanal strated Jagrit Women’s Group, completed the Heifer Cornerstones and animal management training, and received two black and white goats.

Here’s a quote from her (World Ark, Spring 2010, page 13): “Today I am something. I have substance; I have animals; I have crops,” Khanal said. “My group gave me the inspiration, the idea, and the confidence to do all this.”

Obviously, we cannot all go to Nepal and train women like Khanal, even if we want to. But that’s the beauty of Heifer International. They make it easy to help from your living room. On their website, you can purchase animals and products from their online catalog, such as: cattle, sheep, water buffalo, goats, knitting baskets, flocks of chicks, and a trio of rabbits. Depending on the amount of money you have, you can also buy shares of these. This means, that when Heifer International has enough people who buy shares of an animal, an entire animal can be given to a family. They also provide fundraising ideas on their website if you want to raise money with a group or even with your family or even at Vacation Bible School this summer (there’s a special program for that!).

Above is one of my favorite books, which I’ve talked about on here before, that tells the story of an elementary school class raising money to Give a Goat.

First, I’d like to announce the winner of the Seeds of Change book giveaway from last Thursday’s post. It is . . .Becky Povich. Thank you to Becky and everyone who left comments on this post.

Beatrice’s Goat by Page McBrier and illustrated by Lori Lohstoeter is a wonderful children’s book based on a true story. You may have heard about this book before–it’s pretty popular. It is the story of Beatrice and her family, who live in Uganda and whose lives change when they receive a goat from Heifer International. The goat bears two kids and provides enough milk to feed the family and to sell for profit. Before this, life is extremely hard for Beatrice and her five brothers and sisters, who lived in extreme poverty. The children could not even go to school because they were so poor. By the end of the book (a year), Beatrice is going to school and the family is moving into a sturdier house thanks to the gift of the goat.

I love Heifer International, and I will probably talk a lot about how they change lives in poor communities all over the world. They provide (through donations) livestock to families, so they can raise more livestock and collect products from livestock to help themselves and other community members.

I receive their magazine, and here are some facts on the back of the latest issue: “In just three months in 1994, more than 800,000 Rwandans were killed in one of the worst acts of genocide in recent history. When you donate to help rebuild hope in Rwanda, your donation will be matched 3-to-1 up to $1.6 million to help revive farming traditions lost 16 years ago. That means your gift will go four times as far to help turn Rwanda’s violent past into a peaceful–and prosperous–future.”

If you are looking for a project to do in summer school or at home this summer, think about reading Beatrice’s Goat or checking out the Heifer International website and raising money to buy a family a goat, a cow, or some chicks. You can buy a share of these for as little as $10.

I first learned about The International Justice Mission when I attended a human trafficking awareness night on the University of Illinois campus. A young man who had interned with IJM shared his horrifying stories from the field–stories of girls as young as TWO YEARS OLD in brothels. After listening to him–someone who had been on the front line–I knew I had to check out IJM and what they offered for victims of human trafficking. What I like about IJM is that they are raiding and shutting down brothels, but they are also fighting for stricter laws against human trafficking agents and brothel owners, against corrupt police, and against kidnappers. Some countries have laws where these people are barely punished for their crimes or as we saw in Rath’s story yesterday, the wrong people (the slaves) are being punished.

According to the IJM website, this organization was founded by Gary Haugen, who was working as a lawyer at the U.S. Department of Justice and as the United Nations’ Investigator in Charge in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide. Today, IJM has over 300 professionals working in their own communities to fight injustice. These professionals “confront aggressive human violence: violence that strips widows and orphans of their property and livelihoods, violence that steals dignity and health from children trafficked into forced prostitution, violence that denies freedom and security to families trapped in slavery.”

If you want to help these professionals fight for human rights and help girls like Rath, then you can donate money to their cause–you can give a one time gift or a monthly donation. It is simple to do–right from their website. If you don’t have a lot of money or your school would like to do something to help IJM, you can always do a penny drive. Ask people to bring in their pennies and loose change for a period of time, and then donate this money to IJM. Whatever you can give helps.

