PPBF: The Orange Shoes

Today's PPBF just begs us to walk in someone else's shoes, 

if only for a spell.

Title: The Orange Shoes

Author: Trisha Hakes Noble

Illustrator: Doris Ettlinger

Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press

Date: September 1, 2007

Suitable for: ages 6 and up (grades 1-4)

Fiction

Themes: poverty, creativity, empathy

Brief synopsis: Delly's class will be having a Shoebox Social soon, but will this child who doesn't even wear shoes until October be able to participate?

Resources:  Publisher's Activities {here}

Writing For Kids blog review {here}

More info about the author and book {here}

Empathy in a (Shoe) Box {here}

Why I like this book:  

Remember Nellie, the spoiled rich girl on the 1970's hit show Little House on the Prairie? Well, she's met her match in Prudy, the mean girl who generates a lot of conflict in this treasure. Fortunately for its reader, this story has a life-like quality that will easily lend itself to a discussion about respecting differences, in particular affluence versus poverty.

Meet Delly. She walks barefoot to school because her family cannot afford new shoes, but the optimist in her doesn't really fret about it, because she loves "the feel of our dirt road under my feet; the sandy places and the dried mud places and the smooth places after the road scraper's gone through." Delly is admittedly happy going barefoot until Prudy weighs in with comments that are ugly and disrespectful. When the teacher announces a Shoebox Social to raise funds for art supplies at the school, Delly worries that she doesn't have a shoebox to decorate, much less new shoes for the social, but her Father surprises her with some beautiful new orange shoes. Along comes Prudy, ready to rain on Delly's parade, but how far will she go to ruin the Social for Delly? Because it sparked a fun childhood memory of our 4H-sponsored Box Socials, The Orange Shoes caught my eye. Because Prudy is such a true-to-life character and Delly is such a wonderful problem-solver, it kept my attention. It's kind of lengthy as a read-aloud, but it's well worth your time, so plan ahead and break it down into reasonable chunks if you need to.

You can use this book when you're discussing rural versus urban life. Make a T-chart to note the differences. You can also use it when you talk about socio-economic issues and class. Make a H-Map, a Venn diagram, or a Double Bubble graphic organizer as students observe the similarities and then differences between affluence (Prudy) and poverty (Delly). What things, if any, overlap? Students could write an editorial about which way of life is more desirable. Finally, go back to Prudy. Have students make a list of the different ways that she showed disrespect to Delly. How did the other students react to Prudy's behavior? How is Prudy's behavior like that of a bully? Did anyone ask her to stop? Why or why not? Ask students if they would have done anything differently at school had they been Prudy? Delly? The teacher?

The ultimate enrichment activity after reading this tale would be to hold a Shoebox Social. Students decorate a Shoebox, then make a lunch that they pack into it. Use this activity as a mixer so students can get to know one another better. Or host it just for fun during lunch one day. Let students help you figure out a creative way for the boxes to change hands. A Shoebox Social can also be used as a service project; you could auction off the boxes, and then take them (and the money they brought) to a local Shelter for donation. Call ahead first, of course, so that you know if they accept food donations and what, if any, dietary restrictions there might be.

Tomorrow we're hosting a Kids Clothing Kids clothes swap,
another reason I've chosen this gem today.
I'm so thankful for our Good News Club's initiative
and I can't wait to see how many kids-in-need we'll outfit!

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PPBF: Josias, Hold the Book

Today I'm excited to share a book that connects with me all the way back to my roots on the farm. Prepare to fall in love with Josias. He's one responsible kid! 


Title: Josias, Hold the Book
Author: Jennifer Riesmeyer Elvgren
Illustrator: Nicole Tadgell
Publisher: Boyds Mills Press
Date: 2006 (reprint edition January 1, 2011)
Suitable for: grades 1-4
Themes: Haitian culture, responsibility, poverty
Realistic Fiction
Brief synopsis: A young Haitian gardener, Josias can't help but notice that his family's beans aren't growing like they used to. Though his friends invite him every day to "hold the book" - an expression that means attend school to learn - Josias repeatedly declines because he's working diligently on the family farm to find a solution to their issue with the beans. Is it possible that if Josias agrees to "hold the book" he'd be able to research other options and save his bean crop?

Opening pages:  Josias frowned at the bare rows of dirt between the sweet potatoes and peas in his family's tiny garden. "The beans have grown well here every year. Why not this one?" He wiped the sweat from his brow as the Haitian sun climbed higher in the sky.

Resources:  

Read a Kirkus review {here}.

Why I like this book and how I would use it:  

First-grade teacher Margaret Limmer first introduced me to this book a few years ago during their farm unit. She said that it reminded her of me since I, too, grew up working on a farm. She also said it was an excellent book to teach problem solving and responsibility. After reading it, however, my first question had to do with fairness: Was it fair that Josias had to work and wasn't able to "hold the book" like his friend Chrislove? That led to my next inquiry: Is education a right or a privilege? These would be interesting writing prompts or discussion points before reading Josias' story aloud to your class. 

While reading aloud, ask students to keep track of the ways in which Josias attempts to help his beans grow. What, if anything, would they have done differently to solve that problem?

Might the books that his friends are reading at school hold the solution to this problem? Is not being able to hold the book holding Josias back? A teacher helps by explaining about crop rotation, and Josias learns a valuable lesson that could even help modernize his family. An author's note at the end of the book gives her readers an insider's look into the plight of the Haitian farmer and the schooling issues that rural children face in that third-world nation. 

Have students compare and contract their life with Josias' way of living. What, if anything, is the same? And what do they note is different? This might also lead to a study of the people, customs, and traditions in Haiti and could even springboard a service project. What is one of the needs that we could help fill there? After the earthquake there, we collected gently-used shoes and sent them through Soles 4 Souls, an organization designed to wear out poverty. Seize this opportunity to find out what they understand about poverty. Are Josias and his family rich or poor? How do they know?

Follow up the story with a writing lesson. What would your students say in a letter to Josias? Tell him about your country and ask him about his. What are your responsibilities as a student? As a family member? As a friend? What are his? 

Want a science experiment? Plant some beans and try watering them with different liquids: water, milk, coffee, lemonade, cola. What do your student predict might happen? Write a hypothesis, then plant those seeds. Help students keep data; measure and document. Track growth and other reactions to the treatment and care. Let students discuss their observations and outcomes.

Check out this book and the other gems on our PPBF list.

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