I did not intend for the three books that I read this week to end up in a single post. Each book is worthy of its own post and deserves a thorough examination. However, while each book serves a different purpose and tells a different story, they each include at least one episode of police brutality against Black youth. Only one of these books centers on this issue, yet the prevalence of these events has made this a topic of conversation in many recent books that explore race relations.

Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles, specifically addresses instances in which law enforcement officers violently target African American youth. While there are a few police officers who seem to have positive intentions in this book, there are also several who immediately resort to unnecessary force when confronted with young, unarmed Black men and women.

This book is written from the perspective of Marvin Johnson, who is hoping to attend MIT when he graduates from high school. He spends most of his time studying and watching A Different World with his friends. He also spends time worrying about his twin brother Tyler who, in an attempt to help support his mom and brother, has recently started to work for a drug dealer. Life is not easy in their neighborhood and the adults who should be helping them (such as police officers and administrators at school) are making the world less kind and less safe.

Police interactions with racial and ethnic minorities have been getting a lot of necessary attention lately. However, the discriminatory beliefs and social structures that lead to these events must receive equal attention. In You Don’t Know Everything, Jilly P! by Alex Gino, we meet characters who are wrestling with their responses to racism among members of their own family. While the majority of the members of Jilly’s family are White, her Aunt Alicia and her younger cousins are Black. When Aunt Alicia joins the extended family for holidays, racist beliefs are brought to the surface. While these used to be ignored and glossed over in her family, Jilly learns that uncomfortable conversations are necessary if change is ever to occur.

Jilly also learns about race and Deaf culture from a new friend she meets online. Jilly’s new baby sister Emma is Deaf and Jilly wants to learn as much as she can to be a supportive sister. She doesn’t always know the right things to say or do, but her effort at learning is a characteristic we might all wish to emulate.

When I started reading You Don’t Know Everything, Jilly P! after I finished Tyler Johnson Was Here, I had no idea that I would come across similar events involving law enforcement officers. However, the intersection between racism and deafness leads to a horrific event in this book and contributes to Jilly’s understanding of the importance of open and honest conversations.

Sometimes a book can be the best way to start a conversation and We Rise We Resist We Raise Our Voices edited by Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson is a great place to start. This book is not centered around police brutality, though it does make reference to these events. Instead, it is a message of hope and empowerment to Black children across the United States. It was written as a response to the fear that many children of color are experiencing in our current climate. This is a beautiful book with writing and art from extraordinary creators. While this book was written specifically for children of color, there is a message within that White children also need to read. The message that we all have a responsibility to work towards a more just world for all people.

I always struggle to identify the appropriate ages for books because I think that is so dependent upon the individual. However, Tyler Johnson Was Here is probably most appropriate for high school students. The other two books might be intended for upper elementary or middle school students, but they have elements that are inspiring for people of all ages. While I may not have realized that these three books were going to share a common message, I am glad that they reminded me of this critical issue in our society. So many Americans do not have the luxury of ever forgetting that risk.

All my days are a hazy, unhappy mess inside my fragmented home, and          outside my window, where real life waits in all of its shadows, the sun getting consumed by the hand of the night, I see white people walking happily down the street and it’s a goddamn aching punch in the gut of something people like me don’t quite yet have: freedom. (Coles 252)

Standards for Tyler Johnson Was Here

Teaching Tolerance Social Justice Standards:

Justice 12: I can recognize, describe and distinguish unfairness and injustice at different levels of society.

Justice 13: I can explain the short and long-term impact of biased words and behaviors and unjust practices, laws and institutions that limit the rights and freedoms of people based on their identity groups.

Common Core Standards:

RL.3- Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed).

RL.5- Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.

RL.6- Analyze a case in which grasping a point of view requires distinguishing what is directly stated in a text from what is really meant (e.g., satire, sarcasm, irony, or understatement).

W.1- Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

Standards for You Don’t Know Everything, Jilly P!

Teaching Tolerance Social Justice Standards:

Diversity 6: I like knowing people who are like me and different from me, and I treat each person with respect.

Diversity 8: I want to know more about other people’s lives and experiences, and I know how to ask questions respectfully and listen carefully and non-judgmentally.

Diversity 10: I know that the way groups of people are treated today, and the way they have been treated in the past, is a part of what makes them who they are.

Common Core Standards:

Elementary RL.3- Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact).

Elementary RL.6- Describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described.

Elementary W.1- Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.

Standards for We Rise We Resist We Raise Our Voices

Teaching Tolerance Social Justice Standards:

Diversity 6: I like knowing people who are like me and different from me, and I treat each person with respect.

Diversity 8: I want to know more about other people’s lives and experiences, and I know how to ask questions respectfully and listen carefully and non-judgmentally.

Diversity 10: I know that the way groups of people are treated today, and the way they have been treated in the past, is a part of what makes them who they are.

Common Core Standards:

Elementary RL.2- Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.

Elementary RL.4- Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.

Elementary RL.5- Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or stanzas fits together to provide the overall structure of a particular story, drama, or poem.

Elementary RL.6- Describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described.

Elementary RL.7- Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem).