But not everyone has extra money–especially in today’s economy, so another way you can help is to tell other people about IJM. You can also pray for the professionals that are working in the field and for the victims they are working to protect. IJM also has student ministries, so if you work with children or teens or if you want to do something in your own home, you can! And IJM helps you with this. They also provide resources for churches. Just spreading the word and talking about the problem and resources available can help stop human trafficking.

If you are interested in the t-shirt pictured above, you can purchase these from the IJM website. Thanks for listening!

photo by kissyface www.flickr.com

I once wrote an entire article on sportsmanship and how to fit it into daily lessons for Teachers of Vision magazine. We already have so much curriculum to cover in a year and state testing to prepare for–how can you add one more thing? But I think character education is as important as reading, math, and science, and so I am going to do a Wacky Wednesday series on this subject. These ideas and activities can be used in public, private, or home schools. Today, we tackle. . .

KINDNESS!

As you can see, one idea would be to have a kindness bulletin board like the one pictured with this post. This teacher posted on flickr.com that this board was used to announce when students caught other students doing random acts of kindness! I love it! (And it’s awful cute, too.) This could easily be done in any classroom at any age–maybe in high school you wouldn’t post it on a bulletin board with ladybugs, but teens could drop notes about people whom they caught being kind into a jar. Teachers could pull one of these once a week for a candy bar or homework pass or something teens at your school care about. At home, random acts of kindness can be posted on the refrigerator.

What does it mean to be kind to people? Teach children and teens that it’s not really that hard. Instead of snapping at someone when they run into him or her in the hallway, just smile and say excuse me. Help someone who dropped a book by picking it up and handing it back to him or her. Refrain from joining in when bullying occurs. Smile at the victim and say hi. Offer to give someone a ride home, help with homework, do the dishes for a sibling or parent, and so on. Make sure to give plenty of easy and practical examples to children and teens of how they can be kind in their daily lives.

Let students write about kindness–they could write poems, stories, personal narratives, or persuasive essays. Put kindness in the middle of a word web, and see what topics kids can come up with to write about. Publish these kindness writings in a book with a plastic binding or on a wall display.

Here are some books you might be interested in sharing with children:

What are your ideas for teaching kindness?

"There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure." - Colin Powell

Do you agree? Do you have any secrets to success?

We've recently created a brochure on the importance of character education titled Success in Reading = Success in Life. By tying each of our books to one of the six pillars of character education, we are helping kids make the connection between admirable behavior and their own actions. This should help lead to success in their lives.

Send us your address if you'd like a copy.

According to the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development “Character education involves teaching children about basic human values including honesty, kindness, generosity, courage, freedom, equality, and respect.”

Sharron McElmeel is a leading expert in this field and she’s done just about everything including publishing a 220-page book called Character Education: A Book Guide for Teachers, Librarians and Parents.

As part of a discussion on character education and her other projects, Sharron McElmeel answers questions that help reveal some of her powerful advice which includes make your house a “book house”, include a book on every gift-giving occasion and we must all move out of our classrooms and living rooms to spread the joy of reading everywhere we can.

Links to Ms. McElmeel’s resources and books mentioned:

• Sharron McElmeel’s website
• McBookWords - a resource for schools, educators and librarians
• McBookWords blog
• Character Education: A Book Guide for Teachers, Librarians and Parents
• Authors in the Kitchen: Recipes, Stories and More
• Authors in the Pantry: Recipes, Stories and More

Children’s books mentioned:

• Where the Wild Things Are
• A Snowy Day
• Virginia Lee Burton books including Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel
• Value Tales Series
• Pink and Say
• Nail Soup
• Stone Soup
• The Gingerbread Boy
• A Ghost, a Witch and a Goblin

Photo: http://mcbookwords.blogspot.com/

My daughter is a social worker for the Department of Social Services. Last week, she asked my husband and me if we would “adopt” a DSS family for Christmas. We told her we’d be happy to. So…Tuesday evening my daughter and I went shopping for clothes and toys and dolls and video games and sports equipment. We buzzed around the store from department to department with our shopping list and a big cart. By the time we hit the checkout counter, our cart was overflowing.

