Think Rather of Zebra; Dealing with Aspects of Poverty Through Story by Jay Stailey

by Jay Stailey

Think Rather of Zebra is a collection of short stories adapted from more than 40 classic and modern folktales, reset in an urban neighborhood. Stailey's two main characters, Pete and Carlos, tell stories and adventures from their poor neighborhood through which the reader learns about the "hidden rules" of economic class. Each chapter relates to a section in A Framework for Understanding Poverty by Dr. Ruby Payne, along with her questions to be used for discussion. The books is useful for understanding people from different economic classes, and builds mutual respect for the skills that arise naturally from each economic environment.

Genres: Nonfiction

Paperback

First published October 1, 1998

Reviews

[Mitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of stories that are themed around teaching positive living skills to low income students who are struggling to figure out how to stay out of trouble and achieve a good life.

I admire the idea more than I do the execution of this.

First, the stories often seemed to have a thin relationship with the specific issue they were purportedly going to address. Students are often very literal and I doubt they could connect many of the stories to practical solutions in many cases.

Open-ended stories (and their prompts) abounded, and that seemed positive, but overall it always seemed to come back to solutions students don't want anyway...do your homework before playing, obey your parents, etc. Those things ARE the solutions, but they have to be presented in interesting and clear ways instead of just thin repeats of what your mother told you to do.

Also, the book definitely supports lying and deceiving in certain circumstances as good social skills. I have strong reservations about that.

The stories were tailored to inner city poverty and that makes sense, but that wouldn't speak well to children who live in rural poverty.

I have done storytelling in the past, and I did find a few stories I felt worthy of retelling (once adjusted again)...but I would have liked to find more.

Regardless, I love the idea behind the work.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book to be used in the classroom to facilitate conversations about poverty with students.

[Chanita]

"A collection of short stories adapted from more than 40 classic and modern folktales, reset in an urban neighborhood. ... Tells stories and adventures from their poor neighborhood through which the reader learns about the 'hidden rules' of economic class. ... The books is useful for understanding people from different economic classes, and builds mutual respect for the skills that arise naturally from each economic environment." (adapted)