My Man Blue Book Talk

My Man Blue

By: Nikki Grimes

Pictures by: Jerome Lagarrigue

This book was much more intense than I expected it to be. I picked it out based on the cover thinking it would be about how you can find someone who is like your family, but isn't blood related. That is what this book is about, but the lessons taught to the little boy by the man were a lot more intense than I thought they would be.

Damon, the little boy, and his mother move to a new place in town. She introduces Damon to her friend Blue. Damon explains to Blue that he is the man of the family and he shouldn't come around his family, all while looking him up and down. Blue explains to Damon that he lost his son to the streets, and he know that Damon's dad left their family. Damon tells Blue that he won't fill the loss of his son, but Blue says they will just be friends. Blue teaches Damon to overcome his fears by climbing a tree higher than he has ever climbed a tree, and reassures him that he will be there to catch him if he falls. Blue explains to Damon that even if he can't participate in games, he can still enjoy certain things. Blue gives Damon a hotdog to help him feel better. Damon's ball goes into the street, and right before he jumps into traffic to get the ball, Blue grabs him and pulls him back. Damon admits that, "At times I think Blue's actually some gold-toothed angel, guarding me". Damon is getting bullied at school by a little girl, but Blue explains to Damon that he is never allowed to hit a girl. Blue does fun stuff with Damon too, like playing one-on-one with him at the basketball courts. Damon cooks dinner so it's ready for his mom when she gets home from work. People make fun of him for it, but Blue explains that he needs to take care of his mom. Blue trains Damon so he knows how to defend himself. A boy at Damon's school got shot. Blue tells Damon that hate and fear hold the gun and fire it. Damon doesn't want fear or hate in his life. The last page was one of my favorites. It read, "One day I'll be like Blue. Not fierce in black leather or built like a heavyweight boxing machine But like that other Blue I've seen the one who says he cares and shows it. The one who flashes gold every time he smiles."

Like I said before, this book was much more intense than I thought it would be. As a young kid I grew up with different lessons. However, there are kids who grew up with lessons similar to Damon's. There are some kids who only grow up with one parent and find someone outside their family to teach them lessons. Blue was not Damon's dad, but he stepped up in the position and helped keep Damon away from the streets. 

I wouldn't use this book with the younger kids because of some of the things discussed. It would be a great book to use with the fifth graders because they are more mature and able to handle some of the topics brought up in the book.

Book 4!!

Momma, Where Are You From?

By: Marie Bradby

Illustrated by: Chris Soentpiet

This story starts off with a little girl and her mother sitting in their kitchen. The little girl asks, "Momma, where are you from? Where are you from, Momma?" Momma explains to her daughter that she is from all the chores she did on a Monday. She explains she is from all the different food she had for dinner. Momma told the little girl she was from giving away her old clothes and ice chips on a hot summer day. THen the little girl asks, "Momma, where is that place? Where is that place, Momma?" The mother tells her little girl that this place is where the town meets the countryside. It's where the bus took Momma's brothers and sisters to school. She explained its where the gum ball tree took up the sky and where she "wondered why Miss Mary cleaned someone else's house". She told her it's where chores took up the entire afternoon. It was where Friday evenings were taken up by fried fish and cherry pie with ice cream. It was where they played games and listened to ball games on the radio. The story finishes up with the little girl asking her mother, "Momma, can I go there? Can I go there Momma?" Here mother responds by saying she will take her daughter down the roads of her memory.

I really enjoyed this story and found it very easy to connect to. I used to love sitting around the dinner table with my family, listening to stories my parents told about their childhood. It always seemed so different from my childhood. It seemed the most different when they talked about money. I also liked hearing about how and where my grandparents grew up. I feel like this story is one that most people could easily relate to.

This would be a fun story to incorporate into the classroom. You could read this story to the class, have them go home and talk to their parents about about their childhood, and then have the kids right about what their parents told them. When they come back to class after these interviews, the kids could share in small groups about where their parents are from.

Week 3 Book Talk

When You Visit Grandma and Grandpa

By: Anne Bowen

Pictures by: Tomek Bogacki

I absolutely love, love, love the way this book was written!! This little girl is telling her new little brother what it is like when they go to visit their grandma and grandpa. She talks about how their mom and dad pack them up in the car in the middle of the night to start their drive to Grandma and Grandpa's house. She talks about what you do in the spring at their house, then back to what you do during the car ride. Then she talks about what you do during the summer at their house, and once again, back to an activity they can do to pass the long car ride. She then describes the leaves and the pumpkins of the fall, and then more things to do in the car. Lastly, she talks about winter at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Then from the car she sees Grandma and Grandpas house and her heart beats faster, and she is so excited to be there. The last thing she tells her brother about visiting their grandparents is, "And you will know, I tell my new baby brother, that ANYTIME is the BEST TIME to visit our Grandma and Grandpa."

This book was enjoyable even at my age. I used to love going to visit my grandparents when I was little, and still do. When we didn't live close to my Grandma and Grandpa, my parents would pack us up in the car in the early morning so we could start our long trek to their house. I remember there were lots of special activities for each season as well. This book is great for any age person because most people have very fond memories of growing up with their grandparents.

This book would be a great starter for many activities in a classroom. You could have your students write about a special time when they went and visited someone close to them. Or, since this book talks a lot about seasons, you could have your students draw a picture about something they do during a particular season and then describe it.

Book Talk Number Two

The Littlest Wolf

By: Larry Dane Brimner

Illustrated by: Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey

There are many reasons why I enjoyed this book. It reminded me of my family and the relationships I have with my younger sisters. The illustrations were intriguing, but still very simple at the same time. And, the story line was fun to follow with the repetition. 

Little One complains to Big Gray that he can't roll in a straight line like Frankie, run fast like Ana, or pounce high like Tyler. Big Gray reassures him that although he can't roll straight like Frankie, but instead zig-zags that it's just how it should be. Big Gray tells him that although he doesn't run like the wind like Ana, but runs more like a soft breeze that it's just how it should be. He also explains to Little One that although he doesn't pounce as high as the oaks or the clouds, that it's just how it should be. At the very end of the book, "Big Gray looked up at the great gnarled oak above them. 'Remember the acorns, Little One,' he whispered in the little wolf's ear. 'They are just as they should be. And look what they become.'"

My sisters and I have, at times, had a very competitive relationship. We all were very into sports, and we wanted to find one that we excelled at more than the other two. We all tried soccer, we all tried tennis, and we all tried gymnastics. I ended up being better at soccer, my middle sister was better at tennis, and they youngest was by far the better gymnast. Although our parents never had to sit us down and tell us that it was okay that the others were better at what they did, we knew deep down and ended up sticking to what we did best.

For me this was a very relatable book just because I have siblings, and I know how competitive that relationship can be. This would also be a good book to read to young kids because I know I was very competitive with the other kids in my classes at a young age. I used to be jealous of girls who could jump rope better or beat me at tether ball. You could read this book to your students and then have them write something nice about another student that they think they do well. Have them draw a picture to go along with it, and then hang them up on the wall for everyone to see. It could help boost moral in the classroom.