Because the holiday has become so commercialized, shopping for gifts lost its luster for me many years ago. I will admit, though, that I really enjoyed spending a couple of hours Christmas shopping with my only child. This time I knew my night out shopping could help to make Christmas special for a family of children that might otherwise go without presents. It was also a special night of mother-daughter bonding.

The Christmas season can be difficult for families who have come upon hard times—for parents who can’t afford to buy their children presents. There are lots of working families who struggle to get by from week to week. There are many families in need because of an illness or death of a parent…or because a parent in the military has been away from home for an extended period of time…or because a parent has lost his/her job.

With all this in mind, I thought I would write a review of a holiday book about a family that has no money to spend on presents yet still manages to have “the best Christmas ever.”

THE BEST CHRISTMAS EVER
Written & illustrated by Chih-Yuan Chen
Heryin Books, 2005

It’s been a hard year for Little Bear’s family. Father Bear’s business failed and he couldn’t find work. There’s barely enough money to buy food—surely none for Christmas presents. A few days before Christmas, Mother Bear busies herself making decorations with Little Bear’s old clothes. Little Bear's older brother and sister decorate the windows in hopes that Santa Claus will see them. Father Bear goes out in search of branches from which he constructs a Christmas tree. Then he hangs ornaments on the tree and dusts it with white flour, which sifts “down to the branches below like fresh snow.” Little Bear also goes about his "holiday" business...unnoticed by the others.

For Christmas Eve, the Bear family has a tasty dinner that mother has made with a fish father caught. Then everyone goes quietly off to bed. Little Bear, who is unable to sleep, asks his father to tell him some Christmas stories. After Father Bear is finished with his stories, Little Bear reassures him: “Santa Claus brings us presents every year—he won’t forget this time.”

And sure enough, there is a present for each member of the family under the tree on Christmas morning. When Brother Bear unwraps his gift, he finds his own kite that had gotten stuck in a tree. The hole in it has been repaired and it’s now as good as new. Sister Bear’s gift is the umbrella she had left behind at the park. She is thrilled to have it back. Mother’s present is the missing button from her favorite dress—and Father’s is the hat that had blown off his head on the day he went in search of branches for their Christmas tree. Little Bear’s gift is his favorite baseball glove. It’s all clean and shiny and looks brand new.

After the excitement of opening presents is over, Sister Bear discovers tiny footprints in the flour under the tree. Whose could they be? They’re too small to have been made by Santa Claus—unless Santa is a dwarf! Father and Mother laugh. They know who made the footprints. They joke that the prints weren’t left by “Father” Christmas—but rather by “Toddler” Christmas. The family spends the rest of the holiday “discussing the mysterious gifts, and of course, the mysterious visit from “Toddler Christmas”. Some perceptive young readers may spot clues in Chen’s illustrations that will help them deduce that Little Bear was the one who found the lost objects and left them as presents under the tree.

With spare, uncluttered illustrations, Chih-Yuan Chen supports his tender story of a family fallen on hard times—a family that prepares for Christmas as best it can by improvising when there is no money to buy a tree or decorations or presents. Rather than bemoan their fate, family members busy themselves with holiday projects—and Little Bear, in particular, helps to make this the most memorable Christmas ever. This quiet, touching tale of a family finding joy in a “homemade” Christmas is memorable, too.

Here is how the story ends:

All those old familiar things,
newly presented, had rekindled
many fond memories.

And it was thus, that the Bears
had themselves…
the best Christmas ever.