Elementary RL.9- Compare and contrast stories in the same genre (e.g., mysteries and adventure stories) on their approaches to similar themes and topics.

Recently,  I worked with two students on a compare and contrast exercise in a nonfiction text. We were reading My Librarian is a Camel by Margriet Ruurs, which explains how children in various places around the world get access to books. (I would highly recommend this book if you have not read it.) I asked my students to choose two countries that they wanted to read about for our compare and contrast exercise. They chose Australia and Canada. Since the libraries represented in this book delivered books to the Australian outback and Canada’s northern territory, Nunavut, I was pleased we were still reading about diverse people and places. However, it did make me wonder if there was a reason why Canada and Australia were my students’  first choices. It made me question whether we devote  enough time talking about countries where the majority of people do not look like the typical  Midwesterner.

The Barefoot Book of Children, by Tessa Strickland, Kate DePalma, and David Dean, is one place to start when introducing students to diverse places and people. The illustrations in this book are colorful and full of detail. However, my favorite aspect of  this book is the way that it is organized. It is not organized by continent, race, or ethnicity, but instead,  it is organized around concepts that we all share such as home, language, food, and play. In the first section of the book, illustrations highlight the commonality of our lives as well as the diversity of foods we may eat or ways that we may play.  However, no effort is made to identify where these foods are eaten or where the games are played, demonstrating that  even in our differences, we share a common humanity.

The second section of the  book identifies the places depicted in the illustrations of food, play, and home highlighted in the initial material.  This latter section offers students the opportunity to learn more about  different cultures and it is a great starting place for further investigation.   This book opens doors for kids to explore and learn more about the world around them and it is a wonderful resource for any elementary classroom or library.

Teaching Tolerance Social Justice Standards:

Identity 5: I see that the way my family and I do things is both the same as and different from how other people do things, and I am interested in both.

Diversity 7: I can describe some ways that I am similar to and different from people who share my identities and those who have other identities.

Diversity 8: I want to know about other people and how our lives and experiences are the same and different.

Diversity 10: I find it interesting that groups of people believe different things and live their lives in different ways.

Common Core Standards:

RI.1: Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.

RI.5: Know and use various text features to locate key facts or information in a text efficiently.

RI.6: Identify the main purpose of a text, including what the author wants to answer, explain, or describe.

RI.7: Explain how specific images contribute to and clarify a text.

Over time, the practice of education has become more and more of a collaborative endeavor. We think of students as “our kids” rather than “my kids and your kids” when we are planning for instruction and analyzing student assessment data. To me, one of the key requirements for effective collaboration between anyone and in any situation is to assume good intentions. We work better together when we believe that our coworkers are doing the best that they can to make a difference in the lives of their students. It also seems to me that if we assume best intentions, we are more able to understand and empathize with others.

In Patricia Reilly Giff’s book, Until I Find Julian, issues of undocumented immigration are addressed without judgments of right or wrong. The protagonist, Mateo, crosses the border from Mexico to the United States to look for his older brother Julian who had come to find work to support his family. Julian crossed the border with a friend who returned to Mexico with news that la migra had come to the construction site where they were working and everyone had scattered. He did not know where Julian had gone. Mateo sets out alone to find Julian but soon realizes that he will need the help of a young girl, Angel, who has frequently crossed the border, if he is going to succeed in his quest.

This story is about an issue that is currently quite divisive in our national conversation. However, it is also about family and about being better together than we are apart. Mateo, Julian, and Angel are not perfect, but they have good intentions. Giff paints a picture of people, just like us, who are experiencing something most of us can’t imagine or even understand. This book does not set out to answer the question of whether or not undocumented immigrants should be allowed to become citizens. It also does not tell the story of detention centers or deportation. It tells the story of family and friends who are trying to achieve something better for each other.

Until I Find Julian would be a great book to use when teaching about characters or point of view. Each of the main characters are dynamic and the story is written from Mateo’s point of view. Mateo’s inner dialogue as well as his conversations with various characters would also work well as theatrical interpretations, leading students to work collaboratively and develop a deeper understanding of the story and of each other.

Teaching Tolerance Social Justice Standards:

Diversity 6- I like knowing people who are like me and different from me, and I treat each person with respect.

Common Core State Standards:

RL.3- Describe characters in a story and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.

RL.6- Distinguish their own point of view from that of the narrator or those of the characters.

SL.1- Engage effective in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

I recently had the pleasure of attending a performance of The Ugly Duckling by Lightwire Theater on a school field trip. This very original production using music, puppets, and lighting, did an exceptional job of communicating a message of acceptance of differences to our students in kindergarten through fifth grade. The performance ended with the characters dancing to the song “Heaven is a Place on Earth” and this made me think about the Jewish philosophy of Tikkun Olam.

There are many religious and non-religious communities that embrace social justice, but the events in Pittsburgh last Saturday at the Tree of Life Synagogue have been causing me to think about my own Jewish faith as I read and reflect this week. Tikkun Olam refers to individual acts of kindness that are performed to help others as well as acts of social policy that provide safeguards to those who are disadvantaged. Two books that I believe spread this message beautifully are Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson and Pablo and Birdy written by Alison McGhee and illustrated by Ana Juan.

