Blog Partner Discussion 5: Historical Fiction
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6. Your personal response to the book
7. Evaluate it in terms of its genre
8. Evaluate its literary quality
9. Evaluate its illustrations
10. Evaluate in terms of multicultural considerations including the credibility of the author and illustrator
11. Discuss for whom the book is intended and the ways in which it might be used in the classroom
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So Candice, which book are we going to to next? I am eager to know even though our work load is so heavy. Doing these reflections allows me to de-stress and get re-focused. Come on now, where are you? we need to get started with our fifth book. Fifth Book!!!! Oh wow, we are really going on.
ReplyDeleteWe are going to move on to a multicultural text. This book speaks of a nuclear family. It reminds of me of my own family. The children in Jamaica will enjoy reading this book because the illustrations are like their own. Speaking of illustrations, this author replicate these pictures with awe. I love em. The setting and plot were like fantastic. Music is life and by that little boy receiving that musical piece from his father was like receiving a million dollars. This was because all they could hear at one point were their own voices and to hear some real music was gladness to their ears. So, Candice can you imagine a world without music? I definately cant.
ReplyDeleteI am also excited about starting the fifth book. Let's go!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteTitle: The Harmonica
ReplyDeleteAuthor: Tony Johnson
Illustrator: Ron Mazellan
Sometimes a book falls into your hands that you know will carve a road through your heart before you open it. In this case, from the cover illustration and title, I knew that Tony Johnston's picture book; THE HARMONICA would be such a read. Inspired by the true story of Henryk Rosmaryn, this picture book takes readers on a journey through the nightmare of the Holocaust. It therefore falls into the category of multicultural literature.
Nicola,the story itself is poignant, painful and full of the hope that human beings find in the worst of times. Our narrator is a young boy with the gift of music who lives in Poland. Despite their poverty, his father acquires a harmonica for him. But this joyous time is short lived when the Nazi's arrive, tearing his parents away and sending him off to live in a concentration camp. A commandant hears him playing Schubert on the harmonica one night and demands the boy to play for him every night in exchange for bread. Ultimately, the boy finds strength through his playing and realizes it is a way to give his fellow prisoners hope in the darkness. There are, of course, many books on this subject-many good books. I think I can safely say this joins their ranks. Ms. Johnston's simple, lyrical text is both poetic and harsh in its narration. That is evident from the opening lines "I cannot remember my father's face, or my mother's, but I remember their love, warm and enfolding as a song." The text never falters, and never becomes overwrought. With a large font, and only a few lines per page, the story unfolds more like a poem than a straight narrative.
ReplyDeleteThis is illustrator Ron Mazellan's first children's book, and it is a stunning achievement. With a mixture of art mediums, the images come to life in rich color and texture. Characters are drawn in high detail while the backgrounds are more sparse and indistinct giving the entire story a slightly dream-like quality, which goes well with Johnston's lyrical text. In the earlier, happier pictures, the images are a wash of warm golds and browns. As the Nazi's encroach up on the picture, the washes turn to grays, and purples and blues. And then the warmth begins the comeback as he remembers his family and embraces the music. So much of the story is conveyed by the emotion in these pictures that a reader can take a long time studying a single image before turning the page. At the very back of the book, there is a note that this book was inspired by the true story of Henryk Rosmaryn who survived the hardships of the concentration camps and made his way to the United States, where he continued to play his harmonica to inspire others.
ReplyDeleteNicola what are your views? Let me know.
ReplyDeleteThis is not a story for a young child. Picture books are not always for beginning readers or toddlers, this story is not happy, and while there is a positive message within the music, there is no satisfactory conclusion for a youngster. what do you think? There is no happy reunion for the boy and his family, no revenge was taken against the violent commandant. The book does not offer resolutions or reassurance. For a child who is learning about the Holocaust, however, this may be one of the books to introduce them to. It has a young narrator for them to identify with and some powerful messages to share. And while it is dark and grim, the book is not grisly. Everything is shown through the eyes of the main narrator. Be prepared to spend some time discussing this book and the events that inspired it. This is a beautiful and powerful book, but it does have an appropriate time and place for a child to discover it.
ReplyDeleteLet me know how you feel?
The writer was a little bit harsh when he suggested thatb the boy did not remember his parents face. In my opinion, childrendont ever forget their parents face until death. Then he became a little more subtle and spoke about hugs and kisses among other things. The book was actually inspired by atrue story and this makes it even more realistic when you read. Oh! Did I mention that this book is a historical book.
ReplyDeleteThe literary quality of this book was good. The vocabulary is manageble and this book can be used with children ages six to twelve. This book can be used as a read aloud, read along or guided reading. It is trade book that can be used in History or Social Studies lesson.
ReplyDeleteCandice,
ReplyDeleteHow did this book make you feel? Did it allow you it to take you back in time. I surely feel as if the author of this book was part of the holocaust. I am almost scared. We also have to be careful how we present this book to our students. We dont want them to have any ideas that will lead them to be a racist. What you think?
Bye until I see you through the mirrors of our sixth book.
Nicola,I was thinking how we could use a book like this in the classroom. It could be used as an excellent tool when read aloud to introduce young children to the actual things that took place in the holocaust. older children could do process drama and extend the story by taking it backwards or forward.
ReplyDeleteYes Candice, as I mentioned earlier. I totally agree with you.
ReplyDelete