HERSHEL AND THE HANUKKAH GOBLINS
Written by Eric Kimmel
Illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman
Holiday House, 1989

ZIGAZAK!: A MAGICAL HANUKKAH NIGHT
Written by Eric Kimmel
Illustrated by Jon Goodell
Doubleday, 2001

Another of my favorite Hanukkah books is an exciting tale, also written by Eric Kimmel, entitled Zigazak!: A Magical Hanukkah Night. I used to read it aloud in my school library. My students loved it!

In this story, little devils flying over the town of Brisk notice menorahs shining in the windows and deduce it must be Hanukkah. They decide to have some fun. They use their magic powers to disrupt the holiday celebration in the town. Zigazak! Dreidels grow arms and legs and begin dancing in the butcher’s house. Zigazak! Latkes go zipping through the air at Hannah Leah’s. Zigazak! Instruments fly out of musicians’ hands and play a lively kazatzka and candles explode like fireworks, shooting colored flames through the house of the town’s richest resident.

The village is in pandemonium. The frightened townspeople run to the home of their rabbi for help. The rabbi is a wise man. He confronts the evil spirits. The calm and clever holy man outwits the mischievous devils and the town of Brisk ends up celebrating Hanukkah as it never had before.

Jon Goodell’s illustrations bring us the action of this hectic holiday night of flying latkes, dancing dreidels, airborne instruments, and rockets of colored flames shooting through the air. He also shows the emotions of surprise, fear, sadness on the faces of the story characters. His demons are devilish looking, indeed—but not too scary for young children to appreciate.

Click here to view an illustration from Zigazak!.
Click here to view the cover art for Zigazak!.

TURK AND RUNT
Story by Lisa Wheeler
Pictures by Frank Ansley
Simon & Schuster, 2002

Looking for a Thanksgiving story that will get young kids laughing? Consider Turk and Runt. It’s a slyly humorous tale about two turkey brothers named Turk and Runt. The boys’ parents are extremely proud of their son Turk. He’s “the biggest, strongest, and most graceful bird on Wishbone Farm.” He’s a dancer and an athlete! What turkey parents wouldn’t puff out their chest feathers if they had a progeny like that? Turk’s parents are sure he’s going to go far in life. Bespectacled little Runt, however, knows exactly where Turk’s headed—not to fame and fortune, but to somebody’s house where he’ll be roasted and basted. Runt’s parents won’t listen to his warnings. They’re too wrapped up in their ambitious dreams for Turk.

Two days before Thanksgiving the famous ballet instructor Madame Waddelle arrives at the farm. “An audition!” squeals Turk’s mother. “Go out there and shake those tail feathers!” she tells her son. Turk leaps and spins…twirls and whirls. What a performance! The dance teacher is mighty impressed—especially with the size of Turk’s drumsticks.

Realizing that he’ll have to be the one to save his brother, Runt puffs out his feathers, throws himself to the ground, flaps and flops, hisses and sputters, gobbles like a maniac, and nearly scares the leggings off of Madame Waddelle. She runs away screaming: “Zees birds are crazy!”

But Turk’s not safe yet. The next day Coach Giblet arrives to select his Thanksgiving fowl. Turk’s father tells him to display his football prowess. Turk bobs and weaves, tackles and dives. He mows down every turkey in his path. The coach is in awe of this athletic bird. That’s when Runt comes to the rescue again. He cries and coughs and wheezes—he sniffles and sneezes and falls to the ground, hacking and quivering. “Good gravy!” shouts the coach sure that the turkeys are ill. He heads for the hills.

Runt’s parents are sad. Will their dreams for Turk’s bright future be realized? Maybe. When they see a little old lady driving onto the farm on Thanksgiving morning, they’re hopes are rejuvenated. They encourage Turk: “Show her what you’ve got!” But the elderly female isn’t interested in the robust Turk. She’s looking for a fowl of smaller stature—and Runt seems to be just the right size. His parents can’t believe it!

