scholarly journals Underground to Canada by B. Smucker

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Quirk
Keyword(s):  
Martin Luther ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Young Readers ◽  
Children's Book ◽  
Fugitive Slaves ◽  
Special Collections ◽  
The North ◽  
The American South ◽  
Teachers And Parents ◽  
Martin Luther King

Smucker, Barbara. Underground to Canada. Toronto: Penguin, 2013. Print.A reprint of a historical novel first published in 1977, Underground to Canada is the gripping story of two young girls who rely on the secret network of courageous and sympathetic people which helped thousands of fugitive slaves on their dangerous journey from the American south to Canada and freedom. This covert network came to be known as the “Underground Railroad.” In his introduction, award-winning author Lawrence Hill notes that after being in print for decades, “Underground to Canada still serves as a wonderful introduction to a vital and fascinating element of Canadian history.” In an excerpt from his 1967 Massey Lectures reprinted here, Martin Luther King Jr. says, “Deep in our history of struggle for freedom Canada was the North Star. The Negro slave, denied education, de-humanized, imprisoned on cruel plantations, knew that far to the north a land existed where a fugitive slave, if he survived the horrors of the journey, could find freedom.”The subject matter of this novel is challenging, but, in a world which has yet to put an end to childhood slavery, its message is an important one. As Lawrence Hill notes, referring to the institution of slavery and the horrors of the Holocaust, “writers, teachers and parents do no one a favour by pretending that such things didn’t exist.” Written with young readers in mind, this novel avoids delving into the worst elements of the institution of slavery. It is, however, subtle enough to acknowledge the many difficulties faced by former slaves as they began new lives in Canada. In addition to the words of Martin Luther King Jr. and the introduction by Lawrence Hill, this edition includes thought-provoking questions and activities in the back of the book which may help children to think about the novel’s difficult topics, either individually or with classmates. This is a powerful, essential, novel for the education of young readers—it is recommended for readers over nine years of age—but this particular edition is shoddily produced. I could not help but notice obvious significant errors on pages 27, 84, 133, and 151, and I suspect that I could find many more if I tried. While I cannot give such a substandard edition four stars, I whole-heartedly recommend this title and urge readers to choose a different edition.Recommended: 3 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Linda QuirkLinda taught courses in Multicultural Canadian Literature, Women's Writing, and Children's Literature at Queen's University (Kingston) and at Seneca College (Toronto) before moving to Edmonton to become the Assistant Special Collections Librarian at the Bruce Peel Special Collections Library at the University of Alberta.  Her favourite children's book to teach is Hana's Suitcase, not only because Hana's story is so compelling, but because the format of this non-fiction book teaches students of all ages about historical investigation and reveals that it is possible to recover the stories of those who have been forgotten by history.

scholarly journals Hana’s Suitcase Anniversary Album by K. Levine

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Quirk
Keyword(s):  
Original Form ◽  
Holocaust Education ◽  
Additional Material ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
True Story ◽  
Young Readers ◽  
Children's Book ◽  
Special Collections ◽  
Historical Investigation ◽  
The One

Levine, Karen. Hana’s Suitcase Anniversary Album. Toronto: Second Story Press, 2012. Print. The true story of Hana’s Suitcase began when a teacher named Fumiko Ishioka was inspired to try to answer some of the questions asked by visiting Japanese school children about a suitcase on display in the Tokyo Holocaust Education Resource Center. The suitcase had come from the Auschwitz death camp. Marked with a girl’s name, her date of birth (May 16, 1931), and the German word for orphan (“Waisenkind”), the empty suitcase offered few clues, but Fumiko was determined to learn what she could about the owner of the suitcase Hana Brady. First published in 2002, Hana’s Suitcase told the interrelated stories of a group of curious Japanese children, the remarkable journey of discovery undertaken by their very determined teacher, and the story of an inquisitive and energetic young Czech girl who was among “the one-and-a-half million children who died in the Holocaust”. Author Karen Levine accomplished a great deal with this book.  Not only did she teach readers about how history is discovered, she showed us that those who have been forgotten by history can, in fact, be found again.  Furthermore, she found a way to talk about one of the darkest chapters in human history in a way that is suitable for young readers, producing a remarkable book which is, at the same time, both terribly heartbreaking and profoundly hopeful. We are told that in its first ten years the book was “published in forty-five countries and has been the catalyst for stage and film dramatizations, prose, poetry, and every kind of exploration of the worst and best humanity has to offer.  It has won national and international recognition, and holds the most awards of any Canadian children’s book ever”.  This new edition, Hana’s Suitcase Anniversary Album, includes all of the original content – including the forward by Desmond Tutu – but it offers 64 pages of additional material, including memories from one-time neighbours of the Brady family, and responses to Hana’s story from children, parents, and teachers.  The new material, while very interesting, need not inspire anyone to purchase a second copy of the book.  Nevertheless, the new edition may help to bring this extraordinary book to a new generation of young readers.  This book, in its new or original form, is strongly recommended for readers who are at least 10 years of age. Highly Recommended: 4 stars out of 4 Reviewer: Linda QuirkLinda taught courses in Multicultural Canadian Literature, Women's Writing, and Children's Literature at Queen's University (Kingston) and at Seneca College (Toronto) before moving to Edmonton to become the Assistant Special Collections Librarian at the Bruce Peel Special Collections Library at the University of Alberta.  Her favourite children's book to teach is Hana's Suitcase, not only because Hana's story is so compelling, but because the format of this non-fiction book teaches students of all ages about historical investigation and reveals that it is possible to recover the stories of those who have been forgotten by history.

