Blog Partner Discussion #3: Multicultural Book
http://jamaicablogpartners.blogspot.com/
Please discuss:
1. Your personal response to the book
2. Evaluate it in terms of its genre
3. ( Read Check out descriptions of genres at:
http://www.edu.uleth.ca/currlab/handouts/genres.html
4. Evaluate its literary quality
5. Evaluate its illustrations
6. Evaluate in terms of multicultural considerations including the credibility of the author and illustrator
7. Discuss for whom the book is intended and the ways in which it might be used in the classroom
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My Dadima Wears a Sari written by Kashmira Sheth and illustrated by Yoshiko Jaeggi is truly an enlightening story. Finally I learnt about the reasons Indians wear a sari. I often thought it a waste of material to wrap so much cloth around ones body. This multicultural/international story fits the criteria of the notable books for Global Society. In the story the young girl, Kashmira interacts authentically with her dadima. With an enquiring mind,she is curious to know why her dadima is always dressed in a sari. Though they are beautiful, she wonders if her dadima is never tired of wearing them. She questions if she would be willing to trade her traditional garb, with western apparel. Her dadima in a most loving way takes her on a journey to expose her to the many different uses of the sari. The purpose of this story is to help other groups of people appreciate the Indian dress, sari. This book certainly bolsters the self esteem of the minoriy Indian group living in a America. At the end of the story book the author further celebrates the beauty of her culture by teaching readers how to wrap a sari.
ReplyDeleteThis story definiately fits in the multi-cultural category. Though its setting is in the U.S. It allows the reader to develop an understanding of the Indian culture of dressing. Though i am a Jamaican and the setting is different from that of my homeland, I believe that children in Jamaica would definately benefit from this read since Jamaicans are from a diverse background and many have lineage back in India. Like Kasmira, who is also a character in the story, it can help them to develop a greatr understanDing about their heritage.
ReplyDeleteThe author employs the use of the line "she wears them" to emphasize the love the grandmother has for the dress. Interestingly, though the grandmother loves to dress in saris, the tone of the book shows that she did not impose her beleif or her love of wearing sari on the child. Instead she educates her about saris and in so doing the child develops an appreciation for the dressing. This goes to show that the author intent is not to impose her culture on any group but to educate them about the signifance of Indians wearing a sari.
Through the story one realizes that saris are beautiful apparel which can be made BY various types of matrials.
The author is Kashmira Sheth, though this is her first picture book she is able to give true representaion of her culture since she is able to present the infromation from her life experiences. From this standpoint though the book is fictional she is able to give some amount of crediability to the story line.
The book has beautiful pictures with a feminne appeal. It was illustrated BY Yoshiko Jaeggi trained who was trained at the Osaka Municipal Institute of Fine Arts and is currently a contributor illustrator to the Cricket Magazine Group and other educational book publishers.
The language of the story is flowery and musical. There is refrain and rhythm almost like singing a song. An example of this is ,"She wears them in the morning. She wears them in the evening". This makes it a beautiful read for young children who enjoy singing. Because of its musical nature the story can be easily rememered. For this reason children can readily remember the reason Indians wear sari and at the same time boosting the self-esteem of the Indian child/ children who might be ridiculed by classmates who before hand did not appreciate this Indian culture. The language of the story encourages reading as it is enjoyable. From this story book , vocabulary can be taught. There are a few unfamiliar words such as pallu. This book could also be used to teach about fabric and how to wrap a sari. After this a fashion show could take place where students display the wearing of sari. The setting of the story is beautifully shown through the art work of the illustrator. The characters are revealed through the use of dialogue and this same dialogue helps to unfold the plot of the story. Booklist, Mar. 1, 2007(Vol103,no13 speaks of the beautiful dialogue between Dadima and her grandmother and the continous, loving exchange heightens the intergenerational warmththat extends in Jaeggi's delicate watercolors, particularly in scenes of Dadima and the girl's unfurling luxurious lengths of cloth.
ReplyDeleteThe book My Dadima Wears a Sari was published by Peachtree Publishers(2007). It is a contemporary fiction.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that this is a colourful book. The language is beautiful and the imagery creates a clear picture which allows the reader to reflect on the love-filled relationship which exists between the grandmother and the granddaughter.