Knowing what the old lady has in store for him, Runt is on the run! That’s when Turk comes to his rescue. He uses the ballet moves and football maneuvers he’s perfected to help his puny sibling. When Runt gobbles like a maniac and Turk tackles her, the woman is finally frightened off.

Later that day, the thankful turkey family enjoys a feast of corn and alfalfa. But their happiness is shattered when Runt warns them that they’re not out of the woods yet. “Come December, folks begin planning their holiday dinners.” Readers have no need to worry about the fate of this fine fowl family. Runt’s got a plan—and you can be sure that this time everyone listens to him.

Ansley’s hilarious cartoon-style illustrations work perfectly with Wheeler’s humorous story. In this book, text and art combine to give readers one truly funny Thanksgiving tale.


Click here to view three illustrations from Turk and Runt.

GIVING THANKS
Written by Jonathan London
Paintings by Gregory Manchess
Candlewick, 2003

(The book cover posted here is from the paperback edition, which was published in 2005.)

Giving Thanks is not a picture book about the Thanksgiving holiday. I would describe it as more of a paean to nature than a story. It is a book about a boy who is learning a deep respect for and appreciation of the natural world and the creatures that inhabit it from his father.

The book is set on an autumn day. The boy and his father go off on a walk through meadows and the woods. The father gives thanks for all the gifts of nature they see on their daylong outing—including frogs and crickets singing down by the creek; the tiny beings with six or eight legs, weaving their tiny stories close to the earth; chanterelles, the wild mushrooms that smell like pumpkins; deer who have passed this way, their tracks like two fingers pressed in the dirt.

The book’s text is brief and oft times lyrical. The oil on canvas illustrations done by Manchess are gorgeous. Their broad, visible brushstrokes and blurred outlines bring to mind an impressionistic style of art. Shifting perspectives and close-ups keep this quiet book from becoming static.

Reading and discussing Giving Thanks with children might help to imbue them with an appreciation and respect for animals and other riches of nature that are so often taken for granted. It would be a fine book to read aloud in the classroom or to one’s own children before taking them on a nature walk. It’s also an excellent book about father-son bonding.

Note: Jonathan London dedicated this book to Joseph Bruchac, the award-winning Native American author and storyteller whose family founded the Ndakinna Education Center, a not-for-profit organization located on the Bruchac Nature Preserve in Greenfield Center, NY.

THANKSGIVING IS HERE!
Written & illustrated by Diane Goode
HarperCollins, 2003

There isn’t much of a story in this book. It depicts a joyful—and hectic—celebration of Thanksgiving as experienced by one large, close family.

Grandma arises early on Thanksgiving morning to get the turkey into the oven. Then, through the course of the day, relatives arrive—along with their children, a baby carriage, an enormous “special” present, knitting needles and yarn, a violin—and even a dog. Family unites to help with dinner preparations, the moving of furniture, and setting of tables.

Goode’s text curves and swerves above and below her light-hearted, cartoon-style illustrations, which add happy and humorous details to the story. Much of this holiday extravaganza is told through her art. In the pictures, we see children hiding under a table, adults reading to children, some relatives dancing while one plays the piano, older family members sleeping on chairs and sofas after their huge turkey dinner, a young boy playing the violin while standing atop a table, a crying baby, and one of the youngsters pulling off an elder’s toupee.

Thanksgiving Is Here! is a celebration of families…of relatives of all ages gathering together for one of the special occasions of the year.

THE THANKSGIVING DOOR
Written & illustrated by Debby Atwell
Houghton Mifflin (Walter Lorraine), 2003

I am quoting from the blurb printed on the back of the paperback edition of The Thanksgiving Door because it explains so succinctly and so well what this story is all about: “On Thanksgiving Day, an immigrant family opens their door to a couple of uninvited guests, sharing an evening of friendship, good food, and lots of dancing, and remembering that Thanksgiving is about opening one’s heart in welcome to the strangers who become friends and to the disappointments that bring unexpected joys.”