scholarly journals What Can You Do with Only One Shoe: Reuse, Recycle, Reinvent by S. & S. Shapiro

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Quirk
Keyword(s):  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Everyday Objects ◽  
Young Readers ◽  
Children's Book ◽  
Special Collections ◽  
Non Fiction ◽  
Historical Investigation ◽  
Left And Right ◽  
Do It Yourself ◽  
The University

Shapiro, Simon and Sheryl Shapiro. What Can You Do with Only One Shoe: Reuse, Recycle, Reinvent. Illus. Francis Black. Toronto: Annick Press, 2014. Print.The publisher is promoting this charmingly-illustrated book as one intended to inspire a practical and constructive response to the environmental concerns with which we all must grapple. It is a theme which is oddly underrepresented in children’s books, perhaps because it is difficult to craft an approach which is empowering.This book considers popular contemporary ideas about recycling/repurposing everyday objects which have outlived their initial purpose, but it is not the do-it-yourself handbook that it appears to be. Instead, it is a collection of juvenile short poems with a humorously entertaining tone, but no clear message. Clearly, we should not judge this book by its title or by its covers. One poem makes fun of a toilet-turned-into-a-planter and offered as a gift, while another offers a range of silly suggested uses for a single shoe, including flattening pancakes. There is a poem which describes a tractor pulling a “broom propeller” for street sweeping which doesn’t work very well (“pebbles flying left and right”) and another in which a dog made of bicycle parts is less than satisfying (“he can’t lick my nose”). There are some poems with a less mocking tone, but which offer suggestions that are even more absurd, such as children making musical instruments from rusty cans retrieved from a landfill site or children building their own playground, complete with a swing and a slide, from an old ambulance. Intended for children aged 5-8 years old, I wonder what young readers would make of these poems.The illustrations by Francis Blake are by far the best feature of this book. Going well beyond what is found in the poems, the illustrator has created a marvelous cast of characters that are expressive in a way that is both quirky and charming. While the illustrations deserve four stars out of four, the text certainly does not.Not recommended: 1 star out of 4 Reviewer: Linda QuirkLinda taught courses in Multicultural Canadian Literature, Women's Writing, and Children's Literature at Queen's University (Kingston) and at Seneca College (Toronto) before moving to Edmonton to become the Assistant Special Collections Librarian at the Bruce Peel Special Collections Library at the University of Alberta.  Her favourite children's book to teach is Hana's Suitcase, not only because Hana's story is so compelling, but because the format of this non-fiction book teaches students of all ages about historical investigation and reveals that it is possible to recover the stories of those who have been forgotten by history.

