Books from our library that make you think...
Thao
by Thao Lam
What's your name? Do you know how to write it? Do you know where is came from? Do you love it (or hate it?!)
Names are important is recognising our uniqueness and place - who we are!.
This is the autobiographical story (that's a true story about the author's real life) of Thao Hong Lam, and her experience in elementary school.
Her name is short, and shares the same letters as many other names, so why is it misspelled, mispronounced, and misunderstood by almost everyone? Thao is tired of it. Is the answer to make a big change?
Some things to talk about:
Learn about your name. Who chose it? What does it mean?
Why do you think every has their own name? Would it be easier to be called after where we live? or our birth order? maybe a number, or something that describes how we look? All those are ways people in the past have been named!
Do you know the first names of all your classmates? Are there any you are unsure about?
How could someone feel if their name was always pronounced incorrectly? Has this ever happened to you?
What can we do if we are unsure how to say someone's name correctly?
Listen to the real life Thao talk about why she wrote this book, and hear how to pronounce her name correctly in the video.
I love my purse
by Belle DeMont and Sonja Wimmer
"Charlie loves his bright red purse, so why does everyone else have a problem with it?
Charlie loves the bright red purse that his grandmother let him have. One day, he decides to take it to school. First his father, then his friends, and even the crossing guard question him about his “strange” choice. After all, boys don’t carry purses. But Charlie isn’t deterred. Before long, his unselfconscious determination starts to affect those around him. His father puts on his favorite Hawaiian shirt to go to work, his friend Charlotte paints her face, and the crossing guard wears a pair of sparkly shoes. Thanks to Charlie, everyone around him realizes that it isn’t always necessary to conform to other people ideas of what people should and shouldn't do. It’s more important to be true to yourself.
Some things to think about...
Why do we often think somethings are 'for girls' and some things are 'for boys'?
How would you feel if Charlie was a student at Broadview? What would you say to help him feel accepted?
In the story, a friend tells Charlie "But you're a boy! Boys cary worms in their pockets and toads in their backpacks, not bright red purses!
Ideas like this are called stereotypes. Stereotypes are ideas about how people will act, based on the group to which they belong, or how they look. Stereotypes make assumptions about people, without knowing anything about them, and the assumptions are often wrong.
Teachers, for a reference for students on stereotypes check here: https://kids.kiddle.co/Stereotype
In the story, Charlie sticks with what is true to himself, and his actions help others to do the same. Can you think of any examples from real life where others have had a positive influence on those around them?
Can you draw a giant purse, and show what you would keep inside? What colour would your purse be?