Ed and Ann are elderly. They’re home alone on Thanksgiving Day. When Ann realizes that their turkey has burned, she and Ed decide to see if the new restaurant down the street, which is owned by immigrants, is open for the holiday. Ed and Ann find the front door of the New World Café open. They step into the large dining room and see a long table that has been decorated and set for dinner. The restaurant is supposed to be closed for the holiday. The immigrant family is planning to have a big feast for relatives. The immigrants peer at Ed and Ann through windows in the kitchen door. They’re angry that intruders have made their way into the dining room. They’re sure their celebration will be ruined—and try to think of ways to scare the uninvited guests away.

But Grandmother feels differently. She believes they should share their meal and “turkey big as a doghouse” with the unexpected guests. The family decides that Grandmother is right. They add two more chairs to the table and welcome Ed and Ann to join them for dinner. And so, the members of an immigrant family open their hearts to an elderly couple and share not only food…but friendship--and their own special celebration of an American holiday in their adopted country.

It isn’t until the end of this heartwarming tale that readers find out that Grandmother had jammed a potato under the front door to keep it open. When Papa asks how it got there, Grandmother responds: “In old country Thanksgiving door is like happy heart, opened up big and wide.”

Atwell’s flat, folk-art-style illustrations are bright and colorful. They include lots of details and intricate patterns, which add visual interest. The intense warm colors used in the second half of the book echo the warm feelings of friendship and acceptance expressed in her story.

Although the ethnicity of the immigrant family is never stated in the text, Atwell provides plenty of visual clues for discerning readers in her illustrations: a painting of buildings with onion domes hanging on a dining room wall; the boxy, brown fur hats worn by the men; and family members performing what appears to be a Russian Cossack dance.

THE TAILYPO: A GHOST STORY
Told by Joanna Galdone
Illustrated by Paul Galdone
Clarion, 1997

This is a tale about an old man who lives in a one-room cabin “in the deep, big woods.” One day, he goes off hunting with his three dogs—Uno, Ino, and Cumptico-Calico. After many hours out hunting, the wind begins blowing hard. The old man knows it will get dark soon so he heads for home—with just one “skinny rabbit.”

The old man cooks up the rabbit and eats it. Then he sits back in his rocker and looks at the moon rising in the sky as the wind whistles round his cabin. Just as he’s dozing off, “a most curious creature crept through a crack between the logs in the wall.” The creature has a “BIG, LONG, FURRY TAIL.”

Now what do you suppose the old man does? Cower in his chair? Nope! Jump into his bead and pull the covers up over his head? Nope! Bolt out of his cabin and run off into the darkness? No way! Why, as soon as he spies that varmint in his house, he grabs his hatchet and hacks off its tail! Yep! That varmint creeps back through that crack in the wall and takes off. Then the old coot cooks up the critter’s furry tail and eats it! Yessirree, that’s what he does because he’s still hungry!

Once his belly is full, the old man goes to bed. He isn’t asleep for long when he hears a scratching sound. The old man calls out, “Who’s that?” A voice answers, “Tailypo, tailypo, all I want is my tailypo.” The scartching continues. The frightened old man calls his dogs—and they chase that thing off into the woods. Then the old man goes back to bed.

In the middle of the night, he’s awakened by the sound of something trying to get into his cabin—something that keeps making that SCRATCHING sound. He hears that voice saying: “Tailypo, tailypo, I’m coming to get my tailpo!” The old man calls for his dogs again. They chase that wild thing into the swamp. Once everything is quiet, the man returns to bed.

Before morning arrives, the old man’s awakened by something down in the swamp. He thinks it’s the wind—but when he listens closely he hears a voice crying: “You know, and I know, all I want is my tailypo.” The old man summons his dogs—but they’re nowhere to be found. He shuts and bars his door and goes back to bed.