‘The Impossible Possibility of Love’: Reinhold Niebuhr’s Thought on Racial Justice

2020 ◽  
pp. 175508822097900
Author(s):  
Liane Hartnett
Keyword(s):  
Civil Rights ◽  
North American ◽  
Martin Luther ◽  
Public Intellectual ◽  
Normative Theory ◽  
Racial Justice ◽  
Reinhold Niebuhr ◽  
The North ◽  
Cornel West ◽  
Martin Luther King

Love has been long lauded for its salvific potential in U.S. anti-racist rhetoric. Yet, what does it mean to speak or act in love’s name to redress racism? Turning to the work of the North American public intellectual and theologian, Reinhold Niebuhr (1892–1971), this essay explores his contribution to normative theory on love’s role in the work of racial justice. Niebuhr was a staunch supporter of civil rights, and many prominent figures of the movement such as James Cone, Jesse Jackson, Martin Luther King Jr., J. Deotis Roberts and Cornel West drew on his theology. Indeed, Niebuhr underscores love’s promise and perils in politics, and its potential to respond to racism via the work of critique, compassion, and coercion. Engaging with Niebuhr’s theology on love and justice, then, not only helps us recover a rich realist resource on racism, but also an ethic of realism as antiracism.

scholarly journals Walking in Memphis: revisiting the street politics of Ms Jacqueline Smith

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 611-616 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean H Wang
Keyword(s):  
Civil Rights ◽  
Cultural Geography ◽  
American South ◽  
Heritage Tourism ◽  
Martin Luther ◽  
Urban Redevelopment ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Street Politics ◽  
The American South ◽  
Martin Luther King

This piece revisits the street politics of Ms Jacqueline Smith and her two-plus decades of protest outside the former Lorraine Motel, where civil rights leader Rev Dr Martin Luther King, Jr, was assassinated. Now the National Civil Rights Museum, the Motel is part of a growing heritage tourism industry in the American South, where landscapes of civil rights memorialization are often contested publicly and exist alongside other landscapes of racism. More recently, projects like the Museum have become central to urban redevelopment schemes and vehicles of gentrification. This piece introduces Ms Smith’s protest in relation to such themes in cultural geography, followed by the reproduction of a blog post documenting the author’s encounter with Ms Smith in June 2015. It urges cultural geographers to engage with Ms Smith’s street politics in their writings on landscape and their teachings in the classroom.

scholarly journals The Sloth Who Slowed Us Down by M. Wild

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Darilyn Randall
Keyword(s):  
Elementary Education ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Young Readers ◽  
Children's Book ◽  
Division 1 ◽  
Speed Up ◽  
Children's Literacy ◽  
The Moment ◽  
The University ◽  
Descriptive Writing

Wild, Margaret. The Sloth Who Slowed Us Down. Illustrated by Vivienne To, Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2018. You’ll want to make a speedy trip to the nearest bookstore to pick up a copy of Margaret Wild’s The Sloth Who Slowed Us Down. Together with Vivienne To’s illustrations, this simple story about how a little sloth can be a big example could make anyone want to stop and smell the roses. Life seems to speed up every day, work needs to get done faster so we have time to quickly make dinner, quickly exercise, and then quickly move on to the next thing we feel like we need to speed through. In her newest children’s book, Wild’s descriptive prose directly mirrors Sloth as he teaches Amy’s family the importance of taking our time and enjoying living in the moment. Realistically, we are all very busy, moving from one task to the next without indulging in the little things, the happy moments and the details. Everyone from busy families to teachers to even grown-ups with grown-up jobs and responsibilities could benefit from giving this adoring story a read. The colourful but soft illustrations created by To provide new detail and add more expression to Wild’s story each time it’s read. Illustrations of Sloth make you want to snuggle him while you read this story and feel like a child again. Through her descriptive writing, Wild portrays Sloth’s actions quite clearly. She includes phrases, such as “Sloth had a long, leisurely bath. . .” that roll off the tongue in a way that makes you feel like you’re taking your time, but in the best sort of way.  Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Darilyn Randall Darilyn Randall is a fourth-year student at the University of Alberta completing her Bachelor of Elementary Education. She is interested in teaching in a Division 1 classroom where she can incorporate children’s literacy into cross-curricular activities.

scholarly journals A Conversation with Joyce Grant

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Desmarais
Keyword(s):  
Fake News ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Know How ◽  
Young Readers ◽  
Children's Book ◽  
Multimedia Resources ◽  
Experience Teaching ◽  
Comprehension Skills ◽  
Children's Literacy ◽  
The University

