A Crack in the Sea by H.M. Bouwman and Dreamers by Yuyi Morales
A Crack in the Sea
by H.M. Bouwman
About the book:
This book was one that you definitely have to be 100% zoned in to read. The author chose a unique writing style to jump through "worlds" in her book. Bouncing from the first world to the second world over and over can confuse you if you aren't ready for a change in plot! This style of writing made me feel like I was reading flashbacks or flash forwards a lot of the time. Keeping everything straight took a couple double readings of pages! This book was a mix between mythological fantasy and history. Some of the events in the book that were refered to from real life were people escaping the Vietnam War and the Song massacre. Although included in a magical way in this book, Bouwman taught about slavery, refugees and escaping a world you can no longer live in.
This book focused in on three sets of siblings and went back and forth on who's story was being told. Each of these sets of siblings found their way to the second world on the brink of terrible things in their home country. The times range from 1781 to 1978 going back and forth between ___, the siblings that escaped the slave ship headed for Jamaica and ____, the siblings that sought refugee from the Vietnam War. All three total sets of siblings ended up in the second world (I think) for a sense of reincarnation or a second chance at a life that was stolen away from them. The journey to save Pip from the raft king, while ruining his plans of returning to the first world, make for an exhilarating story that keeps you on the edge of your seat.
“Bouwman weaves together these stories of freedom and escape with a deep sense of respect and emotion, bringing the reader directly into each family’s search for a safety that transcends both time and space.” —Booklist
"Being a Refugee is not a Choice"
One woman, Carina Hoang, shares her experience about being part of the Vietnam exodus and traveling over seas, to a strange places only to save her life and escape death by uninhabited land or being drafted into the war, or worse.
Critically applying this book to the classroom:
A big take away from this book for me was the common themes through the entire story that I picked up on. The biggest theme I picked up on that didn't focus in on history, slavery, or moral rights was the theme of individuality. Thinking about individuality in a book like this can go so many different ways. All of the characters came from different (horrendously equal) places all to bring their own gifts and unique experiences to the "second world".
A resource I found online is this Teachers Guide. The discussion questions provided in the downloadable PDF I would assume would be extremely helpful on keeping students on track, while making sure they understand this (sometimes) hard to follow story of stories. I think using this book to teach about creating and forming critical perspectives on worldly matters, like slavery, would be a great resource. I would for sure go ahead and say lots of background knowledge is necessary to fully analyze this book and get them most out of it. For that reason, I would stick to teaching this with upper elementary and even middle school.
I liked this instruction from the teachers guide linked above and think it is a fantastic idea to implement in the classroom:
"The author H.M. Bouwman is not the first to imagine a magical or spiritual escape from the inescapable reality and utter cruelty of slavery. Bouwman was inspired by African American folktales that have impossible, fantastical visions of freedom. She was especially inspired by the title story in e People Could Fly: American Black Folktales (Random House). Consider a read aloud of “e People Could Fly” story before students read A Crack in the Sea. Explore the role folktales by enslaved people play in offering hope in an utterly hopeless situation."
Dreamers
by Yuyi Morales
About the book:
This story is about a young mother who travels to El Paso, Texas from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico with her new son. They have trouble getting used to the sounds, sights and language of their new home. Struggling to fit in and find themselves in this new strange place, the author and her son stumble up a magical place they hadn't seen before- a public library. Overwhlemed and on the lookout for a solace, Yuyi and her two month old son took refugee in the place they felt safest, this library. The books became how they learned to read, speak, and write. This space gave them home and a welcoming feeling that they hadn't felt since leaving Mexico. This #OwnVoices author finds her voice in the library that has brought her in. This book teaches about patience, individual strengths, love and kindness, success, finding your voice and so much more.
"The sky and the land welcomed us in words unlike those of our ancestors." - Yuyi Morales
Critically applying this book to the classroom:
First of all, this book is part of the Global read Aloud this year!! There is a study of picture books, all written by Yuyi Morales. I think there are an INFINITE way to apply this book to any classroom. I have had the opportunity to think critically and already begin to share this read with students. We are adapting most of these activities from the Global Read Aloud activities share google doc (which is an incredible resource) and the connection activity packet on Teachers Pay Teachers. I will link them as I am able! I have had the opportunity to introduce culture to my first graders and talk about things that make them special. We started off very personal and explored every avenue of food, family, home, and more about what makes us, US!
Some students' responses:
We have read Dreamers twice now, once for pleasure and once for "business" as referred to by the 7 year olds in my class. We "interviewed" The author, Yuyi Morales via watching some parts of her introduction and scholastic interview. After meeting the author and understanding more about her, we dove into the idea of symbolism to help us understand the book a little better. This is a not frequently taught topic in this young of a grade, but I knew my students could handle it if scaffolded well and consistently!! We chose to focus on the spread of Yuyi Morales's depiction of a backpack filled with strengths she possesses, symbols of what makes her who she is, and hopes she has for the future. My first graders and I made our OWN backpacks!! They had some amazing talks about symbols in their own and the backpack from the book about symbols of freedom, love, kindness, not being scared to try new things and accepting others.
Some examples of backpacks created:
The last thing we have done so far is write our own bio poems, just like Yuyi Morales! After reading and discussing her own poem and reading the quick "magazine", I used the template from this resource. The students really amaze me with their interpretation of symbols at SUCH a young age. Some speak about their love for books as well, making connections with the focus text. I loved this book and the implications it can make in the classroom! Looking forward to more fun with the Global Read Aloud in the upcoming months.
Examples of bio poems:
(I will add to this tomorrow, sept 26th, because we did not get to it today in class.)