THEN…just before daylight, the old man gets a strange feeling that there’s something in the cabin with him. That something starts climbing up the bed covers. First, the man sees two pointed ears poking up over the foot of his bed…then he sees “two big, round, fiery eyes.” That varmint has returned to get its tailypo! The man tells the creature he hasn’t got it—but the creature insists he does. It jumps on top of the man and scratches everything to pieces. Well, almost everything—the chimney of the old man’s house is the one thing left standing in the deep, big woods. That’s all.

But folks who live in the valley say
That when the moon shines and the wind blows,
You can hear a voice say:

“Tailypo, tailypo,
now I’ve got
my tailypo.”

Read this old tale with the overhead lights turned off and electric jack o’ lanterns turned on, use some scratching sound effects, and read the varmint’s words in a quavering, ghostlike, wailing voice—and you’re sure to send shivers of delight down children’s spines.


Suggested Art Activity: The first time I read this story aloud to my students I didn’t show them the illustrations. I told them to imagine what the “tailypo” creature looked like to them. When I finished reading the book, I gave my students construction paper and asked them to create their own versions of the creature. It was interesting to see how the creature was perceived by each child.

HELP!: A STORY OF FRIENDSHIP
Written & illustrated by Holly Keller
Greenwillow, 2007

As the story opens, Hedgehog finds Mouse, the main character, covering himself with leaves in order to hide from Snake. When Hedgehog asks Mouse why he wants to hide from their friend, Mouse replies that Fox told him that snakes are very dangerous to mice. Hedgehog tells Mouse that Snake would never hurt him and insists that Mouse accompany him on a walk. But Mouse is wary…and worried. He can’t carry on a conversation with Hedgehog. He is still thinking about Snake. He glances around nervously. He looks everywhere but down and falls into a deep, narrow hole.

In the fall, Mouse hurts his foot and can’t climb out of the hole. Hedgehog tells Mouse he’ll get help. Just then Squirrel comes by and Hedgehog requests his assistance. But Squirrel says he can’t help because the hole is too dark…and there might be spiders. Then along comes Rabbit. But Rabbit can’t help because the hole is too deep and its walls too straight. He’s convinced he wouldn’t be able to hop out of it. And what about Hedgehog? Well…his prickles would hurt Mouse in a rescue attempt.

Hedgehog, Squirrel, and Rabbit stare down into the hole. Helpless Mouse begins to cry. Then wishywishywishy…along comes Snake slithering through the grass. Snake wants to know what’s going on. Hedgehog tells him the whole story. Snake doesn’t understand why Mouse would be afraid of him when he has always been his friend. Snake tells them that he is going to go down into the hole and rescue Mouse.

That’s when Hedgehog asks: “How will you do it without scaring Mouse?” Snake has a clever plan to help his furry little friend without frightening him. Squirrel gets a stick and Hedgehog ties it to Snake’s tail. Snake lowers the stick into the hole. Mouse grabs it and is pulled out of his earthen prison. When Mouse finds out who his rescuer is, he is embarrassed and apologetic for ever doubting Snake’s friendship.

Mouse hobbles home with the help of his four friends. His foot is bandaged and Mouse rests for a time. Several days later, Mouse takes a bouquet of flowers that he has picked to his friend Snake as a thank you gift. In the story’s final illustration, we see Mouse and Snake happily embracing.

The illustrations for Help! are collographs—or printed collages. On the back flap of the book jacket, Keller explains that she has been making collographs for years—but that this is the first time she ever used them to illustrate a book. I’d say it was a wise decision on her part.

Keller fittingly used natural colors in her art for Help!: brown, green, yellow, orange, gray…and touches of pink. She also used black to give texture to the animals’ skin and fur and to the grass, leaves, and soil. The collographs stand out on white background. This helps focus a reader’s attention on the story characters and the natural habitat in which they live. Keller uses white to its utmost effectiveness as the backdrop of the hole into which Mouse has fallen.

