Gayle H. Swift's Blog, page 10

Is It Raining Blessings or Misery?

Events can be simultaneously happy/sad, positive and negative so these books might lead to conversations about how one can experience things in complex ways. These four stories share a common thread about how it is a "blessing to be a blessing" as well as "Things are not always what they first appear to be."

Nurturing Empathy and Courage in Children

Three stories explore the experience of beginning a new life in a foreign land. For adoptees, these books offer a chance to draw parallels to their adoptions--their fears, challenges and emotions that children face while becoming part of their new families.

Being Family–Nuclear and World

These books expand understanding of what it means to be part of a family (nuclear & world) & they validate the spectrum of family constellations and cultures in their world.

Tall Tales Can Be Tell Tale Windows to the Heart

 This post reviews  H.O.R.S.E. by Christopher Myers and  Imani’s Moon by JaNay Brown-Wood Diverse Children’s Books is a brand new book-sharing meme designed to promote the reading and writing of children’s books that feature diverse characters. This community embraces all kinds of...

Tall Tales can be Telltale Windows to the Heart

These tall tales could segue into conversations that explore how they might spin a tall tale about their own lives. Adoption needn’t be mentioned but it might seep into the story at the edges. Parents can assess if it makes sense to insert it into the discussion. Adoptees have the unique experience of knowing their lives might have been vastly different had they been raised by their birth families instead of being adopted. This reality lends itself to wondering various possible scenarios of their alternate, “unadopted” lives. Sometimes these thoughts are wildly thrilling and include royal lineage, lavish wealth and indulgent parents. Sometimes these fantasies can be more conservative while other versions may include dire circumstances, and tragic figures.

Memories: Powerful, Evocative and Revealing

Kids recognize the signal phrase, "Once upon a time" & will intuitively prepare for a magical story. Iillustrations capture a dreamy, time-traveling mood, expand the spare text to invite further expansion of the thematic ideas.
Simple rhymes lilt softly on the ear, enhance the mood & encourage readers to explore their own personal experiences. Colored font highlights key words to spotlight connection between the item in its current state back through time to a former state. For example:"Does a feather remember it once was ...a bird?" Each page offers a chance to delve deeper & discuss how change occurs in people/places/things. One could simply enjoy this wonderful chance to ride the magic carpet of imagination and fantasy. Or one could use it as a path to some simple STEM activities—science, technology, engineering and mathematics. AQ Lens: For adopted children this book can offer a path to conversations about their past. For example, the final pairing, "Will you remember you once were ... a child?" could naturally evolve into discussing their thoughts about their life story before they were adopted. Older children might wish to express any what if thoughts about how their lives might have been different had they never been adopted, or if they'd been adopted by other parents.

A World of Color, Shapes and Beauty–with a Latino Flair

"Round is a tortilla," "Green Is a Chile Pepper" & "From the Bellybutton of the Moon" make delightful choices to mark Nat'l Poetry month. Each showcases Latino heritage and features brilliant colors and lyrical rhythms.

Billy Bramble Thumps Funny Bones and Pulls Heartstrings

As the saying goes, if it weren't for bad luck, Billy would have no luck at all. The world views Billy as "trouble", an inconvenient and annoying thorn that pricks and frustrates others. He has few friends. What he does have is a constant companion: Gobber--an imaginary but very powerful companion embodied as a wild dog. Tyrannized by Gobber, Billy "wonders why no one else can see him, or hear him, or feel him." The malevolent Gobber "scares [Billy] half to death" actually. With heart-breaking honesty, Billy asserts, "I think that Gobber is my life sentence."

We Must Come Together in Community

in today's political climate optimism and collaboration are in short supply. Today we review four books sure to rekindle our spirits and to remind us that we share more in common than not. We rededicate ourselves to seeing the humanity in others. Through that lens, we seek to build a better world for ourselves and the people we love.

What Is Seen Depends on Where One Looks

Mistrust of anything perceived as "other" magnifies fears. People demean what they do not know or understand. Whether it's adoption or politics, the more comfortable we are with "difference," the more we broaden our world view to increase tolerance & harmony. We all benefit.