Young People Making a Difference

by Karen Leggett Abouraya

Children’s Book Guild 2018 Nonfiction Award Winner Phillip Hoose has always been intrigued by young people who make a difference in their world.  They are the subject of most of his books, especially after Sarah Rosen - a teenager in South Bend, Indiana -  asked him, “We’re not taught about young people who have made a difference. Studying history almost makes you feel like you’re not a real person.” Hoose decided he would be the author to find and share the stories of real young people making a difference. 

Hoose brings young leaders to life, including Sarah Rosen in It’s Our World, Too! along with many more in We Were There, Too! Young People in U.S. History. With the meticulous research that characterizes all of his books, Hoose has identified youngsters who sailed with Christopher Columbus right up to those who have been active in the 20^th and 21^st centuries: Olaudah Equiano, who was kidnapped into slavery in Benin, Africa, in 1756; teens Billy Bates and Dick King who escaped from the dreaded Andersonville prison during the Civil War; fourteen-year-old Susie King Taylor, a former slave who had learned to read and shared her skills with countless illiterate children and adults; eight-year-old Margaret Davidson who worked in small ways to counter the anti-German sentiments in her Iowa town during World War II.

Ideas for writing and action pop from every page of Hoose’s books.

·       Write a journal entry for any one of the young people he describes.

o   Imagine being twelve-year-old Diego Bermúdez.  Why did you leave your home? What work did you do on Christopher Columbus’ ship? What was boring? What was exciting? Diego returned to Spain and did not come to the New World again. Why not? His brother Juan did sail across the ocean and the Bermuda Islands were later named for him. These journals also provide an opportunity to discuss the difference between historical fiction – journals that your students would write – and nonfiction, based on primary sources and verifiable facts.

·       What would you like to change in your school or community? How could you begin to make that change? This could be a class discussion and project.

o   Write a plan to lobby or work for the change you desire.

o   Hoose’s book It’s Our World, Too! includes a “A Handbook for Young Activists” with resources and tools for change. The website Youth Activism Project includes many other ideas and examples. The Co-President of the Youth Activism Project, Anika Manzour, helped start School Girls Unite as a middle school student in Kensington, Maryland.

Phillip Hoose says the young people in his books “deserve attention not simply because they are ‘real people’ close to your age. They are important because through their sweat, bravery, luck, talent, imagination and sacrifice – sometimes of their lives – they helped shape our nation.”

Librarians, teachers and students are all invited to hear Phillip Hoose speak at the Children’s Book Guild Nonfiction Award Celebrationon April 7 in Washington, D.C. More details and reservations at www.childrensbookguild.org.  

www.childrensbookguild.org

“Sure to Spark Intense Discussion”

by Karen Leggett Abouraya

When Ann Bausum wrote Denied Detained Deported: Stories from the Dark Side of American Immigration in 2009, the starred review in Booklist called it a “landmark title, sure to spark intense discussion.” Indeed.  Eight years later, the discussion might be even more intense.

Ann Bausum is the winner of the 2017 Children’s Book Guild Nonfiction Award, given to an author or author-illustrator whose total work has contributed significantly to the quality of nonfiction for children.  Bausum’s work is wide-ranging – The March Against Fear: The Last Great Walk of the Civil Rights Movement and the Emergence of Black Power; Stonewall: Breaking Out in the Fight for Gay Rights; Stubby the War Dog and Denied Detained Deported.

In Denied Detained Deported, Bausum ends many chapters with questions that are excellent, thought-provoking writing prompts for teens and in a few cases, younger students. 

·       “What individual rights should be sacrificed in the name of homeland security?”

·       “Do migrant workers contribute more to society than they take away?”

·       “What protections might Americans be asked to forfeit when their heritage makes them suspect during a time of war?”

Whether students are asked to write essays or debate both sides of each question, they can gain experience in using logical reasoning and facts for civil debate and discourse. 

A less intense writing activity would ask students to write a single diary entry for one of the children whose stories are told in the book. What was a day like for Mary Matsuda in a Japanese internment camp or Herb Karliner, a German Jewish boy expecting to sail to freedom and safety in the United States?  

Herb Karliner, a German Jewish boy expecting to sail to freedom and safety
in the United States in 1939

There are more stories about Chinese who came seeking gold in California in 1849 and cycles of Mexican migration in the 20^th century. As Bausum concludes, “The United States has been alternatively welcoming and hostile to those who have tried to cross through ‘the golden door’ into America.”

While you are contemplating which of Ann Bausum’s books to share with your students, make plans to hear her in person at the Children’s Book Guild Nonfiction Award Celebration on April 29 at Clyde’s Gallery Place in Washington, D.C.  Register here . Everyone is welcome!

 http://childrensbookguild.org/karen-leggett-abouraya

Michael Shiner: A True American Original

by Karen Leggett Abouraya

“It is sometimes called the City of Magnificent Distances, but it might with greater propriety be termed the City of Magnificent Intentions…”   That’s how Charles Dickens described Washington, D.C., when he visited in 1842.  The only compliment he paid to Washington was the “very pleasant and commodious library in the Capitol.”

In Capital Days, Michael Shiner’s Journal and the Growth of Our Nation’s Capital, Tonya Bolden recounts the history of Washington, D.C., often from the point of view of Michael Shiner, born enslaved but able to secure freedom for himself and his family.  He spent most of his life working at the Washington Navy Yard, keeping a journal that cataloged some of the city’s most important events, including numerous fires, laying the cornerstone for the Washington Monument and the inauguration of 11 presidents.

Bolden is the winner of the 2016 Children’s Book Guild Nonfiction Award.  She is honored for all of her books, including many stories of American history, often from the point of view of African Americans.  Bolden will be honored at an Award Luncheon on April 9 in Washington, D.C., and everyone is invited.  Find the details here. 

Bolden’s books are rich with opportunities for student research and writing.

In addition to Michael Shiner’s journal itself, Capital Days is filled with pictures and stories drawn from original documents. Here is a poster published by the Anti-Slavery Society as part of its campaign to end slavery and slave trading in Washington, D.C. 

You can enlarge this poster here. 

·       Ask students to create their own anti-slavery poster.  What would they say or show that might convince legislators to make slavery and slave trading illegal in the nation’s capital?

In 1807, three free black men who could neither read nor write established Bell School near the Washington Navy Yard where they worked. It was the first school for black children in the nation’s capital. 

·       Have one student pretend to be carpenter George Bell while another interviews him. Why did Mr. Bell think it was important to start a school? Who did he expect to attend the school (boys and girls)? What problems or challenges did he encounter in opening the school? Both students can write newspaper articles based on Mr. Bell’s answers.

Read the full quote about Washington from Charles Dickens, where he writes very disparagingly of “spacious avenues that begin in nothing and lead nowhere.”

·       Ask students to write a review of their own city, as if they were writing for Yelp or TripAdvisor.

Reading Michael Shiner’s journal was like having a conversation with him across the dinner table about daily events. In 1861, “they commenced hauling flour from the different warehouses in Washington, D.C., and Georgetown to the Capitol of the United States.”  The Capitol – still under construction – would serve as a bakery, barracks and hospital for Union troops.

·       Ask students to interview a long time resident of their community – perhaps a relative or resident of a retirement community.  Ask about details of a particularly important event in the community or even the nation and turn those details into a narrative description or story.

Capital Days is also an excellent tool to help students learn the importance of good glossaries, thorough footnotes and an index. In her Author’s Note, Bolden calls Shiner a “true American original.”

http://childrensbookguild.org/karen-leggett-abouraya