In Pablo and Birdy, a community adopts a child who washes up on the beach in a kiddie pool, guarded by a very unique bird. Issues of immigration and the struggles of refugees are alluded to in this story, but they are not at its center. Instead, Pablo and Birdy reflects a message of love, individuality, and acceptance that is a representation of what our world could become. It also reminds us that sometimes knowing our own story helps us to embrace those of other people (or, in this case, birds). This would be a wonderful book to share as a read aloud and the all bird “Committee” with their limited vocabularies, but oversize personalities will engage many young listeners.

Harbor Me tells the story of six students who make up a class of diverse learners. None of them have been very successful in general education classrooms so they come together to learn in a smaller environment with more individualized attention. However, their time in this classroom is not the focus of the book. Instead, most of the story takes place in the ARTT Room–A Room To Talk–where the six students meet together during the last hour of their school day on Fridays without adult supervision. This is where they share their stories. And each student has an important story to tell.

At my school, students share with their classmates each morning and when they have something in common, they make a sign with their hands. Their thumbs and pinkies point out while the other three fingers are folded in and they rock their wrists toward the person with whom they have made a connection. Near the beginning of Harbor Me, the narrator Haley thinks about making this same sign when she has a connection with Esteban whose father has just been detained by ICE. Except Haley doesn’t want to make the sign because her father is in prison and this is a story that she is not willing to share. At least not yet.

This is a story of what is lost and what is gained among students of different races, ethnicities, socioeconomic status, and experiences, when they come together to tell their stories. The title of the book comes from something that they all share– a message from their teacher:

Ms. Laverne said every day we should ask ourselves, ‘If the worst thing in the                       world happened, would I help protect someone else? Would I let myself be a                         harbor for someone who needs it?’ Then she said, ‘I want each of you to say to the               other: I will harbor you.’ (Woodson 34)

We often feel differently about issues when they affect those closest to us. Issues of racism, immigration, and justice are not easily resolved and we cannot expect our students to share the same views. Still, the conversations are worth having. It is worth asking ourselves and our students: What world do we want to live in? Will we offer safe harbor to those who need it?

Teaching Tolerance Social Justice Standards:

Identity 2: I know about my family history and culture and about current and past contributions of people in my main identity groups.

Identity 3: I know that all my group identities are part of who I am, but none of them fully describes me and this is true for other people too.

Diversity 6: I like knowing people who are like me and different from me, and I treat each person with respect.

Diversity 10: I know that the way groups of people are treated today, and the way they have been treated in the past, is a part of what makes them who they are.

Justice 13: I know that words, behaviors, rules, and laws that treat people unfairly based on their group identities cause real harm.

Action 19: I will speak up or do something when I see unfairness, and I will not let others convince me to go along with injustice.

Common Core Standards:

RL.3- Describe characters in a story and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.

RL.6- Distinguish their own point of view from that of the narrator or those of characters.

RL.7- Explain how specific aspects of a text’s illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story. (Pablo and Birdy)

SL.1- Engage in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

SL.3- Identify the reasons and evidence a speaker provides to support particular points.

One of the first things that we do as educators when we have a new class or welcome a new student is to build relationships. Getting to know our students, their passions and interests, is a necessity in order to bring learning to life for them. However, in the rush to cover content and to make learning relevant to students, sometimes we have a tendency to limit our views. These are the artists, athletes, scientists, or writers. Here are the leaders, followers, listeners, or thinkers. This can limit the possibilities that students reach for or, maybe worse, lead to stereotypes about students who look or behave a certain way.

One of the many moments that stands out in Between the Lines by Sandra Neil Wallace and illustrated by Bryan Collier, is when the subject of this biography, Ernie Barnes, is told by an art museum tour guide, “Your people don’t express themselves in that way.” In  Durham, North Carolina, in the 1950s, African Americans had only recently been allowed to visit art museums and the work of African American artists was certainly missing from the collections. Barnes had grown up expressing himself through his artwork as communicating through language was difficult for him. However, his talent on the football field was what really made people notice him.

After college, Ernie was drafted to play football professionally. He would watch his teammates and opponents on the football field and paint these scenes when he got home. Soon, he started taking his sketchbooks to the games and would draw on the bench when he wasn’t on the field. Eventually, Ernie had to choose between being a part of the action on the field or representing it on his canvas. The canvas won out and Ernie became a professional sports artist. Children in North Carolina can now see Ernie’s paintings in art museums.

Mr. Barnes points out, “When I became an athlete I didn’t stop being an artist,” and this is important for us to remember as teachers as well. We must see our students from every angle and allow them to access content through all of their interests. Between the Lines would be a fabulous book to share with students who are feeling like they need to focus on a particular talent or interest. Another direction to take with this text would be to examine the illustrations by the extraordinary Bryan Collier and have students find similarities and differences between the style he uses to illustrate this book and the style of Mr. Barnes. This would also be a great book to pair with Kadir Nelson’s We Are the Ship to talk about the intersection between art and sports.

Common Core Standards:

RI.7- Use information gained from illustrations and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text.