This week I had the pleasure of reading two children's picture books that explore the topic of identity. Identity is what makes a person unique and themselves. Stereotypes or societal norms sometimes shape a person into being how the world thinks that person should be. For example, girls wear pink and dresses while boys wear blue and pants. The book, Sparkle Boy written by Lesléa Newman and illustrated by Maria Mola, and Red: A Crayon’s Story written and illustrated by Michael Hall explore the concept of breaking stereotypes and finding one’s true identity.
Sparkle Boy Summary
Sparkle Boy, written by Lesléa Newman and illustrated by Maria Mola, tells a story about Casey. Casey loves to play with blocks and puzzles like any other boy. However, he was also intrigued by his sister Jessie’s glittery, sparkly and shimmery skirt. Jessie thinks that is weird, because Casey is a boy. Their mom says there is nothing wrong with Casey wanting to wear a sparkly skirt if he likes that. Jessie was showing off her new sparkly nails to her brother, when he stated that he also wanted glittery nails. Jessie again said no because he is a boy and boys do not wear nail polish. Which their dad follows up with saying, if Casey wants to wear nail polish, he can. Even Casey wants to wear a shiny bracelet like his sister. Their grandmother states that Casey can also wear sparkly bracelets if he wants! Jessie did not like that her brother was wearing sparkly bracelets, skirts, and nail polish because she thought he looked silly. Boys are not supposed to wear those things, Jessie thought.
When going to the library, Casey wore his sparkly clothes and nail polish. When Casey and his sister were there, a girl approached them and called him Jessie’s sister due to the fact he was wearing a skirt. She said that he could not be a brother, he is a girl. Which then caused two older boys to pick on Casey for wearing a skirt and telling him he looked weird. This caused Jessie to reflect and realize that boys can wear whatever they want, even her brother. She stood up against the two older boys and told them that her brother can wear what he wants because it makes him comfortable. This caused Jessie and Casey to both fall in love with everything sparkly and love each other for who they are.
Sparkle Boy Reflection
While reading Sparkle Boy, I was blown away by how many different messages were packed into what appears to be a short picture book for children. At first glance it looks like a cutesy story about a boy who likes sparkly things. However, it touches on topics of gender norms, societal norms, family roles, and even sibling rivalry. This book teaches students the importance of self discovery, self exploration and self love. What Casey is experiencing, happens to every student that will walk into your classroom.
Boys are judged and ridiculed for liking makeup and wearing dresses everyday. Girls are told to be more girly or they won't be able to find a boyfriend if they like skateboarding or science. By enjoying clothes, hobbies or activities that are outside your gender can cause others to look down upon you. That is why the book Sparkle Boy is an important and vital story to tell and discuss with your class. Having the safe space to discuss topics, like gender norms, is key to exploring acceptance and understanding to people who appear different than what is deemed “normal” in society.
I know when I was growing up, I was not interested in girl toys or playing house or even wearing dresses. I liked playing with trains, playing outside, skating, getting muddy, and wearing boy colors. I remember one girl in elementary school asking me why I only played with boys and how I was weird for playing sports. When I was younger, I did not understand why she was asking me this question because it was what I wanted to do. But, reflecting on this, she was asking me this because I did not fit in with the norms or my gender. I was not playing with dolls or playing house with other girls in my class. I wanted to play what was deemed as “boy hobbies”. Sparkle Boy needs to be discussed in classrooms to show students how people are interested in what they like. Being interested in something that seems different is great! It allows that person to express themself and be comfortable with who they are!
Red: A Crayon’s Story Summary
Red: A Crayon’s Story, written and illustrated by Michael Hall, depicts a blue crayon in a red wrapper. Red goes through life trying to fit into his label red that appeared on the outside. He tried copying his friend Scarlett when drawing strawberries, but they turned out blue. Red’s grandparents thought he was not warm enough and gave him a red scarf to help. However, this did not help either, he was still drawing in blue. All the crayons thought there was something wrong with him, that he was not smart, he had to try harder to be red and apply himself. Even after all his hard work, he still drew in blue.
Everyone tried to fix him because his label says red. Until one day, Berry came along and asked Red to draw an ocean for her boat. At first Red said he could not help because he is labeled red. Berry asked him to try and Red was able to draw a blue ocean for her! Through this, he realized he was blue! All he needed was one person to support him and allow him to realize his true potential.
Red: A Crayon’s Story Reflection
Red, had personal aspects that reflected Michael Hall’s childhood experiences. He was labeled as dyslexic and struggled a great deal in school. He always thought something was wrong with him due to having this label. However, Michael had people in his life who supported him and allowed him to overcome the restricting power of his label just like Red was able to break free of his label.
This story, along with Sparkle Boy allows the reader to see how damaging labels and stereotypes can be on a person. They can feel that they are not normal or something is wrong with them. These thoughts can damage a person and make them feel bad about their identity. By teaching with these books, we can show students the importance of identity and how everyone is different from one another. Being different is not bad, it is what makes us unique!
When reading Red, it reminded me a lot of my brother, Alex. My brother struggled in school. He was pulled out for additional support in math and reading ever since elementary school. I remember him coming how and stating how he was “one of the dumb kids”. This feeling of being labeled as “dumb” set my brother back in self confidence when it came to school. He thought he would never be good at school because of the label that was put on him at an early age. Through family and teacher support, he was able to break out of that mindset, but not until high school. This book showed me how dangerous labeling students can be if we are not giving them the accommodations and tools needed to succeed. By labeling Alex as below-grade-level paired with no classroom support, he had the fixed mindset that he would never get better at school. It was not until high school, that he was able to break free of that label and discover he learns differently and needs extra support to thrive in academic settings.
Reading to Make a Difference: Using Literature to Help Students Speak Freely, Think Deeply, and Take Action Connection to Sparkle Boy and Red: A Crayon’s Story
In Chapter One, we look closely at a second-grade class who is exploring identity. The teacher guides the students into thinking about the two forms of identity a person possesses. She asks her class to, “look closely at our physical features- including our eyes and hair, our skin and stature- and notice what features make us visible and known to others. Then we move inward and explore the notion that our identity also includes parts of us that cannot be seen” (Laminack & Kelly, 4). The teacher is pointing out to her students that one’s whole identity, what makes them who they are, is not always shown outward. A lot of someone's identity is hidden or on the inside.
For example, I am a woman with blue eyes, brown hair, short, thin and white. That is what people can gather when looking at me. What they may not know is that I struggle with mental health and am recovering from an eating disorder. People can not see that when they look at me even though those aspects make up a part of my identity. By exploring students inside and outside identities, they are able to recognize that there is more to a person than what the eyes can see.
Exploring Identity Through The Name Jar
Michael Hall (Author and Illustrator of Red: A Crayon’s Story)
Before Michael was an author and illustrator, he was a famous graphic designer and was known for his simplistic designs.
Lesléa Newman (Author of Sparkle Boy)
Before Lesléa wrote books, she started her career as a teenager, writing for Seventeen Magazine!
Maria Mola (Illustrator of Sparkle Boy)
See her completed art portfolio on her website!
Additional Resources
Here is an example of a read-aloud done by a teacher, Megan Lambert. This is a great model tool to use when using Sparkle Boy to teach younger students.
Here is a great Teacher Guide for Sparkle Boy
Here is an interactive read-aloud of Red: A Crayon’s Story, read by Mai. She does a fantastic job of asking questions to the reader to get them thinking about labels.
Here is a great teacher guide for all ages on Red: A Crayon’s Story
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