Social and emotional learning

Luis Paints the World by Terry Farish, illustrated by Oliver Dominguez

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Carolrhoda 

Summary:  Luis is sad because his brother Nico is leaving to join the army and go overseas.  When Nico tells Luis he is going to see the world, Luis begins painting a mural trying to capture the world so Nico will want to come home again.  After Nico leaves, Luis incorporates photos that Nico texts him into his mural.  Gradually, their mother and others from the neighborhood join in to make the mural a community effort.  The seasons pass, and finally, one warm summer day, Nico comes home again.  A note from the author explains that Luis, Nico, and the mural are based on her experiences working in Lawrence, Massachusetts.  32 pages; ages 4-9.

Pros:  The rich, colorful illustrations capture Luis’s mural beautifully, and the story is real and heartfelt.

Cons:  A few of the Spanish words and phrases aren’t translated.

 

Maybe Something Beautiful: How Art Transformed a Neighborhood by F. Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell, illustrated by Rafael Lopez

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 

Summary: Mira is an artist. She loves to draw what she sees around her, and give her pictures to family, friends, and neighbors. One day, a man comes to her neighborhood who loves art as much as she does. He starts to paint murals around the community, and he invites Mira and her neighbors to join him. The bright colors are like magic, and when the murals are done, the painters don’t stop. They paint sidewalks, utility boxes, and benches. The man who started it all unites everyone with a wave of his paintbrush. Pages at the end tell about Rafael Lopez, who is both the man in the story and the illustrator of this book, and how he transformed San Diego’s East Village, and has since moved on to other communities around the world. 40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros: An inspiring true story about one man who made a difference. Not only did he beautify his own community, but his work has raised money to help talented artists get more education, and his movement has spread around the world. His illustrations convey the magical transformations of his art, and should put Lopez in contention (again) for some Caldecott recognition.

Cons: I would have loved to have seen more photos of the real murals and other artwork.

Always Remember by Cece Meng, illustrated by Jago

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Philomel Books

Always Remember: Meng, Cece, Jago: 9780399168093: Amazon.com: Books

Summary:  When Old Turtle takes his last breath and swims his last swim, the waves carry him away, and his friends remember him.  The young turtles remember how he taught them how to swim; the otters remember how he loved to play and have fun; the manatee remembers how he rescued him when he was tangled in a fishing net.  At the end, they conclude that Old Turtle lived a life filled with kindness, love, and helpfulness, and his legacy will live on through their own lives.  32 pages; ages 3-7.

Pros:  A beautifully illustrated simple story that celebrates a life well-lived and gives children a way to look at death as the completion of life.

Cons:  Another three-Kleenex read-aloud.

If You Plant a Seed by Kadir Nelson

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by HarperCollins 

If You Plant a Seed - Kindle edition by Nelson, Kadir, Nelson, Kadir. Children Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Summary:  If you plant carrot, tomato, and cabbage seeds, Bunny and Mouse discover, you get carrots, tomatoes, and cabbage.  They’re just about to enjoy the fruits of their labor when a flock of birds shows up, clearly wanting to sample the veggies.  If you plant the seeds of selfishness, they grow, too…into a heap of trouble.  And, in this case, a food fight.  Ready for a different approach, Bunny and Mouse try sharing, planting seeds of kindness.  The birds reciprocate by flying overhead, dumping bags of seeds.  The resultant garden makes everybody happy.  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  The big, beautiful pictures of really, really cute animals complement the simple text and message.

Cons:  The message may be a bit heavy-handed.

New Shoes by Susan Lynn Meyer, illustrated by Eric Velasquez

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Holiday House

Summary:  When Ella Mae’s family scrapes together enough money to buy her a new pair of shoes, she is dismayed to learn that black people can’t try on shoes at the store.  She watches a white girl try on her shoes, while Ella Mae’s mother has to trace around her foot to figure out her size.  The first day she wears her shoes to school, she feels bad about her experience at the shoe store all day.  Then she and her friend Charlotte come up with a brilliant plan.  For weeks, they do chores for people, asking for payment in used shoes.  Finally, they display all the shoes in their barn, then put a sign up announcing people can buy a pair for ten cents and another used pair of shoes.  The people in their community are thrilled that they’ll never have to use the shoe store again.

Pros:  I loved this powerful story about segregation.  Instead of the girls feeling victimized by it, they come up with a solution and work hard to make it happen.

Cons:  The solution is inspiring but a bit simplistic, and a larger conversation about segregation would be helpful when reading this.