Dear Readers,A couple of months ago I had an opportunity to sit down with children’s literacy advocate Joyce Grant and discuss her popular Gabby series of picture books (click here to watch the video). I was really pleased to have the chance to meet with Grant, especially because two of her popular books, Gabby, Drama Queen and Gabby Wonder Girl, were favourably reviewed by Deakin reviewer Leslie Aitken. I was eager to pursue some questions inspired by Aitken's thoughtful comments, especially her description of Gabby, Drama Queen's plot as “imaginative and complex.” Naturally, I was optimistic that I would enjoy reading the entire Gabby series prior to the interview. Now that I have read the series, I can assure readers that the books are delightful, and teachers will certainly appreciate the teacher’s guide that is freely available online to help elementary students to develop reading, writing, and comprehension skills. I met with Grant at the University of Alberta which was one of her stops on an ambitious tour of Alberta’s schools and libraries to celebrate books and reading during TD Canadian Children’s Book Week. She was scheduled to speak at our institution about her experience teaching kids how to spot fake news, and I was glad to hear that she actively encourages kids to read news on her website teachingkidsnews.com that publishes free daily stories for young readers. The website has lots of important stories that are worth talking about and debating, and as we can all attest, kids need to know how to differentiate between real news and stories that deliberately mislead readers for financial or political gain. Grant also publishes a blog called Getting Kids Reading (gkreading.com) that is chock-full of articles, games, crafts, and ideas to inspire kids to read.Grant was a pleasure to interview, and I hope you will take time to watch the video. Aside from answering several questions about the Gabby series, Grant also tells us about her latest projects and how to get in touch. Our new summer issue is filled with many excellent book recommendations, including some reviews of multimedia resources for kids that resulted from a student assignment in the Multimedia Literacies course offered at the University of Alberta’s School of Library and Information Studies.Wishing you all a wonderful summer!Best wishes,Robert DesmaraisManaging Editor

Redeeming the Soul of America

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary Dorrien
Keyword(s):  
Civil Rights ◽  
Civil Rights Movement ◽  
Martin Luther ◽  
The South ◽  
Graduate Degrees ◽  
The North ◽  
Boston University ◽  
Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King Jr. grew up in a black southern clerical family, earned graduate degrees at Crozer Seminary and Boston University School of Theology, and electrified the Montgomery boycott on its first night, becoming a movement leader. His training, temperament, and brilliance enabled him to catalyze and hold together the historic, institutional, mostly secular civil rights movement in the North and the fledgling, dramatic, mostly church-based movement in the South.

scholarly journals Gerbil, Uncurled by A. Hughes

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Debbie Feisst
Keyword(s):  
Picture Book ◽  
Extended Family ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Young Adult Fiction ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Young Readers ◽  
Children's Book ◽  
Hard Time ◽  
Award Winning ◽  
The University

Hughes, Alison. Gerbil, Uncurled. Illus. Suzanne Del Rizzo. Markham, ON: Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2015. Print.Gerbil, Uncurled is the latest in Fitzhenry & Whiteside’s ‘Tell-Me-More! Storybook’ series and the 2nd title to use award-winning children’s book illustrator Suzanne Del Rizzo’s unique plasticine dimensional illustrations, the 1st being Skink on the Brink. The ‘Tell-Me-More! Storybook’ series is a set of fictional picture books that tell a tale about our natural world and include additional activities and brief informational text.This is award-winning writer Alison Hughes’ first foray into picture book territory, and she succeeds.  The storyline is sweet: Little Gerbil is trying her very best to fit in with her gerbil family by following the Gerbil Mottos. The Gerbil Mottos are the basic life rules that her extended family follow daily, and include keeping one’s whiskers clean and ‘celery tops come to those who wait,’ among others.  Little Gerbil is having a hard time with a specific motto, though; ‘curl up nose to toes’ while sleeping, as she finds it too restrictive and enjoys sleeping stretched out. Little Gerbil confides in wise Grandpa Gerbil who is ‘five whole years old’ and while he is sensitive to her predicament, she still can’t sleep curled up nose to toes though she certainly tries.  But our Little Gerbil is brave, and in her willingness to stand up for herself and question the world, others are able to question the mottos, too.This delightful and visually appealing book encourages young readers to be themselves, ask questions and respond positively to suggestions if it can make you happier.  The factual information about gerbils and other rodents as well as the instructions on making a clay gerbil are great endings to the book.Recommended: 3 stars out of 4Reviewer:  Debbie FeisstDebbie is a Public Services Librarian at the H.T. Coutts Education Library at the University of Alberta.  When not renovating, she enjoys travel, fitness and young adult fiction.

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