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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BLOG 3: Multicultural Literature
ReplyDeleteDad, Jackie, and Me written by Myron Uhlberg
Illustrated by Colin Bootman
Kimone says:
Carlene, I found Dad, Jackie and Me a very interesting book. What struck me most were the main characters and how the author skillfully interwove their lives via the game of baseball. The title is very symbolic of this interweaving as it is the advent of the first Negro player, Jackie Robinson, in major league baseball that strengthens the bonds between a hearing impaired father and his son. The book is multicultural on two fronts. On one hand it highlights the accomplishments of a black baseball player at a time when racism was at its peak. On the other hand, we experience the culture of the physically challenged father through the eyes of his son. It is a book of inspiration and it just goes to show that our shortcomings or inadequacies do not or should not be a stumbling block to our dreams. We should rather use them as stepping stones. Thoroughly enjoyed it. How about you?
Carlene says:
ReplyDeleteAs for me the story was inspiring as I listened carefully I realized how one talented black man draw the eyes of his counterparts on him through his talent .The author was very ironic the way he told the story as he uses colourful language to allow the reader to view the story as if it was real. The story was quite interesting and the reader was kept in suspense as it peaks your interest to find out what really happened to the player Jackie as he was called. I could just imagine the boy how he felt at the first match when his father shouted Aggie when everybody else said Jackie and everybody’s attention was on the father. But that did not stop him or his father from enjoying the game. Take a look at the illustrations don’t they seem real? I think the illustrations depict the era e.g. the way the people dress the building and so on .What do you think. What about the language? Expound !
Kimone says:
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Carlene the illustrator did a good job of depicting the era- 1940s. Our knowledge about the time period and the setting is mostly facilitated through the dress code and other artifacts(vehicles-The Bug and buildings). Notice how the men are always attired in long or short sleeved dress shirts that are always neatly tucked in, whatever the occasion (even when the son and father are playing a game of catch). Some are in full suits and the completing touch to this and other attire for men is the felt hat. Also the illustrator’s use of watercolours creates a setting of long ago. I’m sure there is a more specific name for the way in which water colour art has no defined boundary. If you look closely at the pictures the colouring looks uneven. There is no one defined colour for instance if the illustrator puts a character in a red shirt, your’e able to see a bold red, and other lighter shades. This is what for me helps to create a setting that speaks 1940’s, old school. I link the watercolouring to something old because when something is old the colour fades.
The language is quite simple. However, my ignorance to the game of baseball caused me to rely on the pictures for confirmation of my inferences when specific jargons were being used. Nothing though that would throw another person in my shoe off “base”. We are let into the culture of the physically impaired through the eyes of the son who is able to speak and that speaks of the sensitivity of the author to the fact that his appeal is to a much wider audience who might not be familiar with sign language. That would be a lot of pages wouldn’t it? However he keeps reminding us in the dialogue between the boy and his father, that he is actually signing. What do you think about the genre?
Carlene says:
ReplyDeleteI think the genre is multicultural literature as it speaks to another culture and speaks of a cultural image that speaks to a positive image. In the story even though the baseball player is black he was seen though the eyes of his fans and others who supported the Dodgers team even the boys’ father who was hearing impaired. He drew the eyes and attention of the spectators each time he grabs the ball. The continuous shouts for him was very ironic even though the other team members did not like it for instance they stepped on him deliberately and he was injured and even that could not hinder him from being the famous champion and in the end he was still the winner. The writer love the Brooklyn dodgers and he mentioned that he hated the New York giants because they did not like Jackie Robinson, and he also mentions about how close he was to the field. The fact that he was an insider even plays a more relevant role in him writing the book as it was based on his experience. The book shows a black boy becoming an hero against many white players. This book cultural theme are evident in that the boy spoke about his father and how he was hearing impaired and that they were white and the baseball player was white and of course the artwork in the book expresses the cultural details of the place and speaks somewhat old ways of life.
This book could be useful for discussion in literature circles surrounding culture and can be used to teach students of both grade six and grade seven, the language is simple written for children to understand. After discussion in the literature circle students could give their own account of the story.
The book was a good book as the illustration led to the reader getting a picture of what the culture of the writer was like and one could easily predict the era.
Kimone says:
ReplyDeleteAs I read the book I’m reminded that the categorization of books is not confined to one particular genre. Dad, Jackie and me I think is one such book. Its claim to the fold of multicultural literature is quite evident on the basis of the exploration of the culture of physical disability and the highlighting of an African-American. However the setting of the story in terms of the time is history in itself even though the focus is not on this. So primarily the book is a multicultural literature.
Apart from the many inspirational lessons that this text could generate within the classroom, it could also be effective in teaching students tolerance of each other irrespective of our differences. Students could also be introduced to non-verbal communication how we can use our bodies, hands and symbols to convey different messages. I agree with the recommended grade level (6&7). I think the book would have a great appeal to the boys. All the major characters are males, and in the Jamaican context baseball shares some similarity to cricket that they could identify with.
The perspective from which the story is told is a credible one. The boy in the story has no name, but we can justifiably assume that the author is writing about himself and his father. The author has grounds on which to represent the culture of the physically challeged in this book because he was born to deaf parents and the plot mirrors closely his own experience as stated in the Author's note.
ReplyDeleteThe illustrator is an expert in his field and has illustrated many award-winning books for children.
The author was credible as he was relating his own experience as both of his parents were deaf and he was a native of the place he has written about. He was also a basetball fan so he was relating to something from his own life experience. The illustrator also was credible he was able to illustrate the pictures of the real situation as he lived in New York also. He was able to relate to the place and allow the readers experience to seem real and brought you back to the reality of the scene.
ReplyDelete