I have read a few books over the past week that would create a great mini multimodal text set that connected to displacement and relocation, immigrant, and refugee experiences. Dreamers written and illustrated by Yuyi Morales and Malala: Activist for Girls’ Education written by Raohaële Frier and illustrated by Aurélia Fronty. While also including Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life by Ashley Bryan that reflects on the lives of slaves through poetry and true stories in a video. In this blog post, I will describe the common themes within the texts that encompass displacement, hope, identity, empathy and dreams.
Dreamers by Yuyi Morales Summary
Dreamers tells a story of a young mother and her baby son packing up their belongings and traveling from Mexico to a new life in America. They became immigrants. There were many new things that they did not know or were not able to understand. They did not know English and were afraid to speak. Until one day, they came across a library. “Books became our language. Books became our home. Books became our lives” (Morales, 23). They learned how to make their voices heard, through books. Their new life finally became a world of opportunity, instead of fear.
Dreamers by Yuyi Morales Reflection
Dreamers, as short as it was, has so much emotion, art, and life within it. I fell in love with this story, due to Morales’ word choice, art and the “My Story” portion she added at the end. This story was a passion piece for her. In Morales’ keynote speech she gave on Dreamers she talks about how she felt she needed to more with her gift of writing. How spreading her story was what she was meant to do. Her words, her story, will always resonate with me. Yuyi states in her my story, “One of the most important things I learned at the library is that through books we can find our path and our purpose”(31). She came to America with her hopes and dreams, and carrying her own special gifts, to build a better future (31). Through this story, she displayed her dreams and her special gifts. She published this book to make her story real.
What I love most about this book is the art. She used many different mediums to create this book. The streets of Malinalco, her hometown Xalapa, her house, her floor tiles, graffiti, string, childhood drawings her mother kept, leaves, water, pillow embroidery and much more. All the different textures and mediums behind the artwork in Dreamers carry another layer of meaning. I saw it as keeping a piece of her hometown with her while she journeyed to an unfamiliar place. All she had were memories, which was represented through her art in the story.
This book captures one story of immigration through a real life experience the author endured. Dreamers is a book worth sharing with students because it helps them relate to the uncertainty people feel when coming to a new place. How they are also carrying hopes and dreams. Yuyi and her son, found comfort through books and the images in picture books. By sharing this with students they can hear a story that is true to the author’s experience.
Yuyi Morales
Malala written by Raohaële Frier and illustrated by Aurélia Fronty Summary
Malala Yousafzai was born in Pakistan, where most people only celebrate the birth boy, but her family was different. Malala’s father, Ziauddin, founded the Khushal School for girls. Ziauddin was proud to have a daughter. Malala grew up with books and a strong love for learning. She was not fond of some of her village's stories or traditions. For example, Shahida was sold to an old man for marriage. Also, how men were highly represented in society and in the workplace, while the women were meant to stay home and obey their husbands. Most women could not read or write. Malala listens to her father and his friends discuss the Taliban, a powerful and political group, that has been setting schools on fire. The Taliban believe in studying a strict, conservative interpretation of the Qur’an. The Taliban also wants to shut down Ziauddin’s school - his school for girls.
Malala’s father allows her to speak up about the Taliban. She questions the Taliban’s authority to take away her right to an education. She also begins to write a blog about girls and education that appears on the British Broadcasting Corporation's website. She is even able to create her own educational foundation in 2011. Even though Malala has all of this support, her family is threatened by the Taliban. On October 9, 2012, Malala was shot on her Khushal School bus. While recovering, she received letters and gifts from all around the world. The Taliban does not silence Malala, she continues to fight for education rights for all. She empathizes with young girls in other countries who are denied the right to education. Where their place is only meant in the home and obey. At 17, Malala was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. She continues to fight for the educational rights of all people.
Malala written by Raohaële Frier and illustrated by Aurélia Fronty Reflection
Before reading, this book, I knew very little about Malala’s story. I knew she fought for educational rights for women and was shot due to her activism. That was about it. Malala: Activist for Girls’ Education, was a truly inspiring story about a young girl who fought for not only her right for an education but people in other countries. I did not realize she was that young when she began her journey of becoming a voice for education rights for all. That is truly inspiring. This book is important to share with students because everyone has access to free, public education in the United States. Not every country has that or believes in that. By exposing kids to this book, it will create a window for them to see what education is like for other people in different countries. How some people have to fight for their right to learn. This book creates a strong opportunity to talk about empathy and how we can try and understand how Malala or other people like her may feel. Also, we could research ways we can help and make a difference.
Malala gave people hope. She is a strong female activist who put what she thought was right out into public, even if that put her life in danger. She knew how much the right to basic education meant to her, her family, her friends and made an impact on the world.
Raphaële Frier
Aurélia Fronty
Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life by Ashley Bryan tells the stories of eleven slaves from the Fairchild’s estate. Bryan states in his author’s note how slaves were not viewed as people. Slaves did not have individuality, they were property. Through Bryan’s words, he creates the hopes and aspirations of these eleven slaves and makes them human. They were human to begin with, but many people during these times did not think of
slaves that way. Bryan set out with a goal and achieved beyond what he set out to do. I was moved by his ability to create each dream for each individual slave. He told their stories.
Ashley Bryan
Persona Poem
I am heroic and passionate.
I live in Pakistan. A country divided by tradition and values.
I wonder why there is violence surrounding the right to education.
I hear the fear in my friends and families voices.
I see the flames engulfing our schools one by one.
I want change.
I want education.
I’m as worthy as any boy.
I am heroic, passionate, powerful and human.
I question why people do not want us to learn.
I feel infuriated when they try and take my right to an education away.
I taste the cardamom tea my father and his friends drink when talking about politics.
I worry for others who feel trapped.
I excel at being a voice for those who feel silenced.
I understand that every child should have the right to go to school.
I am heroic, passionate, determined and a leader.
I say girls have value beyond the house.
I believe girls have a right to education.
I dream of a world where there is no more fighting against the right to learn.
I try to speak for those who cannot be heard.
I hope everyone will respect one another.
I was once a girl from Pakistan who wanted an education.
But now I am an advocate for educational rights.
I am heroic and passionate.
I am Malala
MORE Resources and Texts
The Night Diary is a novel which recounts the partition of India into two separate countries, India and Pakistan, through the eyes of a twelve-year-old half-Hindu and half-Muslim girl named Nisha. This book depicts the hardships her and her family endures on their journey to cross the border to find a new home.
Brothers in Hope is the story, told in first person, of eight-year-old Garag, who escapes Sudan by walking through Ethiopia and Kenya, eventually getting to the US.
In the story, 12-year-old Jaime travels
from Guatemala to the US to escape gang violence. It’s inspired by true events and connects with current events.
The Unwanted: Stories of Syrian Refugees is a graphic novel depiction of Syrian experiences. There are stories of both horror and hope, making this book a great entry point for a class discussion about the resilience and courage of Syrian refugees.
Lesson Plan for First Grade
Dreamers by Yuyi Morales
Videos about Malala
Ashley Bryan
Hi Kelsey!
I loved your blog post this week! I really loved your persona poem- it was extremely powerful. I also wrote my persona poem from the perspective of Malala. I really liked the first stanza of your poem- especially when you said "I am as worthy as any boy". As we know and Malala discusses, ALL children should have educational rights regardless of their gender. I think that this specific line of your persona poem did a excellent job helping reiterate that important message. Lastly, I love all of the additional resources that you have included at the end of your blog. Thanks for sharing!