Help!: A Story of Friendship is one of the best picture books I have read so far this year. It is a good tale about ignoring gossip and trusting one’s true friends. It would be an excellent book to read aloud and discuss in preschool, kindergarten, and early elementary classrooms.

You might include the reading of Help! along with the following books that were also written and illustrated by Holly Keller in a mini unit about friendship:

FARFALLINA & MARCEL
Greenwillow, 2002
(This book is the recipient of a Charlotte Zolotow Award.)

SOPHIE’S WINDOW
Greenwillow, 2005

Click here to read Making Sense of Childhood: An Interview with Holly Keller (Cooperative Children's Book Center).

THE PROBLEM WITH CHICKENS
Written by Bruce McMillan
Illustrated by Gunnella
Houghton Mifflin, 2005

Bruce McMillan lives in Maine—but he has made many trips over the years to an island country that he loves: Iceland. The Problem with Chickens, in fact, is the seventh book of his that is set in that country. McMillan is most well known for his nonfiction books illustrated with his photographs. His inspiration for doing a picture book about chickens came to him after he bought an oil painting by Icelandic artist Gunnella.

From Bruce McMillan’s website: Gunnella's paintings have a narrative quality about them, and people always smile when viewing her art at an exhibition. I saw a book in them. With so many paintings with chickens I knew I could develop a story, I did and Gunnella liked it. Then Gunnella filled in the few gaps where we needed new art.

The Problem with Chickens is a humorous tale. It’s set in a village in Iceland where there are no chickens…but plenty of eggs. Unfortunately, the eggs laid by wild birds on the sides of cliffs overlooking the ocean are too difficult to reach. The ladies of the village want eggs for cooking. So what do they do? Why, they decide to go to the city to get some chickens. Alas, getting chickens doesn’t solve their problem of having no eggs for long. And why, you might ask, is that? Well, you see, these chickens start acting like the ladies of the village. They go blueberry picking with them. They tag along with them to a birthday party. When the ladies sing to the sheep—so do the chickens. In fact, they’re so busy following the ladies around and acting like them that they stop laying eggs. That’s when the ladies decide that they really have a PROBLEM with their chickens.

These Icelandic females are no slouches when it comes to devising a clever plan to outwit their avian antagonists. The ladies start to exercise. They know the chickens will follow suit. Soon their wings are so strong that the chickens can actually fly. That’s when the ladies lift them into the air and set them to flying at the edge of a cliff where no wild birds roost. The chickens safely land on ledges on the side of the cliff, build nests, and—yes—lay eggs. So how is the problem solved if the chicken eggs are now nestled on the side of a steep cliff like those of the wild birds? Why, the ladies also got strong from all their exercise. That was part of their plan. They rig up a pulley system at the top of the cliff and while one woman collects eggs from the nests, her comrades hold onto the rope from which she hangs. From that day forward, the ladies have no problem with their chickens.

McMillan’s text is spare. Much of the story is told through Gunnella’s colorful folk art style illustrations, which are a perfect complement to this original story with the flavor of an old tale. Gunnella’s village women are round-faced and buxom and always shown wearing aprons and babushkas. The illustrations have touches of droll humor, which add to the fun of McMillan’s lighthearted story. A reader can't help but smile when looking at pictures of chickens lounging alongside the ladies on a hillside, peeking out from the greenery at the ladies while they are enjoying their tea and cakes, and pushing small boulders through a meadow with their wings.

The Problem with Chickens was a New York Times Best Illustrated Book of 2005 and a recipient of a Parent’s Choice Foundation Seal of Approval.

Visit The Problem with Chickens page at Gunnella’s website to view some of the book’s illustrations.
The second book collaboration between McMillan and Gunnella, How the Ladies Stopped the Wind, will be published this fall.